(Twitter)
The Minnesota Vikings selected a wide receiver in the 2016 NFL Draft who never played a down of college football.
His name: Moritz Boehringer.
Boehringer possesses the size and showed off the speed and skills at Florida Atlantic’s Pro Day in March in front of a number of NFL teams. That’s where he put his name on the NFL Draft map.
Oh, did we mention “Mo” is from Germany and has played football for a handful of years?
Here is what you need to know about Boehringer:
1. Boehringer Is From Germany & Plays Wide Receiver
German wide out Moritz Boehringer has a great shot at getting drafted – t.co/pEXlEEYtBl
Boehringer, 22, grew up in Germany, a country who has won 4 World Cup titles in soccer.
But they have professional football leagues now, like the German Football League, where Boehringer plays wide receiver.
NFL Europe had a number of teams in Germany from 1991 until 2007, the year the league disbanded. There were teams in Berlin (Thunder), Cologne (Centurions), Frankfurt (Galaxy), Hamburg (Sea Devils) and Dusseldorf (Rhein Fire).
He has brains, too. Boehringer was a mechanical engineering student in Aalen, Germany.
2. He Plays for the Schwäbisch Hall Unicorns of the GFL
Boehringer, a wide receiver, has only been playing American football since 2013. He first began with the Crailsheim Titans, a junior youth team in Germany.
But he excelled and was “called up” to the German Football League in 2015 to play for the Schwabisch Hall Unicorns. All he did in his first season was win GFL Rookie of the Year honors after catching 59 receptions for 1,232 yards and 13 touchdowns in 16 games.
3. Boehringer Is 6-foot-4 & Runs a 4.4 40
Now for his measurables.
Boehringer has everything you look for in an NFL receiver — size, speed and skill.
He comes in at 6-foot-4 and weighs 225 pounds. That’s a big receiver, even for the NFL. That’s Brandon Marshall size.
And if his testing numbers are accurate, Boehringer is even more impressive.
Prior to the FAU Pro Day, Boehringer was unofficially clocked in the 40 anywhere from 4.38 to 4.44. And his vertical jump was measured between 37 and 39 inches.
Those numbers are in line with his official testing results from his Pro Day. See them below.
4. He Impressed at Florida Atlantic’s Pro Day
Big German dude with steady feet.
Boehringer was the talk of Florida Atlantic’s Pro Day. And he didn’t even go to FAU. Boehringer, though, has been training at XPE Sports Academy in Boca Raton. XPE specializes in NFL Combine and Pro Training.
He tested well — his two official 40 times came in at 4.43 and 4.51 (on grass) — and showed some good footwork and hands (he didn’t drop a single pass during the workout). Here are some more testing and size numbers on the Boehringer:
German WR Moritz Boehringer, at 6’4″ 227 lb had some interesting pro day numbers & caught the eyes of the #Patriots
According to NFL.com, his 4.43 40 time on grass translates to 4.39 on turf. That 4.39 would have put him second among all WRs at the NFL Combine back in February.
His workout had NFL scouts scouring the world (well, Europe, at least) for more game tape. Obviously the Vikings liked what they saw.
Also participating at the FAU Pro Day were draft prospects Trevon Coley, a defensive tackle, and corner Cre’von LeBlanc.
5. Boehringer Was Picked by the Vikings in Round 6/h2>
Boehringer’s combination of size and speed had a number of teams — including the Packers, Vikings, Cardinals and Super Bowl champion Broncos interested.
But in the end it was the Vikings you grabbed him. Boehringer was selected by Minnesota in the sixth round. He was the fifth pick of the round and 180th overall in the draft.
When @MoBoehringer found out he’d been drafted by his favorite team… Welcome to the family! #SKOL #VikingsDraft
Let’s face it, though. Boehringer has a tough challenge ahead of him. The competition he faced in Germany pales in comparison to what the NFL offers every Sunday.
He became the first international player to be selected in the NFL Draft without playing a down of college football in the United States. Mo is also the first GFL player to be taken in the draft.