Jamil Demby is going coast-to-coast.
Demby, a four-year starter at left tackle for the University of Maine, was selected in the sixth round Saturday by the Los Angeles Rams with the 192nd pick of the NFL draft.
“I’m ecstatic. It’s just crazy,” said Demby, who watched the final day of the draft with family and friends at his home in Vineland, New Jersey. “I’m going to a beautiful place, I have family out there, it’s going to be great. I can’t explain how awesome it is.”
He said as the draft progressed Saturday into the sixth round, he was still excited at the prospect of getting picked, not frustrated. Then the phone rang and, Demby said, the voice on the other end asked him, “Are you ready to be a Ram?”
The reaction? “It got crazy and loud here,” he said.
Demby is the 17th UMaine player selected in the NFL draft. He’s the first Maine draft pick since Trevor Bates of Westbrook was selected in the seventh round by Indianapolis in 2016.
Demby, who will graduate in May with a degree in kinesiology, visited with the Rams recently and made an impression. He will be reunited with Liam Coen, who was Maine’s offensive coordinator the last two years and is now an assistant with Los Angeles.
“I don’t think there’s a better spot,” said Maine Coach Joe Harasymiak. “This was a great day for Maine football, for Jamil and for his family. His work ethic and character carried him to this point. Now he’s going to get it done. He’s got the ability. I know he can play there.”
Demby, 6-foot-5, 335 pounds, was invited to play in the NFLPA Collegiate Bowl and the Senior Bowl, where his performance against some of the best players in the nation earned him an invite to the NFL combine. He was just the sixth Black Bear player to attend the combine.
His performance there opened more eyes and earned him a 5.52 prospect grade, which translates into “a chance to become an NFL starter.”
He was projected as a fourth-round pick, his strength coming as a pass blocker. Many scouts have said he likely would play guard in the NFL.
Either one will be fine, said Harasymiak: “I think he can play tackle, I think he can play guard.”
Demby doesn’t care where he plays. “I know what I have to do when I get there,” he said. “I need to soak in everything they give me, the playbook, and go there and compete, and show that I belong. That’s what I’ve been doing my whole life.”
While he didn’t know who was going to draft him, Demby said he felt a bond with the Rams when he visited.
“The atmosphere, the vibe, it was very welcoming,” he said. “For them to call, it was perfect, a blessing.”
Demby appeared in 42 games with UMaine. As a senior he was the leader on an offensive line that allowed the fewest sacks in the Colonial Athletic Association (19) and opened holes for the nation’s leading Football Championship Subdivision rusher, Josh Mack.
He became a first-team all-CAA selection and was named to the all-New England Football team. He also was named to the Phil Steele FCS All-America first team and the STATS FCS All-America second team.
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