The 2025 NFL Draft was one of the most evident remnants of the Covid pandemic's effect on the sports landscape. Five Arizona prep alums were drafted from five separate graduating classes! Let's go through the picks and reminisce on the their prep careers in the state of Arizona.

The New Orleans Saints made Tyler Shough the 40th overall pick in the NFL Draft, pairing him in the QB room with 2019 Pinnacle graduate Spencer Rattler.

Tyler Shough's high school career was fascinating. Hamilton had gained a reputation for only starting seniors at the QB position, and Shough became the first multi-year undisputed starter since current Huskies head coach Travis Dixon. The Huskies had just come off 17 consecutive double-digit win seasons, but a hazing scandal at the freshman level led to a mass exodus of talent. Shough was one of the players that stayed, and helped the offense remain viable- scoring 37 points per game in Shough's junior year and 41 points per game a as senior. But the defense- traditionally among the state's best over a two-decade run, gave up almost as many points per game in Shough's junior year as they did in the previous two years combined.

Shough is one of the best pure-pocket passers I've ever covered at the prep level, and his October 20, 2017 matchup against Brock Purdy and Perry that ended 65-63 in favor of the Pumas remains one of the best combined displays of QB talent in AZ high school football history.

Shough wasn't a runner in high school, but the offenses he played in at Oregon and Texas Tech demanded he play outside his strengths and run the ball on a regular basis. At Texas Tech, Shough had three separate seasons end in injury, but in his final year of eligibility, he made a fantastic move in replacing former Gilbert QB Jack Plummer (who I've long said is as similar to Shough in talent and execution as anyone) at Louisville- and the pro style system helped elevate his draft status. His pick is controversial due to the media attention surrounding the draft slide of former Colorado QB Shedeur Sanders, but Shough will have an opportunity to put all those doubts to rest if he performs to his potential in New Orleans.

Notre Dame might have lost Benjamin Morrison to injury last year, but the instincual and rangy cornerback still did enough to hear his name called 53rd overall by the Tampa Bay Buccaneers.

Morrison was a star from the very beginning at Brophy. I remember seeing him play as a sophomore and writing about his advanced ability to spy the QB in coverage and high point pass attempts. He was an elite athlete in the realm of former Brophy legend Isaiah Oliver, and in his four years at the school, he might have only had four interceptions, but the truth is, the QBs that had the guts to try his side of the field were few and far between. His senior year, he had a fantastic game against Notre Dam Prep where he showed his versatility with three tackles for a loss and a sack.

The consensus for Tampa Bay is that they got fantastic value here. Much like the Arizona Cardinals with Will Johnson at pick 47, Morrison was frequently mocked as a first round pick, but his hip injury kept some teams from pulling the trigger earlier. The Buccaneers have had two consecutive years as one of the worst pass defenses in the NFL- which is not only atypical of a Todd Bowles' coached team, it includes playing in a division that has had subpar QB play from the Saints, Panthers and Falcons the last two seasons. Morrison is going to have every opportunity to make an impact on this defense.

The Philadelphia Eagles continued their incredible run in recent NFL Drafts by adding Higley alum Ty Robinson with the 111th pick in the 2025 NFL Draft.

Ty Robinson is one of the three strongest defensive linemen I've covered in Arizona high school football (Brett Johnson, Garrett Rand). He was not a player that many at the prep level ever successfully blocked one on one. To this day, he might be the only defensive linemen that I've ever personally witnessed register 10 solo tackles in a game (vs Horizon, 8/25/2018). He elected to go to Nebraska out of high school, and stayed on through a coaching transition, and then in front of a massive television audience against Colorado last year, he chased Shedeur Sanders all over the field- which upped his stock in the eyes of casual fans everywhere.

Last year, Robinson led the NCAA in QB hits by an interior lineman, and the fact that he's joining a Philadelphia defensive line with Jalen Carter is a fantastic example of how the rich get richer. This is a perfect, low pressure fit that will allow Robinson to develop while also giving him a ton of opportunities to make an impact as a rookie.

The Carolina Panthers used the 122nd pick on Ohio State hard-hitting safety Lathan Ransom, who played his Arizona high school football at Salpointe Catholic.

I love this pick. Not only do I go to my fair share of Carolina Panthers games, it's going to be wild to see Ransom play up in the box to try and stop his former high school teammate Bijan Robinson, who is with the Falcons. I covered Ransom as he played in 7v7 tournaments in Tempe and Mesquite Nevada, and had the privilege of watching him up close in multiple high stakes games, like the 2018 4A State Championship, and the opening round of the 2019 Open Playoff against Pinnacle. He's a hitter. There's no better way to describe what he brings tot he safety position. He punishes receivers, and can solo tackle most running backs in space.

This is an important pick for the Panthers because in 2024 they became the fourth team in NFL history to surrender 3,000 yards rushing in a single season. Adding Lathan Ransom, and having DT Derrick Brown return from injury, is going to radically shift the capability of a defense that gave up over 5 yards per carry last season.

The fifth and final AZHSFB alum to be selected last year was Saguaro alum (via Brophy) Denzel Burke, who returns home to AZ to play for the Cardinals after being picked 174th overall.

Denzel Burke made his mark on the Arizona high school football scene immediately, picking off a Spencer Rattler Hail Mary in the Sollenberger Classic back in 2017. He eventually transferred over to Saguaro, where he paired in the defensive backfield with Kelee Ringo, and helped lead the Sabercats to the 2019 Open Division championship- where he caught a 70-yard TD in the loss. Burke didn't play as a senior due to injury, but his body of work was enough to earn him a scholarship from Ohio State, where he paired with Lathan Ransom in a run to the 2024 National Championship. I think Burke has always had fantastic ball skills, and he's an extremely fluid athlete, but a couple of college games where he struggled in 1 on 1 coverage caused his draft stock to slip.

The Cardinals need help getting the opposing offense off the field. An above average defense was hampered by being the 5th worst in the NFL on 3rd down in 2024, and Burke is the kink of player that can make a third an long much more difficult for an offense to execute. Whether his home ends up being at nickel or safety, the Cardinals are depending on his 28 collegiate pass deflections translating to the next level.