Georgia Southern’s Jerick McKinnon, a versatile athlete from Sprayberry High, was picked in the third round of the NFL draft Friday night.
McKinnon was selected by the Vikings with the 96th overall pick. He played quarterback and running back in the Eagles’ triple option offense and was impressive at the NFL scouting combine.
McKinnon was one of six players from Georgia picked in the first three rounds.
North Gwinnett High’s Ja’Wuan James, a 6-foot-6, 323-pound offensive tackle who played at Tennessee, was the first Georgian selected. He was picked by the Dolphins with the 19th pick in the first round.
Twiggs County’s Darqueze Dennard, a senior cornerback at Michigan State, went 24th to the Bengals. Dennard had two interceptions against Georgia quarterback Aaron Murray in the Outback Bowl on Jan. 2, 2012, one that he returned for a touchdown in the Spartans’ 33-30 victory.
Hardaway High’s Marcus Smith, a senior linebacker at Louisville, was taken 26th by the Broncos.
Bradley Roby of Peachtree Ridge High, a junior cornerback at Ohio State, was picked 31st by the Panthers.
Notre Dame defensive end Stephon Tuitt, a graduate of Monroe Area who committed to Georgia Tech before switching to the Fighting Irish, was picked 46th by the Steelers.
There were 23 SEC players taken in the first three rounds. Georgia and Kentucky were the only conference schools without a selection.
The ACC had 13 players picked.
Here’s a school-by-school breakdown:
SEC
Alabama: C.J. Mosley, LB, 17th overall by the Ravens; Ha Ha Clinton-Dix, S, 21st, Packers; Cyrus Kouandjio, OT, 44nd, Bills.
Arkansas: Travis Swanson, C, 76th, Lions.
Auburn: Greg Robinson, OT, 2nd, Rams; Dee Ford, DE, 23rd, Chiefs; Tre Mason, RB, 75th, Cardinals.
Florida: Dominique Easley, DT, 29th, Patriots.
LSU: Odell Beckham Jr., WR, 12th, Giants; Ego Ferguson, DT, 51st, Bears; Jeremy Hill, RB, 55th, Bengals; Jarvis Landry, WR, 63rd, Dolphins; Trai Turner, G, 92nd, Panthers.
Mississippi: Donte Moncrief, WR, 90th, Colts.
Mississippi State: Gabe Jackson, G, 81st, Raiders.
Missouri: Kony Ealy, DE, 60th, Panthers; Justin Britt, OT, 64th, Seahawks.
South Carolina: Jadaveon Clowney, DE, 1st, Texans.
Tennessee: Ja'Wuan James, OT, 19th, Dolphins.
Texas A&M: Jake Matthews, OT, 6th, Falcons; Mike Evans, WR, 7th, Buccaneers; Johnny Manziel, QB, 22nd, Browns.
Vanderbilt: Jordan Matthews, WR, 42nd, Eagles.
ACC
Clemson: Sammy Watkins, WR, 4th, Bills; Brandon Thomas, OT, 100th, 49ers.
Florida State: Kelvin Benjamin, WR, 28th, Panthers; Lamarcus Joyner, CB, 41st, Rams; Timmy Jernigan, DT, 48th, Ravens; Terrence Brooks, S, 79th, Ravens.
Georgia Tech: Jeremiah Attaochu, OLB, 50th, Dolphins.
Miami: Brandon Linder, G, 93rd, Jaguars.
North Carolina: Eric Ebron, TE, 10th, Lions; Kareem Martin, DE, 84th, Cardinals.
Pittsburgh: Aaron Donald, DT, 13th, Rams.
Virginia: Morgan Moses, T, 66th, Redskins.
Virginia Tech: Kyle Fuller, CB, 14th, Bears.
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