Sources: Njoku leaning towards NFL draft

Peter Ariz

Nov 26, 2016 2 min read

Although this should not be a surprise to Miami Hurricanes fans, sources tell CanesInSight.com tonight that redshirt sophomore David Njoku is leaning towards declaring for the NFL draft.

Njoku, who had two receptions for 134 yards and two touchdowns against Duke on Saturday night, cracked a smile when asked after the game if he had put any thought into leaving, but did not commit to leaving or staying.

"We’re just focused on the bowl game right now and then I’m sure I’ll figure it out afterwards -- we’ll see," Njoku said.

Njoku has had a superb season for the Hurricanes, tallying 38 receptions for 654 yards and 7 touchdowns. He has career numbers of 59 catches, 1,016 yards, and 8 touchdowns. Scouts are intrigued by his combination of size (6-5, 245) and speed. The product of Cedar Grove High School in New Jersey doubles as a high jumper for Miami's track team.

Sources told CanesInSight that he has had his eye on the next level all season, and that his strong finish of 6 touchdowns over the last 5 games has all but sealed the deal. Mark Richt said tonight that he will sit down with draft-eligible Hurricanes players in the coming days to discuss their future.

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Comments (118)

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caneforlifeforreal

Nov 26, 2016

Welp

Jonnyblaze

Nov 26, 2016

He should come out. Zero reason for him to stay. First day pick for sure.

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canecat

Nov 26, 2016

Surprising to me but if he needs the money real bad I understand . If he doesn't he should come back as he will be a 1st rounder next season.

B
Bccrhp

Nov 26, 2016

He as all the tools to be a beast in the league, and he'll probably have a great combine. That said, it'll be interesting to see if he can leap Howard and/or Engram to get to the top of the board.

J
Jetsandcanes4life

Nov 26, 2016

NFL scouts are going to be slobbering over him at the combine.

nystateofmind

Nov 26, 2016

He's not a first round pick for sure.

He's likely in the 20-40 range. His combine performance will determine where he goes.

S
skyman

Nov 26, 2016

Jonnyblaze said:
He should come out. Zero reason for him to stay. First day pick for sure.

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First day is only one round, this is a verrrry deep draft for te, any other year maybe but not this year. Not sure how high he will go as an inconsistent pass catching te that doesn't block much.. He has a lot he could come back and work on that would help but won't knock him for leaving.. Just hope he is aware he won't jump some of those guys above him, tho he will climb draft boards after working out

MovingZen

Nov 26, 2016

If he goes, he goes. I'll be glad to watch him on Sundays just as easily as I can on Saturdays. Good luck to him and hopefully he gets some bank, shows out, and gets an even better second contract.

Astcloud11

Nov 26, 2016

Jonnyblaze said:
He should come out. Zero reason for him to stay. First day pick for sure.

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Alot of drops throughout the year..even when the offense improved and receivers started to improve (catching wise)....he still was inconsistent. Also needs to work on run blocking still. Aside from that...he is polished as **** when it comes to lining up as a WR.

AutoCANE

Nov 26, 2016

Dangnabbit.

I was hoping he would come back and really boost that draft grade...he still seems to be crazy under-rated by the "experts" out there.

OrdunaDrive

Nov 26, 2016

Yeah, see him in second or third round. Over the past 5 drafts, only 2 TEs (Ebron and Eifert) were taken in the 1st, and only 1 or 2 typically go in the 2nd. Teams don't value the position that much. He also has O.J. Howard, Bucky Hodges, Jake Butt, and Jordan Leggett to contend with.

Tony Perps

Nov 26, 2016

Njoku is better than all of those guys and he has barely scratched the surface.

[]_[]nique

Nov 26, 2016

Astcloud11 said:
Jonnyblaze said:

He should come out. Zero reason for him to stay. First day pick for sure.

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Click to expand...

Alot of drops throughout the year..even when the offense improved and receivers started to improve (catching wise)....he still was inconsistent. Also needs to work on run blocking still. Aside from that...he is polished as **** when it comes to lining up as a WR.

He'll only get better as he matures as a player, whether that be here or the NFL.

jnw4563

Nov 26, 2016

It's simple, Njoku & Miami in would benift from him staying another year. The only way this make since is if he knows Brad is gone after this year & he doesn't want his number to drop due to a unproven QB.

Jonnyblaze

Nov 26, 2016

skyman said:
Jonnyblaze said:

He should come out. Zero reason for him to stay. First day pick for sure.

Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

Click to expand...

First day is only one round, this is a verrrry deep draft for te, any other year maybe but not this year. Not sure how high he will go as an inconsistent pass catching te that doesn't block much.. He has a lot he could come back and work on that would help but won't knock him for leaving.. Just hope he is aware he won't jump some of those guys above him, tho he will climb draft boards after working out

My mistake. I forgot 1st day is just one round. I was trying to say he's a 1st three round pick.

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caneinpsl

Nov 26, 2016

Njoku is ready for the next level. He has his drops, but he is physically dominant at the college level right now, and he is still improving his game. He won't go in the first round, but he's an elite athlete at the TE position. Similar to Jordan Reed of the Redskins. He won't last past the 3rd round based on tools alone, and as a TE he isn't necessarily gonna go in the first round next year if he stays in school just because the position doesn't warrant high draft picks. So why would he wait? Improve here or improve while he's making a paycheck?? What would you do? Back of the first round money isn't what it used to be.

Nov 26, 2016

Hes been here 3 years. Only way he comes back if we can make a run.

S
SpikeUM

Nov 26, 2016

My understanding is that there is a huge drop off in $ after the first round. If that is true, he needs to find out if he is a potential first round pick, and if Kaaya is coming back.

INCaneFan

Nov 26, 2016

I said that well before this season. Same with Burns the year before and everyone keeps talking other guys. 20 to 40 pick sounds about right to whomever said it.