Cal's Patrick McMorris drafted; Jackson Sirmon, Matthew Cindric sign as FAs
Make it five years in a row Cal has had a defensive back selected in the NFL draft, as Bears safety Patrick McMorris was picked in the sixth round Saturday by the Miami Dolphins.
While he was the only Bear drafted, linebacker Jackson Sirmon signed as an undrafted free agent with the New York Jets, offensive lineman Matthew Cindric signed with the Minnesota Vikings and wide receiver Monroe Young has been invited to the San Francisco 49ers' rookie minicamp.
With McMorris' selection with the 198th overall pick Saturday, six out of Cal's last eight draftees have been defensive backs -- safety Ashtyn Davis (third round to the New York Jets in 2020), safety Jaylinn Hawkins (fourth round by the Atlanta Falcons in 2020), cornerback Camryn Bynum (fourth round to the Minnesota Vikings in 2021), safety Elijah Hicks (seventh round to the Chicago Bears in 2022), safety Daniel Scott (fifth round to the Indianapolis Colts last year) and now McMorris.
"Being able to get that call was definitely an amazing experience," McMorris said, joining reporters over Zoom Saturday. "I'm still kind of shocked and definitely happy."
Actually, there was a little more to it ...
"It was a weird thing. I've been getting spam calls and I thought this was just another one because I picked up and nothing went through for a couple seconds, so hung up and then they called back again. It was definitely a little weird experience right there, but yeah, that whole phone call, it's just so surreal. You watch it on TV, you watch these guys get picked year in and year out, and seeing those videos of them getting the call, and kind of now you're being in that moment, it was definitely just a crazy experience.
"It was a dream of mine to get drafted and be able to play in the NFL. ... I'm still just a little shaking right now, but I'm definitely happy."
McMorris said he watched the whole third day of the draft, counting how many safeties were drafted along the way.
"Just kind of hoping a team would take a chance on me and I'm glad the Dolphins did," he said.
McMorris spent his first four seasons at San Diego State before transferring to Cal for his final season. He was one of three Bears defensive players to start every game this past season and finished with a career-high-tying 90 tackles, a career-high 4.5 tackles for loss, his lone career sack, one interception, a team-high eight pass breakups, two forced fumbles and two fumble recoveries.
McMorris talked about the impact he felt his season at Cal had on his draft stock.
"I think it helped me tremendously, just being able to show that I can learn a whole new playbook in a short amount of time, be able to play in the Pac-12 when you have all these great quarterbacks who played this year, and kind of transitioning from a more interior safety where I was at San Diego State to a more traditional safety," he said. "... I think it was definitely a big help for me, and again, just with Cal's record bringing out safeties it was definitely a help."
Meanwhile, here's what Cindric, Sirmon and Young said about their opportunities ...
Matthew Cindric: "The Vikings just were the best fit and made the most sense. ... I think the first thing, scheme-wise, a lot of zone, some of the wide zone concepts that fit my speed and athleticism well. I think the roster, there's definitely some need for interior offensive linemen, so hopefully I can go in there and just help out in that interior and help them get a little stronger, a little bit faster."
Jackson Sirmon: "After the draft was over, the whole free agency thing starts. My agent had talked to the Jets, I got a phone call from them and they basically said they were excited to have me on board and I said I was excited to come out there and have an opportunity and that was pretty much it. ... They have some really talented linebackers that I'd love to learn from. Obviously, there's a little disappointment with not getting drafted -- everyone wants to get drafted -- but like I said, the important thing is getting an opportunity and I'm excited for that."
Monroe Young: "You basically go there for a minicamp, which is three days, and it's basically just a tryout, and you're there with the other rookies and you're competing for a spot and a contract on the team. ... I just view it as taking it one step at a time and taking full advantage of this opportunity, because this is all that I was asking for and I'm going to make the most out of it."