Former Kentucky star Randall Cobb is getting ready to start his ninth NFL season — even though it will be with Dallas and not Green Bay like his first eight years were.

What kind of message does he hope that sends to kids either in his hometown of Alcoa, Tenn., or anywhere else?


“I hope the message is just continue to chase your dreams,” Cobb, an all-American and all-SEC player at UK, said. “I was fortunate enough to live out my dreams. It took a lot of things happening for me to get to this level and stay at this level.

“There were a lot of things I had to give up. A lot of sacrifices that you have to make to be able to continue to play. But no matter what level you are at, every day is still about proving what you can do to yourself and others.”

Cobb still remembers those who doubted him in high school. He didn’t even have a scholarship offer from nearby Tennessee until he had been committed to UK and he never wavered on his word to play for the Cats. Many wondered about his size going to UK and it was the same when the Packers drafted him. 

“Over the course of my career I got doubted a lot from every stage of the game,” Cobb said. “I just think it makes a better story when you are able to overcome a lot of adversity and do more than what people think you can. That’s why I hope kids look at me and see they should chase their dreams because they can come true like mine did.”