SEMO's Ryan Flournoy's road to NFL Draft ends with Dallas Cowboys

Former Southeast Missouri State wide receiver Ryan Flournoy was drafted in the sixth round of the NFL Draft by the Dallas Cowboys on Saturday, April 27, in Detroit.

Flournoy waited with family and friends on Saturday to get the news of who was going to pick him up. Once Flournoy got off the phone with owner Jerry Jones and the rest of the Cowboys coaching staff he informed his family of their draft pick by saying, “I’m a Cowboy!” as the room cheered.

"I’m proud to call you a Dallas Cowboy,” Jerry Jones said in the phone call to Flournoy, posted to the team’s Instagram.

Flournoy said his heart dropped when he heard the congratulations from the Cowboys. He said “he's ready to put in the work” after he got the call in the 6th round.

Flournoy sits down with his family as he receives news that he has been drafted by the Dallas Cowboys on Saturday, April 27.Nathan Gladden ~ ngladden@semissourian.com

"I don’t care what time of day it is, I know I’m ready," Flournoy said.

Flournoy described himself as “blessed” for achieving his dream. Flournoy’s parents, father and mother, Terrill and Angela also found his draft pick to be a blessing for them as well.

Both of Flournoy’s parents described their emotions as overwhelming when he got the call.

"We are honored and we are so blessed,” Angela Flournoy said. “I don’t know if I have any more tears left."

"Tonight I’ll probably cry in my sleep, I’m so excited for my son,” Terrill Flournoy said.

The emotions ran high throughout the day before Ryan was drafted by the Cowboys. He received phone calls from the Washington Commanders and the Jacksonville Jaguars trying to recruit him. Terrill described the calls as bringing up false emotion as with each one the room went silent waiting for his draft pick.

Flournoy is embraced by one of his family members as they celebrate him being drafted to the Dallas Cowboys on Saturday, April 27.Nathan Gladden ~ ngladden@semissourian.com

Terrill said his son will be motivated by being a 6th-round pick and will want to prove himself.

"They released the Kraken,” Terrill said. “He about to dominate."

Flournoy had already faced a decision to declare for the NFL Draft before he finished his last season with Southeast Missouri State University.

“I knew I wanted to clean some stuff up in my game,” Flournoy said in the April 18 article. “I didn’t have any bowl game invites and I didn’t have anything on my radar about going to the combine. Staying at SEMO was super beneficial.”

Flournoy only spent two years at SEMO on the football but made an impact and ended his last year with the team with 57 catches for 839 yards and six touchdowns. The wide receiver also participated in both the Reese's Senior Bowl and NFL Combine before participating in the draft.

Flournoy finished fourth in the broad jump (11’0”), tied for second in the bench press (19 reps of 225 lbs.) ranked 15th in the 40-yard dash (4.44 sec.), tied for seventh in the vertical jump (39.50”), and reached the second highest top speed in the receiver gauntlet drill (19.81 mph) at the NFL Combine.

His performance there earned him an athleticism score of 84. Flournoy will suit up for the Cowboys at their rookie minicamps starting on May 3.

Southeast Missourian reporter Clay Herrell and Southeast Arrow reporter Blake Schowalter contributed to this article.