NFL Draft: At least six Florida high school stars expected to go in the first round

Florida high school fans should be prepared to hear a lot of familiar names during next month's NFL Draft.

Six players are ranked in the top 31 on the draft's Consensus Big Board — Georgia defensive lineman Jalen Carter (No. 3), Illinois cornerback Devon Witherspoon (6), Florida quarterback Anthony Richardson (10), Georgia edge rusher Nolan Smith (27), Boston College wide receiver Zay Flowers (30) and Pitt defensive lineman Calijah Kancey — graduated from Florida high schools.

Jalen Carter

The Apopka graduate was the No. 18 overall prospect in the nation and the No. 3 overall recruit in Florida in the class of 2020. Carter has 64 tackles and 12 sacks as a senior in high school and led the Blue Darters to the Class 8A championship game. However, Carter's draft stock is up in the air after he was charged with reckless driving and racing in connection with a crash that killed a teammate and a recruiting staff member in Athens on Jan. 15.

Richardson rips UF receivers:Former Florida QB Anthony Richardson on completion percentage: 'I can't also catch every pass'

Dexter Lake Wales standout:Dexter, Smith shine bright in Under Armour win

Devon Witherspoon

Witherspoon is no longer under the radar the way he was during the recruiting process. The consensus All-American and Thorpe Award finalist played two years of football at Pine Forest High School. Witherspoon was named the 2018 Pensacola News Journal Male Athlete of the Year and committed to Illinois just four days before fall camp in 2019.

Anthony Richardson

The Eastside product was a four-star recruit and the No. 9 dual-threat quarterback in the nation in 2020. An Elite 11 finalist, Richardson threw for 1,398 yards and eight touchdowns and rushed for seven scores as a senior in 2019 before suffering a season-ending injury.

Nolan Smith

Smith, who attended IMG his final two years of high school, is the one of the top recruits of the past 20 years. The nation's No. 1 recruit on the 247Sports composite in the class of 2019 had 47 tackles, 14.5 for a loss and 6.5 sacks for the Ascenders as a senior.

Zay Flowers

The University School (Fort Lauderdale) graduate was a three-star recruit in the class of 2019. Before rewriting Boston College's record books, Flowers helped University reach the Class 4A Final Four in 2017 and 2018.

Calijah Kancey

Kancey, the Miami Northwestern alum, certainly impressed at the NFL Combine where he posted the fastest 40-yard dash time ever for a defensive tackle. The No. 63 ranked defensive tackle in the nation in the class of 2019 had a combined 208 tackles during his junior and senior seasons at Northwestern.

Several other Florida natives such as Miami cornerback Tyrique Stevenson (Miami Southridge), Illinois safety Sydney Brown (St. Stephen's Episcopal), Houston wide receiver Nathaniel Dell (Mainland) and Florida defensive lineman Gervon Dexter (Lake Wales) are among the players who should hear their names called on the second day of the draft.

This article originally appeared on Palm Beach Post: At least 6 Florida high school stars expected to go in NFL Draft 1st round