NFL Draft: Baldwin Alum Jason Pinkston ’06 One Step Away from Realizing Childhood Dream

The late poet Langston Hughes once penned, “What happens to a dream deferred? Does it dry up like a raisin in the sun?”

For Baldwin-Whitehall native Jason Pinkston, his dream to play professional football began as a young child. He eventually grew to play at and was recruited to play at the University of Pittsburgh by its former head coach and fellow Baldwin alumnus Dave Wannstedt ’70.

Pinkston, a 2006 Baldwin graduate and twice a first-team all-Big East selection at Pitt, now sits on the brink of realizing his dream, as the NFL’s annual draft approaches this week.

“It was probably 5 or 6,” Pinkston said about when he first had professional aspirations. “I was pretty young.

“I always liked football, and I told my brothers, ‘I’m going to play in the NFL someday.’ Now, (the draft) is here, and it’s just surreal right now.”

Of course, the excitement and anticipation can lead to a case of the pre-draft jitters. Pinkston said that, right now, he’s just trying to keep his nerves in check during the final days before his name is possibly called.

“It’s pretty nerve-racking,” he said, “just not knowing what’s going to happen, or what round you’re going to go, or what team you’re going to end up (with).

“In the draft, anything can happen, so I’m just trying to relax as much as I can and not think about it too much.”

Some mock drafts predict that Pinkston will be selected anywhere between the second round, which takes place on Friday night along with the third round, and the fourth round on Saturday afternoon. The draft’s first round is on Thursday night. The other final rounds (fifth through seventh) will also take place on Saturday.

Pinkston said that he has been in close contact with his agency, Octagon Football, regarding his draft standing.

“Most teams have a solid second-round grade on me,” Pinkston said, “and that’s great news to hear. But I try to stay away from that mock-draft stuff, because if you get caught up in that, then it’s going to be a letdown for you on draft day.”

Looming much larger over the draft scene this year is the NFL’s lockout situation. A U.S. District Court judge in Minnesota recently granted an injunction filed by the NFL Players Association to lift the lockout, but both the league’s players and owners still have much work to get done before normal team activity resumes.

“I’m still excited (despite) hearing about the black cloud over the NFL right now,” Pinkston said. “But I’m not too worried about it. It just gives me more time to work out and get in shape, so it works out in my favor right now.”

From a positional standpoint, Pinkston is projected at three different spots on the offensive line: left guard, right guard and right tackle. But he said that where he plays won’t be an issue for him.

“It won’t be too much of an adjustment,” he said. “I played defensive line coming out of high school and (during) my freshman year of college, and then I moved over to offensive line. So it wouldn’t be too big of a transition for me.”

The coach who oversaw that transition was Wannstedt, whom Pinkston had a very close relationship with during their time together at Pitt. Pinkston said that Wannstedt began recruiting him at the end of his junior year at Baldwin and played a big factor in his decision to play collegiately in his hometown.

When Wannstedt resigned from his position as Pitt’s head coach during a news conference this past December, a number of players stood with him at the podium. Pinkston was among them, standing next to his coach on his right-hand side.

Pinkston said that when he lost his mother in 2008 after her battle with breast cancer, Wannstedt was there for him. He also said that the two stay in close contact, having spoken recently about the upcoming draft.

“I’ve been through the good and bad times with Coach Wannstedt,” he said. “I still have a great amount of respect for him. I love him as a father, and I love his family to death.”

Wannstedt has since moved on to accept the position of inside linebackers coach and assistant head coach with the Buffalo Bills, which means that there is still the possibility of a reunion between coach and player on the professional level.

Equally as likely is the chance for Pinkston to be selected by the Pittsburgh Steelers, whom he has rooted for all his life. Pinkston recently met with the Steelers for a pre-draft interview at the UPMC Sports Performance Complex on Pittsburgh’s South Side. That complex is shared by Pitt.

“It would be nice to stay in Pittsburgh, but I would definitely like to see what’s on the other side,” Pinkston said. “Live in a new city, make new friends and meet new people.

“But if the Steelers pick me up, I’m not going to complain about it too much.”

Pinkston said that he will spend the draft weekend with his family in and enjoy the moment with them.

How do they feel about being this close to his dream coming true?

“At times, (my brothers) would say, ‘No, you’re not (playing in the NFL),’ but now, they’ve been on board,” Pinkston said. “I’m the baby (of the family). I always got what I wanted, so they always gave me a hard time about it. But now, I can’t complain.”

The grin that he flashed at the end of that sentence genuinely showed just how content he really is. Jason Pinkston has had a dream deferred, but it should soon become a reality.