Dallas addresses ‘D’; Ravens will sign Lobo Henry; each team’s draft lists
Air Force star undrafted after changes in policy
Former UNM safety Daniel Henry will sign a free-agent contract with the Baltimore Ravens, Henry said Saturday via Twitter.
Henry, listed by UNM as 6-foot-1 and 195 pounds, was in on 137 tackles for the Lobos the past two seasons. He was a team captain and an All-Mountain West Conference honorable mention selection as a senior.
Henry told the Journal via social media Saturday that, though he and his agent had heard from several teams in the weeks leading up to the NFL Draft, the Ravens were not one of them. But that’s not surprising, since NFL teams prefer not to show all their cards.
He’s checking with his agent to see when he’s to report, but believes it will be next weekend.
AIR FORCE: Wide receiver Jalen Robinette, who led the nation at 27.4 yards per catch, went undrafted after the Air Force told him just this week that he’d have to serve two years in the military before being allowed to play in the NFL.
Robinette, who is set to graduate from the Academy in less than a month, had prepared for the draft believing he’d be allowed to play in the NFL right away because of a U.S. Department of Defense ruling last summer .
After Navy standout quarterback Keenan Reynolds was drafted by the Baltimore Ravens last year, the defense department changed its policy for service academy athletes who are offered the opportunity to play professionally, saying they could receive reserve appointments upon graduation and start their pro careers immediately rather than having to serve two years of active duty first.
In a statement, the Air Force said it informed the academy, however, that it “would not approve requests to waiver active duty military commitments for cadet athletes,” adding, “The Air Force places tremendous value on our cadet athletes and their contributions to the nation as we continue to build leaders of character, engage in combat operations overseas and continue to ensure our highest military readiness at home.”
At a shade under 6-foot-4 and just shy of 220 pounds, Robinette reminds some scouts of Broncos star receiver Demaryius Thomas, who came out of Georgia Tech’s triple option offense. Robinette had seven catches for 182 yards in the Falcons’ 45-40 loss to New Mexico last season in Dallas.
CONFERENCE COUNTS: It started with Texas A&M’s Myles Garrett going No. 1 overall and ended with Mississippi’s Chad Kelly going last as “Mr. Irrelevant.” For the 11th straight year, the SEC led all conferences in number of NFL draft picks.
The league had 23 players taken during the final four rounds Saturday to increase its three-day total to 53, 11 more than the Atlantic Coast Conference. The Pac-12 edged out the Big Ten 36-35 in picks.
The Big 12 had only 14 players drafted, the fewest since the conference formed from the merger of the Southwest Conference and Big Eight in 1996.
While Michigan coach Jim Harbaugh and his current team wrapped up their trip to Italy, the Wolverines set a school record with 11 players drafted. Miami led the ACC’s charge on Saturday, when six of its eight players went.
Utah, which had four offensive linemen drafted, led the Pac-12 with eight picks. Ohio State, which led the nation with 12 players taken in 2016, had seven go this year.
Alabama led the SEC with 10 selections, including four first-round picks. Blueblood programs Nebraska, Texas and Penn State each had only one player taken.
FIGHTING CHANCE: Seattle used a sixth-round pick on a safety from Cincinnati with an eye-catching name. Naturally, somebody in his news conference asked Mike Tyson if he can fight.
“I probably get that question at least once a day,” Mike Tyson said. He conceded he “sometimes” gets sick of the questions. Tyson, his father, and his 3-year-old son are all named Mike.
UP NEXT: In Philadelphia to scout the draft proceedings were representatives from 15 NFL cities. Making an aggressive push to host the 2018 draft is Dallas Cowboys owner Jerry Jones, who presumably would stage it at The Star in Frisco, the team’s new headquarters. Although with crowds of 100,000 on hand to watch the draft live in Philadelphia, AT&T Stadium might be an even better venue.
BYGONES BE BYGONES: Remember eight years ago when Pete Carroll and Jim Harbaugh had that uncomfortable exchange at midfield after Stanford ran up the score on USC? A miffed Carroll famously asked Harbaugh, “What’s your deal?” Well, Carroll paid his old nemesis a nice compliment in the third round when the Seahawks drafted a pair of Harbaugh’s Michigan players, safety Delano Hill and receiver Amara Darboh.
“Coach Harbaugh does a great job,” said Carroll. “Really it is. It’s a good scheme fit to see guys in pro style.”
LET’S DEAL: This draft shattered the record for most trades with 39, five more than the previous high. Part of the reason was this was the first draft that allowed for the trading of compensatory picks.