IMG Academy, Bishop Gorman tie for most 2024 NFL Draft picks
(BVM) – Out of the 227 high schools across the U.S. that produced at least one NFL draft pick in 2024 – two stood out for producing the highest number of NFL draftees.
IMG Academy (Florida) and Bishop Gorman (Nevada) were the only high schools to have three former players selected in the 2024 NFL Draft, according to Max Preps.
IMG Academy
JC Latham (Offensive tackle | No. 7 by Tennessee Titans): Latham ties as the highest NFL pick ever for IMG Academy, and is the sixth OT in the school’s history to get drafted. The Class of 2021 IMG graduate ranked as the No. 3 overall player in the nation. As a senior, he started at left tackle for the 2020 national championship team that went 8-0.
J.J. McCarthy (Quarterback | No. 10 by Minnesota Vikings): IMG Academy has now produced two NFL QBs – with McCarthy leading as the highest drafted, followed by Kellen Mond who was pick No. 66 in 2021. McCarthy was a top-five QB in the Class of 2021 while playing for IMG. He finished his senior season having secured the 2020 national championship title, as well as season stats totaling 1,392 yards, 16 touchdown passes and an impressive zero interceptions.
Xavier Thomas (Edge rusher | No. 138 by Arizona Cardinals): Thomas is the second defensive lineman in IMG Academy history to be drafted into the NFL. He not only ranked as the No. 1 defensive end in the nation for the Class of 2018, but he was also the No. 3 player overall (behind Trevor Lawrence and Justin Fields). As a senior, Thomas helped IMG Academy to a 9-0 record in tallying 34 tackles and eight tackles for loss.
Bishop Gorman
Rome Odunze (Wide receiver | No. 9 by Chicago Bears): Odunze is the second-highest-ever drafted NFL player out of Bishop Gorman (behind Ronnie Stanley, the No.6 pick in 2016). He’s also making history as the school’s highest-drafted WR. The Class of 2020 graduate spent the entirety of his high school career at Bishop Gorman, where he tallied 121 receptions for 2,699 yards and 31 touchdowns.
Jaden Hicks (Safety | No. 133 by Kansas City Chiefs): Hicks was only a three-star prospect when he graduated from Bishop Gorman in 2021. Now, he’s one of 16 former Bishop Gorman athletes to ever make it into the NFL.
Edefuan Alofoshio (Linebacker | No. 160 by Buffalo Bills): Alofoshio was overlooked during his time at Bishop Gorman; he was unranked nationally even after notching 100 tackles, including 15.5 for a loss, as a senior in the Class of 2018.
Overall, the state of Florida secured the most picks in the 2024 NFL Draft, boasting 30 players, while the state of Nevada trailed behind with five selections.
