A look at the seven from Miami-Dade and Broward counties selected in 2020 NFL Draft
.JPG "Alabama wide receiver Jerry Jeudy (4) eyes a pass as Oklahoma cornerback Parnell Motley (11) attempts to defend, during the second half of the Orange Bowl NCAA college football game, Saturday, Dec. 29, 2018, in Miami Gardens, Fla. (AP Photo/Wilfredo Lee)")
South Florida got off to a fast start in the 2020 NFL Draft, with three players from Miami-Dade and Broward counties being taken in the first 19 picks.
The pace slowed down considerably after that, with just four more players from the area going in the final six rounds.
But all in all, seven picks from two counties is still a solid achievement.
Miami’s Christopher Columbus High and Deerfield Beach High in Broward led the way with two picks each, including a first-round selection from each school.
St. Thomas Aquinas, Hallandale and Flanagan also each had a player taken over the course of the draft.
Columbus
A pair of defensive standouts will now represent Columbus in the NFL.
CJ Henderson, who actually played running back primarily for the Explorers before transitioning to cornerback as a senior and thriving there at the University of Florida, went ninth overall to the Jacksonville Jaguars. He is the second player from Columbus to go in the first round, joining Alonzo Highsmith who went third overall in 1987
Josh Uche, an edge rusher who paved his way with the Michigan Wolverines, is going to New England. The Patriots drafted him with the No. 60 overall pick in the second round. A three-star prospect out of high school, Uche’s draft stock soared after the 2019 season when he recorded 11.5 tackles for loss and 8.5 sacks in his first year as a starter.
Deerfield Beach
The 2020 draft marked the first time multiple players from Deerfield Beach were selected in the same draft.
Wide receiver Jerry Jeudy got it started when he went 15th overall to the Denver Broncos. Jeudy, who starred with the Alabama Crimson Tide after high school, is the third Bucks alumnus to go in the first round. Jason Pierre-Paul (15th to New York Giants in 2010) and Stockar McDougle (20th to Detroit Lions in 2000) are the others.
Meanwhile, defensive lineman Jason Strowbridge, who went on to be a starter for the North Carolina Tar Heels, is coming back to South Florida after the Miami Dolphins took him in the fifth round.
St. Thomas Aquinas
Of the three first-round picks, Damon Arnette was likely the biggest surprise of them all. The former St. Thomas Aquinas cornerback went 19th overall to the Las Vegas Raiders.
Arnette, who played collegiately at Ohio State, is the 28th St. Thomas Aquinas player to be drafted and the fifth to go in the first round. The others: Nick Bosa (No. 2, 2019), Joey Bosa (No. 3, 2016), Phillip Dorsett (No. 25, 2015) and Michael Irvin (No. 11, 1988).
Hallandale
The Buffalo Bills selected Utah running back and Hallandale alum Zack Moss with the 22nd pick in the third round of the 2020 NFL Draft — No. 86 overall — on Friday, making him the highest drafted running back in Utah history.
But that’s just the latest bit of history from Moss’ football career to this point.
He ran for 1,098 yards and 17 touchdowns in his lone season at Hallandale to help the Chargers reach the state semifinals for the first time.
He made history at Utah, too, becoming the first player in Utes history with three 1,000-yard seasons. He finished his career in Salt Lake City as the Utes’ all-time leader in carries, rushing yards, rushing touchdowns and total touchdowns. As a senior, he was the Pac-12 Conference Offensive Player of the Year.
He’s only the third player from Hallandale to ever be drafted, joining former guard Davin Joseph, a first-round pick in the 2006 NFL Draft, and former tight end Butch Rolle.
Flanagan
Josh Metellus’ high school career ended with a Class 8A state football championship at Flanagan in 2015. Metellus’ college career ended with him serving as a starter for the Michigan Wolverines for three years after being just a three-star prospect.
His NFL career is just starting. The Minnesota Vikings drafted Metellus in the sixth round — No. 205 overall — of the 2020 NFL Draft on Saturday.
Metellus, a 5-11 and 209 pound safety out of Pembroke Pines, started 38 of his 47 games for the Wolverines. He recorded 187 career tackles with five interceptions and 21 defended passes in his college tenure and earned All-Big Ten second team honors as a junior.
Before making his way to Michigan, Metellus was a key cog as a senior for a Flanagan defense that held opponents to an average of 6.4 points per game and pitched six shutouts in 14 games on their way to a Class 8A state title in 2015. Metellus earned first-team All-County honors that season after racking up 56 tackles and 6.5 sacks.
Several more sign as undrafted free agents
Even though a large group of area players were selected within the 255 picks, a group of them still signed undrafted free agent deals and will have the chance to prove themselves in training camps. Among them:
▪ Coconut Creek wide receiver Binjimen Victor, who played collegiately at Ohio State, has a deal in place with the New York Giants.
▪ Columbus defensive back and former University of Miami standout Trajan Bandy will be with the Pittsburgh Steelers.
▪ Flanagan cornerback and former Florida State starter Stanford Samuels signed with the Green Bay Packers.
▪ Former Homestead linebacker Rashad Smith, who played for the FAU Owls, is signing with the Chicago Bears.
▪ Former Hallandale and Utah quarterback Tyler Huntley signed with the Baltimore Ravens.
▪ Deerfield Beach’s James Pierre, another FAU product, signed with the Steelers.
▪ Hallandale wide receiver Josh Hammond, a four-year contributor at UF, signed with the Jacksonville Jaguars.
▪ Former American safety Jeremiah Dinson, who spent five years with the Auburn Tigers, is heading to the Detroit Lions.
▪ Former Central running back Anthony Jones, who starred at FIU even after suffering a near-fatal gunshot wound in 2018, is joining the Seattle Seahawks.
▪ Cornerback Nevelle Clarke, who played at Taravella and then for the Central Florida Knights, is joining the Minnesota Vikings.
This story was originally published April 25, 2020 at 7:26 PM.
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