The New England Patriots only made nine selections in this year’s NFL draft. The second draft brought up a very familiar last name to Niles North, Garoppolo. Jimmy Garoppolo, brother of Michael Garoppolo, Niles North girls track and boys football coach, was drafted in the second round.

“I think what I’m most proud of is that Jimmy has stayed so committed to such a great thing,” Coach Garoppolo said. “While many people would rather stray and enjoy some distractions, Jimmy always stayed focused and kept his eyes on his goal, which was to stay playing football for as long as he can.”

Tony Bradburn, director of humanities here at North, recounts his experience as Jimmy’s coach and the moment he knew he should take the quarterback position:

It was one of these eyebrow-raising moments. I’ll give you some context. I’m a grown man who’s pretty athletic and I can throw a ball with a couple of steps a nice 35 yards. Jimmy though … we were outside with the entire team practicing punting and he just takes one step and throws the football a clean and crisp 40 yards distance. And that’s just when I knew, he’s our quarterback.

Bradburn further expanded on Jimmy’s strengths and said, “What aids him and the skill set he has is that he’s a great listener and knows how to take what you tell him and really put it to use. I think everyone can take an example from that because it’s a great quality to have.”

 A brief Google search on Jimmy Garoppolo only strengthens why Coach Garoppolo, Tony Bradburn, and all of Niles North should be proud of this NFL selection. There is a lot of commitment visible in Jimmy’s stats, and it’s no wonder that he was given the extraordinarily special opportunity to take the place of  backup Ryan Mallett. Mallet will be the first quarterback that Jimmy Garoppolo will be trained to replace. There are talks of him possibly taking Tom Brady’s spot once he retires. Brady is a hailed name in the NFL and it’s a momentous achievement to be in talks of replacing such a name.

Niles North High School will continue to keep its eye on this Arlington Heights native. This only goes to prove that staying determined, working hard, and dreaming big will always make one’s high school sports dream somewhat tangible, especially when paired with a skill set like Jimmy Garoppolo’s.