NFL draft preview: Seven American Heritage alumni hoping to hear their names called
When he was a football coach at American Heritage, Chad Wilson piled into a van with fellow American Heritage coach, Pat Surtain, their sons, Marco Wilson and Pat Surtain II, and other Patriots standouts Tyson Campbell, Brian Burns, Nick Eubanks and James Houston to visit college campuses.
“One day we will calculate the amount of millions that was sitting in that van as we went up I-75,” Wilson said.
Burns has already reached the NFL. Four more players from that college trip may join him in the coming days, as American Heritage has seven players with the chance to be selected in this week’s NFL draft. The current record for most draftees in one year is four, and it is held by three schools in the nation ― including St. Thomas Aquinas.
“It’s been a thrill, but it’s also nerve-wracking, as well,” Wilson said. “You just don’t know what’s going to happen with each one of these guys. It’s hard enough when you have just one.”
Campbell and Surtain rose to national prominence before they graduated high school. Both players earned coveted five-star recruiting rankings as they anchored a dominant American Heritage defense; Surtain was the No. 1 cornerback in the nation, according to 247Sports’ composite ranking, and Campbell was No. 2.
“You already know that side is locked down,” Campbell told the Sun Sentinel in 2017. “So you just know you have to do your job on the other side and lock it down.”
Surtain was a first-team All-County pick as a sophomore and junior, and Cambell joined him on the first team as a senior. Both were U.S. Army All-Americans, and they helped the Patriots win back-to-back state titles in 2016 and 2017. Their blazing speed earned plaudits on the track, as well. Campbell and Surtain ran with fellow likely draftee Anthony Schwartz and Michigan enrollee Ja’DeN McBurrows on a state championship-winning 4x100 relay team.
After graduating from American Heritage, both star cornerbacks went to the Southeastern Conference. Surtain signed with Alabama, while Campbell went to Georgia.
Surtain excelled. He was a unanimous first-team All-American as a junior and was the SEC’s Defensive Player of the Year after helping lead the Crimson Tide to the 2021 national championship. Campbell did not earn the same accolades, but he was a three-year starter for the Bulldogs and made 89 tackles, 11 pass breakups and one interception.
Surtain has a chance to be the first cornerback to be drafted on Thursday night. The Athletic ranks him as the top cornerback available, and Mel Kiper Jr.’s latest mock draft has the Eagles taking Surtain at No. 12. Campbell has a chance to go in the first round — NBC Sports’ Peter King has the Saints taking Campbell with the 28th pick — and if he doesn’t, he will likely be selected on the second day of the draft.
American Heritage’s defensive draftees likely won’t end with Campbell and Surtain. Their former teammate in the secondary and fellow SEC alum, Marco Wilson, will likely be selected, too.
At Heritage, Wilson starred in the secondary. He was an All-County first-teamer as a senior after returning from an ACL injury.
Wilson, the younger brother of former University School star and current New York Giants cornerback Quincy Wilson, followed his brother and signed with Florida. Wilson started out strong with Florida, earning freshman All-SEC honors before missing most of his sophomore year due to a torn ACL.
Wilson returned for his junior and senior seasons at Florida, but in one of his last games with the team, he committed an unsportsmanlike-conduct penalty that prolonged LSU’s game-winning drive. Wilson reportedly received death threats and racial slurs on social media after the game.
Wilson will likely be a mid-round pick, and The Athletic ranks him as the No. 19 cornerback available in the draft.
Wilson’s teammate in both high school and college, Tedarrell Slaton, will also likely hear his name called during the draft.
Slaton was primarily an offensive lineman at Heritage and was a U.S. Army All-American, but the Gators moved the bulky lineman to defense. He played in 45 games over four seasons with UF, and he is the No. 18 defensive lineman available in the draft, according to The Athletic.
Three former American Heritage offensive stars, Schwartz, Khalil Herbert and Nick Eubanks, may also be selected in this year’s draft.
Schwartz was a top prospect in both football and track coming out of Heritage. He was a four-star prospect at wide receiver, and he was the Sun Sentinel’s Broward County small schools track athlete of the year in 2018. Florida Dairy Farmers named Schwartz Florida’s Mr. Track, and Gatorade named him the National Boys Track and Field Athlete of the Year.
Schwartz’s speed has been his defining aspect. He set state records in the 100 and 200 and anchored the Patriots’ 4x100 relay team. He signed with Auburn, where he played football and continued to run track. He racked up 1,433 career receiving yards on 117 catches, which ranked 10th in school history for receptions and 17th for receiving yards.
Schwartz still has blazing speed, running a 4.26 40-yard dash in preparation for the draft, which was the fastest time in the nation. Schwartz is a likely mid-round pick, and The Athletic ranks him as the No. 21 wide receiver available.
Herbert, a running back, was a standout for the Patriots, earning first-team All-County honors as a senior. He signed with Kansas as a three-star prospect and played for the Jayhawks for four seasons, rushing for 1,735 yards and 14 touchdowns in 35 games.
“I coached on the defensive side of the ball, but he definitely helped us on that side of the ball with the way that he ran,” Wilson said. “If he wasn’t scoring touchdowns, he was at least allowing us to keep the ball and less possessions for the other team against us.”
Herbert transferred to Virginia Tech for his redshirt senior year, and he approached his career totals at Kansas in one season. Last year, Herbert rushed for 1,204 yards and eight scores and was a second-team All-ACC selection.
Herbert will likely be selected in the middle of the draft. The Athletic ranks him as the No. 8 running back available.
Eubanks was a key player on the Patriots’ title-winning offense in 2015, and he signed with Michigan in 2016. He played in 36 games for the Wolverines, having his best year in 2019, bringing in 25 catches for 243 yards and four touchdowns.
The Athletic ranks Eubanks as the No. 20 tight end or fullback available, and he could be a late-round pick or an undrafted free agent.
“You just have a little bit of anxiety for all of them because you want things to turn out well for them,” Wilson said. “Happy but anxious would be the way I would describe it.”
