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Success doesn’t happen overnight in any regard, especially not in the NFL. For Bucs rookie CB Ayden Garnes however, it certainly looked that way after he made an immediate statement in his professional football debut.

Garnes played in his first NFL game last weekend when the Bucs took on the Jets for preseason Week 1. While stepping onto an NFL field is a huge milestone for any rookie, Garnes took it a step further and secured a pick-six during the game, solidifying himself as a standout right off the bat.

Bucs CB Ayden Garnes and Jets RB Breece Hall – Photo by: IMAGN Images via Reuters Connect

“It was still a roller coaster for me just because you always dream of that,” said Garnes in a post-practice press conference. “Getting a pick-six in your first NFL game. Just having that opportunity to go out there and do that was a blessing.”

Bucs CB Garnes Practices the Same Way He Plays

While elated over his success, the young corner was not surprised. Garnes’ play style is a culmination of his practice habits, and he has been working towards making a play like that all throughout training camp. His pick-six was a direct result of the concentrated effort he has been putting in.

“You practice how you play,” said Garnes. “If you come out here and [don’t] give it your all, that’s how it’s going to be in the game. I try to give my all in practice, even on hot days like this.”

For Garnes, it’s more than just performing well in a preseason game, this is momentum that he needs to keep going. With a lot of preexisting depth at secondary, making the 53-man roster isn’t going to be an easy task. Luckily, the rookie is no stranger to being an underdog, in fact his journey to the NFL was defined by it.

Bucs CB Ayden Garnes – Photo by: Cliff Welch/PR

“That’s been my whole career” said Garnes. “My first year (at Duquesne), a senior wasn’t playing well, and I ended up getting the start like the second or third game of the season. My first game, [I] got a pick, [I] got a forced fumble. With West Virginia, there [was] a lot of big recruiting, a lot of big five stars, four stars, and by the third week of camp, I was with the ones and I never left.”

Ayden Garnes Came Here To Win A Job

Playing professional football requires a level of mental fortitude that isn’t often seen at first glance. Every ranking, depth chart and drill is a tangible piece of data showing where you stack up. Garnes isn’t worried about anyone else, he has kept the same underdog mentality from college that allows him to focus solely on improving his game.

“Just having that mentality to just go out there,” said Garnes. “It [doesn’t] matter who is in front of you, who is [behind] you, just continuing to put my [best] foot forward.”

Bucs CB Ayden Garnes – Photo by: Cliff Welch/PR

With two preseason games remaining to further prove himself, Garnes has his sights set on a roster spot. The Bucs take on the Chiefs at home for a Week 2 matchup and then hit the road for Week 3 against the Jaguars. If the rookie CB can manage to keep making plays both in practice and in game, he has as good of a chance as any at making this highly competitive roster.

“I [don’t] care if I [am] the last person on a depth chart or the first person on a depth chart,” said Garnes. “I came here to win a job, and nobody is going to get in my way for that.”

For Garnes, the pick-six was never the end goal, but rather a step on the staircase to proving himself to be a Buccaneer. Time is of the essence and the rookie knows exactly what he has to do to make his dreams into reality. Nobody is going to hand him a roster spot, but he is ready and determined to earn it.