FLORHAM PARK, N.J. -- Dylan Donahue attended high school in Billings, Montana, and completed his college eligibility at the University of West Georgia. So, no, he's not a big-city kind of guy.
When Donahue arrived last week for the New York Jets' rookie minicamp, he was awed by the New York skyline ("It's like an ocean of buildings") and bemused by the habits of New Jersey drivers.
"All the honking is like a second language," he said. "It's like people saying hello in New Jersey."
Donahue took the back roads to the NFL, but the fifth-round pick has big plans now that he's here. After a prolific pass-rushing career on the Division II level (25.5 sacks in two seasons at West Georgia), he's eager to show everyone the Jets got a steal by taking him with the 181st pick.
"They did, no doubt," Donahue said.
"I feel like if I had played at a D-I school, I would've been in the first, second round," he said confidently. "I have no doubt in my mind, actually, about that."
Donahue is 6-foot-3, 248 pounds with good speed (4.75 seconds in the 40-yard dash) and a motor that never needs to be refueled. His intensity was apparent at minicamp, where he seemed to be in constant motion. With his long, dirty-blond hair pouring out of his helmet and dancing on his shoulders, he cut quite a picture on the practice field. There were plays in which he rushed the quarterback and made the "tackle" downfield.
He patterns his game after his father, former NFL linebacker Mitch Donahue, who patterned his game after Hall of Fame linebacker Kevin Greene. Now the circle is complete because Greene, hired by Jets coach Todd Bowles in January, is coaching Dylan at outside linebacker.
In his day, Greene was a wild-haired, pass-rushing maniac who defined the word "intensity." He was the exact same size as Dylan and had the same draft pedigree -- a fifth-rounder. During pre-draft scouting, Greene developed an affinity for Donahue. They talked for a long time at the scouting combine.
"I feel like me and Coach Greene have something in common," he said. "He had a high motor and it made a lot of success for him, and I like to think it'll do the same for me. I think he sees a little bit of himself in me.
"My dad always talked about Kevin Greene, and that's who everybody aspired to be as a pass-rusher," Donahue added. "He made quarterbacks hurt, and they didn't like him on the field."
Donahue took a circuitous route to the Jets. By his own admission, he got "bad grades" in high school and his only option was Montana Western, an NAIA school. He said he struggled with classes and alcohol, deciding to take off a semester. He worked for his father, who owns a roofing business.
To reach his ceiling in life, Donahue knew he had to get off the roof. The realization hit him one day in the middle of winter, when he was freezing on a stranger's roof. A high school friend called -- "like a sign from God" -- suggesting he join him at Palomar College, a community college near San Diego. He stayed for two years before transferring to West Georgia, where he was the Gulf South Defensive Player of the Year in 2016.
"He’s a good football player," Bowles said. "He has a high motor. He had a lot of production; he gets after it. His intensity level is high. He plays with technique and he has some savvy, and he was a guy we thought was great value when we took him."
It will be a difficult transition, going from defensive line to outside linebacker. In practice, Donahue made a couple of mistakes in coverage and received an earful from Greene, who later calmly explained to him what he did wrong. It's a double dose of passion with Greene and Donahue, who believes he has as much potential as any of the players from big-time schools.
"I feel like I have a lot more speed off the edge and people underestimate my strength," he said. "That's all I can say about that."