Having graduated from the U of Minnesota in ’11, I was able to catch the high flying Da’Jon McKnight in action on many a college game and was extremely pleased to watch him perform even though the Gophers mostly ended up on the losing side.
The 6 foot 3 inch 211 pound wide receiver had 1,465 yards and 97 catches in his two seasons with the Gophers, but he still faces an uncertain future as he reports for camp to try and be one of the receivers to make the Minnesota Vikings. The other players were the renowned Gopher Defensive Tackle Brandon Kirksey, Anthony Jacobs and Nick Tow-Arnett.
There were no University of Minnesota players drafted in the 2012 NFL draft, but running back Duane Bennett is in the NFL having made the Green Bay Packers as a free agent.
There are actually should have been another Gopher who should have made it for the tryouts and that is Kim Royston who is a very high-profile name. Kim Royston will have to miss the minicamp because of an injury.
The Gophers are very much excited by the chance to may be one day live the NFL lifestyle and be able provide for their families by making it. Gophers coach Jerry Kill has even talked about how there should be more Gophers who should get to play in the NFL.
He stated that Ra’Shede Hageman and Harold Legania are a great fit for the NFL when you look at their body sizes, but he wanted them to be more motivated and look to be able to get the job done.