Kingsbury finally gets his man as the Cardinals draft Murray
● Arizona’s new head coach pins hopes on talk-of-the-town quarterback
The 84th annual NFL draft took place over the weekend, and, as usual, there was much titillation and a little bit of drama. The draft began with the worstkept secret in football as Arizona Cardinals used the No 1 pick to draft Oklahoma quarterback Kyler Murray. In the run-up to the draft, Murray has been the talk of the town when his height measured slightly higher than anticipated, and his hand size was more significant than expected. Yes, NFL scouts go crazy for those kind of things.
Murray going to Arizona was not a surprise to anyone. New Cardinals coach Kilff Kingsbury tried to recruit Murray for Texas A&M while offensive coordinator and now, seven years later, he finally has his man. The biggest issue with the pick was that the Arizona team also drafted a franchise quarterback last year and Josh Rosen was until last week the named starter in Glendale.
The expectation was that Rosen would be offloaded for a first-round pick before the draft got underway, but, in reality, that move came later. Knowing that they had less power with each pick the Arizona management finally moved Rosen to Miami for a second-round pick this year and a fifth-round pick next. Of course, for new head coach Kliff Kingsbury, this could be the best or worst move of his early career as he has hitched his horse to Murray’s cart.
The other quarterback conversation this weekend was whether the New York Giants would use one of their three first-round picks. They did.
But, much to the upset of the Giants fanbase and media experts, they took Daniel Jones from Duke. Jones has been mentored by the same coach as current Giants quarterback Eli Manning as well as his future Hall of Fame brother Peyton. The upset came when they chose to use the No 6 pick when they could have waited and used a later pick, grabbing a talented
once-in-a-generation talent instead.
At the moment that the Giants took Jones, ranked as low as eighth quarterback by some scouts, Dwayne Haskins and Drew Lock were both available. Haskins went to division rivals Washington nine picks later and could be ready to haunt the Giants twice each year while Missouri playmaker Drew Lock joined the Denver Broncos.
After the furore died down about the use of the early pick, the Giants draft didn’t get much better when a sixth-round pick, Corey Ballentinec was shot just hours after being drafted. While the cornerback is in a stable condition and expected to make a full recovery, a close friend, Dwayne Simmons, was shot and killed in an off-campus incident in Kansas.
The Super Bowl champions Patriots may have identified the longterm successor for Tom Brady. In the fourth round, they took Auburn quarterback Jarrett Stidham off the board. Stidham played three games at Baylor before finding his way to Auburn where he started two seasons with 48 touchdowns against 13 interceptions, showing some excellent ball security – a facet that head coach Bill Belichick values in his passers.
The LA Rams left fans exasperated as they traded their first-round pick – 31st pick overall – for two extra picks in the top 100, although this was still a disappointment for the fans who had waited four hours for the Rams’ first, first-round pick since taking Jarred Goff in 2016. Mr Irrelevant is the title given to the last player picked in the draft and this year that was bestowed on First team ALL-PAC-12 All Tight end Caleb Wilson. The UCLA Bruins player led tight ends with five receptions and 80 yards per game averages.
Arizona, the team that opened the draft, had the last pick – No 254 – and went with the son of former Bears player and Eagles current defensive line coach, Chris Wilson.
Finally, a player carrying the nickname “The Scottish Hammer” made it to the NFL after being signed by the Cleveland Browns. After the draft is completed, there is what can be likened to a feeding frenzy when teams sign undrafted players they liked during the draft process. Jamie Gillan, a kicker for Arkansas-pine Bluff Golden Lions and now the Cleveland Browns, hails from Inverness.
Starting as a rugby player in his youth, Gillan spent three years on a rugby scholarship for Merchiston Castle School before deciding to follow his family to the US. When he arrived in America, his passion for rugby continued until he spotted the kicker for his high-school team struggling. A season later and Gillan was accepted on a full scholarship to play in the tenth largest city in Arkansas.
A Scottish man is one step closer to his dream of playing in the NFL after signing a freeagent contract with the Cleveland Browns.
Jamie Gillan, nicknamed the Scottish Hammer, has been rewarded for making a lasting impression with the Browns during a private predraft workout.
Gillan told The Scotsman: “Me and the whole family are very happy, it was a really fun weekend. But this is just the beginning. I have to still make a team, keep passing tests with the next step being rookie camp.
“I would never have expected this to happen when I moved from Scotland as a teenager, but I have been working very hard for this opportunity.”
It is a remarkable rise for the 21-year-old, who began his life in the Highlands, near Inverness, enjoying success playing rugby in the under-16s Scottish Schools Cup. He went to Merchiston Castle School for three years on a sports scholarship before deciding to finish his school education in the United States when his father transferred with the RAF.
He went to Leonardtown High School in Maryland to complete his secondary education where he excelled in several sports, opening the door for him to enrol in American football.
Gillan told Uk-based American Football website Ninetynine Yards: “I was still playing rugby at the time, then in my last year there I chose to play soccer [football] and rugby at the same time. Soon I realised that the American football kicker and punter was not very good, so I spoke to the coach, who then watched my kicks and put me on the team.
“My friend saw a Facebook post that University of Arkansas at Pine Bluff needed a kicker. As a result, I simply put my highlights tape into the post and they called me that day and offered me a full scholarship. Therefore, football became the dream from then on.”
In his college career, Gillan handled kick-off, punt, field goal and extra point duties for the Golden Lions.
NFL Network reporter Tom Pelissero described Gillan as potentially the next Michael Dickson – a Seattle Seahawks punter – after popping four balls in practice. Gillan’s love for American football has continued to grow. He will look to emulate Greenock-born former American football placekicker Lawrence Tynes, who won the Superbowl twice in the 2007 and 2011 seasons.
Gillan said: “Becoming a pro American footballer would mean a lot to me and my family. I have invested my life into the sport and worked so hard to get where I am today.”