The Vikings have gone transatlantic with one of their picks on Day 3 of the 2016 NFL Draft, taking German wide receiver Moritz Boehringer in the 6th round.
The 22-year-old had been eyed by the Vikings after an impressive Pro Day performance, and becomes the first ever player to be drafted straight from Europe, according to the Vikings.
At 6’4″ and 227 pounds, the German’s rise is one of the most remarkable stories of this year’s draft.
When @MoBoehringer found out he'd been drafted by his favorite team… Welcome to the family! #SKOL #VikingsDraft pic.twitter.com/46lWRRN1JP
— Minnesota Vikings (@Vikings) April 30, 2016
According to SB Nation, Boehringer only got involved in football about five years ago when he came upon a YouTube clip of Adrian Peterson, and started playing in local leagues, eventually making it to the top level of German football in the last year.
A delighted Boehringer, a Vikings fan, told NFL Network he couldn’t wait to play alongside Adrian Peterson and named Randy Moss as his favorite all-time wide receiver.
He was last playing for the Schwäbisch Hall Unicorns, grabbing 59 receptions for 1,232 yards and 13 touchdowns in 16 games in 2015. He was named the German Rookie of the Year.
Moritz Boehringer on NFL Network: "I can't describe how I feel right now.''
— Chris Tomasson (@christomasson) April 30, 2016
The Star Tribune reports his Pro Day performance was excellent and had several teams intrigued, running the 40-yard dash in 4.43 seconds, making a vertical leap of 39 inches and a 10’11” broad jump.
The newspaper notes if he’d posted those numbers in the scouting combine – to which he was not invited – he’d have ranked in the top 5 wide receivers.
All crazy stories aside, Moritz Boehringer has stupid upside, can return kicks and play special teams. This could seriously work out.
— Sam Monson (@SamMonsonNFL) April 30, 2016
https://twitter.com/DSchroeder34/status/726507551764795394?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw
