Ad Disclosure
Draft rarity: No players originally from Florida taken in the first round in 2017
Published:
Considering the high school talent that comes out of the state of Florida every season, we may not see another draft like this one for some time. If you were unaware, for the first time since 2009, not a single player from the state was selected in the first round of the 2017 NFL Draft.
That is especially stunning when you consider several of the state’s notable teams, Florida, Florida State, Miami, and USF for example, aren’t exactly hurting for talent these days. Throw in the SEC, ACC and Big Ten teams that annually raid the state for talent, it’s hard to imagine not a single school produced a first rounder from the Sunshine State in this draft.
This is the first time since 2009 that no player that played high school football in Florida was selected in the 1st round of the #NFLDraft.
— Florida HS Football (@FlaHSFootball) April 28, 2017
Here’s a map breakdown of each and every first round pick from the latest NFL draft.
Map of the home towns of all of the 2017 #NFLDraft first round draft picks. Not a single player from the state of Florida. pic.twitter.com/DamQDSjLbH
— SportSourceAnalytics (@SportSourceA) April 28, 2017
While Florida may have gotten shut out of the first round, expect the state’s natives to start going early and often when the second round arrives Friday evening. Former Florida State standout running back Dalvin Cook is considered among the best prospects currently available in the draft and could be the first Florida native to be selected in this draft.
A graduate of the University of Tennessee, Michael Wayne Bratton oversees the news coverage for Saturday Down South. Michael previously worked for FOX Sports and NFL.com
