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Michigan wide receiver Amara Darboh (82) reacts after making the game winning touchdown against Wisconsin in the second half at Michigan Stadium on Saturday, October 1, 2016.
(Melanie Maxwell | The Ann Arbor News)
ANN ARBOR - Amara Darboh was born in Sierra Leone and orphaned by civil war.
The former Michigan wide receiver is now headed to the NFL after being picked by the Seattle Seahawks with the No. 42 selection in the third round (No. 106 overall) of the draft on Friday.
Darboh, 6-foot-2, 214 pounds, will head West to join former Michigan teammate Delano Hill, a safety who was the No. 31 pick in the third round (No. 95 overall) by Seattle. He also became the sixth Michigan player drafted this year and fourth in the third round.
Safety Jabrill Peppers was picked No. 25 in the first round by the Cleveland Browns on Thursday, followed by defensive end Taco Charlton at No. 28 to the Dallas Cowboys. Defensive end Chris Wormley was picked No. 10 in the third round (No. 74 overall) by the Baltimore Ravens and Jourdan Lewis was No. 28 in the third round (No. 92 overall) by the Cowboys, followed by Hill and Darboh. That's the most Michigan players drafted in a year since seven in 2008 and there's still rounds four through seven on Saturday.
"I'm very fortunate to be in this position," Darboh said after Michigan's pro day in Ann Arbor in March. "I remember in high school I didn't think I was going to go to college (for football) and then in college early on I didn't think I was going to get an opportunity to go into the NFL.
"I'm not satisfied right now because there's still more work to be done but it just feels good. All the hard work that I'm putting in is paying off and I'm going to keep working hard and hopefully it keeps paying off."
Darboh, who moved to the United States at age 7, is a former four-star recruit from Dowling Catholic High School in West Des Moines, Iowa. He finished his Michigan career with 151 receptions (ninth most in program history) for 2,062 yards and 14 touchdowns in 49 games. Darboh had at least one reception in his final 33 games with the Wolverines, which is the fourth-longest streak in program history.
After appearing in 11 games as a true freshman, mostly at special teams, Darboh missed the entire 2013 season due to a foot injury. He made eight starts as a redshirt sophomore and recorded 36 catches for 473 yards and two touchdowns.
Darboh had a breakout season in 2015 as he became Michigan's top receiver and racked up 58 catches for 727 yards and five touchdowns and was named an All-Big Ten honorable mention. As a fifth-year senior, he led the Wolverines with 57 receptions for 862 yards and seven touchdowns and was selected to the All-Big Ten second team.
Darboh was selected to play in the Senior Bowl and was one of 14 Michigan players invited to the NFL combine in March where he flashed impressive speed with a 4.45 in the 40-yard dash.
"I started playing football late and I feel like my ceiling is high, still," Darboh said in March. "I'm going to keep getting better every year as I've shown every year. Also, my knowledge of the game. I was fortunate to be around coaches to teach me the game and I spent my time watching film and all of that so I'm trying to show all those things and that I'm a coachable guy and I'm going to help the team."