FOXBOROUGH – New England Patriots defensive tackle Jeremiah Pharms Jr. refuses to take anything for granted.
From working as a security guard at a Kansas bar in college to going undrafted in 2019, to completing his first sack in the NFL during Thursday night’s preseason game against the Carolina Panthers, Pharms’ journey to the pros hasn’t come easy.
“Any time he steps foot on the field he takes advantage of that opportunity,” coach Jerod Mayo said of Pharms following the Patriots 17-3 preseason win over the Panthers. “His story is remarkable, a guy just on the street. He was here, we moved him to fullback, he played defensive tackle, he played guard, he played all those positions. When you find a player that just loves the game of football, no matter what the coach asks him to do, it’s a great player in my mind. And Pharms displays that.”
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The Stockton, California native recorded four tackles, one sack, one tackle for loss and a quarterback hit in the first half of play.
“It was really exciting,” Pharms said. “That (sack) was my first one since I’ve been here. I’m glad I got the chance to get in … it feels real good getting back out there with the guys.”
But he’s not satisfied.
“There’s always things to clean up,” he said. “Taking everything day by day. Trying to win each day, each rep. I can’t look too far ahead. Can’t look in the past. Last year (was) last year. Tomorrow is too far. Let’s go ahead and keep winning today. Every day … I don’t want to miss nothing.”
In 2019, Pharms went undrafted in the NFL after graduating from Friends University in Kansas with 14 1/2 sacks his senior season.
He just wasn’t good enough for the pros…yet.
Following a brief stint with the Wichita Force of the Champions Indoor Football League in 2021 and soon after, the Pittsburgh Maulers of the USFL, Pharms’ dreams to play pro materialized on October 4, 2023, when he was signed to the Patriot’s 53-man roster from the practice squad.
“I was on practice squad my rookie year, the whole year,” he said. “So I helped out on offense when they needed me.”
Since then, the 27-year-old has worked his way from being a bottom-of-the-roster player, to part-time offensive lineman, to practice squad member, to, finally, the 53-man roster as a defensive lineman.
‘Hard work works’ is a slogan Pharms swears by. It’s what he’s done his whole life leading up to this point, and it’s what he will continue to do as the season progresses.
The 6-foot-4 jack of all trades on the field has felt he belonged in the NFL since he was seven years old. The prospect of playing pro is what guided him through his run as a security guard at Friends University, and stuck with him while playing in the Arena Football League with the Maulers.
Twenty years later, his dreams are finally coming to fruition, and Pharms refuses to take any of it for granted.
“I just got to continue to work,” he said. “I know everybody here is good. So, I’ve got to do the little things right … I’m not gonna get satisfied with today.”
