Wide receiver Nathaniel “Tank” Dell got everything on his wishlist on Day 2 of the 2023 NFL Draft. Not only was he selected, a major moment as it is, but he gets to stay in the city he has called home for the last few years.
The Houston Texans selected Dell in the third round with the No. 69 overall pick.
This is exactly how the 23-year-old wanted it to go and he let the Texans know where he wanted to start his NFL career a while ago. Dell attended the University of Houston from 2020 to 2022 and H-Town clearly made a positive impression on him.
On Dec. 29 he took to Instagram to message the Texans official account writing, “Don’t let me leave the city,” with a heart emoji.
Looks like the Texans listened.
After the Texans selected Dell, their official Twitter account tweeted a screenshot of the Instagram direct message.
“When you’re made by H-Town, you call your shot,” the caption read.
Dell talked about the message following the pick, saying, “It’s a blessing. I prayed for this. I wanted to be here. I sent a message to them on Instagram.”
Dell also mentioned that he wanted to be a Texan while at the NFL Combine.
The Texans selected C.J. Stroud with the No. 2 overall pick and the quarterback put in a good word for Dell. Stroud told the Texans he was impressed by Dell at the Scouting Combine. Stroud threw passes to Dell and was clearly happy with what he saw.
“Right after the Combine we were texting each other,” Dell said (via Chandler Johnson of KPRC). “He talked to me after the Combine, he said ‘I like how you run routes, I like how you play football’ he said he had been watching me and stuff like that. I told him vice versa and I appreciated him. After he got drafted, I sent him congrats and I told him, ‘Tell them come get me.’ He was like, ‘I got you. Trust me.’ The next day, he FaceTimed me out of nowhere. I texted him and he FaceTimed me, and he was like, ‘I told them I want you.’ So I was like, OK, it could happen. And then I got that call.”
In his first year at Houston, in 2020, Dell had a team-high 29 receptions for 428 yards and three touchdowns in eight games. The next season was more of the same, leading the team with 90 receptions for 1,329 yards and 12 touchdowns, earning the top receiver role for the 2022 season. In his final year at Houston, he played 13 games, finishing with 109 receptions, 1,398 yards and 17 touchdowns on the season.
Houston received…
Click Here to Read the Full Original Article at CBSSports.com Headlines…