Players with Jamaican roots drafted by NFL franchises

President of the Jamaica Touch Football Association, Evan Davis has expressed optimism that American football will grow in participation locally as a result of Matt Peart and Neville Gallimore being drafted to NFL franchises on Friday. Six foot seven inch offensive tackle Peart was selected by four time Super Bowl winners the New York Giants, as the number 99 pick in the 2020 NFL Draft.

Peart, who was selected out of the University of Connecticut, was the 35th pick of the third round. The 22 year old  now joins countrymen Patrick Chung, Danielle Hunter and Corey Ballentine in the league.

Meanwhile, five time Super Bowl winners, the Dallas Cowboys selected six foot two inch defensive tackle Gallimore. Gallimore who was born in Canada, was born to Jamaican parents and spent his early years on the island before heading to North America. The Unversity of Oklahoma man was the 82nd pick overall in the draft and was number 18 in the third round. Davis also expects the sport to gather momentum locally with Peart and Gallimore signing with NFL teams.

Defensive tackle,Javon Kinlaw was the highest drafted Caribbean player on Friday  as the Trinidadian was drafted to the San Francisco 49ers as the number 14 pick of round one. Quarterback Joe Burrow was the number one draft pick to the Cincinnati Bengals from Louisiana State University.

The draft this year was held online due to the Covid-19 pandemic. The 2020 season of the NFL is expected to kick off on September 10.