Randall Cobb has used naysayers as motivation his entire career. He's too small. He's too slow. You know the drill.
So when he was invited to the NFL draft with 25 other players, there were some who wondered why. Then, he waited. The first round came and went. He started getting a little anxious as the second round was nearing an end. Then he heard his name. With the final pick in the second round, he was selected by the Green Bay Packers. Now his motivation is on all those teams that passed him over. But in the end, he says he ended up right where he belongs.
"It's probably the best thing that could have happened to me, to wait as long as I did and go to the team I did. God works in mysterious ways. For me to have the opportunity to play for Green Bay, such a powerful organization, so well known and so much tradition there, it's going to be a great experience," said Cobb.
"The first night, seeing everybody leave was a little hard on my family, not so much me, but more my family. The second day I went in there with the mindset of hopefully I'm getting off the table today. When the receivers started going it was a little bit of, 'Where am I going?' But like I said, God works in mysterious ways. I feel it's probably the best position out of any of the receivers."
Cobb didn't have any idea which team would draft him. After the combine, he had a feeling some were more interested in others, but the Packers never really entered his mind.
"I talked to them at the combine but that was the only time I talked to them. The more I learned about this process, the more it shows that some teams show interest but some teams don't show interest so they can pick you up whenever they get the chance. It's just a great experience and I'm happy to be where I am."
With the NFL lockout ongoing, Cobb is unable to get a playbook or work out with his future teammates. He's going to try to hook up with Green Bay quarterback Aaron Rodgers this weekend, who is in Kentucky for the Derby. But as far as when he can get to work, he has no idea.
"I don't know. I know as much as you all know. (I know) What I see on TV and what my agent tells me every now and then. But there's not too much that I can do about it so I just try to focus on what I can handle and that's being prepared and being ready whenever the lockout's over and we start training," said Cobb.
He was as beloved as any player at UK during the last decade and he's already starting to understand just how rabid the fans are in Green Bay.
"So much love. You know I'm big on Twitter. I went from 16,000 (followers) to 22,000-23,000 (followers) in less than three nights. They just send me so many messages every day. I'm trying to have a contest up there and get a chance to get up there and meet some of the fans and learn about the city and the history of the Packers. It's been remarkable, just the things they've been saying. They all seem happy that I'm there and happy that I'm going to be a part of their family now."
He's ready to start his NFL career. It's what he's dreamed about. But Kentucky will always hold a special place in his heart. His only regret, that he doesn't leave here with a 'mission accomplished' feeling.
"I feel like I left it as mission in progress. I feel like we've made some steps and hopefully we've laid a foundation that the young guys can build on and the future Wildcats can build on. I hope that I left a sense of, we've got to get the job done. We've been close and we've got to a position where we can win, we just have to be to able to win now."