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Sometimes dreams do come true. For Troup alum Jamari Thrash, dreams became a reality on Saturday when he heard his name called in the NFL Draft. With the 186th pick of the 2024 NFL Draft the Cleveland Browns selected the wide receiver out of Louisville.

“I was showing my brother that I could go to any one of these five teams and as I was explaining to him I got a call from an Ohio number, so I knew it had to be Cleveland or Cincinnati,” Thrash said. “I got off the phone, told my family and we sat there and waited until they called my name and then we celebrated.

“Having my family and friends there who have supported me since day one really meant a lot to me.”

Friday and Saturday were full of anxiety for Thrash. Eventually, he could not take the pressure of watching it on TV on Saturday.

“I saw Ladd (McConkey) go early in the second and then receivers started going quick, so I thought I might go in the third round, so I watched the third round on Friday and didn’t get picked then Saturday came around and the fourth round went and I didn’t get picked,” Thrash said. “I started to think that I wouldn’t get picked and started to feel nervous, so I went upstairs to play a game of Madden and take my mind off things. I went downstairs right after the game and told my brother these teams that are about to pick might take me and that’s when Cleveland called.”

When that Ohio number eventually did pop up on his phone and he knew what it meant. A wave of relief rolled off Thrash’s shoulders. 

Thrash is a burner and uses his quick release and top speed to blow past defenders. Thrash caught 63 passes for 858 yards and had seven total touchdowns despite dealing with an injury. With Amari Cooper atop the depth chart at wide receiver in Cleveland and freshly arrived Jerry Juedy, who the team traded for before the draft, Trash will join a crowded wide receiver room. He feels like he can bring something different to what they already have.

“Hopefully I can bring some explosiveness to the offense and I’m saying that those guys they have aren’t fast, but I can bring some excitement and enthusiasm to the offense and be a spark for them,” he said.

During this whole process, Thrash has done his best to block out the noise. It has been difficult at times, but focusing on himself and not what others say has been rewarding for the soon-to-be rookie wide receiver. 

“I just try to stay off the internet a lot. I try not to pay attention to what others may say or may not say,” Thrash said. “I just pay attention to my coaching, but it’s kind of hard to get that because social media is an easy distraction.”

Thrash has just a week to prepare for his new life. He reports to camp on May 8 — just 10 days after he was drafted. 

“I don’t think it has really hit me yet.,” Thrash said, “It probably won’t really hit me until I get up there.”

Thrash talked with the Cleveland Browns general manager Andre Berry on draft night and is already hearing from his new teammates as he gets ready to join his new team.

“They were telling me that they were excited about me coming up there and then Deshaun Watson texted me after he told me he was excited to work with and can’t wait for me to get up there,” Thrash said.