This weekend Miami’s streak of having a player selected in 50 straight NFL drafts dating back to 1975 stayed alive with four Canes being selected to their new homes. Most draft analysts and Hurricanes fans would let you know before the draft that Kamren Kinchens and James Williams would be the first off the board from Miami, but many were surprised when James Williams was the last Cane selected with defensive-back Jaden Davis and offensive-lineman Matt Lee both being selected just a few picks ahead of him. While that was a big surprise, many were shocked when defensive-lineman Leonard Taylor from South Florida fell out of the draft despite his quick first step and being a highly touted recruit coming out of Miami Palmetto Senior High Shool. Anyhow, the Jets ended up signing Taylor as an undrafted free agent.
Miami’s safety Kamren Kinchens had to wait a little longer than expected to hear his name called, but in Round 3, with the 99th overall pick, the Los Angeles Rams made their choice on the All-American from Dade County. Kinchens was a stellar player at Miami who recorded the most interceptions by any FBS player in the past two years. Kinchens, who was the first Miami Hurricane to record double digit interceptions since Ed Reed and Sean Taylor, left many wondering why he was not selected earlier. The only real knock on Kinchens was his speed. At the combine he only ran a 4.65 which many draft experts and GM’s were not impressed with, but many believe that his quick eyes and cat-like instincts make up for it. Before his workouts, he was in the conversation to be the first safety off the board.
Another Miami safety and South Florida native, James Williams, was selected in the 2024 NFL Draft in Round 7 with the 242nd overall pick by the Tennessee Titans. Williams was a sneaky, late-round pick that the Titans plan on switching to linebacker. When asked about the adjustment from safety to linebacker, Williams explained how he was ready for it and excited to embrace it and put his full talent on display. The ability to switch positions matches up with the versatility that defensive coordinator Dennard Wilson said he wants.
Jaden Davis, who grew up in Fort Lauderdale, was selected in Round 7 with the 226th overall pick by the Arizona Cardinals. Davis spent most of his college career at Oklahoma and transferred to Miami for his final season of college ball. He is a good athlete with a compact build, however, his short arms limit the chance for him to have many pass breakups.
The only offensive Hurricane selected in this years draft was their center, Matt Lee. Lee was selected by the Cincinnati Bengals in Round 7 with the 237th overall pick. Like Davis, Lee only played one season in Coral Gables where he was awarded with Second-Team All-ACC. There are some concerns about his size as he only weighs 288 pounds which is considered a little undersized as a center in today’s NFL.
Even though only four Hurricanes were drafted, many others from Miami were signed as undrafted free agents:
- Branson Deen (DT) – Buffalo Bills
- Javion Cohen (OL) – Cleveland Browns
- K.J. Cloyd (LB) – Minnesota Vikings
- Trajan Bandy (CB) – New England Patriots (Invited to Minicamp)
- Tyler Harrell (WR) – New York Jets
- Leonard Taylor III (DL) – New York Jets