TEXARKANA, Texas - Texarkana native McTelvin Agim was the 95th-overall selection in the 2020 NFL Draft on Friday night.
Agim received the news from Denver Broncos general manager John Elway, which has been shared on Agim's social media platforms.
"I'm blessed for the opportunity to compete in the NFL," Agim said. "Coming from where I'm from, I'm not supposed to be here. I've worked hard to put myself in this position. Now that I've achieved this goal, I have some more goals in the NFL I would like to achieve. I feel like this is the beginning of my journey."
He played his senior season at Hope High School before his college career began.
Agim appeared in 42 career games as a interior defensive linemen for the University of Arkansas. Agim tallied 140 total tackles, 31 tackles for loss, 14.5 sacks and six forced fumbles.
Agim recorded 18.5 tackles for loss and 9.5 sacks over his final two seasons for the Hogs.
"The Broncos are getting a guy that's willing to do whatever he can for the team to be successful," Agim said. "I'm ready to get to Denver to compete. I'm ready to learn from coaches and also have a chance to be around my new teammates."
Broncos' head coach Vic Fangio released a statement shortly after Denver drafted Agim Friday night in the third round.
"He'll just start off being one of the guys there and we'll see how he develops and where exactly he could fit in," Fangio said. "He's a guy that needs developing; he's not a complete player at this point, obviously. But we do like some of the tools that he has and some of the potential that he has. Hopefully we can develop him into being a guy that can compete to make our team and, if he does, contribute."
Agim understands that many youths in the Texarkana area may be in the same position he was once was in as a youth. He is willing to share his story so they can possibly correct their path.
"Kids that come from where I come from feel very discouraged," Agim said. "I want them to know those trials and tribulations they're going through right now is going to make them a better person later. It's going to all pay off in the end. That's the real reason why I tell my story and let people know who I am. I want people to know where I come from because it's a kid right now dealing with the same things that I had to. I want to be able to give him insight on how I achieved my success.
"Knowledge is best served, it's not best kept. Basically, you should spread as much knowledge as you can, so the next person won't make the same mistakes that you made."