Jaguars draft Gamecocks’ A.J. Cann (+ video)
A.J. Cann talked to Jacksonville Jaguars general manager David Caldwell, coach Gus Bradley and offensive line coach Doug Marrone on Friday night.
Now, he’s hoping someone from the Jaguars sends him an email with all the details he thinks they told him after calling shortly before 10 p.m. to tell him he they had selected him with the third pick of the third round, No. 67 overall in the NFL Draft.
“I was all over the place,” Cann said. “I heard so many things. My head was just spinning.”
Cann hosted a party at the Courtyard Marriott in downtown Columbia. Around 50 people attended the event, and Cann watched most of the evening’s picks while sitting with his father, Isiah, near the back of the room. He wore a pin with a picture of his mother Catherine, who died when Cann was a sophomore at Bamberg Ehrhardt High.
After he received the call from the Jaguars, Cann was surrounded by hugging family members.
“I tried to hold it in, but then I was like, ‘Forget it, it’s coming out,’” Cann said. “I got a little teary-eyed.”
He became the first Gamecock offensive lineman taken in the first three rounds of the draft since Travelle Wharton in 2004. The sixth offensive guard taken in this year’s draft, Cann became the 101st player coached by Steve Spurrier to be selected in the NFL Draft.
“It was beginning to get a little bit stressful,” Cann said. “I was prepared for the second round. After the last pick in the second round, I was like, ‘Dang.’ It’s been my dream since I was 6 years old. The time is now, and I am just ready to go.”
The Jaguars took SEC players in each of the first three rounds, taking Florida defensive lineman Dante Fowler in the first round and Alabama running back T.J. Yeldon in the second.
“That’s a pretty good draft class,” Cann said. “I felt like I just benched three million pounds off my chest. I am just ready to get to Jacksonville, just ready to get started. I am not that far from home, my family and friends can see me play. My agent was telling me that Jacksonville was one of the teams that liked me, but I didn’t know.”
Cann was the only South Carolina player taken in the first three rounds. Rounds four through seven will be held Saturday. Running back Mike Davis, offensive lineman Corey Robinson, tight end Rory Anderson, wide receiver Damiere Byrd, defensive tackle J.T. Surratt and quarterback Dylan Thompson hope to hear their names called.
This story was originally published May 1, 2015 at 9:46 PM with the headline "Jaguars draft Gamecocks’ A.J. Cann (+ video)."