Butt drops, lands with Broncos
Jake Butt rolled the dice by returning for his senior year at Michigan.
As the tight end fell in the NFL draft Saturday, finally selected 145th by the Denver Broncos to open the fifth round, the result of his decision was clear: His ACL tear in the Dec. 30 Orange Bowl had an obvious impact, and he had to accept that.
“You’re competing against the other tight ends in this draft, so obviously it hurt a little bit, but I understand the nature of the business here and coming off a knee injury and everything,” said Butt, a Pickerington North graduate. “It really couldn’t have worked out better in the end and I couldn’t be more happy than to see a phone call from Denver, Colorado. That was one of the best moments of my life to this day, so that was special.”
The Broncos were glad to have him, as general manager John Elway tweeted: “We were holding our breath these last few picks hoping to get Michigan TE Jake Butt. A top-notch TE we’re fortunate to select in the 5th.”
“It felt like the weight of the world was lifted off my shoulders,” Butt said. “It was tough to breathe there. I was just waiting and waiting for that phone to ring. Any time my phone vibrated, I’m just waiting to see where I’m going to end up, and I got on the phone with a couple of people. I talked with John Elway and it was like a dream come true.”
Air Force: Bexley's Robinette must serve
Bexley native and Air Force Academy receiver Jalen Robinette hoped to be a draft pick.
Instead, his hopes were dashed after the Air Force informed the Academy on Thursday that its athletes would not be allowed to defer two years of active duty and immediately join a professional sports team upon graduation.
According to The Denver Post, the Department of Defense changed its policy in 2016 to allow serviceacademy graduates to apply for the ready reserve so they could sign with a pro sports team. Their applications had to be approved on a case-by-case basis. That revision has been reversed. Robinette is the leader in receiving yards at Air Force with 2,697. He led the country in yards per catch last year with a 27.4-yard average. Robinette was considered a likely lateround selection.
Ex-Buckeye Smith lost for season
New York Jets receiver Devin Smith is out for the season because of a torn ligament in the same knee he had surgically repaired last year.
General manager Mike Maccagnan said Smith was injured the week before the Jets began their offseason workouts in mid-April. An MRI revealed the severity of the injury for Smith, New York's secondround pick in 2015 out of Ohio State.
Ole Miss QB Kelly is Mr. Irrelevant
Mississippi quarterback Chad Kelly, a talented player with a history of off-the-field issues and injuries, was the 253rd and final selection, by the Denver Broncos. The final pick gets honored as Mr. Irrelevant, but Kelly was a player who could have been selected in the first three rounds if not for all his problems.
Wrapping up
Southern California became the first school to reach 500 players taken in the draft when Leon McQuay III went to Kansas City in the sixth round. … Ohio linebacker Blair Brown went to Jacksonville in the fifth round. He was the second Bobcat selected after defensive end Tarell Basham went to Indianapolis in the third round on Friday.