5 former Georgia high school players go in NFL first round

Five former Georgia high school players went in the first round of the NFL Draft on Thursday night in Kansas City.

The five were Dutchtown’s Will Anderson, Dalton’s Jahmyr Gibbs, Lithonia’s Broderick Jones, Hillgrove’s Myles Murphy and Calvary Day’s Nolan Smith.

Only Florida, with six, had more, but Florida and Georgia have a common player. Nolan Smith calls Savannah home but played his junior and senior seasons at Florida’s IMG Academy, essentially a boarding school that trains athletes.

Georgia’s five is tied for second-most all-time for the state. There were six, led by Cartersville’s Trevor Lawrence, in 2021 and five, led by Cartersville’s Ronnie Brown, in 2005.

Each of the five was a bona fide high school star. Anderson, Jones and Murphy were preseason AJC Super 11 picks. Gibbs was the Class 6A offensive player of the year as a senior in 2019. Smith was first-team all-state as a sophomore, his final season at Calvary.

The draft resumes Friday with as many as 25 more Georgia expected to go in the final six rounds. The highest-rated players still on the board are Sandy Creek’s Brian Branch, Marietta’s B.J. Ojulari, North Gwinnett’s D.J. Turner and Callaway’s Tank Bigsby.

First-round picks from Georgia: