UM’s Njoku goes at No. 29
Browns take Canes tight end; Lions draft Gators’ Davis.
Two years after Duke Johnson, the Hurricanes’ all-time leading rusher, was drafted by the Browns, the NFL’s reigning worst overall franchise grabbed another Miami player Thursday night.
David Njoku, UM’s tight end with the chiseled frame and breakaway speed, heard his name called in the first round (29th overall).
He will join Johnson, a third-round pick in 2015, and undrafted cornerback Trac y Howard on a team that went 1-15 last year.
Njoku, 6-foot-4 and 246 pounds, became the fifth Hurricanes tight end since 2000 to be selected among the first 32 picks, joining B u b b a F r a n k s , J e r e my Shockey, Kellen Winslow and Greg Olsen. Jimmy Graham, a third-rounder in 2010, has been one of the league’s best.
Njoku is the highest UM t i g h t e n d d r a f t e e s i n c e Winslow went sixth overall to Cleveland in 2004.
Wearing a colorful vars i t y j a c k e t , N j o k u c e l e - brated the announcement with friends and family at a party in Miami. Sitting next to several of his eight siblings — including brother Evidence, a wide receiver who enrolls at UM next month — Njoku bowed his head and soaked in the moment as the party chanted his nickname, “Chief.”
“Thi s i s a young pup,” ESPN’s Jon Gruden said of the Cedar Grove, N.J., native, who turns 21 in July. “The best thing this man does is run routes, and he’s very good after the catch. ... He has a long way to go as a blocker.”
N F L N e t w o r k ’ s M i k e Mayock said Njoku “doesn’t even know how good he can be. ... He has Pro Bowl talent. I’m not saying he’s ready yet, but when they’re ready to be good in a couple years, he could be special.”
To draft him, Cleveland gave up a fourth-rounder to move up four spots, from 33rd. The Browns chose Tex a s A& M e d ge r u sh e r Myles Garrett No. 1 overall.
Njoku was taken after Alabama tight end O.J. Howard, whom NFL Network analyst Daniel Jeremiah pegged as “c an’t-miss.” Howard, 6-foot-6 and 251 pounds, was taken 19th overall by the Tampa Bay Buccaneers.
Nj o ku’s f a l l i ng be hi nd Howard didn’t rai se eye - brows, but this did: The New York Giants, Njoku’s hometown team, chose Mississippi’s Evan Engram at No. 23. Engram was seen by many as a second-round pick.
The Bucs opted against Dalvin Cook, the Florida State running back and former teammate of starting quarterback Jameis Winston. Cook was not taken in the first round.
The first in-state player taken: Jarrad Davis, a linebacker from Florida. When he was chosen 21st overall by the Detroit Lions, he became the latest draftee from one of the state’s big three since 2014, when FSU receiver Kelvin Benjamin went 28th. In that draft, UCF quarterback Blake Bortles went No. 3.
Davis had an injury-marred senior year and recorded 60 tackles, six for loss, and two sacks in nine games. He looked healthy at UF’s pro day, running a 4.58-second 40-yard dash. He is listed at 6-foot-1 and 238 pounds.
“He’s a tough kid. He’s t o d ay ’s NFL i n s i d e l i n e - backer. He can run, he can stay in the game on third down,” Mayock said. “That’s an excellent pick.”