Could I Find All 32 Teams’ Jerseys at the NFL Draft in One Hour?

As I moved closer to the entrance, I found jerseys of Tetairoa McMillan and Bryce Young of the Panthers, Drake Maye of the Patriots, and Patrick Mahomes of the Chiefs. I also spotted two friends wearing Bills Josh Allen and Bengals Joe Burrow jerseys. In line, I picked out shirts of Jayden Reed of the Packers and Fred Warner of the 49ers. I crossed off the Packers and 49ers tentatively, as they weren’t true jerseys. However, I documented Jordan Love and Brock Purdy jerseys later on, so it all worked out.

I also noticed a Bears Darnell Wright jersey in front of me, which was very unexpected. However, the creativity shown by that fan for repping an offensive lineman should absolutely be commended.

As I walked through security and towards the draft festivities, my eyes lit up. From the stadium to the shore, it was jerseys as far as the eye could see. I knew then that I had a chance.

The Challenge Continues

With 13 jerseys down and about 45 minutes to go, I knew that I was making solid time. But I also knew there would be some tricky ones at the end that I wanted to allot time for.

On the main road towards the waterfront, I started to get on a roll. Broncos’ Peyton Manning, Browns’ Carson Schwesinger, Giants’ Malik Nabers, and Cowboys’ Dak Prescott got crossed off in a span of about 30 seconds. The Schwesinger jersey surprised me somewhat, as I expected players like Myles Garrett or Nick Chubb from Cleveland fans. Nevertheless, I continued on.

The road formed a loop around practice fields for kids to play, so I decided to take a few laps. On the first one, I found Vikings’ Adam Thielen, Dolphins’ Dan Marino, Rams’ Matthew Stafford, and Jets’ Sauce Gardner jerseys.

I was at 21 jerseys with about 30 minutes to go, but that’s when the challenge really started to pick up.

The Plot Thickens

At this point, I was becoming mildly frustrated. I had seen an unending supply of Steelers, Browns, Bengals, Giants, and Bills jerseys. Finding new ones was becoming a grind.

I started implementing a bit of creativity in my search. I found a Saints Tyrann Mathieu jersey in line for the draft theater. A few minutes later, I spotted a Chargers Ladd McConkey jersey at the far end of the north shore. Then, on my way back from the water, I caught fire again.

In a matter of moments, I crossed off the Falcons, Buccaneers, and Titans with Deion Sanders, Baker Mayfield, and Derrick Henry.

Admittedly, the Sanders one was a shirt and not a jersey, but I came across a Matt Ryan jersey a minute later. So, in my mind, it cancels out.

With just over 20 minutes to go, I only needed six more teams. I could see the finish line, but I also knew the final stretch would prove to be treacherous.

Race Against the Clock

After the last trio of jerseys, I hit a five-minute cold streak. The AFC South was giving me all sorts of problems. I had only just checked off the Titans, and three of the six teams I still needed were in that division. Luckily, I finally spotted a Colts’ Darius Leonard jersey in the same line as the Mathieu one. I then hit a three-minute cold spell. I was beginning to worry.

At this point, I needed a Hail Mary, so I made my way over to the team mannequins. Each mannequin was headless so fans could rest their heads between their team’s mannequin’s shoulders and pose for pictures. I had hoped that fans wearing jerseys would come take pictures by their respective mannequin. However, after closely monitoring my remaining teams’ mannequins for several minutes, I knew I had to move on.

I decided to make my way back towards the rest of the crowd as the clock continued to wind down. I had about 15 minutes and five teams to go. As I headed back, I spotted a name and number on a maroon jersey. I didn’t immediately recognize it, so I went in for a closer look. After moving in and conferring with Google, I realized the jersey in front of me was of the Commanders’ Darrell Green.

Green, who was admittedly a star cornerback in the 80s and 90s, would not have even cracked my top ten of Washington jerseys that I expected to see. Regardless, I celebrated the find and hustled through the street.

A Miracle From Above

I only had four jerseys to go, and they were becoming harder and harder to find. After the Green find, I hit another five-minute dry spell. I needed a new plan—and fast.

So, I returned to the draft theater line where I had already found the Mathieu and Leonard jerseys. I was hoping for a miracle, and that’s exactly what I got.

Standing at the back of the line, I found two fans wearing Tony Boselli and Fred Biletnikoff jerseys. For those unfamiliar, Boselli was the Jaguars’ first ever draft pick in 1995, and he played offensive line in Jacksonville for six years. Biletnikoff, on the other hand, played receiver for the Raiders in the sixties, as the fan repping him easily took the cake for most creative jersey.

My prayers had been answered. With those two down, I just had the Texans and Cardinals left with a little over ten minutes to go. Sounds easy, right?

The Final Countdown

The Texans didn’t prove to be too troubling. I found a Will Anderson jersey in just a few minutes, and I even noticed a C.J. Stroud jersey not too long after. With just under ten minutes to go, all I needed was the Arizona Cardinals. But I was coming up empty.

I decided to keep looping, as doing so allowed me to see all over the area. The last thing I wanted was to realize there was a Cardinals fan in a spot I didn’t check.

I did two more laps. During those laps, I found some fun, unexpected jerseys that brought a smile to my face, like Denver’s Nik Bonitto, Philadelphia’s Cooper DeJean, and Washington’s Bill Croskey-Merritt. But still no Cardinals jersey.

I only had a few minutes left, and I was starting to feel defeated. As I passed the draft theater line, I noticed a red jersey in the distance. I thought little of it at first, as I assumed it was just another 49ers or Chiefs jersey. My brief glimpse of hope quickly faded. But then, I noticed the last name Warner on the back. My mind went to San Francisco’s Fred Warner, but the jersey wasn’t the same shade of red as the 49ers. I saw the number 13 on the back, and it all clicked.

By the time it hit me that I had found a Cardinals Kurt Warner jersey, the fan was starting to get away. I had yet to find a jersey that I couldn’t photograph, but the Warner jersey wearer was beginning to disappear in the distance. So, as any rational media member would, I took off through the busy Pittsburgh streets like I was pursuing a suspect. I finally got close enough, pulled out my camera, zoomed in, and clicked.

Sweet Taste of Success

I had done it. With just about one minute to go, I had photographed a jersey of every NFL team. I was slightly out of breath from my chase, but my fatigue was soon replaced by pride.

The fact that I was able to complete this challenge is a testament to the tremendous atmosphere at the NFL Draft. Few other events in sports truly celebrate every team to this degree.

This task showed just how passionate fans are about their teams. These faithful followers traveled from all over the country to support and represent their teams this weekend. Regardless of where these rookies end up, each one will be joining a team with countless loyal supporters ready to cheer them on every single Sunday.

And who knows? Some of these fans may even get their jerseys.

The post Could I Find All 32 Teams’ Jerseys at the NFL Draft in One Hour? appeared first on The Lead.