Njoku taken No. 29 by Browns

CORALGABLES– High school national high jump champion. Hurricanes starting tight end. Now, first-round draft pick.

Entering the NFL draft, every expectation was that David Njoku — one of the most athletic, skilled players on Miami’s roster last season— would be the first Hurricane to hear hisname called.

That’s exactly what happened when the Browns traded up to take Njoku with the 29th pick on Thursday night.

In Cleveland, Njoku will join former Hurricanes player Duke Johnson.

With Njoku’s selection, the Hurricanes have now produced 30 first-round picks since 2000 and added to their current threeyear streak of first-round selections following Ereck Flowers and Phillip Dorsett in 2015 and Artie Burns last year.

This past season, Njoku — a redshirt sophomore who opted after Miami’s Russell Athletic Bowl win over West Virginia to announce he was bypassing his final two years of eligibility and entering the draft — had 43 catches for 698 yards and eight touchdowns.

His 16.2 yards-per-catch average was second-highest among Miami receivers and his steady hands and ability to both make spectacular grabs and shake off would-be defenders made him one of quarterback Brad Kaaya’s most reliable targets.

Aformer national champion high jumper at New Jersey’s Cedar Grove High School, Njoku has — more than once — used his leaping ability tomake plays for Miami, a trend that will likely continue in the NFL.

“High jump is a lot of power to run and get your body over seven feet,” Njoku told reporters at the NFL Combine where he was third among tight ends with 37.5-inch vertical jump and second with a 133-inch broad jump.

Njoku’s performance at the combine was among the factors that helped him raise his draft stock in recent months despite being just a one-year starter at tight end for the Hurricanes.

The former three-star prospect arrived in Coral Gables as a wide receiver. Former Miami coach Al Golden briefly hadhimline up at linebacker during camp in 2014, but eventually, Njoku redshirted that season and was moved to tight end in 2015, where he finished with just 362 receiving yards.

But Njoku’s 17.2 yardsperaverage that year highlighted his big-play ability, which Mark Richt was happy to use during his first season with the Hurricanes last year.

“I redshirted my first year, then the next year, I played a lot more but not as much as a starter should,” Njoku said at the combine of hisHurricanes career.

“I was never scared [of changing positions],” Njoku said. “It was different, for sure, because [tight end] was the only offensive position besides o-line that I didn’t play in high school. Tight end, I felt, was like a bigger receiver. Sometimes I’ve got to get in the mud with the blocking, but I don’t mind that. I’m looking forward to it.”

Staff writer Chris Perkins contributed to this report.

ccabrera@sun-sentinel.com