Grady Jarrett's House Burned Down During His NFL Draft Watch Party

Former Clemson defensive tackle Grady Jarrett was expected to be taken in either the second or third round by many NFL draft experts, but did not have his name called on Friday night. The downward slide is a small issue, however, considering the fact half his house caught fire during a watch party.

Jarrett had roughly 50 friends and family gathered when someone noticed an unfamiliar smell.

"Jarrett, along with some other family members, ran to the kitchen. Moments later, they noticed smoke coming from upstairs and saw the back wall in one of the game rooms was engulfed in flames. “Everyone was yelling, ‘Call 911. Get everybody out of the house,'” Jarrett’s mother, Elisha, told FOXSports.com Saturday, shortly after he was selected by the Atlanta Falcons. “It happened so fast.” Ten minutes later, responders arrived, but by that time the entire left side of the house had been burned. Fortunately, nobody was injured in the blaze, but some of Jarrett’s memorabilia couldn’t be saved. While the cause of the fire hasn’t been determined, it’s believed to have been an electrical fire. "

Jarrett and company moved their watch party to a cousin’s house today and expressed gratitude everyone involved escaped injury.

The Atlanta Falcons finally selected him in the fifth round, capping a bittersweet 24 hours. He’ll be reunited with fellow Tiger Vic Beasley, who was taken eighth overall.

[Fox Sports]

[Image via USA Today Sports]