Deadrin Senat was back home in Immokalee on Saturday celebrating the biggest moment of his life. Yet for all the joy and excitement that goes with becoming Collier County’s next NFL player, Senat has spent most of this weekend in daze of disbelief.
“It still doesn’t seem like it’s real,” Senat said Saturday afternoon, the day after being selected in the third round of the NFL Draft by the Atlanta Falcons. “It still feels so unreal them calling my name on TV. I haven’t slept since.”
Senat became the fourth graduate of Immokalee High School ever taken in the NFL Draft when he was taken 90th overall, No. 26 in Round 3, by the Falcons out of South Florida late Friday. He is the 10th player from a Collier County high school to ever be drafted.
As Senat soaked in his new occupation as a professional football plalyer, two of his former teammates dealt with disappointment. Maryland cornerback J.C. Jackson and USF running back D’Ernest Johnson were not selected. Both played with Senat on the 2012 Immokalee team that finished state runner-up.
Jackson later agreed to a free agent contract with the New England Patriots, while Johnson also was expected to sign with a team Saturday night.
Another member of that 2012 team already is in the NFL. Mackensie Alexander was drafted out of Clemson in the second round of the 2016 draft. He has played 27 games at cornerback for the Minnesota Vikings the past two seasons.
Jackson declared for the draft a year early after two seasons at Maryland and was projected to be a mid-round pick. Johnson thought he had an outside chance to be drafted late, even though most analysts predicted he would be an undrafted free agent.
Senat will be joined in Atlanta by another former Southwest Florida prep star. Kurt Benkert, a quarterback out of Virginia who played at Cape Coral High and Island Coast, said on Twitter that he signed with the Falcons as an undrafted free agent.
Around 10:30 p.m. Friday, Senat got a call from the Falcons’ front office while he was at his apartment in Tampa. He spoke to general manager Thomas Dimitroff and head coach Dan Quinn, Senat said, who told him they were going to draft him.
A few minutes later, Senat saw his name announced on live television.
“It was just a dream come true,” Senat said. “It’s something I remember talking about as a young kid. To get the opportunity to continue to play football, there are just so many emotions built up.”
It’s been a hard road to the NFL for the 6-foot, 314-pound defensive tackle.
When Senat was a freshman at Immokalee, his mother died. His father spent half the year taking care of family in Haiti, leaving Senat to stay with his older sister and brother, who was in and out of jail.
Through the personal turmoil, Senat excelled on the field, starting on the offensive and defensive lines. He was the 2011 Daily News Defensive Player of the Year as a junior. He earned second-team all-state honors that season and was first team all-state as a senior.
Senat verbally committed to Florida State as a junior, but he ended up going to USF to stay closer to home. During his redshirt sophomore year (2015), Senat’s father died of cancer. His sister and her three daughters moved to Tampa so the family could be together.
He continued to play through the pain. Senat was second team All-American Athletic Conference as a junior in 2016 and first team in 2017.
After getting the life-changing call Friday, Senat headed to Immokalee on Saturday to celebrate with friends and family. He was with local pastor Homer Betancourt and mentor Tony Navarro, whom he credits for keeping him on the right path after his parents died. Longtime Immokalee coach Israel Gallegos, who introduced Senat to football in ninth grade, also was there,. So was Indians head coach Rodelin Anthony, who was an assistant when Senat was in high school.
Senat said he’ll head to Atlanta for minicamp in about 10 days. His agent, Jonathan Perzley, will handle the contract details. In the meantime, Senat plans to keep working out because he knows the draft is just the start of his NFL dream.
“It’s something I’ve always wanted,” Senat said, “but I’ve got to go earn it. You have to put the work in, that’s something I know.”