April 28th Recruiting Run Down: The State of Florida and the NFL Draft

Is there a better state for producing NFL talent than Florida? Probably not based on the numbers.

Brian Smith | Apr 28, 2022

With the impending NFL Draft and the incredible number of players drafted from the state of Florida in 2021, here’s a look at some trends with Florida college programs and the state overall.

37. That’s the number of players that played high school football in Florida that went on to be drafted into the National Football League (NFL) from the 2021 NFL Draft. Incredible, yes?

You bet. That’s also why so many college programs make their best effort to recruit the Sunshine State. As they should. Why wouldn’t they? A few notes about the talent in Florida from the recent past and a few predictions, NFL Draft style.

For reference, nflcommunications.com was used as a source for much of the following information.

*With Plantation (Fla.) American Heritage having six players drafted in last year’s NFL Draft, will there be any high school that has four or more players drafted this year? It's incredible that American Heritage was able to do that, but there’s plenty of talent in the class of 2023 that one day could help make that happen as well.

Daemon Fagan (safety), Brandon Inniss (wide receiver), Santana Fleming (wide receiver), Damari Brown (defensive back) and Mark Fletcher (running back) could all one day hear their names called. That’s quite a group of elite recruits, from one school, so why not one day see them all be drafted?

Daemon Fagan Safety Plantation (Fla.) American Heritage 2023 — Daemon Fagan, a safety from American Heritage and SFE 7v7, has the length and athleticism to one day play in the NFL / Brian Smith, Inside The Knights

*What’s in the water in Broward County and Dade County? With just three schools - American Heritage, Miami (Northwestern) and Saint Thomas Aquinas – there were 10 players selected in the 2021 NFL Draft.

*Overall, 18 of the 37 players selected from Florida in the 2021 NFL Draft hail from Broward and Dade. That’s just incredible.

*Three out of the last four years, the state of Florida produced the most NFL Draft picks. It would not be surprising if that trend continued based on the talent that’s been seen so far during the high school spring practices that are underway around the state of Florida.

*Perhaps even more miraculous, 15 of the 37 players selected play cornerback or safety. Florida is considered the best state in the country for defensive backs. Even by Florida standards, however, 15 is off the charts!

*UCF (4), Florida (4), Florida State (3) and Miami (1) all had players drafted that were recruited out of in-state high school programs.

Now, a few predictions.

*The incredible class of 2023 wide receiver corps in Florida will have at least 10 players drafted, combined, when they are all done with the college game. Some might leave early, some after their senior seasons, and some even after a fifth-year. Bottom line, this is one of the most loaded position groups in Florida high school football history.

*At least two former Florida high school players will go in the top 15 of the 2022 NFL Draft.

*Florida will once again lead the nation in most players drafted from one state, and once again the total will be tremendous. At the least, Florida will hit 28 players drafted, and probably climb into the low-to-mid 30s in total.

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