Sioux Falls native Nate Gerry was selected in the fifth round of the National Football League draft on Saturday when the Philadelphia Eagles were on the clock.
Gerry is a graduate of Washington high school. He helped lead the Warriors to three state football championships while he was there.
After high school, Gerry attended the University of Nebraska where he played both linebacker and safety for the Cornhuskers.
The Eagles organization has announced they want Gerry to play linebacker for them. NFL Analyst Greg Cosell says linebacker is a more natural fit for Gerry.
"You see a player that’s very well playing downhill, that’s the strength of his game. He’s not at his best as a deep safety, whether it be single high or two shell – that’s not his game," says Cosell. "He’s better much closer to the line of scrimmage."
Gerry is the first Sioux Falls native to be drafted by an NFL team since Larry Jacobson, who graduated Sioux Falls O’Gorman in 1972.