Notre Dame receiver Miles Boykin encouraged by second-round grade

INDIANAPOLIS — Notre Dame receiver Miles Boykin didn’t get the star treatment Friday at the NFL Scouting Combine. He sat at a table for interviews while other receivers stood at podiums.

But Boykin remains confident in his decision to forgo his final year of eligibility at Notre Dame and enter the NFL Draft.

“[The NFL’s college advisory committee] gave me a second-round grade,” Boykin said. “That’s why I’m here. I feel like I can compete with the best.”

Once a prized recruit from Providence, Boykin became Notre Dame’s best receiver last season, catching 59 passes for 872 yards and eight touchdowns. His connection with quarterback Ian Book was instrumental in Notre Dame’s success. After an undefeated regular season, Notre Dame lost to Clemson in the College Football Playoff.

“When I went to Notre Dame, I had two things I wanted to do, and that was graduate and win a national championship,” Boykin said. “For me, we had a chance to win a national championship this year, and it didn’t pan out the way we wanted it to.

“We had a great season, though. And I’m graduating in May, so I accomplished what I wanted to accomplish from Notre Dame. I couldn’t ask for anything more.”

At 6-3 and 220 pounds, Boykin said he patterns himself after former Lions star Calvin Johnson. They’ve spoken on the phone several times.

“He just talked about being a big-bodied receiver,” Boykin said. “The biggest thing was separation at the top of your route. Sometimes we’re not the fastest guys in the world, but we’re definitely going to be able to create separation at the top by being strong and physical.”

Stick to football

Oklahoma quarterback Kyler Murray said there is “no turning back” on his decision to pursue an NFL career instead of baseball. The Athletics drafted Murray with the ninth overall pick in last year’s draft.

“It’s a final decision,” Murray said. “I’m 100 percent in.”

Murray was asked whether the 13-year, $330 million deal that Bryce Harper and the Phillies agreed to on Thursday led to second thoughts.

“How much money is that a year?” said Murray, who is considered one of the best quarterbacks in this year’s draft. “Everybody makes a big deal about it because it says $300 million. There’s quarterbacks making more money than him a year.”

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Money matters

The NFL and the NFL players’ union agreed to a $188.2 million salary cap for the 2019 season. According to current projections from OverTheCap.com, the Bears have approximately $13.6 million in cap space. Five teams are projected to have less.