Jerry Jeudy continues South Florida’s WR pipeline to the NFL. The Broncos take him 15th
Jerry Jeudy was touted as South Florida’s next great wide receiver long before he even stepped on the field for the Alabama Crimson Tide. He was pegged as a five-star prospect and a future first-round pick while he was starring for Deerfield Beach.
Three years and two All-American seasons later, Jeudy is a first-round pick in the 2020 NFL Draft.
The Denver Broncos selected Jeudy with the No. 15 overall pick on the first day of the NFL Draft on Thursday. He’s the first player from Broward County off the board and the third former Buck to be taken in the first round. The others: Jason Pierre-Paul, who also was the No. 15 overall pick by the New York Giants in the 2010 NFL Draft, and former tackle Stockar McDougle, who was the 20th pick in the 2000 NFL Draft by the Detroit Lions.
His trajectory has become commonplace for wideouts from the Miami metropolitan area. Star in high school, go play for the Crimson Tide. Star in Tuscaloosa, go be a first-round Draft pick. Amari Cooper did it at the start of the decade and then Calvin Ridley did the same. Now Jeudy, who played with Ridley at Monarch in Coconut Creek before transferring to Deerfield Beach, is the latest.
As a senior for the Bucks, Jeudy piled up 77 catches for 1,066 yards and 15 touchdowns. At Alabama, Jeudy was twice an All-American and won the Fred Biletnikoff Award as the nation’s top wide receiver in 2018. Jeudy, who wears a Star of David necklace because his nickname “Jeu” is pronounced like “Jew,” owns two of the four best seasons in Crimson Tide history for receiving yards.
Jeudy comes from a close-knit family in Florida and he had a particularly close relationship with his younger sister, Aaliyah. She was born with severe health complications and doctors told the family she wouldn’t live past 3. She died at 7 in 2016 when Jeudy a senior in Deerfield Beach, and his older brother broke the news to him after the senior helped the Bucks win a playoff game against Delray Beach Atlantic. The Star of David necklace he wears actually has her picture in the center of it.
Jeudy is one of three Deerfield Beach alumni with a good chance to get drafted this weekend. North Carolina Tar Heels defensive end Jason Strowbridge and FAU Owls cornerback James Pierre are both likely to be selected in the final four rounds of the Draft, which will be held Saturday. Before this season, only four former Bucks were ever drafted and only five total have played in the NFL.
