Leukemia patient and Make-A-Wish recipient Ben Lepper announces Patriots’ pick at NFL Draft

The New England Patriots selected Tyquan Thornton with the 50th overall pick, No. 15 in the second round, and the selection was announced by Ben Lepper, who has been battling leukemia since 2019. The Massachusetts native is a Patriots super fan and his wish was to announce a pick at the NFL Draft.

Patriots’ 2021 Walter Payton Man of the Year and defensive tackle Lawrence Guy took the stage we well, with the Super Bowl champion introducing Lepper. Guy said after overcoming leukemia, announcing the draft pick will be easy for the fan.

Guy flexed his championship ring, and Lepper held up six fingers to represent the six Super Bowls won by his favorite team.

After he announced the pick, Lepper gave NFL commissioner Roger Goodell a big hug.

The Patriots, along with chairman and CEO Robert Kraft and Make-A-Wish, helped make his wish come true by letting Lepper know he was headed to Vegas to represent New England.

Lepper also got to go to Gillette Stadium and have a video call with quarterback Mac Jones. In order to properly prepare for the draft, the Pats “drafted” Lepper, giving him a jersey with his name on it. Lepper was wearing that jersey on the NFL Draft stage.

After Kraft asked him to come to Vegas, Lepper said, “It’s an honor to be part of such a special event.”

Sports were something that helped Lepper get through the long days at the hospital and the draft is an event he became very invested in.

“The draft to me is more than just an event. It’s hope for a new season. The time surrounding it, the mock drafts, the shows, the conversations around prospects – I love that so much. When I started to connect that the first time it was in the hospital, the draft was on. When COVID happened, the draft was on,” he said. “The draft is a constant at this point, and it’s a constant good thing that happens. It’s the constant thing that I enjoy. I want to be part of that.”

While at the hospital, Lepper got visits from former Patriots Julian Edelman and Joe Andruzzi.

His involvement in studying the draft and meeting Patriots players got him thinking of sports as a career path for him, and allowed him an escape from being sick.

“At that point, I was like why can’t I do this? Why can’t I find stories that make people not just enjoy it, but help people forget that they’re in their situation for a while? Because when I watch a video or watch the game and listen to the broadcasters, I forgot I was sick. That was super powerful for me,” Lepper said.

Thornton ran a 4.28 40-yard dash at the combine, the fastest time by a wide receiver.