Top Quarterbacks From Georgia Now in the NFL
The state of Georgia has long been a breeding ground for high school football prospects, especially at the quarterback position. Just this year, we saw two former Georgia high school quarterbacks taken in the first round of the NFL draft.
Trevor Lawrence and Justin Fields joined a tradition of Georgia high school quarterbacks who are now in the NFL. Some of the best signal-callers in the sport, especially over the last 10 years, have come from Georgia high schools.
Cam Newton played for Westlake High School and passed for 2,500 yards and more than 20 touchdowns, while also racking up over 600 yards rushing and another nine touchdowns on the ground as a junior. Newton, of course, went on to win the Heisman Trophy and was selected first overall in the 2011 NFL draft.
Deshaun Watson was one of the best high school quarterbacks to ever play in the state of Georgia. During his junior year, Watson threw for over 4,000 yards and 50 touchdowns on his way to leading Gainesville High School to a state championship. His senior year was nearly identical, as he had 47 touchdowns and 3,775 yards through the air.
Watson broke nearly every high school football record possible once he finished his high school career.
The most recent inductees of former Georgia high school quarterbacks now in the NFL, Justin Fields and Trevor Lawrence, both had incredible careers in high school, which eventually translated into great production at the collegiate level.
Lawrence played for Cartersville High School and broke Deshaun Watson’s record for passing yards and touchdowns on his way to eventually playing for the same college after Watson entered the NFL. During his time at Cartersville, Lawrence led the Purple Hurricanes to two state championships.
Fields also had an impressive high school career. He played for Harrison High School, where he won Mr. Georgia Football and was ranked as the top dual-threat quarterback in the country.
Expectations are high for both Lawrence and Fields going into their first season at the pro-level.
Taylor Heinicke made himself a household name last season for the Washington Football Team. But for those who saw him in high school, his performance was all but a regular day at the office.
During his time at Collins Hill High, he had several successful seasons, including when he surpassed Deshaun Watson as the player with the second most passing yards in a single season. Heinicke broke Gwinnett County’s single-season records for passing yards and touchdowns.
Quarterback talent has not been hard to find in the state of Georgia over the last several years. And the players mentioned above are some of the best to do it and make it on an NFL roster. There has been over 20 Georgia high school quarterbacks who have gone to play at the next level, and this trend is very likely to continue with some of the prospects in the class of 2022.
Written by: Jacob Johnson
