Zach Brown was drafted by the Tennessee Titans 52nd overall in the NFL Draft on Friday night. 

He was surrounded by friends and family at the Greene Turtle in Columbia. When his name was announced, the bar erupted into cheers and applause.

Brown started to cry.

"I said I wasn't going to cry," said Brown, who will play linebacker for the Titans, "But everybody cries."

Shortly before Brown's name was announced, he received a phone call from the Titans and he broke into a smile and began to hug his friends.

"It's a special moment to share it with them," said Brown, but he understood the work ahead of him.

"Now it's time to get going," said Brown, "to play a career, not a season."

As for Columbia and Wilde Lake, he said, "This is where it started from. Wilde Lake is where I played at, I went there and I gave them my all, then I went to Hargrave and gave them my all, then I went to UNC and I gave them my all, now I'm going to Tennessee and I'm going to give them my all."

As for what he expects of the NFL, Brown said, "I'm excited, but I'm wondering what number I'm going to get to tell you the truth. I want 47, but I don't know if it's open. I'm going to find out tomorrow."

And with that, he turned to his friends and family, posed for pictures, signed autographs and wore a big a smile.

Brown is one of the fastest linebackers to ever enter the NFL draft. He ran a 4.5 second 40-yard-dash at the NFL combine. Multiple draft experts predicted he'd be second-round choice, which he was.