When an event like the 2024 NFL Draft takes place, it’s customary for someone to say “Thank God.” but how many of those people walk with Jesus?

Considering collegiate stars who became professional football players that maintain their relationship with God may not be as easy to recall. For every player whose testimony is tangible in front of the TV cameras, there are a hundred others who aren’t on the screen.

Ask any church-going football fan: “Who are some well-known Christians in the sport in the past and today?”

Usually, the names that come up in conversation include:

• Current Rookie of the Year, CJ Stroud
• Kurt Warner
• Drew Brees
• Russell Wilson
• Reggie White
• Brock Purdy
• Tim Tebow
• DK Metcalf
• Coach Tony Dungy
• Coach Joe Gibbs

The blessing for the faith is that with every NFL Draft, several more believers wear their Godly relationship on their sleeves, along with the new uniform numbers they earn.

Among the 259 college players whose dreams came true, a few from the 2024 NFL Draft have a solid walk with Christ and have shared their faith many times. From Pop Warner to college ball, these future NFL players forged a firm commitment with the Lord.

Jayden Daniels, QB, LSU

The Washington Commanders drafted a Heisman Trophy winner as the quarterback of their future with the No. 2 overall pick at the 2024 NFL Draft. One of the first phrases out of his mouth when he took the trophy at the Lincoln Center’s Appel Room in New York City last December was, “He’s my rock, my Savior.”

Yet, following the draft, Daniels’ witness stood out more than his words. In an interview with Movieguide, the Bayou product praised the servant’s heart of Sherman Wilson, LSU’s director of player retention.

“He’s behind the scenes, but he’s like my right-hand man,” Daniels said about Wilson. “Being around him, I got back into my faith more, always giving glory to God. Coming back out here, trying to figure out my life, I wanted to stop trying to put so much pressure on me and give everything to God, letting Him take care of it.”

Once he got to Washington, D.C., for his press conference, Jayden Daniels quoted scripture: “With everything that’s going on right now, God has prepared me for this. He doesn’t give anything to anybody that He knows they can’t handle. To whom much is given, much is required.”

Michael Penix, Jr., QB, Washington

The Atlanta Falcons shocked the football world when they selected the illustrious standout Michael Penix, Jr., as their quarterback with the No. 8 pick. Sports outlets nationwide were floored when the pick came in because the Falcons paid Kirk Cousins (another upfront believer in Christ) $180 million over four years.

Nonetheless, the franchise’s future will become his understudy. Penix gave God all the glory because his path to the NFL was anything but a journey paved with blessings.

The former Tennessee commit chose Indiana for his collegiate football career in 2017. Less than a year later, he tore his ACL during the third game. The next year, he messed up his entire right shoulder, which ended another year after the sixth game. In 2020, he was 4-1 and tore his ACL again —the same one.

“My dad always used to tell me growing up, ‘Never question God. He has his own plans for you.’ It was very hard for me to get to that point,” the quarterback said to the Atlanta Journal-Constitution. So I had to get to the point where I just continued to build that relationship with my faith and get to the point where I wasn’t questioning [God] anymore.”

Then, he transferred to Washington, and the entire country learned who Michael Penix was as he took his team to the Pac-12 championship and, eventually, the BCS championship.

“I’m super blessed for all I’ve been through because it’s allowed me to get a closer relationship with God. The way I go about my business each and every day, I always make sure that I thank God first,” Penix said.

Michael Hall, Jr., DT, Ohio State

The Cleveland Browns’ 2024 NFL Draft was more of the same—no first-round pick. They sacrificed that for Deshaun Watson and two others in 2022 and 2023.  But in the second round, the AFC North team had their eye on defense and stayed in the state with the No. 54 pick.

Michael Hall, Jr., is a decorated defensive tackle from Ohio State University. As a redshirted Sophomore, Hall got the call and heard his name. And, with one of the first interviews he gave as a Cleveland Brown, he gave God His glory.

“I feel like it’s the greatest feeling ever in the world. I got to, first and foremost, give thanks to my Lord and Savior, Jesus Christ. Without him, nothing is possible. So appreciative of him, and without him even giving me life, to wake up today, it’s a real blessing,” he said to the local NBC affiliate, WEWS-5.

Payton Wilson, LB, NC State

Payton Wilson’s journey to pro football and the 2024 NFL Draft was a tumultuous one personally. But for the Pittsburgh Steelers who snagged him in the third round at No. 86, it was a blessing. Wilson slated 40 points earlier in a mock draft and went through 10 surgeries up to that point.

His issues spanned multiple knee and shoulder surgeries and a bad concussion. Yet, in 2023, he overcame his own giant and won the Chuck Bednarik Award as the top defender in the country and the Butkus Award as the nation’s best linebacker.

Raised in a Christian home, Wilson is fueled by his faith in God. Despite the injuries and sliding projections in the draft, the soft-spoken linebacker never deterred from what he believed was providence.

“I truly believe that Jesus Christ has a plan for me and wherever I end up, whatever pick that is, I’m going to be so excited for it,” said Wilson.

Willie Drew, CB, Virginia State

Like several Bible characters, Willie Drew had to defy the odds and fight for his blessing. Before the 2024 NFL Draft, he ran a 4.46 in the 40-yard dash at the Scouting Combine. For a cornerback, that’s a good score. But, for a man who tore three ligaments in his right knee during his Sophomore year, it’s a miracle.

The touching part of the story is Drew believes it’s only a chapter of his testimony.

Virginia State gave me an opportunity, and I took it and ran with it,” Drew said. “I was shocked when I injured my knee at James Madison, but I knew God had a plan, so I decided to go through the storm by getting closer to God and with the help of a strong support system. Now I’m enjoying the sunshine on the other side.”

And then he earned an undrafted free-agent contract with the Carolina Panthers. Despite being drafted or not, jobs are not guaranteed in the NFL. Yet, showing what he’s made of is nothing new for Willie Drew.