Local Players Selected In NFL Draft

     Several former South Florida high school football players were selected in the first round of the 2015 NFL Draft in Chicago on Thursday night. In addition, four of the first nine picks of the draft once played high school football in Florida.
     Wide receiver Amari Cooper was the fourth overall pick of the draft by the Oakland Raiders. He played college football at the University of Alabama, won the 2012 national championship and was a 2014 finalist for the Heisman Trophy. Cooper started for the Miami Northwestern Bulls from 2008 until 2011.
     The New York Giants selected University of Miami Hurricanes offensive lineman Ereck Flowers as the ninth overall pick. Prior to playing three seasons with the Canes, Flowers attended Norland and helped the Vikings win the FHSAA Class 5A state title in 2011 as a senior.
     Phillip Dorsett was selected as the 29th overall pick by the Indianapolis Colts. He played four seasons at wide receiver for the University of Miami and had 36 catches, 871 receiving yards and ten touchdowns during his senior year. Dorsett was with the St. Thomas Aquinas Raiders in high school and captured two national high school titles in 2008 and 2010. He also won two FHSAA state championships as STA got the Class 5A title in 2008 and the Class 7A title in 2010.