From Bowie to the NFL: OL Haynes ready to achieve dream
WASHINGTON (DC News Now) — One of the highest rated offensive lineman in this year’s NFL draft is a former standout from Bowie high school – offensive lineman Christian Haynes out of Connecticut.
Haynes is hoping to be the next DMV talent to make it to the NFL.
“Seeing the Stefon Diggs, the Chase Youngs, the Josh Paschals, people like that that are around this area they are playing in the NFL,” Haynes said. “Growing up with them seeing them reach their goals, makes me want to just keep going harder.”
Haynes played five seasons for the Huskies as a mainstay on the offensive line, earning all-American honors multiple times and appearing in this year’s Senior Bowl and Shrine Bowl.
Haynes has been working toward this point since his days in Bowie.
“I think he showed with the grit that he had, the work ethic that he had, the toughness that he had, and really the want that he had,” current Bowie head coach Augustus Parrish said. “That he was gonna make it happen and he did.”
Before his time at Connecticut, Haynes was part of a new era at Bowie. Parrish’s first season at Bowie was Haynes’ senior year.
“He was a part of that foundation that we really needed and it was something that we can always go back and lean on and say we had a guy that had an opportunity to leave, had private schools going after him and wanting him,” Parrish said.
Haynes said his decision to stay at Bowie came down to loyalty.
“I’m big on loyalty. When Parrish came in my senior year, I had opportunities to leave and transfer to other high schools,” Haynes told DC News Now. “I wanted to show children that you can it out of a Prince George’s 4A school and keep reaching your dreams in goals.”
Now, Haynes is just days away from achieving his goal of being drafted by an NFL team.
“He just really believed in himself that he can make it happen and go to division one, go power five from a Bowie high school,” Parrish said. “And now you’re seeing he’s believing in himself and showing that he can go from a group of five and make it to the NFL.”
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