IDAHO FALLS — For an hour and a half, the auditorium crowd at Eagle Rock Middle School waited with bated breath for the Kenyon Sadiq announcement.

Everyone knew the former Skyline Grizzlies legend and Oregon Ducks star would go in the first round of the NFL Draft on Thursday night. It was a matter of when, not if.

Sadiq was widely expected to land somewhere in the 12-to-20 range. As other top prospects left the board, current Skyline high schoolers, Eagle Rock middle schoolers, parents, teachers, coaches and anyone else from this tight-knit west-side community fell into a hush as the screen read “The pick is in.”

Phones equipped and prepared to capture the eruption were met with groans when their beloved Sadiq was not selected.

Until the New York Jets came to bat with the 16th overall pick — their second of the night — nabbing the prized tight end and undisputed No. 1 prospect at his position.

The place erupted.

“Oh man, it means a lot,” Skyline activities director Zairrick Wadsworth told the Post Register. “It brings a lot of publicity. It brings the community together for a really good cause — not only for Kenyon, but athletics in general and activities that we provide at Skyline.”

At 6-foot-3, 241 pounds, with 4.39 speed and hands, route-running and blocking abilities off the charts, Sadiq figures not only to start for New York but also become an impact player in the league.

When Sadiq repped the Grizzlies’ Columbia Blues, the game plan was simple.

“When in doubt, get it to Kenyon,” Skyline linebackers coach JC Scrogum said.

“We knew he was special,” Skyline Principal Josh Newell said.

Sadiq’s sophomore-year quarterback, Cade Marlow, talked about his earliest memories of the then-wide receiver when he transferred to Skyline in 2020. The coaches had given Marlow a simple piece of advice about his new target.

“You’re going to love throwing to this guy,” they told him.

From day one, it was clear Sadiq was different.

“Not only was he a great route-runner, great hands, but he was super, super strong,” Marlow said. “He was going up against great corners and making them look silly.”

“Throw him the quick to the sideline, he would just light dudes up. He’d catch a comeback route, spin around and go for 20 yards,” Marlow added.

Marlow’s realization that he could throw the ball almost anywhere on the field and his wideout would haul it in came with an adjustment period — he had never played with someone like Sadiq. But it did not take long to form a connection.

“A lot of times, he was like, ‘Dude, just get it up. I’ll go catch it,’” Marlow said.

He compared Sadiq to Calvin “Megatron” Johnson or a create-a-player on Madden with all the stats maxed out. What impresses Marlow even more is how Sadiq continues to grow as a player.

But for all the talent Sadiq possesses and his tireless work ethic, everyone shared similar sentiments about his character.

“He’s just a stud kid. Always willing to come and meet you and have fun and show you around,” Scrogum said.

“The kid is the nicest human. I got to talk to him a lot and just say hi to him in the hallways and have little conversations here and there. It doesn’t matter who you are, he’s gonna talk to you,” Newell said.

A trailblazer for going that high in the NFL Draft, Sadiq is much more than a football player to Skyline. He would help with youth camps, go out of his way to shake hands and meet new people, and always approach the game and life the same way — as a gentleman.

Now that the dream has turned into reality, the Grizzlies faithful can only imagine the impact this news will have on their kids.

“They get to see him on TV. They get to say, ‘Hey, I know that guy’ or ‘I know somebody that knows that guy,’” Wadsworth said. “Those kids that are younger, they just feed off of that and they say, ‘Hey, I want to be like that person.’”

Regardless of how Sadiq fares in the NFL, he is the type of person and player who can inspire generations. Yet there is still plenty of belief that he will succeed — as he has at every step along the journey.

“Every game he goes out and he’s unstoppable. I don’t care if he’s going out into the flat or if he’s running a deep ball — you can’t stop him. And he’s got hands like nobody else,” Newell said.

“I expect him to shine. I mean, he really is one-of-a-kind,” Marlow said.