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LAS VEGAS – Greg Olsen played tight end in the NFL for 14 seasons with the Chicago Bears, Carolina Panthers and Seattle Seahawks.
The three-time Pro Bowler who retired after the 2020 season opened up to Fox News Digital in a recent interview about what he remembered from the time he was selected in the NFL Draft.
The Bears selected Olsen with the No. 31 pick in the first round of the 2007 draft. The New Jersey native played college football at Miami. He said what he remembers most is just how long the day was.
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Greg Olsen of the Chicago Bears looks on during practice on July 30, 2007, at Olivet Nazarene University in Bourbonnais, Illinois. (Jonathan Daniel/Getty Images)
"What I remember the most was back then there were 20 minutes between every pick. When you’re the 31st pick, it takes a long time to get from one to 31. It was a long day, almost six hours, five and a half, until I was selected," he told Fox News Digital.
"It was a long stressful day so to hear Chicago call my name and realize that everything that I had worked for the last few years to get drafted and have an opportunity to play in the NFL and go to a city like Chicago, who was just coming off a Super Bowl appearance a few months earlier, went to a great team, learned a lot, lived in a great city with awesome fans, just the whole idea of knowing that all that had work leading up to it led to the ultimate best-case scenario was something 15 years later that I still remember."
The Bears' Greg Olsen warms up before a game against the Philadelphia Eagles on Sept. 28, 2008, at Soldier Field in Chicago. (Hunter Martin/Getty Images)
Olsen was the first tight end off the board. He said he thought the New York Jets might’ve been the landing spot for him since he visited with the organization before the draft. However, the Jets traded for the Panthers’ No. 14 pick and selected Darrelle Revis.
"I thought the Jets was a real possibility. I took a draft visit there. I thought that was a real possibility. I thought top 15, they were right on that 15 or so range. What ended up happening, there was a trade. The Panthers and the Jets actually. The Jets traded out of the 20s and went to 14 and took Darrelle Revis and the Panthers went back," he said.
"I didn’t think I’d go to the Giants. They had (Jeremy Shockey). He was one of the top guys in the league at that time but I thought the Jets was a real possibility. They ended up taking Darrelle Revis so I think they got that one right."
NFL DRAFT 2022: THESE 4 TEAMS HAVE TO STRIKE IT BIG, ANALYST SAYS
Olsen, who currently serves as a FOX NFL broadcaster and recently partnered with Bud Light to offer fans $15 million if they could accurately predict the first round of the 2022 NFL Draft, had some advice for those young rookies coming into the league.
"I think the biggest thing that I learned and the biggest thing that I do tell young guys coming out is don't try to read into it. Don't try to predict everything. Don't try to overanalyze every conversation, every mock draft, every draft board. Don't get yourself caught up in that because it'll drive you crazy," he said.
Former player Greg Olsen watches the Carolina Panthers-Philadelphia Eagles game at Bank of America Stadium on Oct. 10, 2021, in Charlotte, North Carolina. (Mike Comer/Getty Images)
"I never met with the Bears. I never met with Lovie Smith and (then-general manager) Jerry Angelo, and they ended up drafting me in the first round. To predict teams’ behavior … there’s so much going on behind the scenes and gamesmanship and strategy. Don't get wrapped up into that. Where you go is the best fit for you if it's meant to be and it's meant to be. Once you’re picked, now the real work starts. You gotta get to that facility, get with that team and start earning your draft selection. That’s the real work that these guys have ahead of them."
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The 2022 NFL Draft will take place in Las Vegas beginning Thursday.