A number of former California high school standouts were selected the past three days in the NFL Draft.
While there wasn't a first round draft pick from the SoCal region for the second consecutive year, former USC and Oaks Christian standout Michael Pittman Jr. was selected in the second round to lead the way for a few SoCal stars.
But the first California high school product off the board hailed from a few hours north. Utah State quarterback Jordan Love was drafted in the first round, 26th overall to the Green Bay Packers. The former two-star recruit went to Liberty High School in Bakersfield.
The 34th overall pick by the Indianapolis Colts was Pittman. The Oaks Christian High School standout from the University of Southern California was a 4-star recruit, ranked 42nd overall in the nation in the class of 2016.
He had 81 catches, 1,990 receiving yards, and 24 receiving scores as a senior for the Lions. Pittman had a big senior season earning him first-team all Pac-12 selection with 101 receptions, 1,275 yards, and 11 touchdowns.
Pittman was one of two players from the state of California drafted in the second round. Former Fresno Central/University of Utah cornerback Jaylon Johnson went 50th overall to the Chicago Bears in the second round.
A trio of guys from Northern California and a player from San Diego County were drafted in the third round.
Former Santa Cruz/Cal safety Ashtyn Davis was drafted 68th overall to the New York Jets. Former Concord De La Salle/UCLA tight end Devin Asiasi went 91st to the New England Patriots.
A few spots later former Folsom/Cincinnati tight end Josiah Deguara was drafted 94th overall by the Green Bay Packers. The final player drafted in the first three rounds from the state of California was Terrell Burgess. The Utah defensive back went to San Marcos HS and was drafted by the Los Angeles Rams with pick 104.
The fourth round started had a run of players from the Southland.
The fourth pick of the fourth round was Darnay Holmes. The Calabasas star was drafted at pick 110 by the New York Giants. Holmes was a 5-star prospect and the #27 overall player in the class of 2017. He played both ways his senior year at Calabasas with 1,214 receiving yards, 14 scores, 30 tackles, and two punt returns for touchdowns. He had 34 tackles and a two interceptions as a senior at UCLA.
His UCLA teammate Joshua Kelley was drafted two picks later at pick 112 by the Los Angeles Chargers. Kelley starred at running back for the Bruins after transferring from UC-Davis. He rushed for 1,097 yards and 12 touchdowns. He rushed for 1,469 yards and 16 touchdowns in his senior year at Eastside High School in Lancaster.
The 132nd pick by the Minnesota Vikings was Troy Dye who was a 3-star prospect coming out of Norco in 2016 as a safety. He had 84 tackles, two sacks, and two interceptions as a senior leading the Ducks defense. He had 105 tackles, 11.5 tackles for loss and four interceptions as a senior at Norco.
The 133rd pick by the Seattle Seahawks was Colby Parkinson. Parkinson was a 4-star prospect and the #69 overall player in the class of 2017 coming out of Oaks Christian. He was All-Pac-12 second team as a junior for Stanford. He had 589 receiving yards and a touchdown in 2019. The 6’7 tight end had 531 receiving yards and a pair of touchdowns in his senior year with the Lions.
The 134th pick by the Atlanta Falcons was Jaylinn Hawkins who was a 4-star prospect and the #233 overall player in the class of 2015 as a wide receiver. He had 56 tackles, two sacks, and three interceptions as a senior at Cal. As a senior at Buena Park he had 80 catches, 1,476 receiving yards and 16 touchdown catches on offense, with 60 tackles and three interceptions on defense.
The fifth round had a pair of selections from Southern California.
The 160th overall pick by the Cleveland Browns was Nick Harris. The Washington offensive linemen was 3-star recruit coming out of J-Serra. Harris was an All-Pac-12 First Team selection in 2018 and 2019.
The 164th overall pick by the Miami Dolphins was Curtis Weaver. The Boise State defensive end was 3-star recruit coming out of Long Beach St. Anthony’s in 2016. He was a three time All-Mountain-West First Team in 2017-2019. Weaver had 52 tackles and 13.5 sacks in 2019. He had 60 tackles and seven sacks for the Saints in his senior season.
The final prospect drafted from Southern California was Cole McDonald. The Hawaii quarterback was the 224th overall pick by the Tennessee Titans. The seventh round pick was a 2-star recruit coming out of Sonora High School in La Mirada.
He threw for 4,135 yards and 33 touchdowns in 2019. McDonald threw for 2,313 passing yards and had 1,091 rushing yards with 29 total touchdowns in his senior year for the Raiders.
