Kaleb McGary had one goal coming into his first on-field action as a professional football player: to avoid looking like an idiot. Unfortunately for the Atlanta Falcons' sarcastic, self-deprecating first-round pick, though, he's not totally sure he accomplished it – with his play nor his looks.
“I just wanted to not look like an idiot,” McGary told The Athletic's Jason Butt after the first day of rookie mini-camp. “That was mostly my goal. I don’t feel like I looked like an idiot. I mean, I LOOK like an idiot. But no, for the most part, I did my job. I did it well for the most part. Film never lies, unfortunately.”
The 31st overall pick of the 2019 NFL Draft, McGary is already setting himself apart from his NFL peers for his sense of humor. The most common butt of his jokes? His appearance, of course. Comparing himself to fellow first-round pick and offensive lineman Chris Lindstrom, who he befriended at the Senior Bowl, McGary couldn't help but again mention his “attractiveness,” or lack thereof.
“I’m a lot uglier than he is so I probably don’t help in terms of TV attractiveness,” he said. “Nah, I think we complement each other well. We’re both really big, really physical. We like to come off the ball. We both know what we’re doing — or at least for the most part. I think we complement each other well.”
McGary, 6-foot-8 and 317 points, is lining up at right tackle during mini-camp, and should have a chance to start come the regular season should be pick up the nuances of the NFL game.