Kelvin Benjamin And Ryan Shazier Drafted

     The first round of the 2014 NFL Draft was dominated by many college athletes that previously played high school football in the state of Florida. They included Kelvin Benjamin from Glades Central, Ryan Shazier from Plantation and Teddy Bridgewater from Miami Northwestern.
     Wide receiver Kelvin Benjamin, whose brother Travis was drafted by the Cleveland Browns back in 2012, was selected by the Carolina Panthers with the 28th overall pick. He was a redshirt sophomore at Florida State who scored the winning touchdown with 13 seconds left in the 2014 BCS Championship game against Auburn.
     He played high school football with the Glades Central Raiders in Belle Glade for four seasons. Like his college career, he caught a touchdown pass on his final play with the Raiders in a road win during the 2010 regular season against the Boynton Beach Tigers.
     After sitting out the 2011 season, Benjamin helped the Seminoles win two consecutive Atlantic Coast Conference championships. He had 54 receptions for 1,011 yards and 15 touchdowns during his sophomore year in 2013.
     Linebacker Ryan Shazier was picked by the Pittsburgh Steelers with the 15th overall selection. He played three years with the Ohio State Buckeyes and helped them to an undefeated season as a true sophomore in 2012. He was named an All-American in 2013 as a junior when he started 14 games, had 144 tackles and seven sacks. Shazier played four years on defense with the Plantation Colonels in high school football.
     Teddy Bridgewater was selected by the Minnesota Vikings as the 32nd overall pick of the 2014 NFL Draft. He had high expectations on him as a sophomore in high school when he replaced Jacory Harris as the starting quarterback for the Miami Northwestern Bulls in 2008. They made it to the FHSAA Class 6A championship game in Orlando where they lost to Seminole 28-21. Bridgewater would play four seasons with Miami Northwestern and they eliminated by the Miami Central Rockets twice in the playoffs in 2009 and 2010.
     He played three years with Louisville as his passing numbers increased each season. In his junior year he threw for 3,970 yards and 31 touchdowns. The season concluded with the Louisville Cardinals victory over the Miami Hurricanes 36-9 in the 2013 Russell Athletic Bowl in Orlando. It was the same football field where Bridgewater avenged a 2008 high school football championship loss at Florida Citrus Bowl Stadium.
     There were five other former Florida high school football players picked in the first round of the 2014 NFL Draft. They included Central Florida quarterback Blake Bortles of Oviedo who was chosen third by the Jacksonville Jaguars, Clemson wide receiver Sammy Watkins of South Fort Myers who was picked fourth by the Buffalo Bills, Buffalo linebacker Khalil Mack of Fort Pierce Westwood who was selected fifth by the Oakland Raiders, Louisville safety Calvin Pryor of Port St. Joe who was chosen 18th by the New York Jets and Alabama safety Ha Ha Clinton-Dix of Edgewater and Dr. Phillips who was selected 21st by the Green Bay Packers.