One in every nine NFL draft picks this year played high school football in Georgia as the state had 30 players taken among 262 total last week in Las Vegas.
Georgia had the second-most picks nationwide behind Texas, which had 32, while outdistancing California (22), Florida (21) and Ohio (13), according to High School Football America.
The 30 is tied for the most in state history as 30 also went in the 2015 draft. Georgia had 29 players taken in 2017 but only 21 the past two years. The average number this century is 17, according to Georgia High School Football Daily research.
Cedar Grove, a DeKalb County school with four Class 3A titles over the past six seasons, produced three NFL draft players, the most of any Georgia school. They were Virginia tight end Jelani Woods, Western Kentucky linebacker DeAngelo Malone and Georgia guard Justin Shaffer. Woods was a 6-foot-7 quarterback on Cedar Grove’s 2016 championship team but changed positions in college.
Schools with two draft picks were Archer (Clemson cornerback Andrew Booth and North Carolina guard Joshua Ezeudu), Cherokee (Samford receiver Montrell Washington and UCLA running back Brittain Brown) and Marist (Notre Dame safety Kyle Hamilton and Georgia tight end John FitzPatrick).
Archer and Cherokee had never had NFL draft picks until this year. Others who were the first drafted from their schools were Travon Walker of Upson-Lee, Damarion Williams of Community Christian and Mark Robinson of Lee County.
Walker, a defensive end from Georgia picked by the Jacksonville Jaguars, was the second straight No. 1 overall pick from the state and the fourth in history. Cartersville’s Trevor Lawrence went to the Jaguars last season. Westlake’s Cam Newton (2011) and Duluth’s George Rogers (1981) are the others.
Georgia’s production of NFL players has skyrocketed over the past 20 years or so. The average number of draft picks from Georgia was 11.5 in the 1990s and 10.3 in the 1980s.
First round
1 … DE … Travon Walker … Upson-Lee … Georgia … Jaguars
14 … S … Kyle Hamilton … Marist … Notre Dame … Ravens
22 … LB … Quay Walker … Crisp County … Georgia … Packers
28 … DT … Devonte Wyatt … Towers … Georgia … Packers
Second round
42 … CB … Andrew Booth Jr. … Archer … Clemson … Vikings
Third round
67 … G … Joshua Ezeudu … Archer … North Carolina … Giants
73 … TE … Jelani Woods … Cedar Grove … Virginia … Colts
82 … OLB … DeAngelo Malone … Cedar Grove … Western Kentucky … Falcons
86 … QB … Malik Willis … Roswell … Liberty … Titans
90 … G … Dylan Parham … Carrollton … Memphis … Raiders
100 … DE … Myjai Sanders … Camden County … Cincinnati … Cardinals
Fourth round
107 … RB … Dameon Pierce … Bainbridge … Florida … Texans
133 … P … Jake Camarda … Norcross … Georgia … Buccaneers
141 … CB … Damarion Williams … Community Christian … Houston … Ravens
143 … TE … Chigoziem Okonkwo … Hillgrove … Maryland … Titans
Fifth round
162 … WR … Montrell Washington … Cherokee … Samford … Broncos
179 … OLB … Kingsley Enagbare … Hapeville Charter … South Carolina … Packers
Sixth round
183 … RB … Kevin Harris … Bradwell Institute … South Carolina … Patriots
190 … G … Justin Shaffer … Cedar Grove … Georgia … Falcons
195 … G … Jamaree Salyer … Pace Academy … Georgia … Chargers
208 … FB … Connor Heyward … Peachtree Ridge … Michigan State … Steelers
213 … TE … John FitzPatrick … Marist … Georgia … Falcons
215 … G … Lecitus Smith … Fitzgerald … Virginia Tech … Cardinals
Seventh round
225 … LB … Mark Robinson … Lee County … Ole Miss … Steelers
228 … LB … Tariq Carpenter … Long County … Georgia Tech … Packers
231 … LB … Baylon Spector … Calhoun … Clemson … Bills
243 … CB … Jaylen Watson … Laney … Washington State … Chiefs
244 … CB … Christian Matthew … Chattahoochee … Valdosta State … Cardinals
240 … CB … Christian Holmes … McNair … Oklahoma State … Commanders
250 … RB … Brittain Brown … Cherokee … UCLA … Raiders
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