Rodrigo Blankenship, DK Metcalf poke fun at pre-NFL Draft joke

Indianapolis Colts kicker Rodrigo Blankenship doesn’t look like your stereotypical football player, standing at 6-foot-1, 189 pounds and rocking Rec Specs glasses under his facemask; Seattle Seahawks wide receiver DK Metcalf, on the other hand, is a physical specimen that measures at six feet, four inches, weighs 235 pounds and still ran a 4.33-second 40-yard dash.

Not only were Blankenship and Metcalf a part of the same NFL Draft class — Blankenship went undrafted in the 2020 NFL Draft and later signed with the Colts, while Metcalf was picked in the second round, with the 64th-overall pick by the Seattle Seahawks — but they both played in the SEC, too. Blankenship, a Georgia alumnus and Metcalf, a former Ole Miss Rebel have that much in common.

Midway through their rookie seasons last year, a viral tweet poked fun at the fact that these two athletes, who have polar opposite builds, play in the same league.

I love the NFL because both of these humans play the same sport professionally pic.twitter.com/EpnOzCU0ub

— Johnathon Poppe (@JPopASU) November 23, 2020

And this season, when the Colts and Seahawks faced off in Week 1, Blankenship made sure to take a picture, reminding everyone that he and Metcalf are both professional NFL players. Now that both have solidified starting roles at their respective positions, Blankenship poked fun at the once-viral tweet.

Love this. #Colts kicker Rodrigo Blankenship got a picture with DK Metcalf following Sunday’s game. “Yes, we both play the same sport. And yes, we’re both pretty dang good at it.” pic.twitter.com/N15H1g5l51

— Ari Meirov (@MySportsUpdate) September 13, 2021

Blankenship, also referred to by Georgia fans as “Hot Rod,” joined the Georgia Bulldogs as a preferred walk-on kicker, and he redshirted the entire 2015 season. he would later win the starting kicker role in 2016, his redshirt freshman year, and he went 14-for-18 on field goals and 26-for-26 on extra points, good for an All-SEC freshman team nod. By the time his final year at Georgia rolled around in 2019, Blankenship won the 2019 Lou Groza Award for the nation’s top kicker, while also being named a first-team All-American.

Blankenship, 24, is entering his second season with the Colts. Last year, he converted on 32 of 37 field goal attempts, with a long of 53 yards, and also made 43 of 45 extra point attempts. He made his only Week 1 field goal attempt from 21 yards out.

Metcalf, on the other hand, was plagued by injuries in his three seasons at Ole Miss, causing his draft stock to suffer a small dip. He played in just two games in 2016, before completing his sophomore season in 2017 with 39 receptions for 646 yards and seven touchdowns. But in his final season, 2018, Metcalf was again limited to just seven games due to injury.

Metcalf has been a game-changing wide receiver for the Seahawks in just one season, as he was named a second team All-Pro while also attending the 2020 Pro Bowl.