The Shadow
At the home of Steven Dressler’s this past Saturday, family, friends, and former teammates got together for S. Dressler’s son, Tyler, a Covington native and NFL Draft prospect out of the University of Richmond.
While smiles and laughter was heard as stories were shared and the barbecue smell was in the air, everyone at S. Dressler’s home on Saturday was there to witness his son T. Dressler make it to the NFL.
T. Dressler, a 2017 Covington High School graduate and a Richmond graduate, had all of his focus on this past Saturday for rounds 4-7 of the 2022 NFL Draft.
The former Cougar and Spider was projected to be a seventh round selection to being a priority free agent signing post the NFL Draft.
After 262 selections had been made in the NFL Draft, the Covington native did not have his name called upon.
However, as things looked gloomy, and after speaking with his agent, T. Dressler, received a phone call Saturday evening from the Pittsburgh Steelers and received a minicamp invite.
“The special teams coached really liked me and the organization really wanted to see me before they make any decisions before signing me. With talking with the front office, they told me that although I did not sign a free agency deal that it was not the end of the world and I can still come in there, compete and earn a spot. The conversation was short and sweet and very business oriented. They want to get a better look”, said T. Dressler on his phone call with the Steelers organization.
A minicamp is typically held in the Spring prior to the up coming NFL season. The camp usually will last around three days, however, the length of each camp varies depending on each teams head coach’s preference. Minicamps are designed for getting newly drafted rookies as well undrafted rookies who are invited to get adjusted to the NFL life and playing schemes.
After the dust settled from Saturday, the journey to the NFL for T. Dressler, was still more than alive.
Then Sunday happened and another team, the New York J-E-T-S JETS JETS JETS called T. Dressler and invited him to their minicamp. The Jets did not have any late round selections.
“The Jets called and came out of nowhere (on Sunday). We got the connection there through Joe Douglas (Jets General Manager) who is a Richmond Football alum. They were straight up and said lets get this guy in here, we want to see more of him and give him an opportunity. You can kind of tell what teams are more serious about you and what teams might just want you in camp and utilize you more as a body. To see the Steelers and Jets get me in there asap is a lot of good signs. The front office (Jets) called me today and we locked that up and now we’re flying out on Thursday (for mini camp)”, said T. Dressler on how it all came about with the Jets.
The Jets mincamp will be held this coming weekend, while the Steelers minicamp takes place the following weekend.
While the disappointment certainly was there for T. Dressler in not being drafted or signed right away. The realization of he still has a great opportunity to make it to the next level began to sink in as Sunday rolled around.
“At first I was extremely disappointed. I had family and friends come out and it was really heartbreaking not putting pen to paper right there and then. But with that being said, I came to my senses. Once the Jets called, I put it into prospective and talked to a few people and realized I have an opportunity that a lot of people don’t have. I even have two opportunities. I have to stop focusing on things I cant control and really focus on thing I can control. And the things I can control is my opportunities with the Steelers and Jets. I’m going to go in there, work my tail off and make the most of it”, said T. Dressler.
S. Dressler on what it means to be the father of a potential future NFL Football player, “A lot of times when I talk to people, you get emotional and it’s hard to hold back. I’m really excited. Today, (the emotion) it’s real, it’s hitting real hard because it hear (draft day). He (Tyler) is a great person and he has worked hard and good things come to those who are good to others and do work hard. it’s heartwarming to see this. The whole goal with today is to have an opportunity and make the most of it.”
Clayton McConnel and Kevin Laughlin (former teammates of T. Dressler’s at Richmond), who were there on Saturday at the Dressler family home, spoke highly of their former teammate as he prepares for the next level. “He was always the first one to show up in the locker room and the last one to leave. It’s been great to watch him grow and become the player he is today”, said McConnel. “The leadership aspect Tyler brings is a strong one. It was so easy as teammates to rally around him. He was always a leader and someone that everyone looked up to. In the NFL there’s a lot of leaders out there and you can tell that his leadership is something that differentiates about him amongst those he’s going to be competing with.
From talking with other family and friends at T. Dressler’s draft party on Saturday, they all know he has played with a chip on his shoulder from day one. He was overlooked by Virginia Tech, where his father and uncles all graduated from. He came from a small city of Covington and went on to play collegiate football, but unfortunately many recognize the Spiders to be a smaller school because they are an FCS program. After Saturday that chip only grew bigger on T. Dressler’s shoulder.
“It’s huge. At this point, I’m going to scratch and crawl for life. That’s all I can do because my football career is on the line. My future kids, my family now, everything. Their well-being is on the line. My whole goal is I want to give my kids something I didn’t have growing up, whatever that may be. Knowing that’s on the line and everything that I put into this my entire football career. I’ve been working at this since I could probably walk. And knowing my football career could end at any day is a huge fire inside. I don’t want it to end so I am going to do everything possible to establish the longevity of my career here in the next few days”, said T. Dressler on that chip on his shoulder.
T. Dressler on what to expect from his up coming minicamps, “I’ve talked to former Richmond alumni who have had the opportunity to be in minicamps. I actually got to talk to one of the Steelers assistant coaches who coached at Richmond last year (David Corley) and basically what to expect is they are going to overload you with information at the beginning. You’re going to get a lot of reps and after the three days they’ll make decisions. It’s not going to be full pads or anything. It’s only helmets, jersey’s, and shorts. I was hoping for pads because I felt it would of been an opportunity to prove myself. I’m not sure how long the practices are, but my agent will send me an itinerary.
With minicamp just days away T. Dressler explained what his preparation would be as he headed back in the gym on Monday, “At this point, just going to stay fresh with some field work and light lifting and staying prepared for Thursday.”
T. Dressler, a small town kid, who is on his journey towards making history by reaching the NFL is about to prove “that it does not matter where you come from, you can make it anywhere if you put the work in.” A direct quote T. Dressler told me a few weeks back. He is about to prove that over the next two weeks at the Jets and Steelers minicamps and we wish him the best of luck in reaching the ultimate goal.
On a personal note, I would like to thank Steven and Tyler for inviting me on Saturday and welcoming me into their home for their BBQ/Draft celebration. I would also like to thank the entire Dressler family and friends that were there for making me feel welcome and right at home. I enjoyed hearing all the shared stories and conversations we had. It was my pleasure to be there and I have the upmost gratitude to all of you for welcoming me in.
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Notable Undrafted Linebackers:
James Harrison, Will Compton, London Fletcher, Sam Mills, Shaquil Barrett, and many more. Harrison, Fletcher, and Barrett, are former Super Bowl winners.
