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Published: 2022-04-26 11:15:00 Updated: 2022-04-30 21:41:50

Posted April 26, 2022 11:15 a.m. EDT Updated April 30, 2022 9:41 p.m. EDT

By Kyle Morton, HighSchoolOT producer

Raleigh, N.C. — The NFL Draft was held this week as the league welcomes the newest generation of players and future stars to professional football.

For these players, this week was the opportunity for a dream to come true after time spent working and perfecting their craft in high school in college.

For some of those players — nine of them, to be exact — their dreams started right here in North Carolina. There are now 74 active NFL players who played high school football in North Carolina and another 15 who are free agents.

Here is a list of players who found themselves drafted in the 2022 NFL Draft who played their high school football in North Carolina.

Selected in first round, 6th overall by Carolina Panthers

Ekwonu's star has risen so quickly and so drastically that it's hard to believe that he graduated from Providence Day just three years ago.

The athletic, aggressive tackle was ranked by recruiting website 247sports.com as the number 26 prospect in the state in the class of 2019.

Needless to say, Ekwonu exceeded those expectations in his time at NC State. As a freshman, he started 11 games between left guard and left tackle before taking the left tackle role over for a full season as a sophomore.

He was named second team All-ACC as a sophomore and first team All-ACC after this most recent season. Playing with great mobility for his size and a tenacious attitude that leads to a strength in downfield blocking, Ekwonu is a force in ways that project well to the next level.

Barring a major surprise, Ekwonu will be the first player to play his high school ball in North Carolina selected in this year's NFL Draft.

Ekwonu has established himself as one of three offensive tackles who are expected to go within the top 10, joining Charles Cross of Mississippi State and Evan Neal of Alabama.

Given that Ekwonu's hometown Panthers have a need on the offensive line and the sixth overall pick with which they could address that need, there's a chance Ekwonu could be coming home if he makes it to Carolina's spot.

Selected first round, 13th overall by Philadelphia Eagles

Davis is quite arguably the most intriguing prospect in the draft point blank, period.

The monster defensive tackle from the national champion Bulldogs possesses an impossible level of athleticism for his six-foot-six, 341-pound frame, putting on a performance for the ages at the draft combine that culminated with a 4.78-second 40 time that blow away that of most defensive tackle prospects, let alone one as imposing as Davis is.

In high school, Davis was a part of Mallard Creek's incredible run of success that included a state championship in 2015 and a state title game loss in 2017.

At Georgia, Davis became a monster on the historically dominant Bulldog defense that carried the program to this season's national championship. Davis put out absurd film this past season and his 32 tackles, 5 TFLs and 2 sacks don't tell the full story of how much he affected other teams on offense.

The Bulldogs limited his snap count to keep him fresh, and it's unclear if any NFL team drafting him would do the same.

Davis is projected to go in the middle of the first round, but it's possible that a team picking higher than that could be enamored enough to grab him sooner.

Selected fourth round, 122nd overall by Las Vegas Raiders

In his high school days, the man they call Zeus achieved legend status in Laurinburg, and he's done the same in Athens in helping the Bulldogs capture their first national championship since 1980 this past season.

White helped write a major chapter in Scotland's history as a football power in the state, and while he wasn't able to capture a ring as a Scot, he did put up some seriously gaudy numbers.

White suffered from injuries in both high school and college, but his talent as an all-around running back is unquestionable.

In his senior season in 2017, before tearing his ACL, White ran for 2,086 yards and 34 touchdowns to make Scotland's offense virtually indefensible.

247sports rated White as the number one running back prospect in the class of 2018, and what he did at Georgia while healthy validated that pedigree.

Despite numerous injuries, the athleticism is still there in spades. A 4.4 40-yard dash time at the combine confirmed his high-level speed, and while a team may be taking a risk drafting White with his knee issues, the upside to taking him is incredible.

Selected fourth round, 135th overall by Kansas City Chiefs

Williams is an exciting prospect due to his size at the corner position and the level of dominance he showed in his time at Fayetteville State.

At six-foot-three, Williams has the size to cause trouble for receivers at the line of scrimmage and the potential to compete for the ball at the catch point against bigger receivers.

Williams primarily played safety at Jack Britt, but the pivot to corner made sense at the college level given his frame, and needless to say, the change has paid off.

In his senior year at Jack Britt in 2016, Williams had 31 tackles as the Buccaneers struggled to a 3-8 season. In his career at Fayetteville State, he picked off 5 passes and defended 22 more, scoring two touchdowns on returns in his time as a Bronco.

Williams is likely to be taken early on in day three, with a chance to go on day two, and he has a chance to be the first player from an HBCU to be selected in the draft.

Selected fifth round, 144th overall by Washington Commanders

Howell's de-commitment from Florida State and flip to UNC signified the turnaround that the Tar Heel football program was looking to make under Mack Brown, and his play in Chapel Hill helped to make it a reality.

In three years at Carolina, Howell made himself into something of a national star, even generating Heisman Trophy hype at times and establishing himself as one of the higher-end quarterbacks in the country.

A freshman year in which he posted a 24:9 TD:interception ratio sparked intrigue in the Indian Trail native, and he followed it up with a sophomore year in which he threw for 30 touchdowns.

The Tar Heels lost a lot of supporting offensive talent between 2020 and 2021, and Howell's play didn't fully compensate for the loss of two NFL running backs and some talented receivers. UNC went 6-7 in Howell's last year, but the development of his running game was an intriguing wrinkle to his profile in his junior year, as he ran for 828 yards and 11 touchdowns, establishing himself as a legitimate dual-threat prospect at the next level.

Though his stock in this draft has fallen from its peak before his junior season, Howell is still a lock to get drafted, likely in the second or third round, and he'll have the opportunity to compete for playing time in his NFL career.

Selected in fifth round, 175th overall by Las Vegas Raiders

Butler was a three-star recruit coming out of Garner who used his time in Knoxville to develop into a prospect at the NFL level.

After sparse playing time in his first two years as a Volunteer, Butler broke out in 2019 and followed that up with a 43-tackle, 2-sack season with a forced fumble in 2020.

Butler was then a veteran leader in his fifth year with Tennessee, and he came up with 47 total tackles, 5 sacks and another forced fumble in his last year on campus.

Given his size, Butler fits the mold for a run-stopping defensive end, and his demonstrated ability to rush the passer in his last year at Tennessee proves he can do multiple things well.

Expect Butler to get scooped up relatively early on day three.

Selected seventh round, 233rd overall by Seattle Seahawks

A native of Raleigh, Dareke Young played high school football at Middle Creek High School where he recorded 29 receptions, 502 yards and 5 touchdowns, losing just three games in his entire high school carer.

After graduating from Middle Creek, Young played college football at Lenoir-Rhyne. After catching just two passes as a freshman, Young played in all 14 games as a sophomore, catching seven passes for 122 yards and two touchdowns. He also recorded 318 rushing yards and four touchdowns on 38 carries.

Young's explosiveness showed more as a junior where he scored 12 touchdowns on 74 offensive touches. He led the team in receiving with 515 yards and eight touchdowns on 25 receptions. He also carried the ball 49 times for 335 yards and four touchdowns.

This past fall, Young only played in give games where he recorded 303 yards and four touchdowns on 25 catches.

Selected in seventh round, 252nd overall by Cincinnati Bengals

Gunter is an athletic but slightly undersized edge rusher who starred at Riverside-Durham and then at Coastal Carolina prior to this process.

The Durham native ran a 4.70 40-yard dash at the combine, and he had 12 sacks between his final two years at Coastal, suggesting he has the traits and production to translate his game to the NFL level if he can develop properly.

Gunter missed the 2019 season with an injury, but he came back strong in 2020 and 2021 to earn his opportunity at the next level.

Gunter is going to have a chance to go late in the draft and will look for an opportunity as a UDFA if his name is not called.

Selected in seventh round, 255th overall by Chicago Bears

Trenton Gill was a placekicker and punter at Cedar Ridge High School in Orange County. He also played tennis and was an all-state soccer player. As a high school senior, Gill made 8-of-12 field goals and 41-of-44 extra points — all three misses were blocked. 48 of his 61 kickoffs went for a touchback.

Gill is NC State's career leading in punt average. This past season for the Wolfpack, he recorded 2,928 punt yards on 65 punts with his longest punt going for 65 yards. 23 of his punts were good for 50 or more yards.

Originally committed to Duke, Knight flipped to NC State before his senior season and proceeded to set the state on fire in his last year at Southern Nash.

The Firebirds were an absolute force in 2018, and Knight's 2,054 yards and 26 touchdowns on the ground were a huge reason why. Southern Nash went unbeaten in the regular season before losing a shootout to an Eastern Alamance offensive powerhouse in the second round of the playoffs.

Knight's success did not stop in Bailey, as he quickly became a key cog in the Wolfpack offense. The man they call Bam was remarkably consistent in his three seasons in Raleigh.

As a freshman, Knight carried the ball 136 times for 745 yards. He followed that up with 143 carries for 788 yards as a sophomore and 140 carries for 753 yards as a junior.

In total, he reached the end zone 18 times for State while helping the Pack to a 9-3 record this past season.

At five-foot-eleven and over 200 pounds, Knight has the size to handle NFL reps. His performance at the combine was not outstanding, but was solid all around, and he did very well in the broad jump.

There should be a spot in the NFL waiting for Knight next season.

Turner was a standout in his time at Northwest Guilford, and wasted no time turning into one as a Hokie in Blacksburg.

In his freshman season, Turner caught 26 passes for 535 yards and 4 touchdowns to establish himself as a reliable receiver in the ACC.

The six-four wideout followed that up with a 34-553-4 season as a sophomore, and carried that consistency into his junior year with a 34-529-3 season as a junior before finally cracking the 600-yard mark as a senior in 2021.

The Hokies trusted him as a versatile playmaker, as they also got him the ball in rushing situations, resulting in his scoring on the ground in each of his four years as a Hokie.

With his height and speed, Turner has a little bit of everything, and scouts and coaches will have little trouble finding positives in his game.

While his upside may be limited in the NFL, Turner projects as a late day three pick and could quickly find himself contributing on special teams with occasional looks on offense wherever he lands.

McMillian has earned playing time from his true freshman season onward at East Carolina.

Playing major roles right away in 2019 and 2020, McMillian racked up 7 interceptions and a combined 71 total tackles. Those performances earned him pre-season All-American Athletic Conference honors before the 2021 season, and he lived up to that billing on the field this past year.

In 2021, McMillian intercepted 4 passes and broke up 12 more as he helped lead the defense of a resurgent ECU team that finished 7-5.

McMillian was a key part of a good West Forsyth team in his senior year in 2018, as the Titans went 8-4-1 and finished second in their conference.

The Winston-Salem native is on the lower end of the size spectrum for corners, but not enough to label him undersized. He ran a 4.49 40 and could find himself picked on day 3 or scooped up as an undrafted free agent.

Emezie was pressed into playing time early in his NC State career, and he quickly became a fan favorite for the way he responded to a tough play that led to a loss at Wake Forest in his freshman season.

Before that, a monster senior season at Marvin Ridge put Emezie in position to earn that playing time at State right away.

Emezie led the Mavericks in his last year in high school with 99 receptions, 1,387 receiving yards and 18 scores to boot.

In Raleigh, Emezie continued to produce big numbers, putting up 60-802-6 in his senior year for the Wolfpack, sending him off as one of the most productive receivers in the program's history.

Emezie lacks the top-end speed and flash that defines the elite receiving prospects of the day, but he's sure-handed, big-bodied and runs routes well enough to see him fitting in as an X-receiver in the NFL someday if he's developed properly.

Person played his high school ball at Franklinton and Heritage, and his time in Wake Forest helped elevate the Huskies toward regular contender status in the county.

In 2017, Person had a senior year that was the stuff of legends for the Huskies.

After 2,230 rushing yards and 38 touchdowns, Person headed to Raleigh and quickly made an impact for the Wolfpack in 2018.

Person compiled 18 total touchdowns during his time with the Wolfpack and was a key part of some of State's recent successful seasons.

Now, Person is in position to hope for a late-round selection or possible post-draft offer should he not be selected. His big frame and strength while running the ball are among his traits that could make him attractive to teams at the next level.

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