GREEN BAY – As the NFL Draft snaked into the seventh round Saturday evening, Ty Summers' phone began blowing up with NFL teams calling to express interest in signing the TCU linebacker if he reached college free agency.
With roughly a dozen of his closest family and friends around him, Summers sifted through potential suitors until finally answering a "920" number. He expected the caller to be selling more of the same.
Instead, the Packers informed the 6-foot-1, 241-pound linebacker they had used their eighth and final pick of the 2019 NFL Draft on him, No. 226 overall.
"It was kind of weird. I went to answer a call and I was like, 'Wait, this is actually 'The Call,'" Summers said. "So everyone got excited, started standing up around me it was a cool atmosphere. Everyone was really excited for me.
Summers has played football his entire life. A dual-threat quarterback at Reagan High School in San Antonio, Summers scored 36 rushing touchdowns as a senior and nearly played the QB at Rice until Texas Christian came calling.
The Horned Frogs, liking Summers' physicality, viewed him as a linebacker. Understanding what it meant to play in a power-five conference, Summers signed on and played as a true freshman in 2014.
Summers suffered two labrum injuries during those first two years. He took a medical redshirt after his college opener against Samford before bouncing back in 2015 to earn an honorable mention nod for Big 12 defensive freshman of the year.
A three-year starter, Summers played every game in 2016 and 2017 and was named a team captain in seven games as a senior.
A vocal leader and key communicator on TCU's defense, Summers even stepped in at defensive end this past year after injuries ate away at the Horned Frogs' defensive end depth chart.
Summers closed his career with 318 tackles, the second-most by a Horned Frog in the 18-season tenure of head coach Gary Patterson.
"I think my biggest strengths are leadership and communication, aside from just the ability to play because I'm a versatile player," Summers said. "My knowledge of the game translates to the field and helps make my teammates around me better by communicating what the call is, what we're expecting based off the formation."
Summers had a solid showing at the NFL Scouting Combine in February, posting a 4.51-second time in the 40-yard dash with a 27 bench reps and a 36-inch vertical. Summers admits the wait to get picked was "really gruesome initially," but he was equally excited to get selected.
Summers knows there's more work to be done. He wants to work on using his hands more at the next level to get off blocks.
A native Texan, Summers would've loved nothing more than to continue playing quarterback in college, but the sacrifices he made are what opened the doors to the opportunity he enjoys today.
"I will say I would have had fun playing offense and scoring touchdowns, but ultimately I probably would not be in the position I am now," Summers said. "So I'm definitely glad that I went to TCU."
