These NFL Draft prospects got their start with South Florida high school football teams

Have you ever been put through a staring contest in a job interview?

It happened to former Hallandale High running back Zach Moss at the NFL Combine in February.

“I think [Seattle Seahawks coaches] wanted to know if I’m an alpha,” said Moss, the first player in Utah history to run for more than 1,000 yards in three different seasons. “They wanted to see if I would back down from a challenge.”

Moss said he lost the staring contest to a Seattle assistant coach.

But, outside of that, everything has been going well for Moss, who is projected to get selected between rounds two and four in this year’s NFL Draft, set for April 23-25. Moss said the San Francisco 49ers and Arizona Cardinals seem most interested in him.

Moss is one of eight former Dade/Broward high school football players projected to get drafted this year, using a seven-round CBS Sports mock selection process as the basis for that statement.

Of those eight players, only one competed for the Miami Hurricanes – cornerback Trajan Bandy (Columbus).

In fact, Columbus leads the way with three players on the list, including cornerback C.J. Henderson (Florida, first round) and defensive end Josh Uche (Michigan, second round).

Hallandale has two projected draftees – Moss (third round) and Utah teammate Tyler Huntley, a quarterback listed as a seventh-rounder.

The other three projected draftees from Dade/Broward are: Alabama wide receiver Jerry Jeudy (Deerfield Beach, first round); Michigan safety Josh Metellus (Flanagan, fifth round); and Florida State cornerback Stanford Samuels III (Flanagan, fifth round).

Miami actually had commitments from Uche and Moss, but coach Al Golden was fired on Oct. 25, 2015. Two weeks after that, Uche reneged on his Miami vow. Two days after that, Moss decommitted.

Henderson, part of the Class of 2017, was also a one-time Hurricanes recruit. But he decommitted in October of 2016.

Mark Richt was hired in December of 2015, but, by then, it was too late to sign Moss or Uche.

Moss, whose cousins Santana and Sinorice Moss played for Miami, said playing time was the biggest issue.

“I felt I could contribute right away for Utah,” said Moss, who also considered Tennessee.

Indeed, Moss started three games as a Utah freshman and became a full-time starter as a sophomore.

He was recruited to Utah by former Miami coach Dennis Erickson, who was the Utes’ co-offensive coordinator at the time.

Erickson left after Moss’ freshman season. Moss, though, kept going.

As a senior, Moss rushed for 1,416 yards and 15 touchdowns and was named the Pac-12 Offensive Player of the Year and a first-team Pro Football Focus All-American. He also left Utah as its career leader in rushing yards (4,167), touchdowns (41) and 100-yard rushing games (18).

At the NFL Combine, Moss checked in at 5-10, 223 pounds. He ran a 4.65 in the 40, had a 33-inch vertical leap and lifted 19 reps on the bench press. Later, at a private workout, Moss said he improved his 40 time to 4.52.

Of all the running backs in this year’s draft class, Moss ranks No. 1 in balance after contact, according to one scout. Moss plays offense like a defender, often initiating contact.

“He’s calm off the field,” said Dameon Jones, who coached Moss for his senior season at Hallandale. “But on the field, he’s a monster.”

Moss, who needs just one more course to earn his Bachelor’s degree in Communications, has played most of the past five years with Huntley calling the signals.

Huntley, who did not get an offer from Miami, took over as Utah’s starting quarterback as a sophomore in 2017. That’s the same year Malik Rosier became Miami’s starting quarterback.

Objectively, most would say Huntley had the better collegiate career.

As a senior, Huntley led Utah to an 11-3 record. He finished second in the nation in completion percentage (73.1) and third in yards per passing attempt, earning first-team All-Pac-12 status.

For his career, he went 23-10 as a starter, ranking third in school history in wins. He broke numerous school records, including career (67.1) and single-season completion percentage.

The metrics on Huntley are even better. He completed 79 percent of his under-pressure pass attempts and was accurate on 65 percent of his deep throws.

Even so, Huntley was one of the top players not invited to this year’s NFL Combine, and he can just add that snub to what he’s been dealing with for years.

Jones said the Hurricanes preferred a taller quarterback than Huntley, who is now listed at 6-1, 205 pounds.

“Tyler can sling it — he started for me all four years at Hallandale,” Jones said. “My worry was how tall he was going to get. He was just 5-9 and 130 pounds as a freshman.

“As a junior, he grew to 5-11, and I said, ‘OK, he’s sprouting.’

“Tyler went to three UM camps, and he was the MVP all three times. But he never got the offer he was looking for. He would’ve signed with Miami.”

THIS AND THAT

▪ Two former Hallandale wide receivers — Demari Simpkins and Josh Hammond — are expected to sign as undrafted free agents, although it’s also possible they will get selected.

Simpkins broke the school record with 54 games played at Utah, starting 36 times. Hammond started 31 games in four years at Florida, catching 87 passes for 1,138 yards and six TDs.

▪ Miami, which used to dominate the first round of NFL drafts, doesn’t have anyone going before the fifth round in the CBS mock, and that’s defensive end Jonathan Garvin. Middle linebacker Shaq Quarterman is also projected to get drafted in the fifth.

Four Miami players are projected as seventh-rounders: wide receiver Jeff Thomas, linebacker Michael Pinckney, running back DeeJay Dallas and Bandy.

▪ Of the 49 defensive backs who competed at the NFL Combine, Samuels’ 40 time of 4.65 was the third slowest.

▪ Several scouts have said Jeudy’s route-running is the best they’ve ever seen. Jeudy is second on Alabama’s career list for TD receptions with 26, trailing only ex-Miami Northwestern star Amari Cooper (31). Calvin Ridley (Monarch High) is fifth on the list.