Moten signs with Dolphins, McDermott joins Jags
After the Miami Dolphins held their local pro day ahead of the NFL draft, Hurricanes defensive tackle Anthony Moten spent a little bit of extra time with some of the Dolphins defensive line coaches.
In the weeks after that first meeting, and even on the Saturday morning, the third day of the draft, Moten and the Dolphins exchanged a number of phone calls, one culminating with an opportunity for Moten — a former St. Thomas Aquinas standout — to play for his hometown team.
Though he was not one of the six Hurricanes taken in the draft, Moten told the Sun Sentinel he will have an opportunity to join the Dolphins and is one of several Hurricanes that inked free-agent deals once the draft ended.
“It’s great. The family is all together again,” said Moten. “They can come and watch every game like they did in high school and in college. … My mom is a die-hard Dolphins fan and this is an awesome experience.”
In the Dolphins locker room, Moten will join several other former Hurricanes players including newly-acquired running back Frank Gore, receiver Rashawn Scott and two other Hurricanes with Broward County ties, cornerback Tracy Howard and receiver Malcolm Lewis, both of whom played at Miramar High.
The opportunity to play beside them, Moten said, was another one of the factors that made signing with the Dolphins so attractive. Moten said he also spoke with the Indianapolis Colts, Kansas City Chiefs and New York Jets before ultimately deciding to stay in Miami.
“Knowing those guys are there makes me more comfortable,” said Moten, who 15 tackles this past season as a reserve for the Hurricanes. “I talked to Malcolm and Scotty at pro day and they said, ‘You’ll love it over here.’ The coaches are cool and it’s just going to be like another Miami locker room.”
Moten wasn’t the only former Hurricane player to sign after the draft.
Former Palm Beach Central standout Kc McDermott, who started 13 games at left tackle for Miami, posted on Twitter he was headed to Jacksonville writing, “DUVAL !!!!!!!! I can’t wait to start my NFL career with the Jacksonville Jaguars.”
Former Hurricanes defensive end Trent Harris, who had 37 tackles, including 10.5 for loss and six quarterback hurries, is headed to New England according to a social media post by his mother Betsy Harris. Kicker Michael Badgley, who had had some contact with the Dolphins ahead of the draft, signed with Indianapolis, the Miami Herald reported, and LowCountry Sports reported that cornerback Dee Delaney signed with Jacksonville.
Meanwhile, C&N Sports Group, which represents Trevor Darling posted on Twitter that the offensive lineman would get a tryout with the Cleveland Browns.
Before the undrafted free-agent frenzy unfolded late Saturday night, the Hurricanes had six players drafted including defensive end Chad Thomas (Cleveland, third round), tight end Chris Herndon (New York Jets, fourth round), running back Mark Walton (Cincinnati Bengals, fourth round), RJ McIntosh (fifth round, New York Giants), receiver Braxton Berrios (sixth round, New England Patriots) and defensive tackle Kendrick Norton (seventh round, Carolina Panthers).
Miami’s six draft picks was tied for second in the Atlantic Coast Conference with rival Florida State, which also saw six players drafted.