Will Haskell Garrett be the first Vermont native picked in the NFL Draft since 1986?

Correction: Since this story was originally published Thursday morning, the Free Press was notified of another Vermont native, Charles Smith of Lyndon, who was picked in the NFL Draft. This story has been updated.

Only four Vermont natives have ever been selected in the National Football League Draft, and none since 1986.

An All-American defensive lineman from Ohio State University might end that drought this weekend.

The Burlington-born Haskell Garrett, who lived in the Green Mountain State until he was 13 years old, is projected to be selected in this year's NFL Draft, which begins Thursday night with the first round in Las Vegas, where Garrett garnered high school success at Bishop Gorman. The draft continues Friday and wraps up Saturday.

If Garrett's name is called, he'll take his place alongside Brattleboro's Clayton Lane (1948), Montpelier's Bob Yates (1960), Lyndon's Charles Smith (1974) and Brattleboro's Joe Shield (1986) as Vermont's lone NFL draftees.

See below for a century-old list of Vermonters with NFL ties.

Garrett's draft projections, stock

The 6-foot-2, 300-pound Garrett led the Buckeyes in sacks (5.5) in 2021 and finished with 62 tackles and 13.5 tackles for loss in 53 games over a five-year career that included playing in the College Football Playoff national championship game against Alabama.

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Garrett has upside for a potential professional career, according to an NFL.com scout, who said the 3-tech lineman has "good football IQ" and has "the tools to help threaten a pocket as a rusher." The scout's report also said that Garrett has "efficient movement at the point of attack" and has "strong, quick hands."

Garrett, who battled injuries his senior season, is considered a candidate for a Day 3 pick (fourth through seventh rounds). The Sporting News lists Garrett as a fourth-round pick while Matt Miller of ESPN predicts Garrett to fall in the seventh round in his mock draft.

At The Athletic, Garrett is projected to go in the sixth round, according to Dane Brugler's latest mock. And at Cleveland.com, Buckeyes beat reporter Nathan Baird has Garrett going in the sixth round.

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Garrett's story featured on ESPN, NFL Network

Garrett is making national headlines. In the lead-up to the draft, he was profiled at length by ESPN.com and appeared on NFL Network's popular "Good Morning Football" television show for a seven-minute spotlight.

Why is Garrett drawing interest from big-time media outlets?

In August 2020, Garrett was attempting to break up an altercation between two people when he was shot in the face. The bullet traveled through both cheeks, cutting through his teeth and tongue. Amazingly, Garrett survived, and then returned to play all eight games of Ohio State's COVID-shortened season.

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"I’ve been given a second chance. It could have ended completely differently and we wouldn’t be having this conversation," Garrett told the Burlington Free Press in a January 2021 interview. "My outlook has changed completely — living life and taking every opportunity to the fullest."

Vermont natives with NFL ties

Editor's note: Via our archives and thanks to the dedicated research compiled by Burlington resident Matt Moore, below is a list of Vermont natives who reached the NFL in some capacity.

For a deeper dive into NFL football and Vermont, visit Moore's research and follow his social media account on Vermont sports history and information at twitter.com/VTSHIC.

Our NFL list is defined by Vermonters who were born here and lived here for a significant amount of time. Of those natives, we broke it down to those who were drafted, attended training camps or tryouts and made a preseason roster.

Jim Laird (1920) — From Montpelier, Laird spent the 1920 and 1921 seasons with the Buffalo All-Americans, Rochester Jeffersons and Canton Bulldogs in the American Professional Football Conference (APFA), which was renamed the NFL in 1922. Laird also played for the Providence Steam Roller and Staten Island Stapletons over an eight-year playing career.

Phil Bower (1921) — Bower, who lived in Vergennes spent a single season with the Cleveland Indians of the APFA.

Gordon Patterson (1921) — The St. Johnsbury native played for one season with the Washington Senators.

Phil Branon (1925) — Born in Fairfield, Branon played a single game for the Cleveland Bulldogs of the NFL.

Peter Bove (1930) — From Rutland, Bove played the 1930 season with the Newark Tornadoes.

Tony Manfreda (1930) — Also from Rutland, Manfreda played in two games for the Newark Tornadoes.

Clayton Lane (1948) — As Vermont’s first NFL draft pick the Brattleboro native was selected in the 14th round by the Pittsburgh Steelers, but played his lone professional season with the New York Yankees of the All-American Football Conference.

Bob Yates (1961-1965) — A draft selection of the New York Giants, Montpelier’s Yates played in 68 games across five seasons with the Boston Patriots of the American Football League.

Ollie Dunlap (1965) — The St. Albans native who went to Michigan State attended tryouts for the Washington Redskins.

Dick Herbert (1967) — The St. Albans native and former University of Vermont star attended tryouts for the Pittsburgh Steelers.

Bobby Mitchell (1968) — The Bridport native and former University of Vermont star attended tryouts for the Denver Broncos.

Charles Smith (1974) — A member of the 1969 Vermont Shrine team and former Lyndon Institute standout, Smith was picked in the 14th round by the St. Louis Cardinals.

Joe Shield (1986) — The most recent draft selection from Vermont, Shield from Brattleboro, was an 11th round pick by the Green Bay Packers. Shield suited up for three games for the Packers, but did not see game action.

Art Dywer (1986) — The South Burlington native tried out for the Washington Redskins and the New York Giants.

Steve Wolf (1987) — The Rutland native went to tryouts for the Houston Oilers.

Todd Rundle (1988) — The Essex native went to tryouts for the New England Patriots.

Sean Keenan (2000) — The Rutland native was a practice squad member for the Arizona Cardinals.

Kane Anderson (2003) — The Bomoseen native went to tryouts for the Minnesota Vikings.

Tucker Peterson (2007) — The Clarendon native went to tryouts for the Washington Redskins.

David Ball (2007) — The former Spaulding High School star was a practice squad member for the Chicago Bears (2007), St. Louis Rams (2007), New York Jets (2007-2008) and Philadelphia Eagles (2013).

Jason Foster (2012) — The former Mount St. Joseph star was a practice squad member for the Indianapolis Colts (2012), Oakland Raiders (2013), Tampa Bay Buccaneers (2013-2014).

Contact Alex Abrami at aabrami@freepressmedia.com. Follow him on Twitter: @aabrami5.

Contact Jacob Rousseau at JRousseau@gannett.com. Follow on Twitter: @ByJacobRousseau

This article originally appeared on Burlington Free Press: NFL Draft: Haskell Garrett may join short list of Vermonters picked