Tight End David Njoku Declares For NFL Draft
Most professional football players usually fall into the cliché category of "bigger, stronger and faster."
David Njoku is big, strong and fast – and soon he'll be a professional football player.
Miami's junior tight end announced Wednesday night after Miami's 31-14 win over West Virginia in the Russell Athletics Bowl that he'll forgo playing his final two years of eligibility and will declare for the upcoming 2017 NFL Draft.
Njoku, a 6-foot-4, 245-pound redshirt sophomore, 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, "Air 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.
Prior to the bowl game against the No. 16 ranked Mountaineers, West Virginia head coach Dana Holgorsen had high praise for the Miami tight end.
"He's the biggest and baddest dude that we've faced all year," Holgorsen said.
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.
