Steve Dalessandro, a Michigan-based insurance agent, found himself on one of football's biggest stages recently. Dalessandro, who founded Dalessandro Insurance Inc. in 1995, was invited to attend the 2024 NFL Draft weekend in Detroit as a guest of Nationwide, an official sponsor of the National Football League since 2014. As part of that experience, he was offered the chance to announce an official team selection during Round 6.

When Dalessandro took the stage before the record-setting crowd assembled in downtown Detroit, the longtime Lions fan couldn't resist giving a shoutout to his hometown team. "Hopefully all of this local energy translates into a local Super Bowl championship for the Detroit Lions!" he said.

Dalessandro then announced that with the 213th overall pick in the 2024 NFL Draft, the Los Angeles Rams selected Jordan Whittington, a wide receiver from Texas.

"Nationwide’s partnership with the NFL encompasses access to many unique opportunities that we’re able to provide our business partners as a way of saying 'thank you,'" said Jim McCoy, Associate Vice President of Nationwide’s Sports Marketing. "It was great to see Steve enjoy the once-in-a-lifetime chance to be part of an NFL Draft in his home state."

Reflecting on the opportunity, Dalessandro described it as "unreal."