Tampa Bay Buccaneers defensive end William Gholston’s new five-year contract extension should remind teams not to let what’s on the back of a player’s jersey affect his draft grade.

This is what happened to Gholston in 2013 because of his cousin Vernon, a 2008 first-round bust with the New York Jets. While not the only reason William Gholston slipped to the fourth round, concerns that Vernon’s failings could somehow be connected to his family name contributed to his tumble.

Seriously.

As I reported in 2013, the Jets were so wary of another Gholston flopping that William wasn’t even listed on their draft board.

Ex-Buccaneers general manager Mark Dominik said he spent extensive time talking with William Gholston about emotionally handling the situation following his draft slide. Gholston used the snub as motivation en route to earning a $27.5 million contract earlier this week that included $13.5 million guaranteed.

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“Every single day even up to today I feel like I have a chip on my shoulder to prove something to all of the other 31 teams that did overlook me,” Gholston told Dominik and me Tuesday night on SiriusXM NFL Radio. “I still don’t feel I reached my potential but it pushed me so hard.

“It wasn’t anything I did personally. You are criticizing me because of something that a whole other human being did or didn’t do. It’s just left a bad taste in my mouth.”

Making the decision to let Gholston’s last name affect his draft grade even sillier: He isn’t particularly close to Vernon, the No. 6 overall pick in '08 who failed to register a sack in three seasons with the Jets before his NFL career fizzled.

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“I talked to him more when I was in college and high school,” William Gholston said. “I haven’t really talked to him as much as when I’ve gotten to the pros. But he is a really cool guy.”

And someone who should feel proud of what his cousin has accomplished.

Alex Marvez can be heard from 7 to 10 p.m. Monday and 7 to 11 p.m. Tuesday through Thursday on SiriusXM NFL Radio.