Maybe it’s the fact the diminutive dynamo could very nearly fit in a nutshell that conspired with other factors to keep The Mine Mule out of the NFL Draft, but don’t ever underestimate the kid’s will. Conditioned to conquer life and its obstacles from a very young age, No. 7 is sure he’s going to make it and enjoy it, even if it doesn’t look good right now.

That’s the thing with Noel. Yesterday doesn’t matter. Tomorrow holds all the possibilities and he believes anything is possible.

“No calls at all. No conversations, no nothing,” he says. “It’s all good. It will just make it so much better for me in the end. The end is going to be so much better than what it is now.”