WHEN THE Vikings drafted 6'4", 227-pound wide receiver Moritz Boehringer (above) in the sixth round, the Schwäbisch Hall Unicorns' star became the first player to go directly from a European league to the NFL. The Stuttgart native is the sixth current German-grown player in the league. Here are the paths the others took and what they've done since arriving.
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KASIM EDEBALI HAMBURG | The son of a U.S. military officer, his two years of high school ball in the States won him a scholarship to B.C. | The Saints signed the undrafted 6'2", 253-pound outside linebacker in 2014, and in two seasons he has 43 tackles and seven sacks. |
MARKUS KUHN MANNHEIM | He first played at 14 while on vacation in Florida, and his stint with a club team earned him a scholarship to N.C. State. | Drafted in the seventh round in '12 by the Giants, the 6'4", 303-pound DT made 48 tackles in four seasons and signed with the Patriots this spring. |
MARK NZEOCHA ANABACH | He started at 13 and earned a spot on the national team for the 2009 Junior World Cup. He then starred at Wyoming. | A 6'3", 239-pound linebacker, he went to the Cowboys in the seventh round in 2015. After recovering from a right knee injury, he played in two games last season. |
SEBASTIAN VOLLMER KAARST | He joined the Düsseldorf Panther at 14 and played at Houston after appearing in the Global Junior Championships. | After being All-Conference USA, the 6'8" 320-pounder was selected by the Patriots in the second round in 2009. He is now the Pats' starting right tackle. |
BJOERN WERNER BERLIN | He started playing club football at 12 and earned a scholarship to FSU while playing at a U.S. prep school. | In 2013 the Colts made the 6'3" 260-pounder the first German taken in a first round. In 38 career games Werner, a free agent, has 81 tackles and 6½ sacks. |
PHOTO
BEN LIEBENBERG/AP (BOEHRINGER)
