Former Hurricanes TE David Njoku Drafted By Cleveland Browns
Cleveland found the thought of adding a 6-foot-4, 250-pound uber-athletic tight end to its offense too good to pass up.
The Browns traded back - swapping with the Green Bay Packers - into the first round and selected former Miami Hurricane David Njoku with the 29th pick of the first round of the NFL Draft Thursday night.
Njoku's selection Thursday represented the 64th player from the University of Miami to be selected in the first round in the NFL Draft. It also guarantees the 43rd consecutive year that at least one UM player will be drafted into the NFL.
"Air Njoku" was the third player that Cleveland selected Thursday. The Browns took Texas A&M defensive end Myles Garrett with the No. 1 overall pick and selected versatile Michigan athlete Jabrill Peppers with the No. 25 pick.
Better yet, Njoku joins former Hurricanes running back Randy "Duke" Johnson - whom the Browns selected in the third round of the 2015 NFL Draft.
Njoku was Miami's third-leading receiver in 2016 with 38 receptions for 654 yards and seven touchdowns. In his final game in a Canes uniform, Njoku caught five passes for 44 yards and a touchdown – in which he powered through a tackle and dashed down the sideline before leaping into the endzone.
Njoku finished his career as Hurricanes with 54 catches for 1,060 yards and nine touchdowns in two full seasons of action. The former high school national high jumping champion, redshirted his freshman season in 2014.
While the Hurricanes will miss Njoku, his success falls in line with UM's moniker of being "Tight End U". Like former Canes tight ends Bubba Franks, Jeremy Shockey, Kellen Winslow Jr. and Jimmy Graham, Njoku would appear to be poised for a productive pro career.