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Monday, April 28, 2008
Georgia’s 2008 NFL Draft crop yields several surprise picks
The Atlanta Journal-Constitution
If I didn’t miss anybody, there were 11 former Georgia high school players taken in the NFL Draft this past weekend. These are not the 11 guys you would have predicted to be wearing NFL caps five years ago, based on their high school careers.
Only one, Thomas Brown, was an AJC Super 11 pick. Only two others, Tashard Choice and Andre Fluellen, were rated three stars or above by Rivals or Scout. The rest were one or two stars. Here are the 11.
Leodis McKelvin, Ware County - The only first-round pick among Georgians, McKelvin went to the Bills at No. 11 overall. He was the cornerback from Troy who returned seven punts for touchdowns in his career. He was first-team all-state in 2003 but a two-star recruit, according to Scout.com.
Dexter Jackson, Dunwoody - This is the Appalachian State receiver who caught two touchdown passes vs. Michigan and wound up on the cover of Sports Illustrated. He ran a 4.27 at the NFL combine and went in the second round to Tampa Bay. Jackson caught only 30 passes in his career at Dunwoody and wasn’t recruited by any Division 1 schools.
Harry Douglas, Jonesboro - Drafted by the Falcons in the third round, Douglas was an honorable mention All-State in high school. He had 40 catches for 831 yards as a high school senior and considered a better basketball player. Douglas caught 141 passes in his last two seasons at Louisville. Another two-star recruit.
Andre Fluellen, Cartersville - A three-star recruit who went to Florida State and red-shirted and slowly became a star at defensive tackle. Drafted by the Lions in the third round.
Philip Wheeler, Shaw - A two-star recruit, Wheeler was the fourth best linebacker in Georgia Tech’s class of 2003, according to Scout. He was first-team all-state and played on Shaw’s 2000 state championship team. Drafted by the Colts late in the third.
Tashard Choice, Lovejoy - Rushed for 1,200 yards as a high school senior and was highly regarded as a recruit. Rivals rated him the No. 22 running back in the nation. He led the ACC twice in rushing for Tech. Drafted by Dallas in the fifth round.
Erik Walden, Dublin - A one-star recruit, Walden was first-team all-state for Dublin’s 14-1 team that lost to Screven County in the Class AAA final. Walden had 19 sacks as a high school senior but was not a big recruit. Went to Middle Tennessee State, was drafted by Dallas in the sixth round.
Durant Brooks, Tattnall Square - A punter, Brooks played for a GISA school, then two years at Georgia Military. The Redskins took him in the sixth.
Thomas Brown, Tucker - The AJC’s 2003 Super 11 class was pretty typical. Four will make the NFL (Brown, Calvin Johnson, Darius Walker and Charles Johnson). Three were good college players who might still make the NFL (Michael Grant, Brad Lester, Lorenzo Washington). Three were decent college players who never became full-time starters in college (A.J. Bryant, Jeremy Ciulla, Brandon Miller). One was a bust (Eric McClendon).
Brandon Coutu, Collins Hill - Coffee’s Chase Goggans was the all-state kicker and punter in 2002 and got a scholarship at FSU, where he never started. Coutu walked on at Georgia. He went to Seattle in the seventh.
Larry Grant, Norcross - Who remembers this guy? He played two seasons at Meadowcreek, then transferred to Norcross for his senior season, then transferred in mid-year to graduate in California. After two years of junior college, he would up starting last season at Ohio State as a linebacker. Grant rushed for 450 yards at Norcross and was a small-time recruit.
And finally, the Georgia NFL Draft quiz*
1. Who is the last Georgia quarterback to be drafted in the first round?
2. Who is the only kicker or punter from Georgia to be drafted in the first round?
3. Who is the only Georgia player to be taken with the No. 1 overall pick in the NFL draft?
4. Who is the most recent Gwinnett County player drafted in the first round?
5. Who is the most recent DeKalb County player drafted in the first round?
6. Who is the only Georgia player to graduate from an all-black high school and be drafted in the first round?
7. Who was the only Georgia player drafted in the first round of the 2007 NFL draft?
8. In 1998, two players from the same Georgia high school were drafted in the first round. Who were they?
9. The Falcons have picked two Georgia natives in the first round. Who were they?
10. Two players from Douglass High have been picked in the first round this decade. Who are they?
*Answers later
Kick off the debate: Are you surprised by the picks out of Georgia in this year’s NFL Draft? Who do you think will enjoy a long, productive pro football career and who do you think is overrated? Who should’ve gone higher and who was chosen TOO high?
Permalink | Comments (33) | Post your comment | Categories: Extra Point
Spring Football Fling: Lowndes locked in, loaded up for state title defense
The Atlanta Journal-Constitution
THE SPRING FOOTBALL FLING
In upcoming weeks, teams throughout the state will spend 10 days on the practice field preparing for the 2008 football season. In a series of stories, ajc.com will provide an offseason outlook for 25 of the top teams in the metro and state.
This Week’s Lineup
• 4/28: Lowndes • 4/29: Parkview • 4/30: Mays • 5/1: Marist • 5/2: N’side-Warner Robins • 5/3: Lovett • 5/4: St. Pius
Photos: A look at Lowndes
You make the call: What’s the buzz on Lowndes in ‘08? Are the Vikes a state title shoo-in? Games start in August. Talk starts NOW.
There is bad news for all of those football teams wanting to win the 2008 Class AAAAA state championship.
Lowndes, winners of three of the last four state titles, might field one of its best teams in years.
Fourteen starters return on offense and defense, and both kickers also return from last season’s dominant football team.
The defense could be even better after yielding only eight points a game last year. Cornerback Greg Reid, a Florida commitment, and safety Gerald Demps, who has committed to Florida State, lead the way. The defensive front welcomes back five of six starters.
Lowndes Vikings
Region 1-AAAAA
Spring practice dates: Held in February.
Last year’s record: 14-1, defeated North Gwinnett 34-6 for the state championship.
Reclassification challenge: Region adds two-time Class AAAA champion, Northside-Warner Robins.
Worked on: Physicality. Mastering the fundamentals of tackling and blocking has always been coach Randy McPherson’s credo, and that lunch box approach is exactly what the Vikings focused upon.
Key starters lost: RB Darriet Perry (Florida International); CB Kelly Dawsey (Western Michigan); LB Tavaris Williams (Georgia Southern); LB Blake Summers.
Key starters returning: DB-WB — Greg Reid, Sr., (5-9, 175); FS — Gerald Demps, Sr., (6-1, 205); QB — Khary Franklin, Jr., (5-6, 165); DT-FB — Devin Simmons, Sr., (5-9, 255); DE — Michael Copeland, Jr., (6-3, 215).
2008 strengths: Both sides of scrimmage will be formidable with several major-college players. Reid may well be the state’s best all-around player.
2008 weaknesses: Perry, a four-year starter, will be hard to replace. But the biggest hurdle may be mental. This team is favored to win it all again, so handling that will be the question.
This season’s projection: From a talent standpoint, this may be the program’s best ever, so all preseason talk of championships rightly start and end at Martin Stadium.
Photos: A look at Lowndes
Week Two Lineup
• 4/21: ML King • 4/22: Valdosta • 4/23: Buford • 4/24: P-Ridge
• 4/25: Tucker • 4/26: Fayette • 4/27: Brookwood
Week One Lineup
• 4/14: Roswell • 4/15: Norcross • 4/16: Walton • 4/17: Harrison
• 4/18: Camden • 4/19: Newnan • 4/20: Stephenson
You make the call: What’s the buzz on Lowndes in ‘08? Are the Vikes a state title shoo-in? Games start in August. Talk starts NOW.
Permalink | Comments (76) | Post your comment | Categories: Spring Football
