CLEVELAND, Ohio — First issues first, if this entire tight finish factor doesn’t work out for Marcus Santos-Silva, he may at all times attempt his hand — properly, his foot — at kicking.

He did slightly little bit of it his freshman yr in highschool.

“I used to be capable of attain to the endzone after which I simply toed it the entire time,” Santos-Silva mentioned final week previous to his first rookie minicamp apply. “I’d inform individuals, I believe I used to be the one kicker who was capable of get his personal onside kick. I used to be actually good with the bounce and the whole lot. It was enjoyable.”

Kicking was simply his aspect hustle on the time. He was additionally a defensive finish on his freshman soccer workforce at Taunton Excessive Faculty in Massachusetts, a minimum of till he was launched to some not-so-friendly blocking strategies.

“I glided by the offensive line like I used to be going straight for the QB and this different workforce had an enormous fullback and that was the primary time I heard what a chop block was,” he mentioned, “and he hit just like the aspect of my knee and I used to be in ache and I used to be like, yeah, I’m form of too tall for this.”

Santos-Silva was already tall and getting taller, so basketball was the plain selection, and never a nasty one. He ended up ending his highschool profession at Vermont Academy and the three-star recruit landed at VCU.

In a little bit of foreshadowing, the host on his recruiting go to there was Mo Alie-Cox, who, like Santos-Silva, hadn’t performed soccer since he was a freshman in highschool and would finally signal with the Indianapolis Colts as an undrafted free agent in 2017.

Santos-Silva spent three seasons at VCU then transferred to Texas Tech as a graduate switch and performed two years there, together with final season’s run to the Candy 16 which led to a loss to Duke.

Which is the place Santos-Silva’s soccer story picks again up.

‘I actually began 4 weeks in the past’

Santos-Silva had two post-collegiate basketball paths: the G-League or to go abroad. The latter wasn’t interesting — he wished to be close to his household.

“The abroad route is cool, however I used to be going to be distant from everybody once more,” he mentioned.

As a substitute, not lengthy after his basketball season ended, he received a name from a Texas Tech soccer coach. He had been getting calls about Santos-Silva.

“At first I wasn’t actually taking it critical, however then I went to their professional day, I began to love it,” Santos-Silva mentioned.

Hastily, the participant who gave up soccer as a freshman in highschool wasn’t simply contemplating going again — he was a sizzling commodity.

“I didn’t notice it was going to explode the way it was,” he mentioned. “I had a complete bunch of groups name, wanting me to do exercises.”

The Ravens, Colts, Jets and Browns had been among the many groups . The Ravens invited him to their rookie minicamp — scheduled every week previous to the Browns’ minicamp — as a tryout participant. The Browns, nonetheless, had been the one workforce who arrange a personal exercise with the previous hooper, a exercise that occurred earlier than the Ravens may get him of their constructing.

“I believed that was actually cool that they had been taking a pair hours out of their day to look at me go on the sector, do some blocking, catch some balls and after that I believe it was meant to be,” he mentioned.

It was the primary time Santos-Silva ran a 40-yard sprint. He didn’t need to speak concerning the time.

“I used to be asking, ‘What’s my 40?’ and so they mentioned, ‘You’re good.’ Once they mentioned that, I used to be like, ‘Ah, that is unhealthy,’” he mentioned. “As soon as I did my broad leap, they had been stunned, like, ‘Wow.’ I mentioned, ‘Wait ‘til we run the routes.’ I ran the routes, it was like, ‘Overlook concerning the 40.’”

The Browns didn’t hesitate. They signed him.

“I actually began 4 weeks in the past, did all the method, brokers, talked to groups, figuring out again house and I received signed with the Browns, I’m on the rookie minicamp,” Santos-Silva mentioned. “When you had been going to inform me final yr I used to be going to be on this space proper now, this case, I’d assume you had been loopy.”

‘They’re going to mildew me’

Santos-Silva needed to ask the Browns for a helmet to take house with him after he signed. He hadn’t worn one shortly.

“You go from seeing the whole lot like this to love…” he squeezed his two palms collectively, forming a small window.

He additionally hasn’t taken successful shortly.

“Individuals have been asking me like, ‘Oh, are you nervous? Are you able to get hit?’ I’m telling individuals I’m trying ahead to getting hit. I can’t wait as a result of it’s been some time,” he mentioned.

The 6-foot-6, 261-pound Santos-Silva was a bodily basketball participant, a minimum of, so that may translate.

“With the tight finish place — now we have all seen it — the fellows who’ve transitioned from basketball into the professionals, the physique kind to begin with, you have a look at the body and the flexibility to place weight on,” Browns head coach Kevin Stefanski mentioned. “Oftentimes, these undersized (energy forwards) who’re within the 6-4 vary and have a body and are already within the 250s, they usually have nice ball abilities as basketball gamers. You’re fascinated with them in and across the hoop and the flexibility to grab the ball. Then it’s their capability to make use of their size.”

Santos-Silva has leaned on Alie-Cox for recommendation. Now in his fifth season with the Colts, Alie-Cox has caught 70 passes for 936 yards and eight touchdowns in his profession, together with a career-high 4 scores final season. He was Professional Soccer Focus’ Thirteenth-highest graded run blocker in 2021.

“He simply instructed me the primary factor, he mentioned, ‘Consider the soccer as a rebound each time it’s up,’” Santos-Silva mentioned.

Alie-Cox warned him essentially the most difficult half can be the playbook and the blocking schemes. Quiz your self on it day-after-day. Perceive that after you begin down this path, day-after-day, each hour you would lose your job, so take an expert mindset.

“So as soon as I did it, my entire mindset’s been totally different,” Santos-Silva mentioned. “He’s like an enormous brother to me now with this, as a result of he went by means of it, he’s been actually profitable, so any time I’ve questions, he’s capable of reply for me.”

He understands it’s his uncooked expertise groups see and he’s prepared to absorb the whole lot he can in making an attempt to show uncooked expertise into a professional soccer profession.

“I inform individuals I’m coming in as a clay and so they’re going to mildew me to what they need me to be,” he mentioned. “Proper now I’m simply coming in open arms, open guide, taking all the recommendation, info I can get from anybody.”

Santos-Silva made it by means of step one, his rookie minicamp, getting acclimated to the psychological aspect of the sport, the conferences, the homework, the whole lot that comes with being an expert soccer participant, one thing he wasn’t planning on doing slightly over a month in the past.

This was simply too good of a possibility to cross up.

“I’d have been silly to show down the NFL,” he mentioned. “If anybody had this chance, they’d say ‘Sure’ in a heartbeat, so I used to be like I’ve received to take this chance.”

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