LEE COUNTY, Fla. – Three college football players who started their careers playing at Southwest Florida high schools will be closely watching the NFL draft this week, hoping to hear their names called.
Quarterback Kurt Benkert graduated from Island Coast High School in Cape Coral back in 2013. Before that, he also played a few years at Cape Coral High School.
Last year at the University of Virginia, he threw for 25 touchdowns and just 9 interceptions with a 124.1 QB rating. Now he is hoping to continue his football career in the NFL.
Fox Sports projects him to get drafted in the 6th round.
Two more prospects from Immokalee High School are also expected to make it to the pros.
Defensive back J.C. Jackson is projected to get picked in the 4th or 5th round. He entered the draft early from the University of Maryland, where he had three interceptions as a junior.
Deadrin Senat also graduated from Immokalee High before taking his skills to the University of South Florida. He's a defensive tackle who's expected to go in the 3rd or 4th round. He had 6 sacks last year for the Bulls.
You can watch the biggest NFL draft stories unfold on Fox 4. We're the only local station airing the draft live. Our coverage starts at 8 p.m. Thursday night with the first round. Then on Friday we will show the second and third rounds, starting at 7 p.m.
And stick around after the draft, both days, for Fox 4 News at 11.
