Browns' pick and cancer survivor Shon Coleman spent draft day at St. Jude's
Cleveland Browns third-round pick Shon Coleman was one of the most inspirational stories of the 2016 NFL Draft after overcoming acute lymphoblastic leukemia.
The former Auburn offensive tackle was diagnosed in 2010 after doctors found a lump in his head to be malignant and underwent two years of chemotherapy at St. Jude's Children's Research Hospital in his hometown of Memphis, Tenn.
He returned to Auburn in 2013, became a starter in 2014, was named a second-team All-SEC in 2015, and in 2016, he returned to St. Jude's for his draft day.
Coleman elected to skip watching endless hours of NFL draft coverage and instead spent time with children at the hospital undergoing treatment and hoping to inspire them with his story.
"It's awesome just to be back here," Coleman told ESPN on his draft day. "There's so many kids, it's unbelievable what this program is doing. Just to come back here and give back and let people see what I'm going through right now, that's inspirational for their dreams."
The 24-year-old intends to help kids who are where he was not long ago and hopes they follow his lead and his advice.
"You can be anything you want to be. I was in your shoes. Them looking up to me and seeing what I'm going through now, that really helps out a kid a lot. Anything for that, I'm willing to do."
Coleman is expected to compete with Austin Pasztor for the Browns' starting right tackle job next season.