A few more Miami Hurricanes made some NFL rosters (for now) as of Monday morning. Only three Canes were drafted this past weekend – Kenny Phillips (31st), Calais Campbell (50th) and Tavares Gooden (71th). It was Miami’s worst draft representation since 1999.
As of this morning, here’s a list of the Canes who have gotten the call:
Kyle Wright to the Minnesota Vikings…. Darnell Jenkins to the Houston Texans… Lance Leggett to the Cleveland Browns… Teraz McCray to the Buffalo Bills… Andrew Bain to the N.Y. Giants.
Congrats to the Canes picked up today. Hopefully a few of these guys can stick. Most won’t, but you never know if the right guy falls into the right system at the right time and the stars align.
Wright to Minnesota sounds sort of promising due to their quarterback situation. The Vikings did pick up John David Booty in the latter rounds, but really have no proven superstar gunslinger leading their franchise.
Time is ripe for change and who knows who will rise to the top in that organization? Booty looked to be a player at USC, but safe to say the kid had eons more talent around him in one game than Wright had over the span of three seasons.
Wright is a tough kid and has the ideal NFL physique and arm… but his decision-making has oft been questioned. He came to Miami when the Canes hit a downward spiral, endured a slew of offensive coordinators and a huge drop off talent-wise regarding offensive line, running backs and wide outs.
Of course all that is hindsight. No one cares anymore. Wright’s NCAA days are behind and all that matters is his ability to elevate his game and make an NFL roster. Hopefully he’ll get all the tutelage he missed at Miami and can correct some fundamental wrongs. If Wright could be re-wired mentally, this kid would be your prototypical NFL quarterback. Can that happen after five years of ups and downs at The U? Who knows….
I’m curious to see how things play out with Jenkins in Houston. Former Cane Andre Johnson is the bigger receiving threat there, followed by Kevin Walters and a handful of other no names, for the most part.
‘Nuke’ was impressive the past few seasons. The kid showed some serious toughness. The stats may prove otherwise, but so much of that can be blamed on an overall piss-poor performance from the overall Miami offense.
I stumbled across a YouTube video of Jenkins tearing it up during his time at The U and recommend it to any of those doubting his skills. I believe there’s space on the Texans’ roster for a gritty player like Jenkins. There was talk of a slow 40 time at the combine – but let the critics watch the vid above where he’s smoking defenders left and right as Miami’s biggest deep threat the past few seasons.
Leggett to the Browns is sort of a headscratcher. Obviously seeing another Cane taken by an NFL franchise is good news… but safe to say Miami fans are still burned by #9 over the past few seasons. Drops. Short-arming receptions. Less than physical play. Leggett absolutely underachieved during his time at The U and seems to lack the toughness an NFL receiver needs. Can he turn it around at this point of the game? We’ll see. I wouldn’t bank on it though.
McCray to the Bills and Bain to the Giants are long shots… but so is the whole notion of playing in the NFL to begin with. Here’s hoping both those guys can find a way to get it done and stick around.