Saints draft UM’s Jimmy Graham at No. 95

After waiting and waiting, Miami Hurricanes tight end Jimmy Graham finally received a phone call with just a few selections left Friday night.

The Saints drafted Graham in the third round (95th), making him the first, and so far only, Hurricane drafted this year.

Linebacker Darryl Sharpton, tackle Jason Fox and cornerback Sam Shields hope to get picked in the final four rounds Saturday.

The Saints are hopeful that the 6-foot-6, 220-pound Graham will develop into the next Antonio Gates or Tony Gonzalez, both of whom also played college basketball.

Before last season, Graham hadn't played football since ninth grade. But after four seasons of hoops, he decided to join Randy Shannon's team and prepared during the summer by catching passes from former Hurricanes quarterback Bernie Kosar.

Graham played in all 13 games last season and had 17 catches, 213 yards and five touchdowns, including one on his first catch. He grew more comfortable as the season progressed, putting behind him early drops.

Graham then had an impressive week at the Senior Bowl in Mobile, Ala., and garnered more interest at the combine with his performance – 4.5 seconds in the 40-yard dash and a 38.5 inch vertical leap.

ESPN's Chris Mortensen said Friday that Graham could be the heir apparent to Jeremy Shockey and said he has upside.

Scouts still regard Graham as a raw talent who needs to work on blocking and running routes.



(espn.com)