Cedar Grove led all high schools with most 2022 NFL Draft picks
ELLENWOOD, Ga. (BVM) – Cedar Grove High School, only about 15 miles outside of Atlanta in Ellenwood, made its mark on NFL Draft history during the 2022 NFL Draft. With three former Saints being selected over draft weekend, the program had the most selections during the event, beating out perennial leaders like IMG Academy, Long Beach-Poly and St. Thomas Aquinas among others. This group of players had significant success during their time at Cedar Grove and were able to build on that experience to catapult their football careers to the sport’s highest level.
Under former head coach Jimmy Smith, who now coaches at the collegiate level as a running backs coach at the University of Arkansas, the Cedar Grove football program became one of the state’s best. During his five years as head coach from 2013-18, Smith led the Cedar Grove Saints to unprecedented highs, going a staggering 67-14-1 over his time at the helm. This reign also included four straight state championship appearances from 2015-2018 where the Saints would win two, the first two state titles in program history.
The three players selected in the 2022 NFL Draft came from the core of these championship teams: University of Virginia tight end Jelani Woods, Western Kentucky University defensive end DeAngelo Malone and Georgia guard Justin Shaffer. Each had varying degrees of success at the collegiate level, but all were able to hear their names called over draft weekend.
Woods became the first off the board when he was taken by the Indianapolis Colts with pick No. 73, the ninth pick in the draft’s third round. Originally a QB under Smith at Cedar Grove, Woods would attend Oklahoma State and make the transition to tight end following his freshman year. After a few seasons in Stillwater, Woods transferred to Virginia where he had a breakout 2021 campaign with 44 catches for 598 yards and eight touchdowns.
Woods thrived during the build up to the draft, as he had three receptions for 30 yards and a touchdown in the East-West Shrine Bowl before exploding on the scene at the NFL Combine recording the most reps among tight ends on the bench press with 24 while also having the second-fastest 40-yard dash at the position with an official time of 4.61 seconds. His 40-yard dash also came in as the fastest time by a tight end 6-foot-7 or taller since 2003, putting the Virginia alum in elite territory.
At his pro day, Woods would show off his athleticism again, recording a 37.5-inch vertical jump, and a 10-foot-9-inch broad jump while having times of 6.78 seconds in the three cone drill and 4.20 seconds in the 20-yard shuttle. This athleticism helped Woods become the second tight end selected in the draft, only following Colorado State’s Trey McBride who was picked by the Arizona Cardinals with the 55th pick.
“Jelani’s unique, I’m not going to lie to you, I sweated it out because I think he’s got a really big upside both as a receiving tight end and as a blocker,” Colts general manager Chris Ballard said after the draft. “He’s a unique athlete and he’s a guy that’s always open. It’s kind of like [tight end] Mo [Alie-Cox], when you’re 6-foot-7, the quarterback can put the ball up and he’s athletic enough to make a play on it and this kid can run. This kid can really run so we’re excited to get him.”
Can’t wait https://t.co/WnMVrutUqP
— 🌹Same0LANi 🌹 (@jelani_thegreat) April 30, 2022
Malone had the most success in college during his time with Western Kentucky and so it makes sense that he would follow shortly after his former teammate Woods when he was selected by his hometown team, the Atlanta Falcons, with the No. 82 pick (Round 3, Pick 18). With the Hilltoppers, Malone was a two-time Conference USA defensive player of the year while becoming the program’s all-time record-holder with 34 career sacks.
Malone shined during the pre-draft process too. At the Senior Bowl, Malone earned the American Team’s MVP honors following six tackles and half a sack performance in the collegiate contest. Though Malone was invited to the combine, he only participated in the bench press putting up 23 reps, good for the fourth most by a defensive end.
At Western Kentucky’s pro day on March 31, Malone posted a 4.56 40-yard dash in windy weather conditions while also posting a 35.5-inch vertical and a 9-foot-11-inch broad jump. Malone became the fourth-highest draft pick in WKU history and the first ever selected by the Falcons.
“[We’re] excited about him. When we brought him in to visit we told him that we had a feeling he’d be a Falcon and he’d be able to play for the home team and he is,”Falcons general manager Terry Fontenot said after the second day. “Another pressure player that plays with violence and toughness any game you put on.”
DeAngelo Malone's reaction to getting drafted by his hometown team is EVERYTHING 🙌
(via @MRHoffy) pic.twitter.com/He18FyxmoV
— Atlanta Falcons (@AtlantaFalcons) April 30, 2022
Shaffer was next selected in the NFL Draft as he was taken on day three also by the Atlanta Falcons with the No. 190 selection (Round 6, Pick 11) joining Malone, also his first cousin, once again. The 6-foot-4, 330-pound guard started all 15 games for the champion Georgia Bulldogs, earning All-SEC second team honors while playing 88% of the team’s offensive snaps on the year.
Another combine participant, Shaffer ran an official 5.14 second 40-yard dash while also recording a 25.5-inch vertical jump and an 8-foot-11-inch broad jump.
“Adding a big, powerful offensive linemen with the right makeup, another Cedar Grove local,” Fontenot said. “He said DeAngelo’s his cousin and he’s excited. Both of those guys bringing them home they’re excited to compete for the team.
“There’s so much home grown talent here right? When you go through the pool of prospects, there’s a lot of good football that’s played here. We talk about high school games that we want to go to and we want to go because when you go to high school games here you will be watching players that play on Sundays. There’s a lot of home grown talent here and so we’re excited to get them in the building.”
A DAWG in the trenches 😤
📺: #NFLDraft on NFLN pic.twitter.com/U2Ynmt19kh
— Atlanta Falcons (@AtlantaFalcons) April 30, 2022
While three players heard their names over the NFL Draft festivities, they are not the only Cedar Grove alums who will get their NFL opportunities. Ohio State defensive tackle Antwaun Jackson, who played for Cedar Grove until his senior year in 2015, accepted an invitation to the New York Giants’ rookie minicamp, giving him a shot at making the team’s training camp roster. Jackson spent all four seasons at Ohio State playing in 35 games with 12 starts. His senior season of 2021-22 was his most productive as he recorded 23 total tackles with 4.5 tackles for loss and 2.5 sacks.
Former Ohio State defensive tackle Antwuan Jackson has accepted an invitation to the New York Giants’ rookie minicamp: https://t.co/LaPZV4rugK
— Dan Hope (@Dan_Hope) May 1, 2022
However, Cedar Grove still has plenty of alums with NFL draft hopes. Former five-star recruit and Oklahoma wide receiver Jadon Haselwood, Cedar Grove senior running back Rashad Dubinion and Cedar Grove Class of 2023 linebacker Everett Roussaw all committed to Smith’s Arkansas program this offseason and with Eastern Michigan defensive back Korey Hernandez and Western Kentucky players Tre Shaw and Dante Walker, the Saints have plenty of potential NFL draft picks coming down the road. While the program may have set the watermark for high school teams for draft picks in the 2022 NFL Draft, don’t expect this to be the last time Cedar Grove sees an alumni picked to join football’s biggest league.
