Boehringer’s Vikings draft makes NFL history

History was made on the final day of the NFL Draft on Saturday when Moritz Boehringer’s was picked by the Minnesota Vikings.

The German wide receiver is the first international player to go straight from a European league to the NFL.

Boehringer first played competitively in 2013 after watching highlights of Vikings’ star Adrian Peterson.

Last season with the Schwabisch Hall Unicorns he recorded 70 receptions, 1,461 yards and 16 touchdowns, securing the Rookie of the Year award in the German Football League.

The 22-year-old first came to the attention of NFL with an eye-opening performance at the Florida Atlantic pro day earlier this year.

Vikings coach Mike Zimmer said: “That’s kind of what the draft is all about – making dreams come true.

“He’s a really smart kid – he understands football and is able to repeat the different routes to us and things like that.

“Obviously, he has a lot of work to do, but it’s been fun.”

Connor Cook’s long wait to be selected was ended when the Oakland Raiders took the Michigan State quarterback with the 100th pick of the draft in the fourth round.

Concerns over Cook’s attitude led to teams steering clear of the 23-year-old who was ranked by many experts as one of the top talents in this year’s draft.

“I think I’m one of the best quarterbacks in this draft class, but nothing is ever easy and nothing is ever perfect,” said Cook.

“Obviously, seeing all the other quarterbacks go, it hurt, but I’m just ready to be a Raider and ready to get to business.

“It’s a lot of motivation – I would say more motivation than anything. Seeing all the other quarterbacks go when you think you’re a pretty good quarterback, it just motivates you.

“I’m going to go into this league with a chip on my shoulder and try to earn everything that I achieve.”

Raiders’ general manager Reggie McKenzie, who traded the 114th and 154th picks to Cleveland Browns to secure the 100th pick, said the chance to select Cook was an opportunity he couldn’t miss.

“It’s always important to have depth,” McKenzie said. “We usually kept three quarterbacks when I was in Green Bay for a long time.

“You can see the cycle, even last year, guys went down. So you want to make sure you have guys prepared.

“He was a good player still sitting there day three. We had a good grade on him and we just wanted to seize the opportunity.”