SPORTS
“He has the ability to make plays
down the field, and I think you can
see that in a lot of his highlights,”
adds Browns head coach Hue
Jackson. “He makes contested
catches. He can create separation
from defenders. He has the ability
to be an in-line blocker. He is a
three-down tight end, and he can
play the Y. He can play the U.
He has that kind of versatility.”
Njoku is the 10th tight end drafted
from the University of Miami since
2000, when Green Bay selected
Bubba Franks with the No. 14 pick.
Since then, Jeremy Shockey (2002),
Kellen Winslow II (2004) and
Wayne’s Greg Olsen were first-round
picks. Kevin Everett (2005), Jimmy
Graham (2010) and Clive Walford
(2015) were third-round picks.
A Start in Cedar Grove
David is the seventh of nine
children born to Innocent and
Stella Njoku, and they are a high-per-
forming set of siblings. His brother,
Evidence, finished his high school
48
BACK TO SCHOOL 2017 MONTCLAIR MAGAZINE
career at Wayne Hills as a wide
receiver on the school’s state champi-
onship team, and he is following in
David’s footst eps, signing with
Miami. Charles is a sophomore at
Wayne Hills, and both Evidence and
David believe he will continue on the
path they blazed. Innocent, Jr., is a
resident neurosurgeon. Faith is a
medical student at UC-Irvine. Chelsea
is in a nursing program, while Lisa is
pursuing her doctorate. Gladys is a
biochemical engineer.
“You work to achieve greatness,”
David Njoku says. “I never thought
about getting drafted [into the NFL].
At first it was about earning a schol-
arship, and realizing, ‘Hey, I can play
at [the college] level,’ and then I just
kept working and learning and
getting better.”
Former Cedar Grove coaching
legend Ed Sadloch made the trip
with his wife, and was in attendance
at Miami’s Pro Day, as were scouting
representatives from all 32 NFL
teams. Njoku improved his time in
the 40-yard dash (unofficially 4.49
seconds), wowed with a 40-inch ver-
tical, and looked plenty comfortable
running the route tree while catching
passes from Hurricanes teammate
and draft prospect quarterback Brad
Kaaya, who was drafted by the
Detriot Lions. Njoku was not plan-
ning on participating in the shuttle
run, but changed his mind at the
urging of scouts who were present.
In high school at Cedar Grove,
in addition to his standout football
exploits, David Njoku was an elite
high jumper. As a junior, Njoku came
in fifth place at the New Balance
Outdoor Nationals. Being there was
special, but he was disappointed in
his finish. He returned the following
season and closed his varsity career
as national champion by matching
his 7-foot-1 personal best.
“I love to compete, and this is
competition,” Njoku says. “We’ve got
to push each other to be the best we
can be, and at the end of the day,
whatever happens, happens. But I’m
definitely ready to work to be the
best.” n
MEACHAM; BASKETBALL:
PAGE)
TRIPLE THREAT In addition to football, Njoku also shined in track and field and basketball while at Cedar Grove High School.