There were 253 players selected in this year's NFL Draft.  And if you look into the family history of many of the players you'll find all kinds of interesting connections.  The most obvious one involves the very last player taken in this year's draft, Chad Kelly, the nephew of former Buffalo Bills and Hall of Fame quarterback Jim Kelly.

52nd Annual BMI Country Awards - Show
Casey Beathard at the far right accepting a songwriter's award at the BMI Country Awards (Getty Images)
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But, what's the connection between a successful Nashville songwriter and a San Francisco 49ers draft choice?  First, let's start with the songwriter.  Casey Beathard has written dozens of songs in his career....huge hit songs.  For example;

  • "Don't Blink" - Kenny Chesney
  • "Where the Stars and Stripes and Eagle Fly" - Aaron Tippin
  • "Like A Wrecking Ball" - Eric Church
  • "Way Out Here" - Josh Thompson
  • "Just Fishin'" - Trace Adkins
  • "The Boys of Fall" - Kenny Chesney
  • "Homeboy" - Eric Church
  • "How 'Bout Them Cowgirls" - George Strait
  • "Come Back Song" - Darius Rucker
  • "Ten Rounds With Jose Cuervo" - Tracy Byrd
  • "I Got A Feelin'" - Billy Currington
  • "Do You Want Fries With That" - Tim McGraw
  • "Find Out Who Your Friends Are" -  Tracy Lawrence
  • "Yee Haw" - Jake Owen
  • "Cleaning This Gun" - Rodney Atkins
  • "No Shoes, No Shirt, No Problems" - Kenny Chesney
  • "Right Where I Need To Be" - Gary Allan
  • "The Breath You Take" - George Strait
  • "Hot Mama" - Trace Adkins
  • "Like Jesus Does" - Eric Church

How about that for a resume?  And that's just SOME of the songs he's written.  Casey Beathard is the father of quarterback CJ Beathard, taken by the 49ers in the third round of the NFL Draft, the 104th player taken overall.

CJ Beathard is one of Iowa’s winningest quarterbacks of all-time and was named the Hawkeyes' Most Valuable Player.  As a junior he led the Hawkeyes to the Rose Bowl against Stanford following an undefeated 12-0 regular season.  He threw for 17 touchdowns in each of the last two seasons.

Casey Beathard is also the father of Tucker Beathard who appeared at our Spring Acoustic Show on March 8th at UB Performing Arts Center.  Casey Beathard teamed up with his son Tucker to write the song "Rock On".

How about one more connection?  Songwriter Casey Beathard is the son of Bobby Beathard who is a former NFL general manager with the Kansas City Chiefs, Miami Dolphins, Washington Redskins and San Diego Chargers.  In a 38-year career as an NFL executive his teams went to seven Super Bowls, winning four.

Bobby Beathard was also a 5-time consecutive first place winner in the men's age 65 and over group at the World Bodysurfing Championships held annually in Oceanside, California,  (WIkipedia).

How about that for incredible family DNA?

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