NFL Draft process is Atlanta native Engabare's next step in fulfilling his destiny

MOBILE, Ala. - An NFL career has been manifested more than once for Kingsley Enagbare – by Waffle House waitresses, neighbors with Chihuahuas, and perfect strangers.

"When he was 3 years old, one day we were walking, because he would follow me everywhere, and this guy was coming outside to get his mail," his sister, Kiedra Tucker, told FOX 5 Sports. "He just looked at us, and he said, 'You’re going to be a football player one day.' And I remember having a conversation with Jay Jay a while back, maybe like a year ago, and he said, ‘You know, when that guy told me that, it really stuck with me,’ and he said it really resonated with him. And I think ever since then, that thought never left his mind and he really had a desire for football after that."

Enagbare himself remembers that moment a little differently; he said he recalls that man's Chihuahua chasing him and "running for my life."

Three-year-old Enagbare's speed running from a tiny dog prompted an NFL career prediction – and a lifelong fear of Chihuahuas, Enagbare admitted.

"Growing up, just literally like strangers would walk up to me, not knowing I play football or anything, and just pretty much be like, ‘You’re going to be in the league,' and I've always just been like, ‘Dang,'" Enagbare told FOX 5 Sports at the Senior Bowl. "One time I remember I was at Waffle House, one of the employees was like, ‘You’re special!' and stuff like that… So it's definitely a blessing I'm living."

Now, as the Atlanta native and former South Carolina edge rusher prepares for the NFL Draft, it seems those prognostications are all coming to fruition. 

Enagbare's brother, Kwontavious Owens, recalls taking his little brother to Lucky Shoals Park in Gwinnett around age 13 – and he can't forget the way Enagbare would make plays against the bigger, stronger high school guys, many "who probably played SEC football."

And his godfather, Rory Starkey, recalls former Falcon Chuck Smith speaking to Enagbare's Atlanta Viking youth football team, and prophesying a young Enagbare's future.

"You got 22 kids on this team, and he says, 'Hey, this my edge rusher right here,'" Starkey recalled to FOX 5 Sports. "He called him out, and now Jay Jay is about to be in the NFL as an edge rusher, and Chuck called that out at 12 years old."

And his "Jay Jay" nickname was also a sign of his future, a motor that started at a young age.

"He used to like this TV program called ‘Jay Jay the Jet Plane’ when he was little, so he reminded me of the character Jay Jay because he always had so much energy," his mom, Sherlonda Enagbare recalled to FOX 5 Sports. "He could never be still, so that’s how he got the name."

"Every single time – I don’t know if you know this, Sherlonda, because I never submitted the bill to you – but every time he came over, he broke something," his godfather, Rory Starkey, said. "He was moving. (My son) RJ’s bed right now is reinforced with 2 by 4’s because Jay Jay was flipping in the air. So I was always fixing furniture after JJ would leave."

The adventures of Jay Jay and Rory’s son RJ continued into high school, when Enagbare moved in with the Starkeys during his junior year and transferred to Hapeville Charter from Peachtree Ridge High School.

Sherlonda felt like her son needed a male role model at that age – and Rory put him to work with 4:30 a.m. workouts every day before school.

"He wanted it. He wanted to get better. And my thing with all my children that I’ve raised and Jay Jay once he jumped in the fray was, hey, we’re going to outwork everybody," Starkey said. "Somebody might be faster, somebody might be taller, somebody might be bigger – and JJ, not many cats bigger – but at the end of the day, you can control your work ethic. And he just fell in line."

While football had always been a part of his life, the grind-it-out side of football really started on the gritty practice field at Hapeville Charter, where Enagbare and his teammates had to commit the field's odd topography to memory in order to prevent injuries during practice.

In addition to his four-star recruiting ranking in high school, Starkey said Enagbare graduated in the top 25 of his class at Hapeville in 2018. 

Enagbare chose South Carolina after being recruited by Will Muschamp. In 2020, after his coach was let go, Enagbare felt pressure to hit the transfer portal amid COVID-19, but decided to stay.

"Did they win the SEC Championship? No. But at the end of the day, it felt like it was the best fit for Jay Jay as a student-athlete," Starkey said. "So I think he wanted to close out, to finish what he started."

"Pretty much I wanted to come back and be a winner and go out as a winner, and I feel like I pretty much did that this year," Enagbare said. "We pretty much beat all the odds this year. A lot of people had us doing a lot worse than what we did. And I guess ultimately I improved as a leader and had an extra year as a man."

Enagbare said he was scheduled to talk to the Falcons last Thursday in Mobile, where he also had a productive week of practices and is widely considered a second-round value as a hybrid edge rusher, a position Atlanta could certainly look to target with one of its three top 60 draft picks.

His brother, Kwontavious Owens, is a big Falcons fan and said he'd love to see his little brother in red and black.