The NFL is a league that’s incredibly hard to become a part of, but that isn’t stopping Freddie McGee III from stating his case loud and clear.
He made national headlines on Monday when he stood outside the Detroit Lions’ practice facility, with a sign and a pair of cleats, making his case for the NFL.
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McGee was a defensive back for Eastern Michigan from 2017 to 2021. As a native from Canton, McGee joined EMU as a walk-on before playing over 1,000 defensive snaps across five seasons.
He had aspirations to be drafted out of college, but no one made the call. When most players would pivot to a new career path, McGee decided to take an alternate route with the same NFL goal.
He opted to join the Arena Football League, where he dominated his way to a Defensive Player of the Year award in 2024 while recording 15 interceptions and 25 pass breakups.
Now, after being in the best shape of his life, he’s eager for a shot at an NFL career. I got the opportunity to interview McGee on Tuesday as he spoke with Ball Exclusives.
“If you turn on the tape and just look at it for what it is, you’ll see that there’s a ball player sitting here,” McGee said. “I’m a diamond in the rough.”
McGee completed his master’s degree in sports management and is working towards becoming an NFLPA certified agent this summer. Right now, he’s focused on training and getting an NFL opportunity.
When speaking on the impact of that opportunity, McGee spoke in terms of when, not if.
“That will mean a lot to me,” he said. “Behind the scenes, I put in a lot of work throughout my whole life. It’ll just be the fruits of my labor.”
An NFL roster spot isn’t McGee’s only goal, though. He wants to become an All Pro.
“It wouldn’t be an end for me because I know as soon as I get the opportunity, it starts all over again. I know I’m probably going to start from the bottom and I’m going to try to work my way up the depth chart, try to be a starter and eventually, try to be an All Pro.”
Freddie McGee is no stranger to adversity. From walk-on to eventual starter, McGee continued to persevere. Photo by Mark Hoffman — Milwaukee Journal Sentinel
Coming in at 5’8” and 180 pounds, McGee would be on the smaller side of NFL DBs. This hasn’t slowed him down and he said he’s well aware that some may write him off early.
“On paper, you might see a 5’8”, 5’9” DB and immediately cross me out, cross my name out, disregard me,” he said. “I just feel like it’s always heart over height. If you turn on the film and really evaluate it, you’ll see that you got a ball player and I play taller than my height.”
Despite being ruled out by others at every turn, McGee has kept grinding. He went on to call his father his biggest role model, and pointed to him as someone that pushed him to make his case outside of the Lions’ facility on Monday.
“I would say my father. He’s just always instilled hard work and going out and getting what you can,” McGee said. “He always told me ‘You won’t get elected if you don’t campaign,’ which is kind of the exact motto I took when I went out there in front of the facility.”
McGee said he’s a defensive magnet to the ball and that he doesn’t cut corners on the field, two traits he wants to showcase in the NFL.
“I’m a technician. I try to do everything the right way and on top of that, I’m a ball hog.”
As of Tuesday morning, McGee hasn’t heard from anyone in the NFL yet, but he’s ready for the call.
“I’m still taking it day by day. Trying to keep checking and keep my ears open, I haven’t heard anything just yet.”
McGee knows that his path hasn’t been the normal path players take to make the league, but his message to NFL teams was clear.
“Despite the route I had to take, I’m still here. I’m here, still standing. Every obstacle that I’ve come across, I’ve gotten over it, I’ve gotten through it and I’ve excelled. … I just need that one team to take a chance on me.”
James Parker is a sports writer for Ball Exclusives, follow him on X @TheJames_Parker
