Lakeview kindergarten teacher will get to announce a selection at the NFL Draft in Detroit

BATTLE CREEK - Could Michigan star quarterback J.J. McCarthy slip all the way to the fifth round in this weekend's NFL Draft?

If a certain Lakeview kindergarten teacher had her wish, he might.

While the Wolverines' McCarthy will most definitely be selected long before the fifth round, Minges Brook Elementary teacher Jessica Day will still get to announce the name of a different possible future NFL player when she takes part in the 2024 NFL Draft in Detroit.

As part of her involvement in the NFL Play 60 campaign, in conjunction with the American Heart Association, Day will get to take the stage and announce a pick during the NFL Draft, which is in Detroit for the first time this weekend.

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"They called and said, you get to announce a draft pick. I was a little confused and I asked why, and they said because you did so well in promoting the NFL Play 60 app and the American heart Association, you get to be our announcer because it's in Detroit," Day said. "I called my husband and he said, 'why did they pick you?' I explained it...but we were both really shocked by it, no matter what the reason.

"I would love to announce the pick for one of my favorite players J.J. McCarthy, but I'm sure he will go way, way before my pick."

Day has been told she will make a selection for the Los Angeles Rams on Day 3 of the NFL Draft - which could be anywhere from Round 4 to Round 7 on Saturday. The Rams currently have two picks in the fifth round, four in the sixth round and one in the seventh round.

Getting to be part of the NFL Draft was a result of Day and Minges Brook Elementary being named as a grand prize winner of the NFL Play 60 in 2023. Then, Minges Brook initially received a $1,000 NFL Play 60 grant as the Detroit Lions local recipient in the competition. As the grant prize winner, the school also receive an additional $1,000 to use toward physical activity equipment.

On Thursday, Day and Minges Brook found out they won the award for a second time for the 2024 season, getting the $1,000 NFL Play 60 grant as the Detroit Lions local recipient in the competition as several of the school's students met in the gym to hear their name called by Lions mascot Roary for earning the honor.

"We were very surprised we won it two years in a row," Day said. "It's a big accomplishment. Our parents are very active at our school and they were very involved in helping our students log all of their minutes for the NFL Play 60. It was a community effort, for sure."

During the competition, classrooms and afterschool programs were able to track physical activity minutes as a group through the NFL PLAY 60 app. Students also had the ability to track their minutes at home. Those minutes of activity rolled up to a leaderboard, allowing participants to see rankings compared to other groups participating on behalf of their hometown NFL team.

Jason Kane of the American Heart Association was on hand Thursday, pointing out that Day has a very important job in announcing her NFL pick because you never know who it might be.

"It's amazing this is the second year in a row they are winning this," Kane said. "The fact so many schools participate and they have won it two years in a row, it's impressive. It just shows the great work Jessica is doing. I work with schools in Kalamazoo, Battle Creek, all the way to the lakeshore, and she does as good a job as anyone in getting the kids engaged.

"And, because she won this last year, she gets to be part of the draft this year with it being in Detroit. That's a once-in-a-lifetime thing. It's pretty cool. Coincidently, one of the other times the American Heart Association had someone pick for them, the name they had to announce was for the Bills when they selected Damar Hamlin - and that came full circle," Kane explained, as Hamlin famously made headlines when he went into cardiac arrest during a game in 2023.

Since finding out about her involvement in the NFL Draft, Day has had a lot of thoughts when asked about standing on the stage in front of a big crowd in Detroit and a national TV audience.

"My friend has a nephew (Nate Lynn of William and Mary) who might get drafted about the time I'm supposed to do it. It would be awesome if he was the pick. I was thinking, no matter what the card said, maybe I'll say Nate Lynn anyway... but not really," Day said with a laugh. "I'm really good at talking in front of kids, but not so good talking in front of adults. I just know I'm going to really nervous."

Contact Bill Broderick at bbroderi@battlecreekenquirer.com. Follow him on X/Twitter @billbroderick.

This article originally appeared on Battle Creek Enquirer: Battle Creek teacher gets to announce a pick at 2024 NFL Draft