Concordia St. Paul star Chris Garrett living NFL dream after being selected in draft by Rams

(FOX 9) - First-round picks take center stage on NFL Draft weekend, but those big dreams aren’t exclusive to the big names.

Late-round selections are just as ready to answer the call. That includes Chris Garrett of Concordia St. Paul, who last weekend became only the second player drafted from the Golden Bears program when he was selected by the Rams in the 7th round.

"I knew I had a goal in mind, and this was it to get drafted and play in the league for a long time," Garrett said after being selected. "There’s a lot more to do, but I’m here."

With no D-I full scholarship offers and only walk-on opportunities, Garrett went the Division II route and got noticed by the pros. His numbers did all the talking at Concordia, setting a D-II record with 15 career forced fumbles while being third all-time in sacks per game.

"You’ve got to stand out a lot," Garrett said. "You’ve got to do all the extra stuff."

"I don’t think it was matched just how relentless I played," Garrett added.

Head football coach Shannon Currier recruited and coached Chris at Concordia. Garrett’s success in getting a professional opportunity is not a shock to him, even with the Golden Bears’ season canceled in 2020 due to COVID. 

"To not play (last season) and still get drafted speaks wonders about his ability," Currier said.

"People had to change how they protected their quarterback and some teams didn’t figure it out," Currier said.

Garrett is ready to get to work as he joins one of the NFL’s top defenses in Los Angeles.

"Just what I know about this defense and how fiery they play, it definitely matches me," Garrett said.

While leaving behind a college legacy as others at Concordia hope follow in his football footsteps.

"There’s a lot of guys that definitely now see that it’s possible," Currier said. "I think it creates a lot of motivation to the players to say, ‘Hey, that could be me there.’"