Bay Area coaches proud of their NFL draft picks
The Bay Area reaction to last week’s NFL draft was predictably euphoric.
We’re not talking about the Raiders and 49ers, but rather the four local high school alums who were chosen.
From the first selected — Milpitas graduate Vita Vea by Tampa Bay with the 12th overall pick — to the last, Los Gatos’ Nick Bawden in the seventh round by Detroit — the programs that transformed them into pro prospects collectively threw out their chests.
Then again, all four draftees, including third-rounder Alex Cappa (Dublin, Tampa Bay) and sixth-rounder Kahlil McKenzie (Clayton Valley-Concord, Kansas City), all transformed significantly physically after their high school days.
Vea was listed as a 6-foot-4, 235-pound senior running back and defensive lineman at Milpitas. He rushed 47 times for 578 yards and 11 touchdowns, and had 89 tackles and eight sacks.
At Washington last season, he weighed 347 pounds and was named the Pac-12 Defensive Player of the Year.
Milpitas coach Kelly King accepted one of 20 invitations sent to high school coaches to attend last Thursday’s first round at AT&T Stadium in Arlington, Texas. He arrived Wednesday, toured the grounds and soaked in all the festivities with Vea over three days.
King already watched five former players signed NFL contracts, but clearly this was a one-time experience.
“I was just very proud and excited for him,” King said. “He’s a wonderful person and (being drafted so high) will no doubt change his life forever. … We all take great pride in his accomplishments, but he’s the one who put in all the hard work and made all the sacrifices.”
Vea likely will practice often against Cappa, a 6-6, 240pound two-way lineman at Dublin who blossomed at Division II Humboldt State under strength coach Drew Peterson.
The four-time All-Great Northwest Athletic Conference Offensive Lineman of the Year is now listed at 6-7 and 305 pounds. Greg Oravetz, his defensive line and baseball coach at Dublin, said he got choked up reading Cappa’s name scroll across the TV on Friday.
“I was speechless,” he said. “It was just emotional. I mean, honestly, this could not have happened to a better person. I love all our kids and players, but Alex just made a special impact. He’s such a free-spirited, very humble kid who likes to have fun and grind at the same time. … He’s always done the right thing. It makes it so easy to root for him.”
McKenzie, the son of Raiders general manager Reggie McKenzie, played one season at De La Salle-Concord before transferring before his senior season to Clayton Valley-Concord, where he was ruled ineligible (for transfer reasons) by the North Coast Section.
McKenzie, who’s 6-4, played three years at Tennessee, where he went from a beefy 350-pound freshman to a chiseled 305pound sophomore.
“I’m so fired up for Kahlil,” Clayton Valley coach Tim Murphy said. “I’m very happy for his entire family.”
The biggest transformation among the four draftees no doubt was made by Bawden, who played quarterback as a senior for Mark Krail at Los Gatos, and his freshman year at San Diego State.
Bawden, 6-3 and 225 pounds in high school, was a “weightroom beast,” Krail said. So when a new offensive coordinator entered San Diego State after his freshman season and told him he wouldn’t be a QB, Bawden didn’t balk.
“He loves the game so much and the school, he said put me where you need me,” Krail said.
But fullback? He turned into one of college football’s best, paving the way for the nation’s top rusher in 2016 (Donnel Pumphrey) and 2017 (Rashaad Penny).
Bawden was projected as a late-round pick, so the family threw a draft party Saturday at the home of a family friend. Bawden and Krail were two of 60 or so in attendance.
“There were some anxious moments,” Krail said. “He got a couple of calls, but then the Lions said for sure they were taking him. When his name appeared, the place erupted. It was awesome. … Nick was so gracious afterward. He thanked absolutely everyone. It was a great moment to witness and be a part of.”