Bears rookie defensive lineman Jarron Gilbert became a YouTube star when the video of him jumping out of a pool was viewed more than 1 million times. But now Redskins rookie wide receiver Keith Eloi has a video making the case that he -- and not Gilbert -- deserves the title of best YouTube jump by an NFL rookie.
Above is Eloi's jump, from the ground into the back of a pickup truck, complete with commentary from a friend of Eloi's who accuses Gilbert of faking his jump: "Dude that jumped out of the pool ain't got nothing on my dog, man. That's fake. This real right here. No mirrors, no nothing."
Les Carpenter of the Washington Post reports on how the pickup truck jump came to be:
"I was definitely not trying to look like a fool," the Redskins wide receiver said yesterday afternoon, with a mournful shake of his head. "Instead of, 'Oh, wow, that's the guy who jumped in the truck' it would be 'Oh . . . he beat up his face right before his pro day.' "I believe Gilbert's jump is real, and I believe it's more impressive than Eloi's jump. Gilbert's jump is below; you can be the judge.
But desperation can make a young athlete do a lot of mindless things in the name of getting noticed and after a San Jose State defensive tackle named Jarron Gilbert gained instant fame before this spring's draft by posting a video of himself leaping from a swimming pool, the players working out with Eloi suggested he do something to show off his vertical leap, which has been measured at 44 inches....
He has been told that Redskins owner Daniel Snyder and Executive Vice President of Football Operations Vinny Cerrato had seen the YouTube video, though he has no idea if it made an impression on them. All he knows is that on the morning of the final minicamp practice, as he walked between fields, Cerrato pulled him aside and said, "We really like what we've seen of you, and we're going to sign you this week."




