Two former IMG Academy players lead area hopefuls for the 2020 NFL Draft
Florida high schools are the breeding grounds for future NFL talent.
The Sunshine State produces pro football talent at a high rate, and each year’s NFL Draft is a showcase of that. Manatee County has its own tradition of developing players for college and the pro game.
Austin Reiter won the Super Bowl with the Kansas City Chiefs this past season. The Washington Redskins drafted the former Lakewood Ranch High and USF center in 2015.
Peter Warrick, who starred at Southeast High and Florida State, was picked fourth overall in 2000. Manatee High’s Tyrone Williams, Alvoid Mays and Bill Anderson won Super Bowls, while Palmetto, Braden River and Bayshore have each seen alums make it to the NFL.
Since developing a football academy, followed by a high school team, IMG Academy has boosted the numbers for Manatee County’s total number of NFL players with Bo Scarbrough and Isaac Nauta each logging regular season action.
Neither of those players began their high school careers in Bradenton. IMG taps an international market, as well as the nation, to secure players for its high school team.
However, former Ascenders with local connections are most likely to get selected in the 2020 NFL Draft, which begins Thursday. The event is scheduled to take place at 8 p.m. and done virtually due to the ongoing global coronavirus pandemic caused by the COVID-19 respiratory disease.
LSU safety Grant Delpit played his final two high school seasons at IMG Academy. Delpit and LSU won a national championship this past college season. According to CBS Sports’ draft prospect profile, one of Delpit’s strengths is his playmaking skills. Several mock drafts project him as a potential first-round pick.
Michigan center Cesar Ruiz also played multiple years at IMG Academy. Ruiz grew up in Camden, N.J., and bucked his tough hometown trend in becoming a top recruit, and now a potential first-rounder. According to mock drafts, Ruiz could land in the first round.
Here are others that are likely to get drafted, according to the CBS Sports draft prospect rankings (this list is not finite):
KJ Hamler, Penn State, wide receiver.
KJ Osborn, Miami, wide receiver.
Shea Patterson, Michigan, quarterback.
