(CNN) Cleveland Browns rookie wide receiver Damon Sheehy-Guiseppi stole the show Thursday in the team's first preseason game with an 86-yard punt return for a touchdown against the Washington Redskins. But even the most diehard fans didn't know his name before that play.

The 24-year-old's path to the NFL is unlike any other. He wasn't the standout player on a college team. He didn't rise above the rest in the NFL's Scouting Combine. In fact, he last played football on the junior college level. He was also out of cash with nowhere to sleep before he talked his way into a longshot walk-on role in the pros.

WHAT A MOMENT 😭



Damon Sheehy-Guiseppi returns a punt 86 yards for a TD — and the whole bench clears to celebrate pic.twitter.com/anLZ3EEgAT — Cleveland Browns (@Browns) August 9, 2019

Four months ago, the Browns said, Sheehy-Guiseppi was sleeping outside a Miami gym after spending his last $200 on training. A former teammate from a flag-football league tipped him off to the time and location of the Browns' spring practice. But Sheehy-Guiseppi had yet another problem: He wasn't invited.

He'd done his research and convinced Browns management that he knew the team's vice president of player personnel, Alonzo Highsmith. Sheehy-Guiseppi walked up to Highsmith, introduced himself and talked his way into a spot alongside the invited players.

That gave Sheehy-Guiseppi a chance to catch balls and run the 40-yard dash, which he did in an impressive 4.38 seconds. It was enough to earn a spot at the Browns' next practice a week later.

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