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Former Lake Travis QB slected in the 6th round by St. Louis.
By Jay Plotkin
Lake Travis View contributing writer
http://www.statesman.com/news/news/local/gilbert-realizes-nfl-dream/nfxY6/
Garrett Gilbert saw a life-long dream come true Saturday afternoon.
The St. Louis Rams drafted the former Lake Travis standout in the sixth round of this year’s NFL draft.
With his selection, Gilbert becomes the first Lake Travis graduate selected in the NFL draft. Officially, Gilbert was the 38th pick in the sixth round and the 214th player selected.
“I was pretty dang excited,” Gilbert said . “I had been paying attention to the Rams picks because they had been one of the teams that seemed interested in me during the process. I knew they had a compensatory pick. I didn’t know what that meant, but it turned out to be pretty exciting.”
Gilbert had watched nearly all of the draft coverage Saturday but said he decided that he didn’t want to watch every pick hoping to see his name or hear his phone ring.
“So at some point I went in the other room and watched The Players Championship – I really like watching Jordan Spieth,” he said. “But then Rams GM Les Snead called and put Coach Fisher on the phone and he asked if I wanted to be a Ram.”
His selection comes after a roller coaster of a college career.
After leading Lake Travis to back-to-back state championships, Gilbert moved on to the University of Texas.
His freshman year ended with him thrust into the spotlight of the 2009 national championship game against Alabama when Colt McCoy was injured early. After a disastrous sophomore season at Texas, Gilbert transferred to Southern Methodist, where he rediscovered his confidence and put together a solid senior season.
Prior to the draft, he credited SMU Coach June Jones with helping him rediscover his confidence. He recalled a Monday meeting with the coach following a five-interception performance against TCU early in his junior season.
“I show up on Monday morning for running and Coach Jones keeps me out on the field after, and there’s a chance that it becomes kind of a here we go again type thing,” Gilbert said, referring to the struggles he endured as the quarterback at Texas. “And he completely flipped that on its head and said he had all the confidence in the world in me, that I’m their guy and that he thought he saw me really learning and just playing instead of hesitating out on the field during that game. I’m not sure it was a light bulb moment, but it was a very important moment in terms of just letting things go and playing. And I think it really showed on the field.”
Gilbert finished his junior season on an upswing. In his final nine games in 2012, he passed for 2,048 yards with 11 touchdowns and just six interceptions. He also had three games where he rushed for at least 90 yards over that span.
As a senior, Gilbert’s statistics ranked among the nation’s best. In 10 games before injuring a knee, he completed 66.5 percent of his passes and averaged 50.4 attempts per game. He threw for 3,528 yards with 21 touchdowns and just seven interceptions, building on the momentum he developed in 2013 following that TCU game.
The Rams roster includes starting quarterback Sam Bradford, veteran free agent signee Shaun Hill and backup Austin Davis, a second year pro from Southern Mississippi.
“Obviously the Rams have an established starter in Sam Bradford and just signed Shaun Hill to a free agent contract, so I’m excited to go in and learn from two veterans,” he said. “I like a lot of what the [offensive coordinator Brian Schottenhiemer] and [quarterbacks coach Frank Cignetti] were telling me when they came [to SMU] and worked me out.”
Gilbert will get to work out again, this time officially for his new team. As he spoke Sunday, he packed for a Monday trip to St. Louis.
“There will probably be some physical evaluations, maybe an MRI or X-ray to make sure everything’s okay. Then I think I get started working out with the team. That’s what I think. All I really know is that I’m on a plane Monday morning.”
By Jay Plotkin
Lake Travis View contributing writer
http://www.statesman.com/news/news/local/gilbert-realizes-nfl-dream/nfxY6/
Garrett Gilbert saw a life-long dream come true Saturday afternoon.
The St. Louis Rams drafted the former Lake Travis standout in the sixth round of this year’s NFL draft.
With his selection, Gilbert becomes the first Lake Travis graduate selected in the NFL draft. Officially, Gilbert was the 38th pick in the sixth round and the 214th player selected.
“I was pretty dang excited,” Gilbert said . “I had been paying attention to the Rams picks because they had been one of the teams that seemed interested in me during the process. I knew they had a compensatory pick. I didn’t know what that meant, but it turned out to be pretty exciting.”
Gilbert had watched nearly all of the draft coverage Saturday but said he decided that he didn’t want to watch every pick hoping to see his name or hear his phone ring.
“So at some point I went in the other room and watched The Players Championship – I really like watching Jordan Spieth,” he said. “But then Rams GM Les Snead called and put Coach Fisher on the phone and he asked if I wanted to be a Ram.”
His selection comes after a roller coaster of a college career.
After leading Lake Travis to back-to-back state championships, Gilbert moved on to the University of Texas.
His freshman year ended with him thrust into the spotlight of the 2009 national championship game against Alabama when Colt McCoy was injured early. After a disastrous sophomore season at Texas, Gilbert transferred to Southern Methodist, where he rediscovered his confidence and put together a solid senior season.
Prior to the draft, he credited SMU Coach June Jones with helping him rediscover his confidence. He recalled a Monday meeting with the coach following a five-interception performance against TCU early in his junior season.
“I show up on Monday morning for running and Coach Jones keeps me out on the field after, and there’s a chance that it becomes kind of a here we go again type thing,” Gilbert said, referring to the struggles he endured as the quarterback at Texas. “And he completely flipped that on its head and said he had all the confidence in the world in me, that I’m their guy and that he thought he saw me really learning and just playing instead of hesitating out on the field during that game. I’m not sure it was a light bulb moment, but it was a very important moment in terms of just letting things go and playing. And I think it really showed on the field.”
Gilbert finished his junior season on an upswing. In his final nine games in 2012, he passed for 2,048 yards with 11 touchdowns and just six interceptions. He also had three games where he rushed for at least 90 yards over that span.
As a senior, Gilbert’s statistics ranked among the nation’s best. In 10 games before injuring a knee, he completed 66.5 percent of his passes and averaged 50.4 attempts per game. He threw for 3,528 yards with 21 touchdowns and just seven interceptions, building on the momentum he developed in 2013 following that TCU game.
The Rams roster includes starting quarterback Sam Bradford, veteran free agent signee Shaun Hill and backup Austin Davis, a second year pro from Southern Mississippi.
“Obviously the Rams have an established starter in Sam Bradford and just signed Shaun Hill to a free agent contract, so I’m excited to go in and learn from two veterans,” he said. “I like a lot of what the [offensive coordinator Brian Schottenhiemer] and [quarterbacks coach Frank Cignetti] were telling me when they came [to SMU] and worked me out.”
Gilbert will get to work out again, this time officially for his new team. As he spoke Sunday, he packed for a Monday trip to St. Louis.
“There will probably be some physical evaluations, maybe an MRI or X-ray to make sure everything’s okay. Then I think I get started working out with the team. That’s what I think. All I really know is that I’m on a plane Monday morning.”
