Canada Sports News

• Jalen Hurts Lands in Philadelphia
• Canadians Claypool and Gallimore drafted also
• Bill Belichick’ dog steals the show

Hurts in Philly

The biggest news of the second day of the NFL draft is that the Philadelphia Eagles picked quarterback Jalen Hurts, one of the top players on his position in this draft class. Hurts fell down to No.53, and the Eagles, despite having Carson Wentz decided to add another passer.

The 21-year old, finished second in the Heisman Trophy voting behind Joe Burrow last year, and he had a superb year playing for the Oklahoma Sooners after transferring from Alabama. He became the fourth player in history with 30+ TD passes and 20+ rushing passes. At the end of the campaign, Hurts posted 3,851 passing yards and 32 TDs, and 1,298 yards through the ground and 20 TDs.

The Eagles are delighted to have him, as they know that he is a first-round caliber passer. The majority of fans are anxious to see how this duo would work together because Hurts for sure isn’t willing to sit on the bench. His versatility might even allow him to play wide receiver, similar to Taysom Hill from New Orleans. Also, his role could be the same as Nick Foles’ who as there to jump in and replace injury-prone Wentz.

Two Canadians Drafted

Chase Claypool and Neville Gallimore were the two Canadians who found themselves among the selected players.

Claypool, a wide receiver from Notre Dame, went to Pittsburgh Steelers, who hope that he might evolve into a reliable target for Ben Roethlisberger.

“His production this past season was off the charts,” Steelers’ offensive coordinator Randy Fichtner said about the rookie. “It’s been growing every season. He’s one of those guys that scores the ball.”

During the previous season, Claypool caught 1,037 yards for 13 TDs, and was one of the best players of the team.

“I think being on a team, a historic team with a proven background, especially for a quarterback like Ben, I think I was fortunate enough to be put in the right situation,” Claypool said.

Meanwhile, the Dallas Cowboys added defensive tackle Neville Gallimore from Alabama, as the 82nd overall pick. After the defensive end Tyrone Crawford, he is the second Canadian in the Cowboys. Crawford, too was a third-round pick of the franchise from Arlington, and a part of the team since 2012.

Gallimore recorded four sacks last year, and 7 1/2 tackles for loss, being one of the most significant players on Crimson Tide’s defense.

Even though there were some interesting picks in the second and third rounds of the draft, the star of the night was Bill Belichick’s dog. While the Pats’ head coach waited for his turn to pick, and was taking care of some business around his home, the camera began streaming footage from his room. Instead of seeing Belichick sitting in front of laptops, the fans stumbled upon his dog, who was carefully monitoring the situation in the draft.

After New England picked safety Kyle Duggar from Lenoir-Rhyne, many would start joking that, in fact, K9 was the one who made the selection.