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I’ll never forget the night Johnny Manziel was drafted into the NFL. He walked on stage doing his famous “money” gesture — hands raised, fingers counting an invisible stack of cash — with a big grin on his face. For him, it was a choice to celebrate what came with this moment. This past Thursday night provided a redo, as many young men chose to promote what they brought to the moment.
Three hundred and twenty thousand people in attendance. Another 12 million people are watching the broadcast on some of the world’s biggest networks, including ESPN, ABC, and the NFL Network, using 55 cameras and eight production trucks. For 32 young men, the biggest moment of their lives was about to be on display for all. The NFL draft is the ultimate spectacle in celebrity. 
And yet, the number one pick didn’t show up. And when his time to speak came, he honored God. When asked how the last few months have changed his life — which included an NCAA national championship, a Heisman Trophy, and now being selected as the first pick in the NFL draft — Fernando Mendoza said, “The last five months have been such a blessing by God, and I can’t thank him enough.” Mendoza gave this interview from his parents’ home as he made the decision to be with his mother, who suffers from multiple sclerosis, and he didn’t want to burden her with traveling to Pittsburgh.
And he wasn’t alone. Two picks later, Notre Dame running back Jeremiyah Love emphasized that his success was in God&#8217;s plan. After being selected eighth overall by the New Orleans Saints, Jordyn Tyson said, “The Lord’s doing work on me.” He went on to say, “The Lord said it’s going to be hard. Life is hard.” Spoken like a true contrarian member of Gen Z. And later, the eleventh overall selection, Caleb Downs, gave “all glory to Jesus Christ.”
In fact, this became the theme on Thursday night, when fame appeared to take a back seat to faith and family. At least a dozen first-round picks explicitly invoked God, the Lord, or Jesus during draft night. In a moment manufactured to glorify them, these men deflected. And like Mendoza, more than half (18 of 32) prospects decided not to be in attendance and instead celebrate the biggest moment of their lives with family. 
Faith in sports isn’t new. We all remember Tim Tebow’s famous kneeling-in-prayer celebration. And many players cross their hearts and point to the sky after big plays. What’s different is the context. In our new social media environment, there is so much pressure to brand oneself personally. And on the night when it mattered most, many took the focus off themselves.
I hope Gen Z football fans were observing their peers. After all, they are the “anxious generation,” with six in 10 reporting <a href="https://www.youthmentalhealthcoalition.org/gen-z">feeling overwhelmed</a> by news and events. Amplified by the fact that one in three <a href="https://www.pewresearch.org/internet/2024/12/12/teens-social-media-and-technology-2024/">say they are on social media</a> “almost constantly.” Surveys are great, but sometimes we need to taste the real thing to create countercultural pressure. And draft night delivered a full serving of faith, discipline, responsibility, and meaning on the biggest stage. 
What we also can’t ignore is the connection between these players’ mindsets and the brutality of their profession. While Gen Z’s unemployment rate sits at <a href="https://econofact.org/factbrief/fact-check-is-unemployment-for-young-us-workers-the-highest-since-the-pandemic">twice the national average</a>, these men are entering perhaps the hardest profession to make it in, the NFL, where only a tiny percentage succeed, and careers are short. Add to that the constant and extreme levels of physical and mental pressure. While some in our culture are teaching young people to avoid hardship and redefine standards, these men are proving and promoting that hardship is part of the deal.
To re-quote Jordyn Tyson, “Life is hard.” He followed that up with, “You have to persevere; life is not easy.” Translated for Gen Z: Hard is the norm. You prepare to deal with it. You don’t negotiate your way out of it. 
We keep hearing that young men are lost, but maybe we’re looking in the wrong places. While not all, many men who pursue an NFL career come from the socioeconomic backgrounds that researchers typically blame for bad life outcomes: poverty, fatherless homes, and crime-ridden neighborhoods. Hardship is their common denominator. The NFL doesn’t select for comfort; it selects for resilience. Maybe all of Gen Z isn’t lost. Some are just stuck in a comfort crisis.
This year’s draft was a metaphorical contrast for the lives of many young Americans. On one side, the stage. On the other, the living room. On one side, entitlement; on the other, hardship and gratitude. For many young men entering the NFL this week, the latter choice prevailed in each scenario and, along the way, provided waypoints on the map of meaning: where to look for hope, what moments really define a life, and who to bring with you on the journey.
Johnny Manziel wasn’t counting money for long. He played two seasons and exited the NFL stage almost as quickly as he crossed it on draft night. 
But this year, the prospects waited to count their money. Instead, we saw young men select mom over the moment and God over the glitz and glamor. The only thing more ordered than the draft selections was the prospects’ priorities.
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Gates Garcia is the host of the YouTube show and podcast We The People with Gates Garcia. Follow him on X and Instagram @GatesGarciaFL.

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The NFL Draft Just Delivered A Lesson Gen Z Desperately Needed