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Will Anderson reveals heartwarming way to honor late grandmother at 2023 NFL Draft

ns_headshot_2024-clearby:Nick Schultz•04/27/23•

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Former Alabama star Will Anderson
Albert Cesare / The Enquirer / USA TODAY NETWORK

Will Anderson made the trip to Kansas City, where he’ll likely hear his name called as a top pick in the 2023 NFL Draft. One important person won’t be there, though: his grandmother, Betty.

Anderson’s grandma passed away during his freshman year at Alabama, where he starred for the Crimson Tide and became a highly touted NFL prospect. She’s with him in spirit, though, as he worked pictures of her into his suit he’ll wear across the stage as commissioner Roger Goodell greets him after announcing his name.

Their bond was special, especially when it came to football. That’s why Anderson wanted to honor her in such special fashion.

“We were really close, and I just want her to be here with me in this moment,” Anderson told ESPN’s Laura Rutledge ahead of the draft. “I’ve got her as part of my suit. … That was like my best friend, and she loved football just as much as me, and I wish she could be here to see this. But this is how I feel like she’s with me right now.”

Anderson’s career was one for the ages. He made a case for the Heisman Trophy in 2021 before teammate Bryce Young won the award, finishing fifth in the voting to just miss out on a trip to New York. That season, he had 101 tackles, 17.5 tackles for loss and 13.0 sacks to cement himself as one of the best defensive players in the nation.

On the whole during his time in Tuscaloosa, Anderson totaled 204 tackles, 58.5 tackles for loss, 34.5 sacks and an interception to cement himself as one of the best prospects on the draft board. He has widely been projected as a top-10 pick and most likely a top-five selection on Thursday night.

He sure would have made his grandma proud — if she wasn’t already.

Anderson also knows what she’d say if she saw him getting ready to take his skills to the next level and fulfill his dream, which Betty saw begin as a young football player.

“She would probably be like, ‘I remember when you were just a little boy running around the house screaming and stuff. And now, look how big you got,'” Anderson said. “She always used to say, ‘Use that big boy voice.’ That’s probably what she’d joke with me about. She’d say, ‘Look at you being a big boy tonight.'”