National Football League

From janitor to the NFL? CB Desir takes unlikely path to the league

Published Feb. 12, 2014 8:23 p.m. ET

Ross Jones

The moment Pierre Desir shook the hand of Pittsburgh Steelers head coach Mike Tomlin last month at the Senior Bowl, he had an epiphany. Two years ago, he didn’t think this moment would be possible, and now it was his reality.

The projected third-round pick from Division II Lindenwood University admits the NFL wasn’t a priority when he transferred from Washburn in 2011. While he enjoyed his time in Topeka, Kan., where Washburn is located, the stress of balancing work, football, family and school reached its boiling point.

He and his wife, Morgan, supported their two daughters with his monthly scholarship check and her part-time dance instructing job, which paid a bit more than minimum wage. Since Desir needed to attend school and football regularly, the family decided to move closer to their hometown of Saint Charles, Mo., to have family help with the children.

“When I transferred I didn’t think that I would have any chance at the NFL, because Lindenwood was just an up-and-coming D-II school,” Desir told FOXSports.com in a telephone interview. “I put the NFL on the backburner and I wanted to focus on my family, football and school. I wanted to do the best I could and have fun out there.”

Don’t be mistaken, though. Desir didn’t think he lacked the ability.

The 6-foot-1, 195-pound cornerback was recruited by Missouri, Kansas and Michigan State out of high school but was academically ineligible, causing him to take the Division II route and a long road to the NFL Draft.

When Desir transferred, Washburn didn’t release him from his scholarship, which made him ineligible for support from Lindenwood. Desir worked odd jobs instead, earning roughly $40 a day by cleaning toilets, grooming gun ranges and washing sewers on the sides of highways.

“We were living with my wives’ parents, so it was really crowded because my mother-in-law had her husband and her son, too,” Desir recalled. “I finally got a job at Boost Mobile that was towards the end of the football season.”

Desir’s commitment to his family was his priority, but he finally had extra time to devote to schoolwork and football.

“I didn’t have to worry about me rushing home,” Desir said. “I had more time to do things. When I would get home I’d finish up my homework and put all my attention towards my family.”

Although Desir was named first team All-MIAA this past season, he continued to pull his weight by working at Charter Communications selling TV, phone and Internet packages.

Desir describes a typical day during his senior season as the following:

8 a.m. Get daughters ready for school

9 a.m.-10 a.m. Workout

10 a.m.-2 p.m. Class

2 p.m.-3 p.m. Lunch at home

3:00 p.m. Pick up daughter from school

4:30 p.m.-2:30 a.m. Work at Charter Communications

“If you would’ve asked me a couple years ago when I transferred if I would be in this position, I would tell you no because I knew how much work was needed to get here,” Desir proclaimed. “I wanted to play football and I wanted to do whatever I could to get a chance.

“I knew I couldn’t just be mediocre. I had to be the best out there not even in D-II, but the best in the nation because otherwise I’d be overlooked.”

That’s no longer a problem for Desir. He proved himself at the East-West Shrine Game, which earned him an invitation to the Senior Bowl in Mobile, Ala.. There, he competed against top-flight wide receivers in practices all week and stood out. Scouts were intrigued to learn more following his solid practice play and interception in the game.

There are things Desir can still improve, such as fine-tuning his technique, which he admits still needs some seasoning. Every day he spends five to six hours training at Fourth and Inches Performance Institute in Dallas, with his defensive backs coach Willie Pile. Working on his pad level, getting in and out of his breaks and timing when to open up while covering receivers have all been priorities.

“I love it because we’re not worried about anything else,” Desir said. “It’s just me focused on football.”

League personnel continue to gather as much information about the small-school prospect as possible.

“Desir isn’t nearly a finished product yet, but has the physical tools and mental make-up to develop into an eventual starter,” an NFC director of college scouting told FOXSports.com. “His transition to the next level won’t be an easy one, as he needs ample time to improve his footwork (especially on comebacks and double moves) and recognize route combinations.

“His immediate NFL impact may be as an outside press corner in nickel/dime situations. But his developmental impact could lead him to be among the best press cornerbacks in the NFL with ideal coaching.”

As the NFL Scouting Combine nears, Desir looks to prove he belongs with the best of the best. Until then, he remembers what Tomlin told him during his brief time at the Senior Bowl in Mobile, Ala.

“He just told me that I belong here, just play my game and relax,” Desir said. “The problem with a lot of small school guys is that they fear if they really belong and can compete with these guys. They might have played at a bigger school, but at the end of the day it’s just football.”