By John Ingoldsby, Player Engagement Insider
Players picked in the 2016 NFL Draft weren’t the only ones living the dream in May in Chicago. Former St. Louis Rams running back Quinn Porter had a similar feeling, but his came courtesy of a job shadow through the NFL’s Entertainment and Marketing Department.
“I felt like I got personally drafted myself since I ended up walking draft picks to the places they needed to be during the four-day weekend,” said Porter, 30, who was signed as a free agent by the Rams in 2011. “Additionally, I escorted Hall-of-Famers such as Dick Butkus, Orlando Pace, Willie Brown, Deion Sanders and Michael Irvin from one location to another, as well as current players that included Demarcus Ware and Thomas Davis.”
So whether it was from the Green Room to the stage or from Draft Town to the hotel, the running back’s football background came in handy.
“I was basically playing fullback for the Hall-of-Famers and thinking on the run as I maneuvered them through the rainy weather and the crowds to get them where they needed to be,” recalled Porter, adding that another skill he developed doing high-end security in Hollywood also proved beneficial during Draft weekend.
But Porter is a man of many talents whose diverse experience ultimately led him to this opportunity.
“I haven’t played for a few years, but I have been using my background in physical education from attending Stillman College by coaching football and teaching PE at the Cedar Camp and also Bridgeton Academy, both in Maine, as well as at the Brentwood School here in Los Angeles,” Porter said.
And those positions combined with his perseverance put him on the path to his NFL experience on Draft weekend.
“As a member of the NFL’s Legends Community, I have been persistent in reaching out to the League for the past few years to express my interest in working with them, and it paid off when the Draft internship opened out of nowhere and I received the last spot to be filled,” Porter said.
It paid off in more ways than one as his hard work in Chicago was noticed.
“On the last day of the Draft I received positive feedback that I was a good fit for potential future employment,” Porter said. “As someone who has always been married to the game, this would be a dream of mine.”
A dream that began in Chicago and that perhaps he can capitalize on someday now that he has worked with the NFL’s Entertainment and Marketing Department, getting an inside look at how the NFL engages at a large scale League event like the Draft, and learning firsthand what goes on behind the scenes by taking part in the pre-event planning and assisting in the player moves and logistics,
“I kept myself in great shape physically in case another playing opportunity surfaced since it’s not easy to leave the game that I love,” Porter said.
But he was well prepared for that inevitable transition.
“At the same time, I was using the platform that playing in the NFL provided me to earn the various jobs that I held, which ultimately served as a stepping stone leading back to the League.”