University of Delaware Athletics
Delaware Tight End Nick Boyle Picked by Baltimore in Fifth Round of NFL Draft
5/2/2015 3:53:00 PM | Football
CHICAGO -- Quarterback Joe Flacco will have a fellow University of Delaware alum to throw passes to this fall in Baltimore.
Blue Hen tight end Nick Boyle is a Baltimore Raven now too after he was selected in the fifth round of the National Football League Draft Saturday afternoon. Boyle was the 171st pick overall and the seventh pick by Baltimore.
Flacco, the 2012 Super Bowl MVP and a seven-year starting quarterback with the Ravens, was a first round pick out of Delaware in the 2008 draft following a record-breaking two-year career with the Blue Hens.
A 6-6, 270 lb. native of Wantage, N.J. (High Point Regional HS), Boyle becomes the first Blue Hen player to be drafted since center Gino Gradkowski was selected by the Ravens in the fourth round of the 2011 draft. Gradkowski played three seasons with the Ravens and was a member of the Super Bowl champion team in 2012 with Flacco before being traded to the Denver Broncos this off-season.
"We are all very excited for Nick and his family," said Delaware head coach Dave Brock. "Nick has been a great player and person during his career at UD. Congratulations to the Baltimore Ravens and we look forward to great things from Nick in the future."
Boyle is also the first Delaware tight end to be picked since Ben Patrick was selected by the Arizona Cardinals in the seventh round in 2007. As a fifth-round pick, Boyle becomes the fourth highest drafted UD player in school history, behind only first-round pick Flacco in 2008, fourth-round picks Gradkowski in 2011 and quarterback Rich Gannon (by New England) in 1987, and fifth-round selection, running back Dan Reeder (by the Los Angeles Raiders) in 1985.
Boyle was the second Colonial Athletic Association player selected in the draft, just one spot behind Towson cornerback Tye Smith who was the 170th pick by Seattle.
A three-year starter and a senior co-captain, Boyle capped one of the greatest careers ever by a tight end in Delaware football history. He earned All-American honors by both The Sports Network and Beyond Sports Network following the 2014 season and was one of just tight ends in school history to earn all-conference honors twice.
He was the team's No. 2 receiver in 2014 when he caught 37 passes for 304 yards (8.2 avg.) and four touchdowns and finished his career with 101 catches for 984 yards (9.7 avg.) and 12 touchdowns. He ranks No. 1 all-time in UD history for receptions by a tight end and is No. 2 in yards and touchdowns.
Boyle became just the fourth UD player to play in the Senior Bowl in January in Mobile, Ala. and was just the sixth to take part in the NFL Combine in Indianapolis in February.
FOR MORE INFORMATION: Contact Scott Selheimer | selheime@udel.edu | Office: 302-831-8007 | Cell: 302-562-5129
