UAB’s Tejhaun Palmer has seized opportunity ahead of nfl draft

Photo by Ken Shepherd

By Steve Irvine

BIRMINGHAM, ALABAMA - April 25, 2024

Tejhaun Palmer’s NFL Draft process began with his appearance in the postseason Hula Bowl All-Star Game. It will end at some point over the next three days.

The former UAB wide receiver has a clear view of his preferred ending coming true.

“I really feel like I’m going to get my name called,” said Palmer, who is trying to extend UAB’s streak of at least one draft choice to four consecutive NFL drafts.

While Palmer is certainly not a lock to be picked, he has turned heads over the past three months. He performed well in practice and on game day in the Hula Bowl and East-West Shrine Bowl. He didn’t let a tweaked hamstring suffered in his second 40-yard dash keep him from having a successful performance in UAB’s Pro Day. He ran a time of 4.45 seconds in his first 40-yard dash, which was especially impressive considering he measured at nearly 6-foot-2 and 210 pounds. His 19 reps on the bench press would have tied him for second most at the NFL Draft Scouting Combine.

He even showed he was pretty good at predictions.

“When I went to the Hula and Shrine Bowl, every scout I talked to I told them, this is crazy, I actually told them I was going to run a 4.45,” Palmer said. “I literally told them that. They said they’d write it down and see if I could really run that. I really wanted to go lower than that. I had a 4.43 on our mock pro day during training. It was laser timed, too. I felt like that (Pro Day) was an adrenaline rush. I felt like I could definitely get a lower (time).”

He had a quick start on his second 40-yard dash attempt and might have been on the way to improving his time. He felt a twinge in his hamstring about 20 yards into the run and pulled up. He had done enough by that point, however, to get interest from several drafts.

Following his Pro Day, Palmer took visits to the Denver Broncos, New York Jets and New England Patriots.

“You just go around and meet people around the building, from the coaching staff to equipment staff, training staff,” Palmer said of the visits. “It’s so they can feel you out and see what kind of person you are off the football field. I met with the receiver coach (at each stop). He puts you on the board to test your football IQ knowledge. It was all good vibes.”

He also had several Zoom calls with members of several NFL organizations, including the Cincinnati Bengals, New York Giants and New Orleans Saints.

“You get to know the coaching staff on those,” Palmer said. “Usually, it’s a position coach, who will take you through a playbook to see how well you can take information and spit it back to him.”

Palmer will watch the draft from his family’s home in Milwaukee. His plan is to watch all three days of the draft. He’ll also take some time to reflect on turning humble beginnings on the football field to what could be a dream come true.

“It’s definitely a surreal moment to be here right now,” Palmer said. “Growing up, I always had the confidence that I could make it this far. I just feel like hard work is going to take you as far as you need to go. Hard work is always going to pay off. My high school, we weren’t very good. My first year on varsity, we went 2-7. Second year we were 0-9, third year we were 1-8. My chances were very slim at the moment. I just know if I kept my head down and kept working, I would eventually get to where I needed to get.”