PALM BEACH COUNTY – The day has come where almost a dozen of our area’s high school football alums will find out if they’re bound for the NFL.
They all have been hard at work for this dream opportunity since their youth football days. They have improved their craft by leaps and bounds on the high school level.
They have focused on perfecting their skills on the college level.
And now they will be watching the NFL Draft over the next three days (April 23-25) to see where they’ll ultimately land at.
They could be drafted anywhere between the first and seventh rounds. They could be undrafted free agents. They could even get just a rookie minicamp tryout.
It doesn’t matter, because a shot is all they want and need.
This is their life, and for them, it gets no better than that.
NFL DRAFT WEEKEND PROBABLE
It looks as if Jonathan Garvin (Lake Worth 2017 alum) could be the only Palm Beach County player who gets drafted by an NFL team.
The 6-foot-4, 263-pound defensive end was a menace on the field for Miami over the past three seasons. With his fierce combination of power, speed, and instincts, Garvin recorded 106 tackles, 12.5 sacks, 6 forced fumbles, 5 pass breakups, and 1 blocked punt return for a score throughout his Hurricanes career.
Palm Beach County’s No. 1 overall player from the 2017 class went on to have an impressive NFL Combine performance this past February. He recorded 36.0 inches in the vertical jump (best out of all defensive ends at this year’s combine), 4.82 seconds in the 40-yard dash, 10 feet, 5 inches in the broad jump, and 23 reps on the bench press.
NFL reporter Lance Zierlien provided a thoughtful analysis on Garvin’s potential to make an impact in the league. He sees the Lake Worth product as either a Day 2 or Day 3 draft selection.
In other words, we should expect Garvin to get picked by a team anywhere from the fourth round to the seventh round of the NFL Draft.
“Traits-based edge defender capable of playing 4-3 end or 3-4 rush linebacker,” Zierlien wrote in his overview of Garvin. “He gains depth upfield quickly and is fairly natural at defeating the punch and flipping the corner…There might be gold to mine if a coach can get it out of him.”
POTENTIAL SLEEPER PICK
Aside from Garvin, we can see at least one more player ending up as a draft selection. We don’t think it’s likely to happen, but we won’t be surprised if it does.
The sleeper of our area is D.J. Davis (American Heritage-Delray Beach) alum). He’s a dynamic running back who excelled in his time at Southern Illinois, as he compiled 368 carries for 2,157 yards and 11 touchdowns for his junior and senior seasons.
The 5-foot-8, 170-pound speedster added 47 receptions for 346 yards and 1 touchdown in his latter two years at Southern Illinois.
On special teams, Davis did some spectacular things for the Salukis.
For the American Heritage-Delray Beach 2016 alum, it mainly happened in his freshman year, when he led the team in all-purpose yards per game (110.2) and was named to the All-MVFC Newcomer Team. Davis finished the 2016 season with 217 rushing yards, 212 receiving yards and 781 kick return yards, including a 98-yard kick return touchdown.
Davis finished his Southern Illinois career fifth on the school’s all-time list with 2,697 rushing yards. He also finished second all-time in program history for all-purpose yards (5,431).
Davis is eager to prove that his small stature will not hold him back on the NFL stage.
“You can use me a lot out the backfield and I have great vision. Also my heart, there’s something you can’t teach in a player,” Davis explained when asked what separates him over other running backs, despite his size. “It’s fear no man on the field, fear no man at all, only fear God. That’s the type of mindset I have every time I step on the field. I have something to prove each and every time I get out there, because I know there’s someone thinking [that I’m undersized].”
OTHER AREA NOTABLES
We have at least nine other Palm Beach County players with potential for a call from an NFL team this weekend. Below is a listing of who they are.
•QB Daniel Parr (Dwyer 2015 alum): Saw time as starter at FAU early in college football career before transferring to Duquesne and excelling as starter there for most of past two seasons; recorded 3,679 passing yards for 30 touchdowns and 18 interceptions in junior and senior seasons at Duquesne
•LB Josh Ward (American Heritage-Delray Beach 2015 alum): Blossomed over time as one of Akron’s most consistent team leaders and overall players over past four seasons; registered 47 total tackles, 2.5 sacks, and 1 pass breakup in 12 games played as senior for Zips
•TE Jake Bargas (St. Andrew’s 2015 alum): Played mostly as reserve and key blocking specialist throughout time at North Carolina; finished college career with 21 catches for 189 yards and 2 touchdowns
•DB Jamari Bozeman (Suncoast 2015 alum): Recorded 60 total tackles, 8 pass breakups, and 1 interception in his senior season at Bowling Green; tallied 175 total tackles, 8 pass breakups, 5 interceptions, and 1 forced fumble throughout his college football career
•WR Jean Constant (Village Academy 2015 alum): Had stellar college football career at Bryant and Stony Brook by recording combined 69 receptions for 911 yards and 11 touchdowns in past two seasons alone; saw time as kickoff and punt return specialist at Bryant (2016-2018) and Stony Brook (2019)
•LB Lawrence Graham (American Heritage-Delray Beach 2016 alum): Served as steady defensive player for Tulane over past four seasons; Recorded 67 total tackles, 2 forced fumbles, 1.5 sacks, and 1 pass breakup this past season as senior; Ended career with 141 total tackles, 6 sacks, 2 forced fumbles, 1 interception, and 1 pass breakups for Green Wave
•DB Da’Von Brown (Royal Palm Beach 2016 alum): Steadily blossomed in FAU secondary over the past three seasons with 114 career total tackles, 6 career pass breakups, and 1 forced fumble; best season came as senior with 76 total tackles, 3 pass breakups, and 1 forced fumble for Owls
•CB Jevaughn Codlin (Village Academy 2016 alum): Ended college football career at Kansas Wesleyan with 145 total tackles, 45 pass breakups, 3 interceptions, 2 fumble recoveries, and 1 forced fumble; best season came this past year as enior by giving up only 5 receptions on 40 targets; earned roster spot and played in FCS Bowl this past December
•WR Czar Beneby (Boynton Beach 2016 alum): Best season came as junior at Savannah State, when he caught 10 passes for 97 yards in run-oriented offense; 6-foot-6 height frame could entice NFL teams to consider giving him shot in rookie minicamp
PLEASE NOTE: The first round of the NFL Draft (Day 1) will be aired live tonight (April 23; 8:00-11:30 p.m. Eastern Standard Time) on ABC, ESPN, ESPN Deportes, ESPN Radio, and NFL Network.
The second and third rounds (Day 2) will air tomorrow night (April 24; 7:00-11:30 p.m.) on the five aforementioned television and radio networks, while Rounds 4-7 (Day 3) will air Saturday afternoon (April 25; 12:00-7:00 p.m.) on those same media viewing and listening platforms.
If there is anyone we missed, please let us know by direct message on our Twitter.
PHOTO CREDITS: Keith Forde, Southern Illinois Athletics, and Kansas Wesleyan Football
