Former Georgia safety Lewis Cine was selected with the 32nd overall pick in April’s NFL draft by the Minnesota Vikings, making him the final first round pick of the night.
However, according to Cine, if one team had kept their word he would not have made it all the way to No. 32.
“I had a team at twenty-seven. They know who they are. I ain’t gonna’ say no names. It was at twenty-seven,” Cine said, during an appearance on The Richard Sherman Podcast.
“The whole process—if you’re there, we’re gonna pick you. They moved down to the first pick of the second round. I was like, damn, they did me just so dirty.”
Cine may not have said any names, but it’s clear he is talking about the Tampa Bay Buccaneers. The Bucs had the 27th overall pick but traded down to No. 33 during the first night of the draft. Trades and broken promises are not uncommon on draft night, but it left a bad taste in Cine’s mouth.
There’s certainly the chance that Tampa Bay was thinking it could still get the guy it wanted, Cine, with the first pick of the second round. Minnesota and general manager Kwesi Adofo-Mensah squashed those plans when he took the Georgia safety at No. 32.
Cine agreed to terms with his new franchise on Wednesday, according to Adam Schefter.
Per Schefter, Cine signed a four-year, fully guaranteed $11,494,155 deal with the Vikings.
As Schefter points out, the NFLPA had been advocating for late first round picks to have their contract fully-guaranteed. Cine’s contract could be the first of the new norm in the NFL.
Cine was the defensive MVP of Georgia’s National Championship, and he recorded 7 of his team-leading 73 tackles in the College Football Playoff National Championship. He is sure to be a standout safety at the next level as well.
