Fake NFL draft prospect convinced fans in Nashville he was Packers' first-round pick
We admittedly didn’t watch enough tape of Boise State left tackle Deuce Dominguez prior to the 2019 NFL draft. Neither, apparently, did many fans who attended the draft this year in Nashville.
But there’s a good reason for that: Dominguez isn’t a real draft prospect. He just convinced a whole lot of draft fans that he was and that he was the Green Bay Packers’ newest first-round selection.
In a hilarious spoof video produced by House of Highlights, the 6-foot-6, roughly 270-pound Dominguez — who certainly looks the part in the bit — cruised around Nashville on draft weekend telling anyone who would listen that he just got selected 30th overall in Round 1 of the draft.
And many were willing to believe him. Give it a watch:
How they pulled off a fake NFL draft prospect
Dominguez (who says his real name is Nelson) was roped into playing the lead in the prank video by friends who worked for HOH. “I’m looking to head down to Nashville and pass myself off as an NFL draft prospect,” he said early in the video.
Rolling through airports, hotels and pre-draft events, Dominguez has the right look with the Boise State athletic gear and the proper number of handlers (and camera crew) following him around. Rubber-necking fans with cell-phone cameras at the ready were more than willing to stop him and ask for selfies. Many of them posted pictures with Dominguez to social media leading up to the first round.
All those bachelorette parties you heard about being ruined by the draft crashing their city? Not the ones who met Dominguez out and about. They got photos and videos with him and memories for a lifetime.
One fan sees him and shouts, “Get the [blank] out of here! Oh my god!”
Another fan thinks his Chicago Bears could use Dominguez’s help.
He signs footballs and hats.
A local Nashville TV station interviews him.
Even Tennessee Titans running back Derrick Henry, on hand for the festivities, wishes Dominguez luck for the draft. And on and on it goes, with few — if any — questioning his legitimacy.
But the best part might be when Dominguez meets Titans left tackle Taylor Lewan and asks him for advice. Lewan suggests he purchase chewing tobacco as a way of bonding with his future NFL teammates. This is the behind-the-scenes stuff we need. Even if it’s not real.
With the 30th pick, the Packers select ...
Dominguez tells a man on an elevator that he was taken 30th overall by Green Bay. (Even funnier, that pick didn’t even end up in the Packers’ possession, as they traded it to move up and take Darnell Savage. The New York Giants selected Georgia CB Deandre Baker at 30, and Baker is about six inches shorter and at least 70 pounds lighter than Dominguez.)
Packers fans love the dude. He’s introduced at multiple bars, even during bands’ music sets, and they all assume he’s going to be protecting Aaron Rodgers’ blind side next season. We’d love to see the faces of those fans when they realize the Packers didn’t select any tackle, real or not, in this year’s draft.
A few bachelorettes — who claim to be Minnesota Vikings fans — even start chanting his name and following him around at a party. Rivalries are put on hold on draft weekend, apparently.
One girl who met Dominguez earlier in the day gave him a very friendly hug at a late-night party and sent him photos by text. You can only imagine where this might have gone.
It’s easy to see in this video how people in general want to be around celebrities, and that now pertains to NFL draft picks who have never played a down in the league. The event attracted a reported 600,000 fans, and there’s an allure in bumping into soon-to-be royalty.
“They were just looking for someone,” Dominguez said at the end of the video, and it’s insanely true.
And this is proof that the someone doesn’t even have to be a real player.
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