Where did former Arizona high school players land in the NFL Draft?
Apr 28, 2024, 12:40 PM | Updated: 7:19 pm
Eight former Arizona high school players were taken in the 2024 NFL Draft. Here is where they landed:
Jordan Morgan drafted 25th by the Gren Bay Packers
Offensive tackle Jordan Morgan became the first former Arizona high school football player selected when the Green Bay Packers selected the former Marana High School offensive lineman at 25th overall.
Morgan, headed to Green Bay, became the first Arizona Wildcat to go in the first round of the NFL draft since Antoine Cason did so in 2008.
The Arizona native overcame a torn ACL at the end of the 2022 season and started all 12 games the following fall. He was a First Team All-Pac-12 member during his senior year after getting named an honorable mention in 2022. He also played in the Senior Bowl.
Morgan measured at 6-foot-5, 311 pounds at the combine, where he ran an unofficial 5.04-second 40-yard dash.
Ricky Pearsall selected 31st by the San Francisco 49ers
Wide receiver Ricky Pearsall was taken 31st overall by the San Francisco 49ers in the first round on Thursday. Pearsall starred in high school at Corona del Sol High School in Tempe. He’s another Arizona connection for a Niners team led by former Perry High School quarterback Brock Purdy.
Pearsall grew up in Chandler and set the Arizona High School 6A single-game receiving yard record (342) as a junior while attending Corona del Sol. He played three seasons for the Sun Devils before transferring to Florida.
As a Sun Devil, he totaled 61 receptions for 794 yards and five touchdowns. In 2021, his last season at ASU, he caught 48 passes for 580 yards and four touchdowns.
As a Gator in 2022, Pearsall had 33 receptions for 661 yards and five touchdowns. He added 65 receptions for 965 yards and four touchdowns in 2023. Last year, he also averaged 20.7 yards on three rushing attempts and scored two touchdowns on the ground. During his time in Gainesville, he totaled 98 receptions for 1,626 yards.
Pearsall additionally joins fellow ASU product and receiver Brandon Aiyuk in San Francisco.
Bralen Trice picked 74th overall by the Atlanta Falcons
Former Sandra Day O’Connor edge rusher Bralen Trice was taken by the Atlanta Falcons in the third round at No. 74 overall on Friday.
The former All-Arizona defensive lineman hails from Phoenix and played college ball for the Washington Huskies.
Trice played 34 games for Washington from 2021-23. He recorded seven sacks, 11.5 tackles for loss, two passes defensed and a forced fumble last season over 15 games (all starts).
Trice helped the Huskies to an appearance in the College Football Playoff National Championship. He was named Washington’s Defensive Player of the Year for the last two seasons and defensive MVP of the Huskies’ Sugar Bowl victory over Texas.
Jacob Cowing taken by the San Francisco 49ers at 135th overall
Former Maricopa High School and Arizona Wildcats wide receiver Jacob Cowing was drafted by the San Francisco 49ers in the fourth round with the 135th pick on Saturday.
Cowing landed with the 49ers after San Francisco had already selected Arizona high school alum and Sun Devil-turned-Florida Gator Pearsall at the same position.
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Cowing starred for two seasons in Tucson after transferring from UTEP. While at Arizona, he accumulated nearly 2,000 yards from scrimmage on 183 touches, scoring 20 touchdowns as well. Cowing was a touchdown machine in 2023. He set the single-season program record with 13 receiving touchdowns.
His 85 catches paced the Pac-12 in 2022 and his 90 catches in 2023 ranked second. He ranks ninth on the NCAA’s all-time leaderboard with 316 career catches.
Cowing ran a 4.41-second 40-yard dash at the 2024 NFL Draft Combine and improved to a 4.38 on his second attempt. Only four receivers finished with a better time, including Texas’ Xavier Worthy, with a combine record 4.21.
Spencer Rattler selected by the New Orleans Saints at 150th overall
Former Pinnacle High School quarterback Spencer Rattler was drafted by the New Orleans Saints in the fifth round at 150th overall on Saturday.
Rattler was a former five-star quarterback by 247Sports and Rivals.com and the consensus No. 1 quarterback in the 2019 recruiting class, but his college career didn’t pan out as expected. He began at Oklahoma but was benched in favor of Caleb Williams midway through the 2021 season.
Rattler then transferred to South Carolina before the 2022 season and finished his college career with the Gamecocks. He threw for more than 3,000 yards each in the last two years and totaled 37 touchdowns and 20 interceptions over two seasons.
Dominique Hampton taken by the Washington Commanders at 161st overall
Former Centennial High School (Peoria) safety Dominique Hampton was drafted by the Washington Commanders in the fifth round at 161st overall on Saturday.
After starring at Centennial, Hampton played five seasons collegiately for the Washington Huskies and helped guide them to an appearance in the College Football Playoff National Championship earlier this year.
Hampton tallied 109 tackles, two interceptions and seven passes defensed for the Huskies last season.
Jawhar Jordan picked 205th overall by the Houston Texans
Former Hamilton High School running back Jawhar Jordan was taken in the sixth round at 205th overall by the Houston Texans on Saturday.
Born in Long Island, New York, Jordan began his collegiate career at Syracuse and played two seasons with the Orange before finishing at Louisville, where he played the last three seasons.
In his last collegiate season with the Cardinals, Jordan had 181 carries for 1,128 yards with 13 touchdowns on the ground. He also added a touchdown reception.
He ran a 4.56-second 40-yard dash at the NFL Combine.
Brenden Rice drafted by the Los Angeles Chargers at 225th overall
The son of Hall of Fame wide receiver Jerry Rice, former Hamilton High School wide receiver Brenden Rice was taken by the Los Angeles Chargers in the seventh round at 225th overall on Saturday.
The Arizona native and All-American high school receiver played in 17 games over two seasons with Colorado before transferring and playing in 26 games over two more years at USC.
As a Buffalo, Rice tallied 27 receptions for 419 yards and five touchdowns. As a Trojan, Rice had 84 receptions for 1,402 yards with 16 touchdowns.
Undrafted Arizona high school players
With the 2024 NFL draft all wrapped up, franchises are still looking to sign undrafted free agents to fill out rosters. Here is a list of Arizona high school players who have opportunities at the next level:
Joey Ramos receives rookie minicamp invite from New England Patriots
Phoenix native Joey Ramos announced that he received a rookie minicamp invite from the New England Patriots.
Ramos attended Deer Valley High School and started his collegiate career at Iowa State. The offensive lineman transferred to Arizona State in 2022.
He suffered a season ending injury in the 2022 season opener, but returned to action for the Sun Devils in 2023.
