In the upcoming months we will see a Miami Hurricanes football team that has a lot of new faces on the football field. While our eyes will be glued to the field to see how this year’s team does, there are still other arenas where more Canes will be battling it out on the gridiron. In this past NFL offseason, 13 Hurricanes football players found new homes on professional teams, and will begin their pro careers this coming fall.
Last year’s team was loaded with pro-ready talent, and it certainly showed based on the following draft results:
Offensive Tackle, Ereck Flowers- New York Giants, 1st round, 9th overall
Wide Receiver, Phillip Dorsett- Indianapolis Colts, 1st round, 29th overall
Linebacker, Denzel Perryman- San Diego Chargers, 2nd round,
Tight End, Clive Walford- Oakland Raiders, 2nd round
Running Back, Duke Johnson- Cleveland Browns 3rd round
Offensive Guard, Jonathan Feliciano- Oakland Raiders 4th round, 128th overall
Defensive Lineman, Anthony Chickillo- Pittsburgh Steelers, 6th round, 212th overall
Ereck Flowers is going to see a lot of time on the field as he was selected to start right away at a position of need for the New York Giants.
Phillip Dorsett should have a big role in the Colts’ high-voltage offense and looks to be involved in plenty of highlights in the coming season.
Denzel Perryman is also slated to start and have a huge impact in a Chargers’ defense that could use the help. Clive Walford will be bringing an element to the Raiders that has not been seen there for a long time — a reliable starting tight end with big play potential.
The final opening day impact player and potential starter is none other than Duke Johnson for the Cleveland Browns. The Browns plan to use Johnson, Miami’s all-time leading rusher, as the starting running back, as long as he stays healthy. Johnson has battled a hamstring injury in the preseason, but he should be ready to bring his big-play potential opening day.
The draft did not end the flow of Hurricanes going into the NFL however. The following players all signed with teams after the draft, and have made their way into making rosters.
Center, Shane McDermott- Dallas Cowboys, Undrafted
Quarterback, Ryan Williams- Cincinnati Bengals- Undrafted
Linebacker, Thurston Armbrister- Jacksonville Jaguars, Undrafted
Defensive Tackle, Olsen Pierre- Chicago Bears, Undrafted
Quarterback, Jake Heaps- New York Jets, Undrafted
Cornerback, Ladarius Gunter- Green Bay Packers, Undrafted
There will be plenty of opportunities to watch Canes play on Sunday as well as Saturday.
Featured image courtesy HurricaneSports.com