Who doesn’t love a classic feel-good story?
They happen all the time in the NFL Draft, and it happened again this year.
Meet Cody Mauch, an offensive lineman who was a walk-on at North Dakota State University and just recently drafted by the Tampa Bay Buccaneers in the second round of the 2023 NFL Draft.
In a 2017 screenshot of his 247Sports recruiting page, Mauch apparently didn’t have any prospect stars, nor did he have any college offers. He didn’t even have a headshot on his page. And his hometown of Mantador, North Dakota?
It only has a population of 69 people, according to USA Today High School Sports.
With no offers to his name, Mauch joined North Dakota State’s football team as a walk-on tight end in 2017. From there, a 220-pound Mauch beefed up to over 300 as he made the transition to an offensive lineman, starting 39 consecutive games in his last three seasons for the Bison. His success led him to the 2023 NFL Draft, where he was selected with the No. 48 pick by the Buccaneers — the Bucs even reportedly traded up two spots to make sure they landed him.
Just an incredible story.
Come to find out, this guy was a baller in high school, playing at the quarterback, tight end and defensive end positions for Hankinson High School and being named a two-time all-region and all-state selection. He also broke the school record for most receiving touchdowns in a season with 13, and he won the 2016 region championship.
Not just that, but Mauch was also all-conference and all-region for Hankinson’s basketball team. He played on the baseball team and qualified for state in track, according to his North Dakota State bio. (RELATED: J.J. And Kealia Watt Become Minority Owners Of English Premier League Club Burnley)
It just boggles my mind … how on Earth did the entire NCAA miss out on this kid?