Fort Mill duo Worth Gregory and J.T. Boyd hope to bolster town’s NFL ranks

[Angel92]

The road to the NFL isn’t a free and easy joyride down Route 66. It’s a long journey with twists, turns, and fleeting opportunities. Fort Mill’s J.T. Boyd and Worth Gregory will tell you it takes preparation and perseverance.
The teammates at East Carolina’s daily Keith Mcgill Youth Jersey routines for the past few months have consisted of training, lifting... and training some more. Boyd, a bearded, burly, 6-foot-4 300-pound offensive lineman, started his training earlier this year at New Jersey-based Test Football Academy, where his day consisted of a six-hour workout – speed and agility in the morning and weights in the afternoon - with a brief lunch break squeezed in between. The Nation Ford grad isn’t stressing about the process.
“This is what I’ve been doing my whole life since I was a little kid,” he said. “I’m just down to one last opportunity to put on a showcase of what I can do.”
Any scouts interested in Boyd have plenty of material to study. By his redshirt sophomore season in 2014, he was starting in an offensive unit that averaged 533 yards of total offense per game and ranked fifth nationally. Boyd was selected second-team All-American Athletic Conference, and was honorable mention in 2015. In the classroom, he was an ECU Honor Roll and Dean’s List performer.
“I love working hard. It’s what I do, it’s what offensive lineman do,” said Boyd. “It’s part of the brand of being an offensive linemanDelvin Breaux Authentic Jersey and it’s what I try to do every day.”
During his career at ECU, he played against teams like Florida and Virginia Tech that consistently put players in the NFL every year.
“I’m confident in my ability to play against the best,” said Boyd. “I think I belong there.”
Boyd said he wasn’t hearing much from NFL teams, but he knew a good performance at ECU’S pro day in late March would increase his standing with scouts. All 32 NFL teams sent representatives to ECU for the pro day workout.
Boyd and Gregory, a standout punter from Fort Mill High, worked out for the hometown Carolina Panthers on April 7 to showcase their skills. Like Boyd, Gregory has tried to stay calm during the busy process. Before Friday’s date with the Panthers, he punted for the Jacksonville Jaguars and the Miami Dolphins but said he could care less which team signs him.
The 6-foot-3, 215-pound kicker worked out with NFL punters like 49ers’ Bradley Pinion and Lions’ Sam Martin in the last couple of months.
“I’m new to all of it so I’m happy that I’m able to talk to these guys that have been in my position to help me go through what I’m going through right now,” said Gregory.
Like Boyd, Gregory’s work ethic has stood out at ECU.
“He will not take any shortcuts in getting to that final destination,” said Shannon Moore, ECU’s special teams coach. “He’s very organized about everything that he does from school work to his workout sessions.”
Gregory has an outgoing personality - a quality that will come in handy on an NFL roster. Moore said Gregory went to ECU coaches before the seasonhttp://www.authenticsteelerssale.com/shop-by-players-heath-miller-j... and requested to room with the team’s true-freshman long snapper the night before games to help him cope with nerves. The Pirates’ punting unit didn’t have a single bad snap all fall.
“They respect and respond to things he feels like will help the team,” Moore said. “Anything an organization would ask him to do I feel he would jump at the opportunity to represent them.”
Gregory’s high school coach, Ed Susi, said Gregory spent plenty of time perfecting his craft while he was a Fort Mill Yellow Jacket.
“He knew what he had to do to succeed,” said Susi. “He worked his butt off on all kinds of kicks.”
Gregory spent his freshman year (2012) at Alabama as a walk-on with a squad that demolished Notre Dame to win the BCS National Championship. Since he was not on scholarship, he later decided to transfer and found a home at ECU.
Gregory earned a spot on the second team All-AAC roster in 2016, and started every game in his three years of eligibility. He averaged 43 yards per punt over the course of his career. Among conference foes, only Memphis’s Spencer Smith had a better average through those three years.
He was annoyed to miss out on the NFL Draft Combine and several senior all-star games.
“It’s kind of pushed me to work harder and show everyone why I think I should have been in those things,” said Gregory.
Boyd and Gregory are now shooting for the opportunity to join Denver Broncos defensive end, Vance Walker, as Fort Mill-bred NFL players.
“When people think of the NFL in our area they start looking at Rock Hill,” said Gregory. “It’d be great to have some guys from Fort Mill in http://www.authenticsteelersshop.com/shop-by-players-darrius-heywar... there other than Vance. It would be awesome for the whole town.”
J.T. Boyd started for two years at guard, before moving to center his senior year at East Carolina. His versatility and experience should help his quest to land on an NFL roster. Photo courtesy of East Carolina Athletics