Watch: Top NFL rookie does the incredible for his new city just days after draft
Everything broke exactly the way the New York Jets hoped.
Cleveland took Oklahoma quarterback Baker Mayfield with the top overall pick in the NFL draft.
The Giants decided that they could still win with Eli Manning but couldn’t live without Penn State running back Saquon Barkley.
Which left Sam Darnold for Gang Green.
The “Suck for Sam” campaign had paid off.
Time will tell if Darnold will even get on the field this year or just learn from watching starter Josh McCown.
But it looks like the 20-year-old from USC is kicking off his Jets career on a perfect note.
Just two days after officially becoming the face of the franchise, Darnold was spreading good cheer for a great cause.
#Jets first-round pick Sam Darnold spent Saturday afternoon surprising young fans at a New Jersey pediatric hospital. #NFLDraft #USC https://t.co/hlki0CQOh0 pic.twitter.com/Y2QGY0f12N
— AP NFL (@AP_NFL) April 28, 2018
Darnold led a contingent of Jets to the Goryeb Children’s Hospital in New Jersey, the home for young patients battling illnesses including cancer.
The kids had no idea that they were getting a visitor, let alone one of the hottest names in New York sports.
Darnold met several children and parents, even taking pictures with one boy who was wearing a Giants sweatshirt.
More Sam at Goryeb Children's Hospital with our little heroes. #NFLDraft #Jets #JetUp #SamDarnold pic.twitter.com/DQFa0Wgr2s
— Atlantic Health (@AtlanticHealth) April 28, 2018
He was able to make up for the disappointment felt by Raymond Schwartz.
The 14-year-old was scheduled to announce the Jets’ fourth-round pick from the hospital, but technical difficulties prevented it from happening.
Instead, Raymond got to spend time with the team’s new quarterback, which only intensified his Jets fandom.
“You get told they’re not going to the Super Bowl. I say, ‘You don’t know that.’ Sometimes they have good years, and sometimes they have bad years. … You’ve got to keep strong and have a positive attitude,” he said. “I keep on looking to the future, and hope it’s going to be all good.”
Darnold, of course, will be judged on touchdowns and interceptions, wins and losses, but everyone would agree that his career in New York is off to a great start.
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