SHELBY — All Brennan Armstrong is looking for is a chance — even if the former Shelby great doesn’t hear his name called during the this week’s NFL Draft.
If Armstrong does get selected, it will likely be in the latter stages of the seven-round extravaganza that runs Thursday to Saturday.
If he doesn’t, there’s still a good chance he will end up in a rookie minicamp as an undrafted free agent.
Whatever his path, Armstrong is looking forward to the next chapter of his football career.
“I might get picked up later in the draft. If not, I’ll probably be a priority free agent, which I’m totally cool with after the ups and downs of my career,” Armstrong told Richland Source late last week. “At this point, I just want an opportunity.
“I think I’m capable of playing in the league.”
The 24-year-old Armstrong had a star-crossed collegiate career that concluded last fall at North Carolina State. He spent five seasons at the University of Virginia, the final three as the Cavaliers’ starter.
His best season came in 2021, when he completed 65.2% of his passes for single-season program records of 4,449 yards and 31 touchdowns. Some NFL draft analysts at the time considered him a late first-round talent.
“If I had come out in ’21 I would have had a better shot to be drafted,” Armstrong said.
Armstrong’s production dipped considerably in 2022, his redshirt senior season, after the departure of coach Bronco Mendenhall and offensive coordinator Robert Anae. He threw for 2,210 yards and had more interceptions (12) then touchdowns (7).
With a year of eligibility remaining — players were granted an extra season because of the pandemic — Armstrong entered the transfer portal and landed at NC State, where he was reunited with Anae.
The big season many anticipated never materialized, however. Armstrong was benched after a 13-10 loss to Louisville last September in favor of highly-touted sophomore M.J. Morris.
“It was super hard,” Armstrong said of his demotion. “M.J. is a great player and he showed sparks before I got there.
“I don’t blame the fans for wanting to see him in there.”
Morris won three of his four starts before deciding to preserve his redshirt — players can appear in four regular season without sacrificing the year of eligibility — and Armstrong was reinstated as the starter.
He recaptured some of his 2021 magic during the final four games of the season, completing 66-of-102 passes for 814 yards and six touchdowns and rushing for 328 yards and four scores.
“The first five games of last season were just brutal,” Armstrong said. “Going to N.C. State, with my offensive coordinator from Virginia being there, I just thought we were going to pick up where we left off in 2021 and that just wasn’t the case.
“Getting benched pushed me to become a better leader. I feel like I handled it the best I could and showed the type of person I am.”
Those leadership qualities will likely endear Armstrong to player personnel directors from more than one NFL franchise.
“I’m hoping to get drafted, but if you’re a free agent you get to pick where you want to go,”
Armstrong said. “Hopefully there are multiple teams that will be interested in me.
“If that’s the case, I’ll talk with my agent and figure out what is the best spot for me.”
So what does a potential draft pick plan to do once draft coverage starts Thursday in Detroit?
“Oh, nothing crazy. I’ll have it on and have some people over just to hang out,” Armstrong said. “It’s a good opportunity to get together with family and friends.
“We’re going to enjoy the process and see what happens.”