It wasn’t that Luke Wysong didn’t feel like he was getting the most out of it. On the contrary, the Rio Rancho native felt his training ahead of Arizona’s pro day — and, by extension, the NFL Draft — was going as well as it could’ve.
He simply wanted more. And he got it by going with less.
“I actually deleted all my social media for, like, two months,” said Wysong, a former receiver at New Mexico and Arizona. “Everything: Instagram, Snapchat, Twitter, TikTok. I was just isolated by myself. And I think that really was the turning point.”
That self-imposed isolation, and a stellar pro day showing, led to one of the more memorable days of his life. Wysong signed with the Minnesota Vikings as an undrafted free agent Saturday, one of just two New Mexico natives to do so following the conclusion of the NFL Draft.
The 5-foot-10, 186-pound Cleveland High School graduate spent the first four years of his career at New Mexico, making 134 receptions for 1,465 yards and three touchdowns. He spent his final collegiate season at Arizona, where he caught 24 passes for 278 yards and two touchdowns last year before declaring for the draft.
Along with Arizona linebacker Riley Wilson, Wysong decided to delete his social media in an effort to “leave no stone unturned” training in Dallas and Arizona for a pivotal pro day showing.
The extra detail paid off. Wysong notched a 39-inch vertical jump, a 10-foot-10 broad jump and a 4.32-second 40-yard dash — a time that would’ve been the fifth-fastest among receivers at this year’s NFL Combine — in front of 28 NFL scouts.
“I was just so prepared,” he said. “The visualization … I had seen it in my head so many times … I was just trying to find the next available thing to elevate my game and pursue my dreams.”
With the Vikings, Wysong is set to live that dream in a receiver room featuring former NFL Offensive Player of the Year and two-time All-Pro honoree Justin Jefferson. The 6-1, 195-pound four-time Pro Bowler is considered one of the best receivers in the league when healthy; former All-American Jordan Addison is also on Minnesota’s roster.
Wysong said can’t wait to “be a sponge” and take as much as possible from being around players of that caliber.
“That’s where I’ve really learned my game, from other players,” he added. “Taking bits and pieces from how they do things, talking with them (about) routes, asking them like, ‘hey, what would you have done here, how would you do this differently, how would you get open on this route?’
“Just talking to them and learning (from them), I’m so beyond excited for that.”
A one-time New Mexico Gatorade Player of the Year, Wysong starred in football and track at Cleveland. But while the Storm have dominated New Mexico high school football in recent years, they had only sent one player to the NFL before him: tight end Tre Watson, who signed with the Kansas City Chiefs as an undrafted free agent last year.
Being the second while representing Albuquerque and New Mexico on the biggest stage “means a lot,” Wysong said.
“Albuquerque and New Mexico in general isn’t the biggest state in terms of producing talent,” he added. “But we do have talent there and I wanna show that at the pro level. I just want kids to have a positive role model and hopefully some kids could be like, ‘dang, I go to the same school or I went to the same park that Luke used to train at.’”
And after months of shutting out any outside noise, Wysong couldn’t quite do the same after news of his signing was released Saturday.
“It’s been pretty crazy,” Wysong admitted, “but I’m so grateful for everyone reaching out and obviously super appreciative. I’ve actually responded to every single one of my messages.
Sean Reider covers college football and other sports for the Journal. You can reach him at sreider@abqjournal.com or via X at @lenaweereider.