Duke quarterback Anthony Boone did not hear his name called during the three-day NFL draft in Chicago, but it did not take him much time to rejoin one of his Blue Devil teammates.
Boone will join the Detroit Lions as an undrafted free agent and will have the opportunity to compete for a spot on the team's roster, one of multiple Blue Devils to find an NFL home in free agency Saturday. The Weddington, N.C., native will reunite with with offensive guard Laken Tomlinson, who was selected by the Lions in the first round of the draft Thursday night.
Boone guided the Blue Devils to 19 wins in the past two seasons and leaves Durham as the winningest signal-caller in school history. The 6-foot, 225-pound quarterback was a dual threat for head coach David Cutcliffe, throwing for 5,789 yards and 38 touchdowns and rushing for 800 yards and 16 more scores on the ground.
Former Duke wide receiver Jamison Crowder—Boone's most explosive weapon the past two seasons—also landed a spot with a professional team Saturday. The speedster was selected by the Washington Redskins in the fourth round, 105th overall.
Crowder will not be heading to the nation's capital alone, though, as offensive tackle Takoby Cofield will join him in Washington as an undrafted free agent.
The program also announced Saturday evening that former defensive end Jordan DeWalt-Ondijo is headed to Philadelphia to join the Eagles as a free agent and former wide receiver Issac Blakeney will join the San Francisco 49ers as a free agent.
Sunday afternoon it was announced that linebacker David Helton will be a New York Jet, bringing the count to five former Blue Devils that have signed since the draft ended.
Defensive end Dezmond Johnson continued the eventual weekend for former Duke players, agreeing to a deal with Cincinnati, the team announced Sunday evening.
The Blue Devils run continued into the week when former Duke running back Josh Snead agreed to a deal with the Denver Broncos Monday.
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