Chiefs' C.J. Hanson is living out a dream he always wanted, but never thought was possible

Ahead of the 2024 NFL draft, the prospect of Hanson breaking this 34-year cold streak prompted a Holy Cross Alumni to buy a bus to bring all Hanson's teammates down to his father's church, where they'd support him during the draft. And in front of over a hundred family, friends, and teammates, Hanson learned the back-to-back Super Bowl champions had drafted him. 

“It was incredible," Hanson told reporters on Sunday. "At the end of the night, I was literally just looking at my phone and crying at the video. It’s so surreal to me. To have all my friends there to have all my family there. To see the progress over the 23 years of my life towards the game actually pay off. For somebody – the first person in Holy Cross history since 1989 to get drafted – I mean, it means the world to me. Not only for my family but also for my school and for my teammates. It’s incredible.”

The NFL was a dream that Hanson always strived for. He knew it was possible, but he never thought it was a certainty for him. It became a reality when agents began calling four weeks into his 2023 season at Holy Cross. But even waiting to hear his name called on Day 3, some doubt crept into his mind as he began to field calls from offensive line coaches who wanted to bring him in as an undrafted free agent. 

“This was always my dream, from birth, I’ve always wanted it," Hanson said. "I’ve always known, I never thought though. I’ve always known but I’ve never thought. Until agents started reaching out to me after the fourth game this year then I was like, ‘Wow I have a chance.’ Kind of just went from there and helped myself out in the last two months and now I am here."

The East-West Shrine Game is where Hanson caught the Chiefs' attention, so he certainly did help himself in those final two months. But Hanson also hails from a winning culture like the one fostered in Kansas City. In each of his five seasons with the Crusaders, Hanson became a Patriot League champion. Even before that at DePaul Catholic High School, Hanson twice won championships. 

“I’ve won my whole life and hopefully I’ll continue to do that," Hanson said. "I think the biggest thing is what Coach (Andy) Reid and Mr. (Clark) Hunt say, it's a family here. That's what my coaches, my mom -- my mom was the team mom at Holy Cross. She preached it: One Team, One Family. It's huge. I think those relationships, make you want to work harder for your brother. You've got to build those bonds through adversity. Go through the hard stuff, and then you build those relationships and you want to give everything for your teammate. That's how the winning culture starts. You've got to love each other." 

As Hanson has arrived with his new team, that sense of family has instilled a great sense of belonging. Not only has his NFL dream been recognized, but he feels like he's in the right spot to continue building on his history of success. 

"I’ve always dreamed of it, and I’ve always had it in the back of my mind that this is what I want to do, and I think this is where I belong," Hanson said. "I’ve put my whole life towards it, so I’m happy I’m here.”