Being an undrafted player chasing an NFL roster spot can feel a little like the cartoon of the coyote chasing the roadrunner. It's often a frustrating endeavor when you're starting from the bottom.
But defensive lineman Kevin Jobity Jr. was actually at the movie theater watching the new "Coyote vs. Acme" film Sunday afternoon when he saw a message pop up from the Steelers director of player development Darrel Young. The text read congrats.
Jobity immediately left his seat, called Young and told him he better not be messing around.
"I was at the movie theater just trying to take my mind off of everything," Jobity said. "I saw his text and ran out of there in three seconds."
So, Jobity only saw the first 20 minutes or so of Wile E. Coyote and his pursuit of Road Runner. But he'll take the alternative, considering his first summer trying to make an NFL team went much smoother.
No anvils were needed. Jobity just relied on his 6-foot-4, 300-pound frame, his agility at that size, and the work ethic he took into his first NFL training camp. The Steelers drafted 10 players before they signed him, including another defensive lineman, but Jobity didn't sweat his place in the pecking order.
"My mindset even before I came here was that I was going to make the team," Jobity said. "I just carried that out here every single day. Good days, bad days, whatever it was, I always believed in myself I was going to make it.
"I tried my best to put my blinders on and ignore whatever was going on around me."
While Jobity's not sure if his sack in the preseason finale against the Bills put him over the top, it was a "crazy moment" nonetheless. He felt like he might start crying tears of joy on the field, given that he was born and raised in Buffalo and had his closest family and friends in the crowd to watch him.
By Sunday evening, he was calling those same loved ones to give them the good news. The roster can always change, so nothing's guaranteed, but not a bad start for someone with Jobity's road to the pros.
It's not uncommon for high school football coaches to walk the halls, perhaps looking for a kicker or a punter from the soccer team. But in Cheektowaga, N.Y., new head coach Nick Todaro's eyes went to a humongous student named Kevin Jobity Jr., who walked past the athletics office at Maryvale High in the fall of 2020.
The athletic director told Todaro he could talk to the kid, but convincing him to play football was a long shot. He was already a standout in soccer and basketball.
But because of COVID-19, football season had been moved to the spring, so Todaro told this big-bodied soccer player that now would be the perfect opportunity to try it. Todaro pitched the idea of Jobity just playing a bit of wide receiver, and could maybe use his height to catch some jump balls.
"He said, 'That sounds good, coach, let me talk to my parents,'" Todaro recalled. "So at the conclusion of that conversation, I thought I'd probably never see that kid again."
Instead, Jobity showed up for spring football practice. His mom told Todaro that he played little league football for a year or two when he was 9 or 10, so he was a ball of clay to mold, and the coach was eager to teach.
Much has been made of Max Ihenachor's journey and unconventional path to being a first-round pick, having a soccer and basketball background but never playing high school football, and only picking up the sport in junior college. But Jobity's is a similar tale.
His father played pro basketball overseas, so while that sport is in his blood, his parents knew what it took to raise a committed athlete no matter the sport. Todaro estimates that Jobity weighed around 210 or 215 pounds that spring as he got his feet wet in football with a five-game season. After he decided to hang up his soccer cleats and really lean into the football opportunity, he came back in the fall of 2021 looking like a new man.
"He came back at 250 and just absolutely ripped," Todaro said. "He must have spent the entire summer in the weight room. He knew what he had to do to get better. And having a great family at home, with his dad a professional athlete, they knew what he had to do to get him ready."
It didn't take long to see Jobity had a future in American football. Colleges came offering scholarships to a late bloomer who was playing catch-up. Clearly, Jobity made the right move.
Todaro kept him on offense as a pass-catcher as a senior, and he even got to be the team's kicker. But soccer was out. Football was in. The rest is history, of course, and the future might be plenty bright for Jobity.
"I'm happy that I worked that hard to get to where I am now," Jobity said. "It's just a blessing."
