NFL Draft Recap On Local Players

     The 2015 NFL Draft concluded over the weekend with several players with South Florida ties selected between the second round and seventh round. Prior to that, three local players who were picked in the first round of the draft included Amari Cooper of Miami Northwestern, Ereck Flowers of Norland and Phillip Dorsett of St. Thomas Aquinas.
     University of Miami running back Duke Johnson was selected by the Cleveland Browns during the third round. Prior to joining the Hurricanes, Johnson helped the Norland Vikings win the Class 5A state championship in 2011.
     Wide receiver Rashad Greene gets the opportunity of playing football on three different levels in the state of Florida. He was drafted by the Jacksonville Jaguars in the fifth round. Greene played for the St. Thomas Aquinas Raiders as he won two national titles in 2008 and 2010 along with two FHSAA state titles in those same years. He moved on to the Florida State Seminoles where he captured the NCAA national championship in 2013.
     His high school and college teammate offensive lineman Bobby Hart was picked up by the New York Giants during the seventh round and he compiled the same honors as Greene in 2010 and 2013. He began high school at Cardinal Gibbons and later transferred to St. Thomas Aquinas.
     The Oakland Raiders added an offensive lineman from the Hurricanes as they got Joe Feliciano in the fourth round. He played his high school football with the Western Wildcats.
     The Canes had linebacker Denzel Perryman, who once played for Coral Gables, selected by the San Diego Chargers in the second round as the 48th overall pick while defensive lineman Anthony Chickillo was drafted by the Pittsburgh Steelers in the sixth round.
     Palm Beach County was represented by three players that played tight end who were drafted. The Glades Central Raiders and University of Miami Hurricanes tight end Clive Walford was taken by the Oakland Raiders during the third round.
     Two tight ends that once played for the Dwyer Panthers were chosen as Nick O'Leary and Gerald Christian moved on to the NFL. Both players brought that high school their first football state championship in 2009 as they captured the FHSAA Class 4A crown. O'Leary, who is the grandson of professional golfer Jack Nicklaus, went on to lead Florida State to a national championship in 2013. Christian joined the University of Florida and later transferred to the University of Louisville. The Buffalo Bills got O'Leary in the sixth round while the Arizona Cardinals landed Christian in the seventh round as he received the annual title of Mr. Irrelevant for being the final pick of the 2015 NFL Draft.
     Louisville offensive lineman John Miller was picked by the Buffalo Bills during the third round. He graduated from Miami Central where he won a Class 6A state title in 2010 for the Rockets. Another player with Dade County roots was defensive back D'Joun Smith who played for the American Patriots and Florida Atlantic University. He was the first pick in third round by the Indianapolis Colts.