For Dain Walter, the path from New Glarus to the doorstep of the National Football League (NFL) did not begin under bright lights or inside a powerhouse program. It started the way many local stories do: in a small town, with big dreams, familiar faces and a lot of work before anyone outside the community took much notice.

Now, with the NFL draft approaching, Walter finds himself in a place few players from towns like New Glarus ever reach. He is training, waiting and chasing the same dream he has carried since childhood, only now the possibility feels closer than ever. As he put it, “Ever since I was a little kid I always wanted to play in the NFL,” and while he said it is “not a reality yet,” he knows he is now close enough to feel it.