Pursuing NFL Career, Sammamish's Ryan Lewis Draws Attention Of New England Patriots

SAMMAMISH, WA - Since he's from the area, and since his dad used to work (and play for) the team, Ryan Lewis is definitely a Seattle Seahawks fan. But right now, allegiance to his hometown team is far from his mind.

In April, the Eastlake High School graduate will travel to Massachusetts for a private workout for the locally-loathed New England Patriots. From there, the NFL draft begins on April 27, and Lewis will find out where his career is headed.

"At this point, I have to drop all that fan stuff," he said. "I'm fighting for this; this is something I want to make a living off of."

Lewis, 22, has always been aiming for an NFL career. The journey hasn't been easy, but his efforts have paid off. This week, Lewis piqued the interest of of NFL scouts during the University of Pittsburgh's pro day. He ran the 40-yard dash in an incredible 4.32 seconds; the fastest in NFL history, measured at this year's NFL combine, was 4.22 seconds.

Lewis moved to Sammamish at age 5 because his father, Will, had taken a job as a scout for the Seattle Seahawks. In his sophomore year at Eastlake, Lewis tore a hamstring and had an avulsion injury in his hip. He spent his whole junior year in rehab, and so only had his senior year to get noticed by recruiters.

Get noticed he did. He led the state with 1,700 rushing yards his senior year at Eastlake.

Pitt recruited Lewis to play cornerback, a big change from running back. In his own words, he "didn't do anything special" in his early college career. Take that with a grain of salt: he played on special teams in almost every Pitt game between the 2013 and 2015 seasons, made key tackles, and blocked a punt in a game against Iowa that resulted in a touchdown. Senior year must be lucky for Lewis: in 2016, he made two end-zone interceptions in big games against Penn State and Clemson.

Still, he wasn't invited to this year's NFL Combine. Pitt's pro day was his chance to shine. His father, now a scout for the Kansas City Chiefs, was in attendance - and even he was impressed by his son's performance.

"I was thinking he'd run in the mid- to low-4.4s. When he was 4.32, everybody looks at their watch and then looks at you," Will Lewis told the Pittsburgh Tribune about his son's 40-yard dash time.

Aside from his father - a cornerback for the Chiefs and Seahawks, by the way - NFL runs in the Lewis family. His uncle, Tim, was a cornerback for the Green Bay Packers, and his cousins, Louis Riddick, Ian Riddick,and Tristan Roberts, all had NFL careers.

Lewis is hopeful about the Patriots opportunity; he says that a private workout is usually a sign of deep interest. So if all goes according to plan, you might be watching the Sammamish local playing against the Seahawks this season. It's up to you who you want to root for.

"I'm expecting to be employed come draft day; the questions is where," he said.

Image via Ryan Lewis