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EAST RUTHERFORD, N.J. -- The New York Giants made outside linebacker Oshane Ximines the first Old Dominion player drafted in school history. He was a third-round selection Friday in the 2019 NFL draft. Ximinez was a Conference USA first-team defensive end this past season when he had 18.5 tackles for a loss and 12 sacks. He also had four forced fumbles and 11 in his career. "I'm extremely happy to set that standard for Old Dominion," Ximinez said. "To be the first player drafted, I'm hoping to set a standard and have the tradition continue and have more players drafted in the future." The Monarchs are fairly well represented in the NFL with four other players on rosters. Quarterback Taylor Heinicke (Panthers), long-snapper Rick Lovato (Eagles), offensive tackle Rashaad Coward (Bears) and wide receiver Zach Pascal (Colts) all were undrafted. Ximinez wasn't just drafted. He was a Day 2 selection at No. 95 overall by the Giants. "I figured the NFL was a possibility by my junior year of college," Ximinez said. "Agents started reaching out to me and it started to become a reality. I just tried to work as hard as possible to get picked as high as I could." It worked. Ximinez set Old Dominion records with 33 careers sacks, 51.5 tackles for a loss, 33 quarterback hurries and 11 forced fumbles. It earned him an invite to the Senior Bowl with an opportunity to impress NFL teams. Ximinez, a three-time captain at Old Dominion, ran the 40-yard dash in 4.78 seconds at the NFL scouting combine. "He's got a good first step. He's good with his hands. He's got a good counter moves," Giants coach Pat Shurmur said. "He's developed some pass rush at the college level. He's got it in his body. He's got that initial quickness that you need as a rusher. And then he's got pretty good size." The Giants envision the New York native as an eventual three-down player. On Saturday, wide receiver Travis Fulgham became the second ODU player -- and first offensive player -- to be selected in the draft when the Detroit Lions took the former walk-on in the sixth round.
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