High school powerhouse Fort Lauderdale (Fla.) St. Thomas Aquinas had the most alums taken in the 2014 NFL Draft (four), and the talent is going to keep on coming.
Florida State defensive back Lamarcus Joyner (second-round pick of the Rams), Wisconsin free safety Dezmen Southward (third-round pick of the Falcons), Miami guard Brandon Linder (third-round pick of the Jaguars) and Wisconsin tailback James White (fourth-round pick of the Patriots) were the former St. Thomas Aquinas stars taken in the 2014 draft, and they'll be joining Aquinas grads Geno Atkins, Giovani Bernard, Marcus Gilbert and Major Wright, among others, in the NFL.
Florida State senior wide receiver Rashad Greene probably is the most-touted Aquinas grad in the college ranks this fall -- he will be one of the nation's top three or four senior receivers. Other draft-eligible Aquinas alums that could intrigue scouts are Miami senior wide receiver Phillip Dorsett, Purdue senior tight end Gabe Holmes, FSU senior offensive tackle Bobby Hart and FSU senior center Austin Barron. Non-seniors from Aquinas that could interest scouts in the future are Iowa junior quarterback Jake Rudock and three sophomores: Florida defensive end Bryan Cox Jr. (yes, his dad was the longtime NFL linebacker), Houston quarterback John O'Korn and Ohio State defensive end Joey Bosa.
Bosa should be the best sophomore defensive end in the nation this fall, and he will be an important part of what should be one of the nation's top two or three defensive lines. Bosa is both big (6-foot-5, 285 pounds) and athletic -- he could do a standing backflip with ease while he was at Aquinas.
Bosa also has an interesting background. His dad, John, was a defensive tackle and a first-round draft pick by the Miami Dolphins in 1987 out of Boston College -- he played three seasons in the NFL. His uncle, Eric Kumerow, was a star linebacker at Ohio State who was the Dolphins' first-round pick in 1988 and played three seasons in the NFL. And Bosa's great-grandfather, Tony "Big Tuna" Accardo, was a reputed organized crime figure in Chicago from the 1940s through the 1980s.
As for this season at Aquinas, the school already has had six seniors make commitments to FBS programs. Running back Jordan Scarlett is considered one of the nation's top 150 players and has committed to Florida Atlantic, though he also has offers from the likes of Florida State, Georgia, Miami and West Virginia.
Mike Huguenin can be reached at mike.huguenin@nfl.com. You also can follow him on Twitter @MikeHuguenin.
