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German wide receiver makes draft history

 
Published May 1, 2016

EDEN PRAIRIE, Minn. — Willkommen to the NFL, Moritz Boehringer.

The Vikings made the 22-year-old German wide receiver the first player in league history to be drafted straight from Europe, taking the speedy Boehringer in the sixth round Saturday with the 180th overall selection.

The 6-foot-4, 229-pounder had a head-turning performance in March at Florida Atlantic's pro workout day, running the 40-yard dash in 4.43 seconds. Only three wide receivers at the league's scouting combine in February ran faster than the native of Aalen, Germany.

Boehringer picked up the sport about five years ago, inspired by YouTube videos he discovered of Adrian Peterson highlights with the Vikings.

"I just started learning the game by playing, so the first year was really difficult," Boehringer said on a conference call with Minnesota reporters. "I really had no idea what I was doing."

After starting with a youth team, Boehringer debuted in the top-level German Football League in 2015 and totaled 16 touchdown receptions in 21 games for the Schwabisch Hall Unicorns.

Other notable selections on Saturday's final day of the draft:

• Michigan State quarterback Connor Cook's wait ended when the Raiders took him at No. 100.

• The Bills took Ohio State quarterback Cardale Jones, a raw prospect, 139th overall. He was one of 12 OSU players drafted, tops among all schools, followed by Clemson (nine) and UCLA (eight).

• The Chargers took Wisconsin fullback Derek Watt, the younger brother of Texans All-Pro J.J. Watt, in Round 6, 198th overall.

• Dallas selected Rico Gathers, a Baylor basketball star who last played football in eighth grade, 217th overall. The 6-foot-8, 275-pounder projects as a tight end. The Cowboys also took former Mississippi State quarterback Dak Prescott 135th overall as the SEC led all conferences with 51 players drafted; the Big Ten had 47.

• With the 221st overall pick the Patriots drafted Illinois guard Ted Karras, the grand-nephew of Pro Bowl defensive lineman Alex Karras and also the son and grandson of NFL players. In all, seven members of the Karras family played in the Big Ten and four went on to NFL careers.

• The distinction of "Mr. Irrelevant" as the last player drafted belonged to Southern Miss cornerback Kalan Reed, selected by the Titans at No. 253 overall.

Also, the Dolphins dealt veteran cornerback Jamar Taylor to the Browns in exchange for a swap of seventh-round picks, with Miami moving up.

Bears: They agreed to a one-year contract with former Texans quarterback Brian Hoyer.

Eagles: Quarterback Sam Bradford, upset that the team took Carson Wentz No. 2 overall, walked out of offseason workouts and isn't taking coach Doug Pederson's calls, ESPN reported.

Colts: Owner Jim Irsay said negotiations on Andrew Luck's contract extension are getting serious and a deal could be reached before training camp.

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Ravens: General manager Ozzie Newsome denied that video of Laremy Tunsil smoking marijuana steered Baltimore away from him. ESPN reported Saturday morning that the Ravens planned to pick Tunsil but changed their minds after seeing the video. Newsome said the team had its eventual No. 6 overall pick, Notre Dame offensive tackle Ronnie Stanley, ranked higher than Tunsil all along, the Baltimore Sun reported.