American Heritage makes history with record-breaking six players picked in 2021 NFL Draft
Plantation American Heritage emerged as one of the best programs in the nation last decade and the cornerstones of a series of state championship-winning teams helped make history this weekend at the 2021 NFL Draft.
Six American Heritage players got drafted Thursday, Friday and Saturday, breaking a record for most players picked from a single school in one year, excluding Bradenton IMG Academy.
Before this year, Fort Lauderdale St. Thomas Aquinas, Miami Northwestern and IMG Academy all shared the record with four players picked, and IMG, which recruits nationally, broke its own Friday. The Patriots joined the Ascenders on Saturday with six players picked to go along with three others picked Thursday and Friday.
IMG finished with eight players drafted to set a new record.
The full list of players drafted from American Heritage this year: cornerback Patrick Surtain II in the first round to the Denver Broncos, cornerback Tyson Campbell in the second to the Jacksonville Jaguars, wide receiver Anthony Schwartz in the third to the Cleveland Browns, cornerback Marco Wilson in the fourth to the Arizona Cardinals, defensive tackle Tedarrell Slaton in the fifth to the Green Bay Packers and running back Khalil Herbert in the sixth to the Chicago Bears.
St. Thomas Aquinas also tied its old record with four players drafted and Northwestern had two Draft picks.
In total, 17 players from across the Miami metropolitan area were selected, including 12 from Broward County and five from Miami-Dade County.
Round 1, Pick 9: CB Patrick Surtain II, Alabama (Plantation American Heritage) → Broncos
Surtain, the son of former Miami Dolphins cornerback Patrick Surtain, was the No. 1 cornerback in the Class of 2018, according to the 247Sports.com composite rankings, and an immediate starter for the Alabama Crimson Tide. As a junior last season, he was the Southeastern Conference Defensive Player of the Year, a unanimous first-team All-American and national champion after recording 37 tackles, 3 1/2 tackles for loss and one interception.
Round 1, Pick 30: DE Gregory Rousseau, Miami (Hialeah Champagnat Catholic) → Bills
Rousseau was a wide receiver and safety for most of his career at Champagnat Catholic, but committed to the Miami Hurricanes as a three-star defensive end. He sat out most of 2018 with an injury and opted out in 2020, so he only played one full season for Miami. He made the most of it, though, piling up 15 1/2 sacks — second behind only Heisman Trophy finalist Chase Young — to earn second-team All-American honors in 2019.
Round 2, Pick 33: CB Tyson Campbell, Georgia (Plantation American Heritage) → Jaguars
Campbell was the No. 2 cornerback in the 2018 recruiting class behind only Surtain II. Like Surtain, Campbell started as a freshman for the Georgia Bulldogs and was a defensive star for three seasons. Although he slipped out of the first round, Campbell is a high-upside pick after he recorded 29 tackles, 2 1/2 tackles for loss and one interception as a junior last season.
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Round 2, Pick 34: WR Elijah Moore, Ole Miss (Fort Lauderdale St. Thomas Aquinas) → Jets
Moore was a four-star recruit coming out of St. Thomas Aquinas and an immediate contributor for the Ole Miss Rebels in 2018, albeit as a reserve. In 2019, he moved into the starting lineup and broke out. In 2020, he became one of the best wide receivers in the country with 86 catches for 1,193 yards, eight touchdowns and three 200-yard games to become a consensus All-American as a junior.
Round 2, Pick 47: CB Asante Samuel Jr., Florida State (Fort Lauderdale St. Thomas Aquinas) → Chargers
Samuel, the son of former NFL corner Asante Samuel, is one of three cornerbacks from Broward County in the 2018 class to go in the top 50 of the NFL Draft. He was a top-100 overall prospect and a three-year starter for the Florida State Seminoles. As a junior, he had 30 tackles, two tackles for loss, three interceptions, two fumble recoveries and a forced fumble to earn first-team All-Atlantic Coast Conference honors.
Round 2, Pick 57: WR Tutu Atwell, Louisville (Miami Northwestern) → Rams
Atwell was a state championship-winning quarterback for Northwestern, but committed to the Louisville Cardinals as a wide receiver. He was an immediate contributor for Louisville, then earned first team All-ACC honors as a sophomore in 2019. As a junior, Atwell had 46 catches for 625 yards and seven touchdowns in nine games before opting out.
Round 3, Pick 71: CB Aaron Robinson, UCF (Deerfield Beach) → Giants
Even though he was only a three-star recruit, Robinson committed to the Alabama Crimson Tide and had a promising freshman season in Tuscaloosa. After one year, he transferred to the UCF Knights, though, to be closer to home and continued his trajectory to the NFL. He was a two-time second-team All-American Athletic Conference selection and had 41 tackles, one tackle for loss, one forced fumble and one fumble recovery as a redshirt senior in 2020.
Round 3, Pick 77: WR Josh Palmer, Tennessee (Fort Lauderdale St. Thomas Aquinas) → Chargers
Palmer, who’s originally from Canada, was a three-star recruit coming out of St. Thomas Aquinas and was a three-year starter for the Tennessee Volunteers. As a senior in 2020, the wide receiver caught 33 passes for 475 yards and four touchdowns.
Round 3, Pick 91: WR Anthony Schwartz, Auburn (Plantation American Heritage) → Browns
Schwartz is a former Olympic hopeful, who still holds the American under-18 record in the 100-meter dash at 10.15 seconds. He was also a four-star recruit and three-year contributor for the Auburn Tigers. As a junior in 2020, the wide receiver caught 54 passes for 636 yards and three touchdowns.
Round 4, Pick 135: DE Rashad Weaver, Pittsburgh (Cooper City) → Titans
Weaver was only a three-star recruit coming out of high school, not ranked in the top 1,000, but developed into a first-team All-American for the Pittsburgh Panthers. After missing all of 2019 with a torn anterior cruciate ligament, the defensive end had 34 tackles, 14 tackles for loss, 7 1/2 sacks, three forced fumbles and a fumble recovery as a redshirt senior last year.
Round 4, Pick 136: CB Marco Wilson, Florida (Plantation American Heritage) → Cardinals
Wilson’s selection is historic for American Heritage: He’s the fourth former Patriot picked, making American Heritage only the fourth to school to ever have four alumni picked in a single Draft. A former four-star recruit, the cornerback had 29 tackles and a fumble recovery as a redshirt junior in 2020.
Round 5, Pick 165: S Shawn Davis, Florida (Miami Southridge) → Colts
Davis is the first Southridge graduate to be picked in an NFL Draft since 2008. The safety was a three-star recruit coming out of high school and a four-year contributor for the Florida Gators, finishing his senior season in 2020 with 39 tackles, two tackles for loss, two interceptions and a forced fumble in seven games.
Round 5, Pick 173: DT Tedarrell Slaton, Florida (Plantation American Heritage) → Packers
Slaton was mostly an offensive lineman in high school — a four-star guard — and moved to defensive tackle in college. As a senior in 2020, the 6-foot-5, 340-pound defensive lineman logged 38 tackles, 3 1/2 tackles for loss and 1 1/2 sacks.
Round 5, Pick 178: CB Shemar Jean-Charles, Appalachian State (Miramar) → Packers
Jean-Charles was only a two-star recruit coming out of high school and blossomed into a first-team All-American, according to the Walter Camp Football Foundation, as a redshirt senior in 2020. The cornerback had 35 tackles, one tackle for loss and one interception, and led the nation with 16 passes defended.
Round 6, Pick 213: CB Rachad Wildgoose, Wisconsin (Miami Northwestern) → Bills
Wildgoose was a three-star recruit at Northwestern, helping the Bulls end a 10-year state-title drought as a senior. Although a shoulder injury prematurely ended his junior season, Wildgoose declared for the Draft, anyway, and ran the 40-yard dash in 4.41 seconds at his pro day in March. The cornerback had six tackles and one tackle for loss in two games last year.
Round 6, Pick 217: RB Khalil Herbert, Virginia Tech (Plantation American Heritage) → Bears
Herbert was only a three-star recruit in high school and wound up with the Kansas Jayhawks after they were the only Power 5 Conference team to offer him a scholarship. The running back had three solid seasons as a part-time starter at Kansas before transferring to the Virginia Tech Hokies for his redshirt senior season. Herbert ran for 1,183 yards and eight touchdowns on 115 carries in 2020 to earn second-team All-ACC honors.
Round 7, Pick 243: S James Wiggins, Cincinnati (Homestead South Dade) → Cardinals
Wiggins was once orally committed to the Hurricanes, but wound up signing with the Cincinnati Bearcats as a three-star safety after Miami fired former coach Al Golden. After missing all of 2019 with a torn ACL, Wiggins earned first-team All-America honors from The Athletic as a redshirt senior in 2020 after recording 32 tackles, one tackle for loss, one sack, one interception and one forced fumble.
