The NFL Draft is under way in Chicago (in case you couldn’t tell from all of those pesky street closures), and with it came the best new football talent from across the country … and their moms.
Now, moms are always great, but these were moms who were about to see their sons’ football dreams come true. Here are nine who stole the show on the NFL Draft red carpet.
1. Eli Apple’s mom, Annie Apple
During their red carpet interview, Annie claimed she would not cry and was so confident in this that she and Eli had bet on it. But Eli, like all sons do, insisted she would. Then Annie, in all her mom ferocity told him to bring it, saying, “Hey, we can go all day. I’m not crying.”
2. Laremy Tunsil’s mom, Desiree Tunsil
The two Tunsils were matching all the way from their color coordination down to their fierce shoe choices. Desiree stepped out in heels that made my own feet hurt just to look at, but when asked if they hurt she played it cool, calling them “very comfortable.” You’re killin’ it, Desiree.
3. Jarran Reed’s mom, Anjanette Reed
It’s not often that the glitz and glamour of red carpet moments can make people cry. But when Anjanette Reed said she knew her son would do big things when he skipped over crawling and went straight to walking at only 7 1/2 months old, we all kind of got misty-eyed.
4. Chris Jones’s mom, Mary Woodhouse
Instead of letting her son pick his own outfit (with possibly awful results, if we’re being honest), Mary took matters into her own hands and chose his outfit herself. “It’s mom’s intuition … I put it together for my man.”
5. Jack Conklin’s mom, Jennifer Jackson
While seeing your son fulfill his dreams is overwhelming, making the other future NFL moms look good was also important to Conklin’s mother, Jennifer. “Somebody told me to make the moms look good and not cry. But now they’re saying ‘cry all you want, you earned it.'”
6. Joey Bosa’s mom, Cherly Bosa
Cherly kept it real, saying she told Joey recently, “I’m so proud of him, but he doesn’t understand that I’m watching my son’s dreams come true and there is nothing in this world that a parent wants more than that.” Cue the waterworks.
7. Ezekiel Elliott’s mom, Dawn Elliott
Instead of picking out her son’s outfit, Dawn had to ask for permission to pick out her own. “I was trying on dresses and sending him pictures, and he OK’d this one,” she said. A bold move, but she looked fierce, so it all worked out.
8. Carson Wentz’s mom, Cathy Anhalt
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In ANOTHER moment that made us cry, Cathy talked about finding a journal Wentz put together in just the third grade. She said he wrote “that he would have a family of four, and when I grow up, I want to be a professional football player.” To make it even cuter, she said she was going to frame it. Awww.
9. Jalen Ramsey’s mom, Margie Ramsey (and his little sister)
Ramsey’s mom wasn’t his only date; his little sister also showed up to support him on his big night. The two were color coordinated and cute as ever. Despite rumors of where Ramsey could end up, Margie said she’d be supportive: “I’ll let him go anywhere he wants to go.” His baby sister, however, had less to say, and got camera shy when the microphone was pointed her way. Literally too adorable for words.