The NFL Draft changes players lives – and their social media following – forever.
After 30th overall pick Jimmie Ward was selected by the San Francisco 49ers, he talked about the instant reaction from fans, who reached out to congratulate him via social media.
"I haven't had time to look at my phone, but there are plenty of tweets and Instagram messages," Ward said after arriving at the 49ers facility.
The stats back it up, too.
Within 24 hours of being drafted, Ward saw his followers increase by 2,660 percent.
Sure, Ward didn't have as much pre-draft attention as Johnny Manziel, the Texas A&M Heisman Trophy winner, or Jadeveon Clowney, the eventual No. 1 overall pick. Coming from Northern Illinois, he was relatively unknown on social media.
That has changed.
Ward even introduced himself to the Faithful with a selfie on the 49ers official Twitter account after arriving in San Jose.
Happy to be a Niner. - @wardjimmie pic.twitter.com/KLDUrTbBYD — San Francisco 49ers (@49ers) May 9, 2014
How did the draft affect the Twitter following of the rest of the 49ers 2014 draft class? Enjoy the graphic above to see which players made the largest gains on the day they were selected.
Are there any other social stats you would like to see? Let the "Hashtag49ers" crew know in the comments section below and maybe, just maybe, you will see it soon on this blog.
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