Three Huskers were taken in this weekend’s NFL Draft in Las Vegas, including two in the second round.
Cam Jurgens was the first Husker taken , by the Philadelphia Eagles with the 51st overall pick. Jurgens will most likely not start at center right away as they have an All-Pro at the position with Jason Kelce who just became the highest paid center in the league this offseason. Kelce was live on-air with Bleacher Report when the Eagles selected Jurgens, and he had nothing but praise for the new pick.
“I knew we were taking him,” Kelce said. “So, this is my favorite player in the draft. I’m not just saying that because we picked him. The Eagles have been using me to evaluate some of the centers coming out, and of all the guys that I’ve looked at like for the past two to three years, out of all the guys that compare the most to myself, this guy is him.”
Jurgens is considered versatile enough to fill in at guard in his rookie year if injuries arise on the Eagles depth chart.
The second Husker off the board was cornerback Cam Taylor-Britt. The Cincinnati Bengals traded up to the 60th pick to grab the cornerback prospect. As it sits right now it looks like Taylor-Britt will be the backup cornerback to Chidobe Awuzie on the left side of the field, but he could see some playing time in dime or nickel packages if he has a good showing during off-season workouts and training camp.
Cam Taylor-Britt was excited for the opportunity after the Bengals drafted him.
“Honestly, I was so excited that I couldn’t even say any words,” he said. “It was a dream come true. My visit there was amazing. Just to even get picked up by a team and especially the Bengals is surreal right now. And the fact that Coach Zac played at the great University of Nebraska makes it even better.”
It wasn’t until Saturday in the seventh round that the name of the third Husker draftee was called. Samori Toure was drafted by the Green Bay Packers with pick number 258. With the departures of Davante Adams and Marquez Valdes-Scantling during the offseason, Toure has a good chance at making the practice squad and possibly the final roster, even with the Packers selecting two other receivers in the draft.
“Last year kind of proved to other people what I already knew myself, that I can play with the best of the best, at the Power Five level,” Toure said. “What it really showed me is that I can adapt to a new situation, new playbook, new teammates, new coaches, new system, new place. That showed me a lot because that’s what I gotta do right now, making that move to the NFL.”
Five undrafted Huskers signed free agent contracts:
-Damion Daniels signed with the Houston Texans
-Austin Allen signed with the New York Giants
-Deontai Williams signed with the Seattle Seahawks
-Jojo Domann signed with the Indianapolis Colts
-Ben Stille signed with the Miami Dolphins.
