Every prospect at the NFL Draft likely has a moment where he feels the long-sought draft call might not be real or even come. It was too great and too real a reality for Thomas Fidone II, one of the newest members of the New York Giants, but he never lost sight of the NFL dream despite devastating ailments.
Recurring injuries ate away at Fidone's collegiate career at Nebraska. Still, he's adding a Y to his helmet after the Giants made him the 219th pick of the 2025 NFL Draft on Saturday.
Fidone endured two ACLs during his Lincoln career, one of which knocked out his 2022 season entirely. But he never gave up on his dream of landing in the NFL.
"I definitely knew it was going to be a possibility," Fidone said of the call from the league.
"I just knew that it was going to take more time than I thought, and it wasn't going to be the way that I had originally planned it out in my head, as we thought as a family, as a team that I was on at the time, definitely always believed in myself and knew that I could put my mind to this and make it to this point."
Better known as a blocker as a Cornhusker, Fidone mustered 51 receptions and four scores over his final two collegiate seasons that, ironically enough, ended in New York when the Huskers defeated Boston College in December's Pinstripe Bowl at Yankee Stadium.
Even before the Giants' war room entered his contacts list, Fidone had heard plenty of metropolitan tales from the mouth of Huskers head coach and New York City native Matt Rhule, who served as an assistant offensive line coach on Tom Coughlin's staff in 2012.
According to Fidone, Rhule had "positive things" to say about the Giants organization despite posting a disappointing follow-up to their victory in Super Bowl XLVI.
The time now comes for Fidone to make his mark in blue as the Giants seek reinforcements and production in the tight game.
While the issue is far from entirely the fault of the current room, which is headlined by veteran Daniel Bellinger, last year's fourth-round pick Theo Johnson, and the re-signed Chris Manhertz, the Giants made some moves in this draft in hopes of improving a red zone touchdown rate that finished dead last in the NFL (43.1).
Fidone hopes his multifaceted athleticism is a suitable talking point for his first impression upon New Yorkers."
"They’re getting an athlete. They're getting a tight end who can do everything [and is] really good in the route game, really good in the blocking game," Fidone said.
"I'm a physical player, also a very competitive player. I want to win every rep. They're getting someone who will strive to be better every day and get one percent better every practice and every game, the ultimate competitor."
