Chris Hogan has become the mascot of this year’s
Hard Knocks, the charming underdog story that casual fans can latch onto.
The amazing part, however, might be how close the Dolphins rookie wide receiver came to not playing football at all.
According to Hal Habib of the
Palm Beach Post, Hogan tossed and turned about his sport of choice coming out of high school, ultimately choosing to play lacrosse at Penn State. He only played one year of football at Monmouth, making him the longest of long shots in camp.
“I’m not going to sit and wonder
and think about what-if,” Hogan said. “Obviously, me being in the position I’m in right now, I’d probably say I might go back and play football out of high school.
“But again, you can’t do anything over. . . . It would have been interesting to see where I’d be, too, if I played four years of college football.
“But I got one.”
Now, he’s known as 7-11, the tag the Dolphins hung on him because he’s always open in practice.
That nickname, given to him by
Reggie Bush, has gained traction among teammates and opponents alike, as he said Panthers players were taunting him about it last weekend.
But Monday, he said it was still “pretty cool,” to be surrounded by microphones and cameras, enjoying his moment in the spotlight.
“It’s been a ton of fun,” Hogan said. “I’m playing in the NFL and getting to compete with these guys every single day, getting to play in the pre-season games.
“That’s a dream come true right there.”
But for all the attention he’s gotten lately, he’s still not certain to hang around when they start picking the team, which could make his next turn in the HBO spotlight a painful one.