Where the 2022 NFL Draft 1st Round picks played high school football

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For the eighth year in a row, High School Football America is tracking where every pick in the 2022 NFL Draft played high school football.

California led the 1st Round with five former high school players picked. Georgia and Texas were right behind with four selections each.

The Jacksonville Jaguars chose defensive end Travon Walker No. 1 overall. Walker, who played his high school football at Upson-Lee High School in Thomaston, Georgia is the fifth former high school football player from Georgia to be selected as the top pick.

Related: Travon Walker was a very good high school basketball players

It’s the second year in a row that the Jags chose a former Georgian No. 1 overall. Quarterback Trevor Lawrence, who prepped at Cartersville High, was the top selection in the 2021 NFL Draft.

The other former overall No. 1 picks from Georgia are quarterback Cam Newton (Westlake HS) by the Carolina Panthers in 2011, running back George Rogers (Duluth HS) by the New Orleans Saints in 1981 and guard Ken Rice (Bainbridge HS) by the Buffalo Bills in 1961.

Related: See where every No. 1 overall pick went to high school

Kayvon Thibodeaux of Oaks Christian High School was the first of five Californians taken. The New York Giants chose the defensive end with the No. 5 overall pick.

The other former Californians taken Thursday night were wide receiver Drake London (Moorpark HS) by the Atlanta Falcons at No. 8, wide receiver Chris Olave (Mission Hills HS) at No. 11, cornerback Trent McDuffie (St. John Bosco HS) at No. 21 by the Kansas City Chiefs and linebacker Devin Lloyd (Otay Ranch HS) at No. 27.

One player picked in the first round enters the NFL with family ties to the league. The Buffalo Bills chose cornerback Kaiir Elam (The Benjamin School – Florida) at No. 21. Elam’s father Abram Elam was a safety in the league from 2005 through 2012 for four different teams. Kaiir’s uncle Matt Elam was a first round draft pick by the Baltimore Ravens in 2013.

2022 NFL Draft 1st Round

PickTeamPlayerPositionHigh SchoolState
No. 1Jacksonville JaguarsTravon WalkerDEUpson-LeeGeorgia
No. 2Detroit LionsAidan HutchinsonDEDivine ChildMichigan
No. 3Houston TexansDerek StingleyCBThe Dunham SchoolLouisiana
No. 4New York JetsAhmad “Sauce” GardnerCBDetroit Martin Luther KingMichigan
No. 5New York GiantsKayvon ThibodeauxDEOaks ChristianCalifornia
No. 6Carolina PanthersIkem EkwonuOTProvidence DayNorth Carolina
No. 7New York GiantsEvan NealOTIMG AcademyFlorida
No. 8Atlanta FalconsDrake LondonWRMoorparkCalifornia
No. 9Seattle SeahawksCharles CrossOTLaurel Mississippi 
No. 10New York JetsGarrett WilsonWRLake TravisTexas
No. 11New Orleans SaintsChris OlaveWRMission HillsCalifornia
No. 12Detroit LionsJameson WilliamsWR Cardinal RitterMissouri
No. 13Philadelphia EaglesJordan DavisDTMallard CreekNorth Carolina
No. 14Baltimore RavensKyle HamiltonSMaristGeorgia
No. 15Houston TexansKenyon GreenGAtascocitaTexas
No. 16Washington CommandersJahan DotsonWRNazarethPennsylvania
No. 17Los Angeles ChargersZion JohnsonGRiverdale BaptistMaryland
No. 18Tennessee TitansTreylon BurksWRWarrenArkansas
No. 19New Orleans SaintsTrevor PenningOTNewman CatholicIowa
No. 20Pittsburgh SteelersKenny PickettQBOcean TownshipNew Jersey
No. 21Kansas City ChiefsTrent McDuffieCBSt. John BoscoCalifornia
No. 22Green Bay PackersQuay WalkerILBCrisp CountyGeorgia
No. 23Buffalo BillsKaiir ElamCBThe Benjamin SchoolFlorida
No. 24Dallas CowboysTyler SmithOTNorth CrowleyTexas
No. 25Baltimore RavensTyler LinderbaumCBSolonIowa
No. 26New York JetsJermaine Johnson IIDEEden PrairieMinnesota
No. 27Jacksonville JaguarsDevin LloydILBOtay RanchCalifornia
No. 28Green Bay PackersDevonte WyattDTTowers Georgia
No.29New England PatriotsCole StrangeGFarragutTennessee
No. 30Kansas City ChiefsGeorge KarlaftisDEWest LafayetteIndiana
No. 31Cincinnati BengalsDaxton HillSTulsa Booker T. Washington Oklahoma
No. 32Minnesota VikingsLewis CineSCedar Hill Trinity ChristianTexas

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About the Author

Jeff Fisher
Jeff is an award-winning journalist and expert in the field of high school sports, underscored with his appearance on CNBC in 2010 to talk about the big business of high school football in America.Jeff turned to his passion for high school football into an entrepreneurial venture called High School Football America, a digital media company focused on producing original high school sports content for radio, television and the internet.Jeff is co-founder and editor-in-chief of High School Football America, a partner with NFL Play Football.