Benjamin Watson is a former NFL tight end, Jon Kitna is a former NFL quarterback, and Eric Boles is a former NFL wide receiver.
Watson played 16 seasons in the NFL with the Patriots, Browns, Saints and Ravens. He retired after the 2019 season. Kitna played 14 seasons with the Bengals, Lions and Cowboys, and is currently the head football coach at Burleson (Texas) High School. Boles is the president of Game Changers Inc., and was an 11th-round selection by the New York Jets in 1992.
Today on the podcast, Watson interviews Kitna and Boles about racial justice, reconciliation and the Gospel of Jesus Christ.
As we reflect on the realization of the dream, understand the obstacles yet to be overcome. In perseverance, remain dedicated to justice. #MLKDay2021#MLKDaypic.twitter.com/dMPLDlIV76
QB Cade Klubnik at the NFL Combine, Feb. 28, 2026. (AP Photo/Michael Conroy)
The New York Jets’ quarterback room continued to take shape over the weekend with the addition of former Clemson star Cade Klubnik in the fourth round (110th overall) of the 2026 NFL Draft. He joins second-year pro Brady Cook as well as veterans Bailey Zappe and Geno Smith — both added this offseason — after New York traded Justin Fields to Kansas City in March.
The Jets moved up 18 spots to snatch Klubnik. The moment was the realization of a childhood dream for the 22-year-old, and he was itching to get started.
“I’m pumped, let’s go to work,” he said when the team called to inform him they were drafting him. “Loved y’all’s staff, loved spending time with y’all. Let’s do it.”
One coach Klubnik will soon get to know well is Frank Reich, whom the Jets hired in February as their offensive coordinator. Reich is a former quarterback, head coach and pastor.
“[The Jets] saw a competitor in me,” Klubnik later told NewYorkJets.com. “And they saw somebody who loves the game and loves winning, and is willing to do anything to go win.”
Klubnik was receiving first-round consideration before his senior season in 2025 with Clemson, with at least one mock draft projecting him to go No. 1 overall. But after a disappointing campaign in which his production dipped in many statistical categories and his team lurched to a 7-6 record, Klubnik’s draft stock tumbled. Still, he expressed gratitude to be able to continue his career in New York.
“God doesn’t promise that life is gonna be easy,” he said, “and He doesn’t promise that everything’s gonna go perfect. But He does promise that He’s gonna be with us every single step of the way, and He promises that His hand is gonna be right there with us. So when I hear those verses, it’s like that’s just confirmation of the way that we should be living.”
"…but He does promise that He's going to be with us every single step of the way." – @cadeklubnikqb
In the NFL, Klubnik will bring a winning mentality to a franchise that hasn’t had a winning season since 2015 and hasn’t made the playoffs since 2010. He won three state championships as a Texas high schooler and two ACC championships at Clemson. He also made an appearance in the first-ever 12-team College Football Playoff.
But the feeding frenzy that is the New York sports media market will devour him if he sees playing time but doesn’t produce. Many players have succumbed to such pressure before, but Klubnik is prepared, with his feet planted on the firm foundation of Christ.
“Just being able to have the realization and the dependability that God is really always there for me is huge, because I know who Jesus says I am,” he said on the podcast. “With that, I don’t have to care as much about the opinions of other people.”
Later, Klubnik explained that while he may be known as a football player, his identity lies in something much deeper.
“The reason I’m here is just to impact people that I’m around every single day, for the gift of eternity. For the gift of Jesus coming to save us,” he said on the podcast. “That’s really why I’m here. I love football and I’m giving it everything I have every single day, but our main purpose while we’re here is to continue to share the Gospel.”
As Klubnik prepares for Jets rookie minicamp and offseason OTAs, he will seek to continue to trust in God’s perfect plan for his life, and for his NFL career.
Wide receiver Jordyn Tyson cries while standing with NFL Commissioner Roger Goodell after being drafted by the New Orleans Saints, April 23, 2026. (AP Photo/Gene J. Puskar)
Moments later, overcome with emotion after being selected No. 8 overall in the 2026 NFL Draft, the Arizona State star receiver embraced commissioner Roger Goodell on stage as tears streamed down his face.
Speaking with ESPN after his selection, he said his joy comes from the Lord.
“I’m just so thankful, so blessed,” he said. “The Lord’s doing work on me and He’s not done. We’re going to keep this thing rolling. I’m going to give Him my all, and that’s all I can do.”
"So thankful. So blessed. the Lord is doing work on me, and he's not done!" – @tyson_jordyn
After starting his career at Colorado, Tyson broke out at Arizona State, where he was twice named a first-team All-Big 12 selection. His best season statistically came in 2024 when he caught 75 passes for 1,101 yards and 10 touchdowns. He followed that up with 61 catches for 711 yards and eight touchdowns in 2025.
He did all of that while battling a litany of injuries that sidelined him for 15 games throughout his three years of college ball. A season-ending knee injury ended his freshman season in 2022, and then he transferred to ASU, where he continued to rehab the injury while redshirting the 2023 season.
He played 12 games for Arizona State in 2024 before suffering a broken collarbone that kept him off the field for the team’s College Football Playoff run. He entered the 2025 season still with a high draft stock, but a hamstring injury in October ended up keeping him out for three weeks and lingered for the rest of the season.
When healthy, scouts still see an incredibly high ceiling. ESPN’s Mel Kiper Jr. rated him as the No. 7 prospect entering the draft, and despite being the second wide receiver taken — Ohio State’s Carnell Tate was drafted by the Tennessee Titans at No. 4 — ESPN analyst Louis Riddick said Tyson was the best wide receiver in the draft.
When asked about those injuries by ESPN, Tyson once again pointed to God.
“The Lord said it’s going to be hard and you have to persevere,” he said. “Life is not easy. Keep going. You’ve got it. You’re strong — I promise you, you’re so strong. Just keep going. You’ve got it.”
His injuries are part of his testimony, he shared while on “The Walk” podcast this past fall.
“I feel like God truly put all these trials and tribulations in my life to better me,” Tyson said, while wearing a “Jesus Won” t-shirt. “He talks about that all throughout the Bible of trials and maturity. You’ve got to learn from it and become better.”
For example, when he injured his collarbone, he didn’t really feel too down about it.
“That’s just because of my faith,” he said on the podcast. “I truly believe, so I think that God put that in my life just to see how much I’ve grown, to see how much I’ve learned, to see how much I’ve trusted in Him. I truly believe if I hadn’t had those injuries, I would not be in this position.”
The son of military parents, Tyson grew up in Allen, Texas, in a disciplined household. He attended church occasionally, but he never spent time reading the Bible for himself. A lot of his growth, both on and off the field, happened at Arizona State. He met some guys involved with the Fellowship of Christian Athletes (FCA), and his understanding of God grew deeper.
“I didn’t realize Jesus really had His hand on me my whole life,” he told “The Walk.” “I was so lost in the things of the world and just living life trying to make it through years. But Jesus really had His hand on me the whole time, and I was just so naive to it. … I didn’t give all the credit to Him at first, but now I give all the credit to Him.”
Reflecting on that time of his life, he also recently shared with CBN Sports that he saw someone on campus who was living a Christian life and decided he wanted that for his life as well.
“I wonder where his strength is coming from. I wonder what he’s got going on,” Tyson said. “They told me the Good News of Jesus and that’s when my heart was just completely changed. I got baptized and now it’s my everything. It’s what I lay my life on. It’s my foundation. I just continue to lean on Him every day knowing He has a plan, knowing He has my best interests and knowing that this world isn’t my end-all-be-all.
He posted on Instagram to celebrate getting baptized in April 2025. The caption read in part, “I serve a perfect and amazing God and I am nothing without him.” Tyson calls himself “God’s Soldier” in his Instagram bio, where he also lists the Bible verse 2 Timothy 2:3.
Now in the NFL, the competition is only going to get tougher. Injuries are sure to be part of the journey. But Tyson told “The Walk” that he has full trust in God’s plans for his life.
“I feel like regardless of what happens in my life, I’m still going to be a follower, still going to have that faith,” Tyson said. “There’s obviously some stuff that I want to happen, but it doesn’t work like that all the time.”
THIS IS THE SPORTS SPECTRUM PODCAST WITH MATT FORTE, FEATURING ALEX HIGHSMITH
Alex Highsmith is a linebacker for the Pittsburgh Steelers. He was selected in the third round of the 2020 NFL Draft after a stellar college career with the University of North Carolina at Charlotte 49ers.
In 2022, Highsmith led the Steelers with a career-high 14.5 sacks and tied for the NFL lead with five forced fumbles. He was rewarded in July 2023 with a four-year contract extension. He will be entering his seventh season with Pittsburgh in 2026.
Today on the podcast, we talk to Alex Highsmith about representing Christ as a football player, growing in his faith, the pressure of performing on the field, and giving back to his community
Sam Acho warms up before a game, Dec. 1, 2019. (AP Photo/Phelan M. Ebenhack)
If you’re preparing for the NFL Draft weekend, I know exactly how you feel. Here’s what I wish I’d known.
I wish I knew that it was all going to be OK. That I would go to the right team, at the right time. I wish I knew how to tune out the noise. The agents, the friends, even the family. I wish I had truly trusted God with the outcome. Because He had me covered.
My draft story was 15 years ago. I was coming out of the University of Texas as an All-American on the field and in the classroom. I had trained for the NFL Combine, visited teams, sat down with coaches and general managers. I had dominated the Senior Bowl. I had done everything my agent said I needed to do. I’d checked every box. All that was left was the wait. And that’s where I made my first mistake: I thought I was in control.
Teams will tell you they are going to draft you. They will not. They have plans, but plans change on the clock. So don’t get your hopes up. But also, keep your pride down.
My pride was out of control by Day 2. So much so that God had to humble me by putting a huge pimple right in the center of my forehead. One of those deep ones that didn’t go away for a week. In hindsight, that pimple was hilarious. At the time? I was furious, or more accurately, puffed up.
I was sure I’d hear my name on Day 2. My agent told me. The coaches told me. Everyone told me — except God. I had a draft party planned for Day 1 and Day 2. Nothing planned for Day 3. Those rounds were reserved for other people, or so I thought.
None of it happened on my timeline. All of it happened on His. You don’t have to be what anyone says you need to be. Be faithful. God will provide.
I didn’t feel sick when my name wasn’t called; I felt betrayed. I felt duped. I felt like I had been lied to. I went to my room and cried. And then I did something I wish I’d done from the start: I cried out to God.
“God,” I pleaded. “You know my heart. You know I’m not in it for the fame, the women, or the money. God, I just want to make Your name famous. Lord, please give me a chance. I don’t care if I get drafted, just give me a chance.”
God heard my prayer. He had stripped the pride out of me. “Humble yourselves before the Lord,” Scripture says, “and he will lift you up.”
The next morning, I slept in. I wasn’t even sure when Day 3 started, but I was somber. I knew that if God gave me a chance, I would be grateful. He had burned away my pride in my heart and let me start from ground zero. There is no better place to start.
I want you to hear this: Every good and perfect gift comes from God. Getting drafted was a gift. “Falling” to the fourth round was a gift — the one I needed. That fall launched a nine-year NFL career, and it’s the reason I’m still in the game today, working in media and helping athletes build wealth. None of it happened on my timeline. All of it happened on His. You don’t have to be what anyone says you need to be. Be faithful. God will provide.
So, if you’re reading this right now, have hope. You’ve already done more than 99% of your peers. You’ve done your best — trust God with the rest.
Sam Acho is a former NFL linebacker, current ESPN analyst, author, and Family Office Advisor at AWM Capital. He played nine seasons in the NFL with the Arizona Cardinals, Chicago Bears and Tampa Bay Buccaneers.
