From KC to Waco and Washington, D.C.: How William Bradley-King became an NFL Draft pick

When he made commitment to play college football at Western Illinois University, William Bradley-King didn’t have a single star assigned to his recruiting profile.

Soon after he committed to Western Illinois he was given a two-star ranking — good enough for Arkansas State to take notice and earn both his commitment and letter of intent.

But that was as high of a recruitment ranking the defensive end was given.

Just over five years later Bradley-King was selected in the seventh round of the 2021 NFL Draft, 240th overall, by the Washington football team.

“One thing that I’ve always wanted to prove is stars mean nothing,” Bradley-King said.

Bradley-King spent three years with Arkansas State and a year with Baylor, but his roots are in Kansas City and Hogan Prep High School.

All of the hard work to make it to the NFL, a dream that he’s had since he was 6 years old, started at Hogan Prep.

Bradley-King first arrived at Hogan Prep, a small school of just over 350 students a couple of blocks south of Rockhurst University, in 2013 and immediately joined the football team.

“He had the spark, and he had the skills and ability,” Hogan Prep head football coach Phil Lascuola recalls. “I think he showed he had it but was he going to be that one-tenth of 100% that can make it?”

Bradley-King was part of that small percentage.

But it wasn’t just pure talent that got Bradley-King to the league. It was a stellar work ethic, both in the classroom and on the field, that allowed him to take the first steps toward his dream.

Halfway through Bradley-King’s sophomore year, Lascuola could see the realization creep into the teenager’s conscience that he could do something special.

“You could see the aspirations started of ‘I could do this. I can make this happen,’” Lascuola said. “So he buckled down, started taking care of his academics — he was doing OK before that, but really focused on his academics so he could get that scholarship into college.”

A multi-sport athlete, Bradley-King was also a two-time Missouri state wrestling champion as well as a Missouri Class 3 state champion discus thrower.

Between those sports and football, he never left the gym.

He would ask Lascuola if he could use the school gym on the weekends to train in his spare time and would do extra defensive line sessions with assistant coach Roosevelt Gipson.

“They opened the building up to me always and always made me sure that it was open to do what I wanted as in work-wise,” Bradley-King said. “They were super supportive about that.”

But as much work as he put in, his frame and stature held him back when it came to college recruitment. Standing at 6 feet, 4 inches, he fell 2 or 3 inches short of the typical defensive end that college coaches look to recruit.

“I’m used to the disrespect,” Bradley-King said. “I feel like Kansas City is an overlooked area, and I feel like we have some of the most hardworking athletes because we know that it’s overlooked.”

He eventually got his break with Arkansas State and never looked back.

Redshirting his freshman year, Bradley-King remained a part-time starter through the 2018 season. But an explosive 2019 season saw him receive first-team Sun Belt Conference honors with a team-high 13.5 tackles for loss, three forced fumbles, and 8.5 sacks among his 49 tackles.

His attention to detail and will to improve earned Bradley-King the nickname “The Technician.” He likes to call himself a “pass rush connoisseur.”

With a year left of eligibility, Bradley-King entered the grad transfer portal and ended up at Baylor.

“When he made that transfer, I’m thinking at the back of my mind should he stay at Arkansas State where he’s already in and already has a spot instead of going somewhere else and really having to work hard,” Lascuola said. “But definitely, the best thing for him was to move over there where he could get a lot more exposure.”

Bradley-King get that exposure and ran with it.

In nine games with the Bears in 2020, he finished with a team-high in breakups (four) and quarterback hurries (three). His 3.5 sacks also tied for the team lead and earned him All-Big 12 honorable mention.

Now, Bradley-King gets to work alongside Washington edge rushers Chase Young and Montez Sweat, players he’s idolized for years.

“For me to play alongside them, it’s crazy,” Bradley-King said. “I’m sure I’m going to lose my fandom when I’m working next to them, now I’m focusing on earning my teammates respect and just coming in and showing them I’m a man on a mission.”

Unsurprisingly, he’s already back to the grind. Just days after the draft, he was in Atlanta working out with former Atlanta Falcons All-Pro defensive end Chuck Smith ahead of rookie minicamps.

But he’s not just embarking on this journey for himself.

“I really feel like I did this for kids in Kansas City,” Bradley-King said. “So they can understand that this life is yours and anything is possible as long as you work for it.”