It was a record day for ex-area stars in the NFL draft as eight players who graduated from high schools in the News4JAX coverage area were selected on Saturday, including one by the Jaguars.
Eight area players who graduated from schools in the News4JAX coverage region were selected on Saturday, including Baker County High School graduate Cooper Hodges by the Jaguars.
It was expected that 2023 would be a significant year for area players in the draft, but the numbers surpassed what had been done in any other previous year. In 1987, 2002, 2010 and ‘18, the area had six players with local ties selected. And in 2017, seven players from area high schools were taken. This year eclipsed that by one.
Chamarri Conner , Stetson Bennett , Will Mallory , Warren McClendon , Xavier Hutchinson , Demario Douglas , Ameer Speed and Hodges were taken on Saturday.Former Bradford and Fleming Island player DeWayne McBride was taken in the seventh round. He later transferred and finished his career out in the Gainesville area. And Isaiah Bolden, who spent the early portion of his high school days at Bartram Trail before transferring to the Tampa area, was also a seventh-round pick.
In 2017, the area had seven players with local ties selected — Jarrad Davis , DeMarcus Walker , David Sharpe , Will Holden , Nathan Peterman , Caleb Brantley and Isaiah Ford — which remained the all-time standard for area players being taken.Pick, Pos., Player, NFL team, College, Local tie
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