Former Sydney Swans prospect Michael Dickson picked up in the NFL Draft

THE Sydney Swans were once grooming Michael Dickson for a future in the AFL, but now he’s found a home in the NFL.

From Texas to Seattle.

FORMER Sydney Swans prospect Michael Dickson has been selected by the Seattle Seahawks with the 149th pick in the NFL Draft,

The 21-year-old Dickson decided to try his luck at American football three years ago, received a scholarship at the University of Texas and quickly became one of US college football’s top punters.

His selection in the fifth round is a stunning result as teams are traditionally reluctant to use their draft picks on punters. NFL scouts and analysts rated the 191cm tall Dickson as the best punter in the draft class.

Dickson proved his supremacy in December when he won the Ray Guy Award, the top accolade for punters in college football.

Doesn’t feel like real life. So honoured and thankful to be a part of the @Seahawks pic.twitter.com/0U5ipSbjDU

— Michael Dickson (@mdcksn) April 28, 2018

Ex-Eagles linebacker Emmanuel Acho called Dickson the best college punter he’s ever seen and plenty of others in the US heaped praise on the young Australian.

The Aussie! Congrats Michael Dickson @mdcksn, best punter I’ve ever seen at the college level! #Hookem #NFLDraft

— Emmanuel Acho (@thEMANacho) April 28, 2018

Michael Dickson is the first punter ever drafted who feels like a huge steal.

— Matt Hinton (@MattRHinton) April 28, 2018

#Seahawks trade up to pick Round 5 Pick 12 and grab the best Punter in the draft with Michael Dickson. This likely means the end of the Jon Ryan era, but also means a very high quality player to replace him #NFLDraft

— The Seahawks Nest (@seahawksnest) April 28, 2018

Michael Dickson is like the Saquon Barkley of punters, and the Seahawks just grabbed him in the fifth. Great pick with underrated value.

— Brett Kollmann (@BrettKollmann) April 28, 2018

Jordan Mailata, Australia’s other top hope in the NFL Draft, was taken with pick 233 by the Super Bowl champion Philadelphia Eagles.

Mailata appeared headed for an NRL career after playing junior rugby league for South Sydney but will now focus on learning a new game.

“I was considered one of the biggest rugby league players,” the 21-year-old told NFL Draft Live after his selection.

The 207cm, 160kg Mailata has no American football experience but his size and ability to run 35m in five seconds attracted attention from numerous teams.

“I started training for the last four months to try and pick up the game of football,” he said. “I am far behind but it is a challenge and it is something I knew I had to take on.”

While the Eagles coaching staff believe Mailata can make it in the NFL as an offensive tackle, it was suggested he also had the skills to play as a tight end.

Read: US falls for 160kg Aussie beast

ONE-HANDED STAR MAKES HISTORY

Shaquem Griffin made NFL history.

Shaquem Griffin has become the first one-handed player to be drafted by an NFL team in the modern era after being selected by the Seattle Seahawks in the fifth round.

The linebacker had his left hand amputated when he was just four, having been born with a condition that prevented the fingers on that hand from fully developing.

Griffin, whose twin brother Shaquill was selected by the Seahawks in the third round last year, was in attendance at Dallas’ AT&T Stadium to hear his name called at the 2018 NFL Draft.

Speaking to Press Association Sport prior to the draft, the 22-year-old from the University of Central Florida had said: “A lot of people are asking, ‘Are you worried about where you’re going to go in the draft? Are you worried about what team you are going to be in?’ “If I can get to a practice, that’s when everyone is going to see who I really am. I’m not worried about where I go, what time I get picked or what team picks me, as long as I get a chance to get to a practice, I’m going to show everybody what I can really do.

“I want to show the entire world, no matter (if you have) one hand, two hands, if you’re a ball player, you just play ball.” Despite his birth defect, Griffin excelled at the college level, winning his conference’s defensive player of the year award in 2016 and then starring for an unbeaten team last season.

He gained worldwide attention at the NFL Combine in March when he ran the ran the quickest 40-yard dash for a linebacker since 2003.

Griffin also bench-pressed 225 pounds (102kg) 20 times, three more than his twin had managed, having attached a prosthetic hand onto the bar, with current NFL defensive stars JJ Watt and Von Miller among those to react in awe on social media.

Originally published as Former Sydney Swans prospect Michael Dickson picked up in the NFL Draft