KANSAS CITY, Mo. — On Wednesday, former Kansas City quarterback Trent Green, and rookie champion Trent McDuffie, hosted an NFL Draft kickoff party inside of Power and Light to benefit the Ronald McDonald House.
Green recalled the night he was drafted to the then-San Diego Chargers in 1993.
“I was an eighth-round pick, I knew I wasn’t getting drafted the first day, but I was hoping I would get drafted on the second day," Green said. "That of course didn’t happen, there was a lot of anxiety."
Green said he was waiting for the call in his basement.
“When it did finally happen, the emotions,” he said. “This is your dream, so a lot of people, a lot of players — their dreams will come true in KC. Their lives will be changed tomorrow, but the message I want to send to them is even though their lives will change tomorrow, put the work in.”
Green said hosting the draft in Kansas City is showcasing more than football.
“Five straight AFC championships, a couple of Super Bowl championships — Kansas City is on the map, but now people get to see KC from a different perspective," Green said. "It’s not just GEHA at Arrowhead Stadium, but now they get to see the city, and everything that’s about the city. It’s going to really showcase what the city is about and I think people will come away with a great impression.”
McDuffie recalled the night last year as he was picked in the first round by the Chiefs in the 2022 NFL Draft.
“There was a lot of nerves not knowing where I was going to go,” McDuffie said. “I thought I was a second-round kind of guy. I remember last year during this time I thought I might go, I might not go. My family kept the energy, it was a rush of emotions.”
He too realized the power that Kansas City holds again being in the national spotlight.
“I couldn’t tell you the last time there was a Super Bowl team and the draft was in that same city in the same year,” McDuffie said. “I just felt the buzz of the Super Bowl and shoot get to come back and relive it.”
McDuffie offered advice to potential players not being drafted in the position they hope for.
“It doesn’t matter where you get drafted, all that matters is you get on the team you get an opportunity to showcase those skills,” he said. “At the end of the day, when we're on the field, there is no first round, second round, third round — you’re on the field with your teammates.”
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