Washington Redskins 2018 first-round pick Daron Payne took a break from football over the weekend, instead turning his attention to another sport for a short time.
The 13th-overall pick traveled to Birmingham, Ala., on Friday to throw out the first pitch at the Birmingham Barons game against the Jackson Generals at Regions Field.
Fellow Alabama alumnus Matt Foster had the honor of catching Payne's first pitch and the Redskins' rookie signed a baseball that was given away in a sweepstake on social media in the sixth inning. 6,286 people attended Friday's game, which was the highest attendance during the weekend's three-game series.
It was a homecoming for Payne, as he grew up in Birmingham and attended high school seven miles away. At Shades Valley High School, the 6-foot-3 defensive lineman turned into a five-star prospect and was rated the No. 1 player in Alabama by Rivals.com.
Payne decide to forgo his senior season at Alabama after receiving Defensive MVP for the Sugar Bowl and the College Football Playoff National Championship, being regarded by scouts as one of the top defensive prospects heading into the draft. The former All-American and the rest of the team have some more time off from football activities before reporting to training camp on July 26.
