Sam Darnold was only 2 years old when his grandfather passed

Jacquizz Rodgers Jersey White , so he never got to know the Marlboro Man.Dick Hammer left behind a legacy of larger-than-life tales, though, and the New York Jets' newest quarterback has heard them all. Family gatherings have been filled with the stories of Hammer's athletic accomplishments as a college basketball player and a U.S Olympian in volleyball, his bravery as a firefighter and his creative side as an actor."My mom always tells me how much I remind her of him," Darnold said Friday during his introductory news conference as the No. 3 overall pick of the NFL draft at the Jets' training facility.Darnold's mother Chris, sitting in the front row with her husband Mike and daughter Franki, wiped tears from her eyes as Sam mentioned his late grandfather."When Sam was really little, we used to tease him because we would say he got all the DNA because he could do anything," said Chris Darnold, wearing a Jets cap. "He was big like his dad, got his dad's girth. He got my dad's agility and athletic ability. My dad was the type of person that could pick up a game by just watching someone play."Sam's a lot like that."
#Jets first-round pick Sam Darnold reminds his mother of his late grandfather Dick Hammer, a former U.S. Olympic volleyball player who was also the Marlboro Man. More from @DWAZ73: t.co/iBfJp4B4v8 pic.4UkYYa3Sfe— AP NFL (@AP_NFL) April 27, 2018
Hammer was 69 when he died in October 1999, just four months after Sam's second birthday. He played basketball at USC and helped lead the Trojans to the 1954 Final Four. Hammer picked up volleyball after his hoops days were over and ended up making the United States' 1964 Olympic volleyball team that competed in Tokyo.He was a captain in the L.A. County Fire Department and played Captain Dick Hammer — yep, named after himself — in the first season of the 1970's television drama "Emergency!" Hammer also landed a gig as the cowboy hat-wearing Marlboro Man in the cigarette company's advertising campaigns, despite not being a regular smoker.It is that innate ability to pick up anything and excel at it that Darnold's mom has always seen in her son, who was also a terrific basketball player in high school."An example was when (Sam) played in a volleyball tournament with my daughter, who was playing in college (at Rhode Island) at the time and she was missing out on a partner for co-ed doubles," Chris said. "He was all like, 'Uh, sure, OK, I'll go play some volleyball.' We're watching them play and they got to the playoffs and he's doing all these dinking serves and playing like he's been playing his whole life. That is a lot of what my Dad was like."Dick Hammer would certainly think his grandson is a chip off the old block. And, Darnold now has a chance to create his own legacy.The former USC star quarterback from Capistrano Beach, California, played just two seasons for the Trojans, but showed enough eye-popping ability as a playmaking passer to be rated by many as the No. 1 player at his position heading into the draft.Darnold is now tasked with helping lift a franchise that has been seeking a savior since the glory days of Joe Namath nearly 50 years ago. The Jets have been to just one Super Bowl — you know, the one Broadway Joe delivered after his guarantee in 1969. That's a lot of pressure for a kid who won't even turn 21 until June, but Darnold is becoming fully aware of what he's getting into."Winning a Super Bowl is everyone's goal entering a season, whether I'm a backup or whether I'm starting quarterback," he said. "Everyone on the team wants to win a Super Bowl. That's the goal for everyone. Anything short of that is a failure, and we're aware of that. Everyone's aware of that. And whatever my role is, I'm going to star in that role to work us toward that Super Bowl."Darnold already has a prominent place in Jets history, being the highest-drafted quarterback by the team since the 1970 AFL-NFL merger."Getting that phone call, it changed my life," Darnold said. "I know it's going to change my life, and I'm very confident here that we're going to win some games, and I think I'm going to be here for a long time."Coach Todd Bowles said Thursday night after New York drafted Darnold that the team won't necessarily throw him into the fire, but also won't hold him back. That means the rookie could have a chance at starting if he can beat out veterans Josh McCown, the starter last year, and Teddy Bridgewater, who's still recovering from a knee injury that threatened his career nearly two years ago."There's a ton of room for growth, and that's the thing I'm really excited about," Darnold said. "Just being 20 years old, I know that there's a lot of room for growth, but I'm also very confident in my ability to go out there and play. But that being said, I'm going to do what the coaches ask me to do, and I'm going to come in here and learn right away and just go about it that way."NOTES: The Jets announced they released wide receiver-kick returner JoJo Natson, wide receiver Damore'ea Stringfellow, offensive tackle Korren Kirven and punter Ben Turk. When your offense requires big plays and plenty of passing Brent Grimes Jersey , there are never enough wide receiver prospects" />Skip to main contentclockmenumore-arrownoyesBucs Nation homepageHorizontal - WhiteBucs Nationa Tampa Bay Buccaneers communityFollow Bucs Nation online:Follow Bucs Nation on TwitterFollow Bucs Nation on FacebookLog in or sign upLog InSign UpSite searchSearchSearchBucs Nation main menuFanpostsFanshotsSectionsBuccaneersOddsAboutMastheadCommunity GuidelinesStubHubMoreAll 321 blogs on Horizontal - WhiteFanposts Fanshots Sections 2016 NFL DraftInjuriesFree AgencyGame FilmJuston Christian: The FCS Wide Receiver The Buccaneers Should TargetWhen your offense requires big plays and plenty of passing, there are never enough wide receiver prospectsEDTEvery year there are small-school guys who make NFL rosters, so we can assume sooner or later it’ll stop being a surprise and it’ll just be a thing. Until then, guys like Juston Christian will continue to fly under the national spotlight and look for their opportunities to shine for whoever gives them the chance, whenever they get the chance.Ali Marpet is a small-school player who has found success in the NFL. Last year, the Tampa Bay Buccaneers took a flier on Justin Watson out of the Ivy League to try and find some receiver talent. Time will tell if he can make a similar impact or not.Christian is one more guy who’s going to get his opportunity to make it as a professional football player, just about this much is known. He may have been a secret not too long ago, but his name is gaining some traction and has certainly grabbed the attention of some NFL teams.Participating at the University of Buffalo Pro Day recently, Christian reportedly turned in a sub 4.4 40-yard dash.As a freshman in 2015, Christian brought in 35 receptions gaining 826-yards and scoring six times. He improved in catches and yards in each of the next two seasons while maintaining solid touchdown production.With the Marist Red Foxes football team, he turned in four years of play and improved every season. Head coach, Jim Parady told me, “He was always a guy that could run right by a defensive back at our level, and what he really improved on was his route running. He’s a real student of the game. Loves to study coverages and the man that he’s going against and that was the biggest part that I saw in his development over his four years is his ability to break down a defensive back and not just run by him.”In 2018, the Senior turned in his second-straight 1,000+ yard season, averaged over 20-yards per reception for the third time in his career and busted the ceiling open with 15-touchdowns in his final act.Pretty nice way to go out.Through it all, he’s shown solid feet with the ability to get in and out of breaks quickly without losing much if any of his speed. His feet don’t cap out in their running motion though and several times over the course of his career he was found tight roping the sideline or showing off some “Toe Drag Swag” (Hello, GMFB) thoroughly impressing his teammates and fans while frustrating his opponents.What stood out to me more than anything when watching what I could find however, is how he uses his brain playing the game. This may sound strange, but follow me here.Some receivers, especially when playing against less than stellar athletic ability, can rely too much on their own physical talent to basically overpower their opponent. While the stats will still be there, what will be missing inevitably is a demonstration of football IQ and next level ability.Christian doesn't seem to do this. Instead, you can find plays over and over again where he uses his feet, his release, his stem development and the defenders own movements against him.Just like coach Parady referenced in his development with the team, he also commented on how his football IQ has been a focal point of his NFL preparation, “Obviously we’re not going to see as many coverages as what he’s going to be exposed to at the next level, and that was one of the things that I think he attacked after he got done with us in November,” Parady said about Christian’s studying of NFL coverages.He followed up by saying, “What he’s been doing in the last three or four months here, he’s actually exposed himself to it in his training methods. So, I think in that part he’s really grown in that area.”Turning and stacking cornerbacks looks easy when done right. He makes it look easy. Taking inside leverage on a safety who’s lined up inside of the break and is trying to hold inside position is no easy task. But Christian does it, over and over again. Now he’ll have to learn how to do the same at the NFL level, and it’s encouraging to know he’s already preparing to face professional competition.When The Draft Network and USA Today both do profiles on you talking about how you’re the best kept secret in this year’s draft, I think the secret may be out.But this isn’t a day one receiver. He’s probably not even a day two pick. I don’t think he’ll make it into the undrafted free-agent pool though, and this fact makes him the ultimate value pick.He’s already got a lot of ability and a strong base of talent to springboard off of. Given NFL caliber coaching and peers to learn from like Mike Evans and Chris Godwin, he’ll be able to refine some of those raw skills he already brings to the table and turn them into a career as a professional wide receiver.Christian has already talked to the Washington Redskins, Miami Dolphins and Tennessee Titans according to his conversation with DraftWire’s Justin Melo. The New York Giants and Baltimore Ravens are also teams who have shown interest in the FCS talent.Recently, the Buccaneers had wide receiver Marquise Brown in for a visit. Most would think the area ‘Hollywood’ will get drafted is a bit high for a team like Tampa Bay to invest in the position.This may be true, but the team is doing their due diligence, and if they’re looking at a speed threat who is going to go in the first two-rounds, then a sub 4.4 guy with physicality and production on day three is definitely on their radar.What are the Tampa Bay Buccaneers going to get if they draft him? According to Christian himself speaking with Melo, Speed, intelligence, desire, and he’s played both outside and in the lost. Sounds like a Bruce Arians type of prospect if you ask me.