Eagles rookie Reed Blankenship raises cows in rural Alabama and went from undrafted to the Super Bowl

Reed Blankenship invited a few college buddies to his home in rural Alabama last April as he waited to hear his name called on the last day of the NFL draft. He was an all-conference safety at Middle Tennessee State, where he played five seasons and finished as the program’s all-time leader in tackles. The NFL seemed to be next but the final four rounds came without Blankenship being selected.

“It was very disheartening when that last name was called,” said Blankenship’s father, Troy. “We were just hoping that he’d get that chance, but it didn’t work out.”

About 30 minutes later, his agent called. Blankenship went undrafted but his dream wasn’t finished. The Eagles offered him a contract with an invitation to training camp. The only guarantee was that Blankenship — who grew up in a 200-person town and fought for the attention of college recruiters — would get a shot. And that’s all ever needed.

“You always have this thought in your mind that you’re going to get drafted,” Blankenship said. “It didn’t bother me, but I do have this chip on my shoulder.”

Blankenship played a key role for the Eagles this season as he entered the starting lineup after C.J. Gardner-Johnson suffered an injury. His playing time decreased when both Gardner-Johnson and Avonte Maddox were active for the NFC championship game but Blankenship should still be a contributor on Sunday in the Super Bowl vs. the Chiefs. Not bad for a player who watched 262 others hear their name called just 10 months ago.

“He’s seen it all,” said Eagles defensive backs coach Dennard Wilson. “He’s very mature and he doesn’t get rattled. It’s been a natural progression and he’s been an ultimate pro. Man, he’s going to keep getting better and better.”

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Blankenship’s Alabama hometown is listed by the Eagles as “Lester.” His college said he was from “Athens” and his family’s address is “Anderson.” None of that, his dad said, is actually correct.

“We don’t live in a town, per se,” Troy Blankenship said. “We’re probably 30 minutes from Athens. Lester is a community kind of across the hollow from us. That sounds country, doesn’t it? At one time, Lester had a hospital and they had a post office. That was it. My address is Anderson, but that’s about 10 minutes away. It has a post office and a restaurant.”

So where do they live? Troy Blankenship just laughed. Reed Blankenship’s mother, Sandra, was a school teacher and his father works as a designer and developer at a 3M plant about an hour away in Decatur. The family also owns a farm where they raise cattle.

“We love it here. It’s just a great community,” Troy Blankenship said. “Even though farming is work, it’s also fun. It’s kind of a release to be out and away from all the hoopla.”

Reed Blankenship called farming “his hobby” as the family breeds and sells cows. The farm doesn’t yet have a name — “We’re working on that,” said the player who doesn’t have a hometown — but the days in the fields gave Blankenship the work ethic he used to go from undrafted to the Super Bowl.

He had to make sure his cows were fed and had to spend his summer cutting hay so they’d have food for the winter. If they’re sick, you have to take care of them and get the right medicine. You had to take care of the calf to make sure the baby survived. It wasn’t football, but it still helped.

“You have to work for what you have,” Troy Blankenship said. “Reed has always been that guy who you had to slow down. A lot of parents have to push kids like ‘Do this, do that, hustle.’ Honestly, Reed was the one who I had to tell ‘Hey, son. You need to slow down.’ He would just go 100 percent. He just has that mindset.”

Troy Blankenship drove his son to various college camps as they tried to grab the attention of Division I programs. He was an all-state football player and state champion basketball player at West Limestone High, but schools like Alabama and Auburn passed on him.

So Blankenship went to Middle Tennessee, which is about 100 miles from the farm that sits between Lester, Athens, and Anderson. He broke his ankle in 2019 but returned the next season. He played 53 games over five seasons — he was granted an extra season because of the COVID-19 pandemic — and followed the instruction of defensive coordinator Scott Shafer, who taught his defensive backs to be in on every tackle. He was all over the field.

It wasn’t enough to get drafted but it did get him to training camp in South Philly. Blankenship took advantage of his playing time in preseason games after the starters were lifted and clung to the advice from players like Marcus Epps, who is in his fourth season after being a sixth-round longshot.

“He’s just a heck of a ballplayer,” said Epps, who Blankenship said is like an older brother. “It’s not easy but that’s the type of guy he is. He’s always calm. He’s always poised. He does a really good job of taking to the coaching, especially as a young guy. He’s coachable.”

Blankenship finished camp with his name on the 53-man roster, beating out a cast of veterans for the final spot. Five months after watching all those other players get drafted, Blankenship called his dad. He made it.

“I was leaving work,” Troy Blankenship said. “They had cut a few safeties and I was thinking, ‘There’s no one left to cut.’ I got the call on my way home from home. I can’t explain it. That was the most emotional moment for me. He actually made the roster. It was cool.

“We’re so thankful that Philadelphia gave him that opportunity and that chance. I’ve never talked to any of the coaches or Howie Roseman. I don’t know who chose him or who decided to give him that chance, but I would love someday to shake their hand and tell them how much we appreciate it.”

And now he’s in the Super Bowl. Troy and Sandra Blankenship flew to Arizona to be in the stadium when their son’s dream reaches the grandest stage. Blankenship just needed a shot.

“It feels like I finally got back what I’ve put into all this football stuff for years,” Blankenship said.

The Eagles are one win away from their second championship. Join Inquirer Eagles writers EJ Smith, Josh Tolentino, Jeff McLane, Marcus Hayes and Mike Sielski on Gameday Central Sunday at 5 p.m. as they preview the game at inquirer.com/Eaglesgameday