The 'rest of the story' of the 2026 Pat Tillman draft pick

It’s been more than a week for those that celebrated being selected in the NFL draft. For the 257 players and many that were undrafted, it’s time to get to work as they join their new teams with eight having rookie minicamps the past few days and the remaining 24, including the Arizona Cardinals , welcoming the newcomers next weekend. For others, like former Cardinals linebacker Zack Walz, the shine hasn’t worn off after being part of the announcement of this year’s Tillman Pick along with Tillman Scholar Margo Darragh.

We chronicled their experience on this site a few days after the draft ended, but one story couldn’t do it justice. Walz got emotional when he recalled Darragh’s reaction when handed the card for the pick shortly before the announcement of Navy defensive tackle Landon Robinson at pick 226. That’s because Darragh also attended the Naval Academy.

Walz said, “When she pulled it, the goosebumps that came over her, she couldn't believe it. She's like, “I can't believe it's a Naval Academy player. ” He added, “I haven't been choked up one time in the last week, but I think about it just like this whole week has been such a crazy week, and so many amazing things that happened.

“I’ve never really slowed down to pinch myself or to smell the roses. And now I'm thinking about all the things that have happened and kind of the timeline of how this thing has played out and it’s almost unexplainable. ” It was another example of the Circle of Life that we described last week.