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INDIANAPOLIS – Friday, May 1 was a day filled with a wave of emotions for D'Joun Smith.
The day began with Smith graduating from Florida Atlantic University.
That feat in itself would be enough for one day. Yet, in a few hours Smith would find out where his professional life was going to begin.
One of 32 NFL teams could have been Smith's next destination, as the 5-11, 193-pound cornerback sat down to watch the second day of the NFL Draft for the first time in his life.
The NFL Draft had never been appointment television for Smith.
With his future employer staring right at him though, Smith really had no choice but to tune in.
As the second round unfolded on that Friday night in early May, Smith started a project.
"I wrote down the teams that passed me by. Thirty-One teams," Smith said on 1070 The Fan earlier this offseason. "I put the guy they had in front of me, all the defensive backs they picked in front me, all the secondary guys that were picked in front of me. I wrote down the guys that are already playing in the NFL (too)."
Why was he doing this?
"Because I'm here to wreck shop and create a name for myself, help the organization win a Super Bowl," Smith went on.
"That's what they brought us (rookies) in for, so that's what I'm here to do."
What Smith lacks in height, he makes up for in confidence, necessary to reach this level.
Smith's main gripe with how his football career has evolved comes with how he's been evaluated.
As a 5-7 high school cornerback, Smith didn't spark any interest from the Sunshine State's elite---Miami, Florida and Florida State.
When the 2015 NFL Draft reached the latter stages of the second round back in May, Smith was enduring what he had four years prior.
"I just felt like when they took (guys), they didn't take what they had seen on film. They went off of size and they felt like they could create somebody else or their schools were bigger than my school," Smith said of the NFL Draft and college recruiting.
"My confidence never wavered (though). I firmly believe in my abilities. I firmly believe that when I'm coached with different techniques and they're really honing in on my abilities and maximizing what I can bring to the table, I have the most confidence that I can produce and be the person that the Colts know that I can be."
Smith will head up to Anderson University this weekend for his first NFL Training Camp.
The talented rookie will be in a defensive backs room filled with proven veterans.
They are players, and people, Smith looks up to, knowing that reaching such a level would lead to possibilities his family has never experienced.
"I still carry that chip with me because when you go back home, the same stuff is still happening---the violence and all that type of stuff," Smith says of his motivation.
"You don't want to be around that. You want the best for your family, so you play with a chip on your shoulder. You don't want to struggle like you struggled growing up. You want to make a better life for your family."
