RIVIERA BEACH, Fla. — In the Nubin household the NFL wasn't really a topic of discussion.
"He wanted to play. Obviously it was something he talked about but as a family we really didn't," Rodney Nubin, a Riviera Beach native, said about his oldest son Tyler, a safety.
Rodney Nubin said Tyler would mention the NFL every once in a while, but it was never a big topic.
"We started talking about it more when he was getting scouts coming around and all that stuff and that's when we really started talking about football," he said.
Tyler Nubin, 22, played in 55 career games as a defensive back for the Minnesota Golden Gophers. He not only set a team record with 13 interceptions, but he also made 207 career tackles, with 143 of those tackles solo. He's also a four-time academic all-Big Ten Conference selection.
He played high school football at St. Charles North in Illinois.
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Thursday's NFL Draft will put Nubin's dream of playing in the NFL one step closer to becoming a reality.
"He got invited to the actual draft process in Detroit, but he elected not to go. He's just not a glitz and glamour type of kid. He just wants to play football," Rodey Nubin said.
So, what will draft night look like?
"He wants to be around his family, close friends, when the moment happens," he said. "That's how he feels."
Nubin is a former player himself. The Riviera Beach native played high school ball at Palm Beach Gardens and Division I football at Eastern Michigan.
He said the business side of the game has quickly matured Tyler.
"It's kind of like a sales process," Rodney Nubin said. "Everybody comes around saying they're going to do these great things for your child, but you really don't know until they work for you. So, for me, it was scary because I just want good people around my kids."
The draft is life-changing. Come Thursday, Tyler Nubin will be a club member of an elite fraternity called the NFL.
