So how does such a deal come together?
“We have a great relationship with Ryan Williams of Athletes First who’s Charles Harris’ agent,” said Tom Dixon, Jack Link’s chief marketing officer. “He let us know that Harris is a fan of Jack Link’s and we started to brainstorm ways we could be a part of the draft party at his parent’s home in Kansas City. We’re a nimble, fast-moving team, and scrappy partnerships like this are a perfect example of Jack Link’s ‘Feed Your Wild Side’ spirit.”
Harris did a good job of keeping the plan a secret — even from his guests.
Lee Allen, who coached Harris in high school, was among the many who packed Harris’ home last Thursday.
Allen said he was just settling in when “in walks this furry beast. ... I don't think anyone had a heads up. There was definitely a few screams when he walked in the room.”
Harris hopes to elicit a different kind of scream this fall. The rookie defensive end will be asked to do for the Dolphins what he did regularly at Missouri: get pressure on the quarterback.
The more sacks he collects, the more fans he gains.
And the bigger his profile, the better for Jack Link’s, which hopes this is just the beginning of a relationship between Harris and its famous mascot.
“We’re letting Charles focus on his first mini-camp and get acclimated to life as a Miami Dolphin,” Dixon said. “And, of course, we are on hand to provide him with protein-packed Jack Link’s jerky — it takes a lot of muscle to get off the line of scrimmage as fast as he does.”