Most athletes use sports as a means to escape their previous lives and hardships. The same can be said about football in America, especially for black players in the South, who are trying to leave poverty behind. While not everyone can make it to the NFL due to the adversities they face, CB Marcellas Dial seized his with the Patriots. And he sure seems grateful.
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As reported by Zack Cox on “X”, Marcellas Dial never thought he would end up in the NFL, considering the slim chances for people in his area to make it out. “It’s crazy that I’m here because where I’m from, a lot of people don’t make it out,” he expressed. Notably, he had a similar reaction when he gained entry to Georgia Military College from Woodruff High School, saying,
“No one in their right mind would have thought I’d be in this position.”
Patriots rookie CB Marcellas Dial:
“It’s crazy that I’m here, because where I’m from, a lot of people don’t make it out.”
Said when he went to Georgia Military College out of high school, “No one in their right mind would have thought I’d be in this position.” pic.twitter.com/eVT5eGSgGF
— Zack Cox (@zm_cox) May 11, 2024
As per Patriots.com, coming out of High School, Dial was a zero-star recruit with no offers, despite excelling in multiple sports. Determined to shape his future, he registered himself at Georgia Military College with hopes of playing football as well as getting a handle on his academic future. The next two years taught him discipline, and after a COVID year, he got himself a three-star juco rating.
This allowed him to transfer to SEC D1 college, the University of South Carolina, playing for the Gamecocks, coached by Shane Beamer. While he grew and developed his skills, things weren’t so great on the home front, as he unfortunately lost his father in 2021 to an ailment.
However, the adversity didn’t hold him back and only helped him grow both on and off the field. In 2024, he received an invitation to the NFL Combine, and due to his collegiate experience and continuous growth, the Patriots decided to roll their dice on the star cornerback, selecting him as their 6th-round pick, something he never thought would happen.
Nonetheless, Dial could actually get his first taste of real NFL experience even before the pre-season, as the Patriots and the Eagles are soon planning to meet at Foxborough.
Patriots Plan Combined Practice With Eagles
As per NBC Sports, Patriots head coach Jerod Mayo and the Eagles’ HC Nick Sirianni are planning to move forward with a joint practice session in August at Foxborough. Both clubs have played each other multiple times in the pre-season over the years and will likely do that again in 2024.
The teams playing in the preseason usually practice together for an extended period, creating a hostile atmosphere among the players, with little skirmishes breaking out. To avoid all that drama, teams are trying to limit the collective practice to a single day.
The rebuild for New England is coming along nicely. Having struggled offensively last season, they prioritized it, drafting six players to fill the holes. Their only signing on the defensive side of the ball was cornerback Marcellas Dial.
However, given their depth in the position, Christian Gonzalez, Jonathan Jones, Isaiah Bolden, and Alex Austin are all likely to be ahead of Dial in the pecking order. Due to his knack for stealing balls from the receivers, along with his speed and lack of opportunities at Corner, he might be looking at a positional change, moving him inside that secondary, and turning him into a free safety.
