Servite achieves rare feat with two alumni selected in first round of NFL draft
Servite became the first CIF Southern Section school in more than 30 years to have two former players selected in the first round of the same NFL draft, according to CalHi Sports and HSFA data. Defensive tackle Mason Graham was drafted at No. 5 by the Cleveland Browns and wide receiver Tetairoa McMillan was selected eighth overall by the Carolina Panthers.
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The last Southern Section team to have two former players selected in the first round? Long Beach Poly in 1991, when Mark Carrier and Leonard Russell went No. 6 and No. 14, respectively. Long Beach Poly is the only school in California to achieve the feat twice, according to CalHi Sports.
Read more: NFL draft live updates and analysis: Titans pick Cam Ward at No. 1 overall
Graham and McMillan graduated from Servite in 2022 and were part of a 2021 Friars team that defeated St. John Bosco in the semifinals and reached the Southern Section Division 1 championship game against Mater Dei, finishing 10-3 on the season.
Graham, The Times' high school player of the year in 2021, was an All-American at Michigan. McMillan was a star at Arizona.
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Although the accomplishment is rare, there are a growing number of high schools with multiple former players taken in a single draft. IMG Academy (Bradenton, Fla.) and Bishop Gorman (Las Vegas) each had three players selected in the 2024 draft. Like Servite, IMG Academy also had two alumni selected in the first round last year with JC Latham (No. 7) and J.J. McCarthy (No. 10).
Eric Sondheimer contributed to this report.
Sign up for the L.A. Times SoCal high school sports newsletter to get scores, stories and a behind-the-scenes look at what makes prep sports so popular.
This story originally appeared in Los Angeles Times.
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