The NBA, MLB and NFL drafts have coveted former Georgia high school players more than ever in 2010.
Earlier this month, five Georgia baseball players were taken in the first round of the major leagues’ amateur draft. That was the most ever for Georgia.
The NFL took three Georgia players earlier this year, and the NBA is expected to take as many as three Georgia players later this month.
That would make 11 former Georgia high school athletes who were first-round picks in the NBA, MLB or NFL this year, which would be a record. Below is a compilation of former Georgia high school athletes taken in the first round of the past 10 NBA, MLB and NFL drafts.
Some highlights:
- There have been more baseball players from Georgia (21) taken in the first round than football players (18) or basketball players (12) over the past decade. Competition from foreign countries explains part of basketball’s lower numbers. (Foreign players in baseball are not drafted, but signed as free agents.)
- Georgia has produced three No. 1 overall picks in pro drafts over the past decade – two in basketball. They are Dwight Howard of Southwest Atlanta Christian (2004, NBA), Kwame Brown of Glynn Academy (Brunswick) (2001, NBA) and Tim Beckham of Griffin (2008, MLB).
- Wheeler in Marietta, noted as a basketball powerhouse, has graduated two first-round picks in two sports – basketball (Jermario Davidson, J.J. Hickson) and baseball (Josh Burress, Jeremy Hermida). No other Georgia school has had more than two first-round picks the past 10 years.
- Many NBA Draft projections have three Georgia players going in the first round next month. They are Derrick Favors of Atlanta’s Southside (Georgia Tech) and former Norcross teammates Al-Farouq Aminu (Wake Forest) and Gani Lawal (Georgia Tech). Favors and Aminu could go among the first 10.
- Several of Georgia's 51 first-round picks were high school teammates. In addition to Aminu and Lawal, who won a basketball state title at Norcross in 2007, Southwest Atlanta Christian won a basketball state title with Dwight Howard and Javaris Crittenton in 2004. Burress and Hermida were baseball teammates at Wheeler in 2002, and Josh Smith and Morris Almond were basketball teammates at McEachern in 2003.
Georgia's first-round picks in the past 10 NBA, MLB and NFL drafts:
NBA: 12
2009 (1): No. 29 G Toney Douglas, Jonesboro, Florida State, Los Angeles Lakers
2008 (1): No. 19 F J.J. Hickson, Wheeler (Marietta), North Carolina State, Cleveland Cavaliers
2007 (3): No. 14 F Al Thornton, Perry, Florida State, Los Angeles Clippers; No. 19 G Jarvis Crittenton, Southwest Atlanta Christian (Atlanta), Georgia Tech, Los Angeles Lakers; No. 25 G Morris Almond, McEachern (Powder Springs), Rice, Utah Jazz
2006 (1): No. 6 F Jermareo Davidson, Wheeler (Marietta), Alabama, Golden State Warriors
2004 (2): No. 1 C Dwight Howard, Southwest Atlanta Christian (Atlanta), Orlando Magic; No. 17 F Josh Smith, McEachern (Powder Springs), Atlanta Hawks
2003 (1): No. 10 G Jarvis Hayes, Douglass (Atlanta), Washington Wizards
2001 (1): No. 1 C Kwame Brown, Glynn Academy (Brunswick), Washington Wizards
2000 (1): No. 22 F Donnell Harvey, Randolph-Clay (Cuthbert), Florida, Dallas Mavericks
MLB: 21
2010 (5): No. 8 2B/OF Delino DeShields, Woodward Academy (College Park), Houston Astros; No. 15 OF Jake Skole, Blessed Trinity (Roswell), Texas Rangers; No. 18 3B/P Kaleb Cowart, Cook (Adel), Anaheim Angels; No. 29 P Cam Bedrosian, East Coweta (Sharpsburg), Anaheim Angels; No. 29 OF Chevez Clarke, Marietta, Anaheim Angels
2009 (2): No. 3 OF Donovan Tate, Cartersville, San Diego Padres; No. 6 P Zachary Wheeler, East Paulding (Dallas), San Francisco Giants
2008 (5): No. 1 SS Tim Beckham, Griffin, Tampa Bay Rays; No. 5 C Buster Posey, Lee County (Leesburg), Florida State, San Francisco Giants; No. 8 SS Gordon Beckham, Westminster (Atlanta), Georgia, Chicago White Sox; No. 15 P Ethan Martin, Stephens County (Toccoa), Los Angeles Dodgers; No. 20 P Joshua Fields, Prince Avenue Christian (Athens), Georgia, Seattle Mariners
2007 (1): No. 14 OF Jason Heyward, Henry County (McDonough), Atlanta Braves
2004 (2): No. 9 SS Chris Nelson, Redan (Stone Mountain), Colorado Rockies; No. 15 SS Stephen Drew, Lowndes (Valdosta), Florida State, Arizona Diamondbacks
2003 (1): No. 7 OF Nick Markakis, Woodstock, Young Harris College, Baltimore Orioles
2002 (2): No. 11 OF Jeremy Hermida, Wheeler (Marietta), Florida Marlins; No. 23 OF Jeff Francoeur, Parkview (Lilburn), Atlanta Braves
File photo by Tracey Long
Eric Berry, Creekside
2001 (3): No. 22 P Jason Bulger, Brookwood (Snellville), Valdosta State, Arizona Diamondbacks; No. 24 P Macay McBride, Screven County (Sylvania), Atlanta Braves; No. 29 SS Josh Burrus, Wheeler (Marietta), Atlanta Braves
NFL: 18
2010 (3): No. 5 DB Eric Berry, Creekside (Fairburn), Tennessee, Kansas City Chiefs; No. 20 DB Kareem Jackson, Westside (Macon), Alabama, Houston Texans; No. 22 WR Demaryius Thomas, West Laurens (Dublin), Georgia Tech, Denver Broncos
2008 (1): No. 11 DB Leodis McKelvin, Ware County (Waycross), Troy, Buffalo Bills
2007 (1): No. 2 WR Calvin Johnson, Sandy Creek (Tyrone), Georgia Tech, Detroit Lions
2005 (5): No. 2 RB Ronnie Brown, Cartersville, Auburn, Miami Dolphins; No. 6 DB Adam Jones, Westlake (Atlanta), West Virginia, Tennessee Titans; No. 9 DB Carlos Rogers, Butler (Augusta), Auburn, Washington Redskins; No. 14 DB Thomas Davis, Randolph-Clay (Cuthbert), Georgia, Carolina Panthers; No. 17 DL David Pollack, Shiloh (Snellville), Georgia, Cincinnati Bengals
2004 (2): No. 10 DB Dunta Robinson, Clarke Central (Athens), South Carolina, Houston Texans; No. 25 DB Ahmad Carroll, Douglass (Atlanta), Arkansas, Green Bay Packers
2003 (3): No. 6 DT Johnathan Sullivan, Griffin, Georgia, New Orleans Saints; No. 18 DE Calvin Pace, Lithia Springs, Wake Forest, Arizona Cardinals; No. 20 T George Foster, Southwest (Macon), Georgia, Denver Broncos
2002 (1): No. 25 DE Charles Grant, Miller County (Colquitt), Georgia, New Orleans Saints
2001 (2): No. 13 DT Marcus Stroud, Brooks County (Quitman), Georgia, Jacksonville Jaguars; No. 18 T Jeff Backus, Norcross, Michigan, Detroit Lions