Local long snapper taking talents to South Beach

When Lucas Gravelle was a senior at Niagara Wheatfield high school his team lost every game they played. Despite the losses, Gravelle knew he could play on the biggest stage, especially if he found a specialty. 

Our @LucasGAthlete is Miami bound! #ProFrogs pic.twitter.com/Cp6PWjZnLJ

— TCU Football (@TCUFootball) April 29, 2018

"I woke up every morning saying I was going to the NFL," Gravelle said. "I brought this into existence. I feel, with my mindset and everyone supporting me, if you believe something enough, everyone else believes it too." 

On Saturday Gravelle got the call he was waiting for. It was the Miami Dolphins, offering Gravelle a spot on their roster as an undrafted free agent. 

"Getting the call in the middle of the draft while I was talking to the coach and him saying 'you know, we do have a roster spot for you and then he told me congratulations.' When he said that, that's when I was the most excited, for sure."

When Gravelle was in high school he spent most of his time lining up in the backfield as a running back. He then went to Erie Community College in 2013 and learned the art of long snapping. He was then off to Washington State, where he snapped for two seasons, before transferring to Texas Christian University. 

While with TCU, Gravelle played in all 14 games and had the fourth most special teams tackles on his team. 

Gravelle says his athleticism and ability to get downfield once he's snapped the ball is the biggest reason he's had success at the position. In Miami Gravelle will be competing for a spot with John Denney, a two-time Pro Bowler who turns 40 in December. It's an uphill battle for Gravelle, but the Town of Niagara native says that will just make him work even harder. 

"I want to go there, I want to win the starting job in preseason, I want to start every game this upcoming season," Gravelle added. "In the next couple months, that's my goal."