In 1976, Vince Papale, a 30-year-old who hadn’t played college football, earned an unlikely roster spot on Dick Vermeil’s Eagles and lasting a couple years in the NFL. That story was good enough for Hollywood, where Mark Wahlberg played Papale in Invincible.
Now Papale’s son is preparing for his own tryout with the Eagles.
Vinny Papale played college football at Delaware, where he was a wide receiver like his dad and had a solid senior season last year. Today at Delaware’s Pro Day, Papale told Andrew DiCecco of The Eagles Wire that he’ll be participating in the Eagles’ local Pro Day on April 17.
The NFL allows each team to have one local Pro Day, where players from nearby schools can work out. The best prospects rarely attend those Pro Days, but for players who have been overlooked in the pre-draft process, it can be a last chance to get an NFL team’s attention. Papale probably won’t be drafted, but he might be a player who can get some interest as an undrafted free agent. Seeing him in an Eagles uniform would be quite the Hollywood ending.