Where Every 2023 First Round Draft Pick Played High School Football
For the first time since 2019, Florida had the most former high school players selected in the first round of the NFL Draft.
The talent-deep state had six players taken in the first round of the 2023 NFL Draft Thursday night in Kansas City.
Georgia and Texas had the second most players taken with four each. Maryland had three former high school players taken, followed by California and Illinois with two players each.
The draft opened with two California high school quarterbacks going off the board. The Carolina Panthers selected Mater Dei High School's (Santa Ana, California) Bryce Young No. 1 overall. The Houston Texans then selected Rancho Cucamonga alum CJ Stroud at No. 2.
Related: Where Every No. 1 NFL Draft Pick Played in High School
The Texans then selected linebacker Will Anderson, Jr. of Dutchtown High School in Georgia at No. 3.
The first of six Florida players was taken at No. 4 when the Indianapolis Colts selected quarterback Anthony Richardson (pictured) of Eastside High in Gainesville.
At No. 5, the Seattle Seahawks selected cornerback Devon Witherspoon of Pine Forest High School in Pensacola, Florida. Witherspoon was a zero-star college football prospect after only starting to play football during his junior season.
The Buffalo Bills also selected a zero-star high school prospect at No. 25: Dalton Kincaid of Faith Lutheran High School in Nevada. Kincaid, who was a very good basketball player, only played one year of high school football.
Overall, twelve former 5-star recruits were picked in the first round. Teams selected eight 4-star recruits and nine 3-star recruits.
First Round Picks by State
- Florida - 6
- Georgia & Texas - 4
- Maryland - 3
- California & Illinois - 2
- Arizona, District of Columbia, Iowa, Michigan, Mississippi, Missouri, Nevada, Ohio, West Virginia, Wisconsin - 1
Below is a list of where every picked played high school football along with their senior prospect rating.
|
Pick |
Team |
Player |
High School |
Position |
Stars in HS |
|
No. 1 |
Carolina Panthers |
Bryce Young |
Mater Dei (California) |
QB |
5 |
|
No. 2 |
Houston Texans |
CJ Stroud |
Rancho Cucamonga (California) |
QB |
4 |
|
No. 3 |
Houston Texans |
Will Anderson, Jr. |
Dutchtown (Georgia) |
LB |
5 |
|
No. 4 |
Indianapolis Colts |
Anthony Richardson |
Eastside (Florida) |
QB |
4 |
|
No. 5 |
Seattle Seahawks |
Devon Witherspoon |
Pine Forest (Florida) |
CB |
0 |
|
No. 6 |
Arizona Cardinals |
Paris Johnson, Jr. |
Princeton (Ohio) |
OT |
5 |
|
No. 7 |
Las Vegas Raiders |
Tyree Wilson |
West Rusk (Texas) |
DE |
3 |
|
No. 8 |
Atlanta Falcons |
Bijan Robinson |
Salpointe Catholic (Arizona) |
RB |
5 |
|
No. 9 |
Philadelphia Eagles |
Jalen Carter |
Apopka (Florida) |
DT |
5 |
|
No. 10 |
Chicago Bears |
Darnell Wright |
Huntington (West Virginia) |
OT |
5 |
|
No.11 |
Tennessee Titans |
Peter Skoronski |
Maine South (Illinois) |
G |
5 |
|
No. 12 |
Detroit Lions |
Jahmyr Gibbs |
Dalton (Georgia) |
RB |
4 |
|
No. 13 |
Green Bay Packers |
Lukas Van Ness |
Barrington (Illinois) |
DE |
3 |
|
No. 14 |
Pittsburgh Steelers |
Broderick Jones |
Lithonia (Georgia) |
OT |
5 |
|
No. 15 |
New York Jets |
Will McDonald IV |
Waukesha North (Wisconsin) |
LB |
3 |
|
No. 16 |
Washington Commanders |
Emmanuel Forbes |
Grenada (Mississippi) |
DB |
4 |
|
No. 17 |
New England Patriots |
Christian Gonzalez |
The Colony (Texas) |
CB |
4 |
|
No. 18 |
Detroit Lions |
Jack Campbell |
Cedar Falls (Iowa) |
LB |
3 |
|
No. 19 |
Tampa Bay Buccaneers |
Calijah Kancey |
Miami Northwestern (Florida) |
DT |
3 |
|
No. 20 |
Seattle Seahawks |
Jaxon Smith-Njigba |
Rockwall (Texas) |
WR |
5 |
|
No. 21 |
Los Angeles Chargers |
Quentin Johnston |
Temple (Texas) |
WR |
4 |
|
No. 22 |
Baltimore Ravens |
Zay Flowers |
University School (Ft. Lauderdale, Florida) |
WR |
3 |
|
No. 23 |
Minnesota Vikings |
Jordan Addison |
Tuscarora (Maryland) |
WR |
4 |
|
No. 24 |
New York Giants |
Deonte Banks |
Edgewater (Maryland) |
CB |
3 |
|
No. 25 |
Buffalo Bills |
Dalton Kincaid |
Faith Lutheran (Nevada) |
TE |
0 |
|
No. 26 |
Dallas Cowboys |
Mazi Smith |
East Kentwood (Michigan) |
DT |
4 |
|
No. 27 |
Jacksonville Jaguars |
Anton Harrison |
Archbishop Carroll (Washington, DC) |
OT |
4 |
|
No. 28 |
Cincinnati Bengals |
Myles Murphy |
Hillgrove (Georgia) |
DE |
5 |
|
No. 29 |
New Orleans Saints |
Bryan Bresee |
Damascus (Maryland) |
DT |
5 |
|
No. 30 |
Philadelphia Eagles |
Nolan Smith |
IMG Academy (Florida) |
LB |
5 |
|
No. 31 |
Kansas City Chiefs |
Felix Anudike-Uzomah |
Lee’s Summit (Missouri) |
DE |
3 |
Photo: AP/Jeff Roberson
Tags
- High School Football
- NFL Players and Legends
