Miami Hurricanes coach Mario Cristobal gives his thoughts on his players who are in this year's NFL Draft, including Rueben Bain Jr., and Francis Mauigoa
The Miami Hurricanes are expected to have a busy night in the first round of the NFL Draft.
They could see at least three players taken Thursday, including Reuben Bain Jr., Francis Mauigoa and Akheem Mesidor. Hurricanes coach Mario Cristobal gave his thoughts on the night during a pre-draft interview with ESPN.
Cristobal is in attendance in Pittsburgh to cheer on his former players.
"The first message is going to be to them and their families, enjoy your day," Cristobal said. "Because this was earned. All of that hard work has been validated, promises fulfilled. We had an agreement three and four years ago that we were going to work, we were going to win at a high level, we were going to graduate. Then we were going to end up right here in the green room. Today, the day belongs to them. We're here to support them, just take it all in, have fun."
All of the players with first-round aspirations are offensive or defensive lineman. Cristobal said strong play up front is among the aspects he is trying to emphasize in the program.
"I think overall as a program that we have a very unique way of approaching development in the trenches," Cristobal said. "As the years goes by, we feel like we're becoming "that" school, that University that develops those positions at a higher level than anyone else. We have a lot of work to do still. It's another great year in terms of that but that's what we want to be but that validation is right here for everybody to see."
Cristobal also said the teams who draft his players are in for a special treat. He expects all of them to excel at the next level based on the way they performed with the Hurricanes the past few years.
"Relentless competitors," Cristobal said. "These guys, they know how to work. They are super tough. They're really, really smart. And you know what they do? They put team first. They're getting absolute dogs on the field and elite human beings off the field."
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Shandel Richardson is the publisher of MiamiRoundtable. He can be reached at shandelrich@gmail.com