Sun Sentinel Palm Beach Edition
Jeudy first from South Florida, goes to Broncos
Jerry Jeudy made a promise when his younger sister, Aaliyah, died in November 2016.
“I swear I’m going to make it for you and mommy,” he tweeted, with a picture of his late sister, who was 7 years old at the time and had health complications since birth.
Jeudy, a Deerfield Beach grad, delivered on that promise. On Thursday night, the Alabama wide receiver became a first-round pick in the NFL draft, going to the Denver Broncos with the No. 15 pick.
He was the first player from Broward or Palm Beach county drafted ths year and the second wideout taken, selected after his Crimson Tide teammate Henry Ruggs III, who went to the Las Vegas Raiders at 12.
“When I was younger, [I told them] that I’m going to be an NFL player and that one day I’ll be able to take care of them,” Jeudy said this week on ESPN’s NFL Live. “Now I finally got the opportunity to do so. It just shows them how serious I am about them and how much I
care and love for them.”
Jeudy found out about his sister’s death after a regional final playoff victory over Atlantic in his senior season with the Bucks. Jeudy played his final high school game the ensuing Friday night in a state semifinal loss, and he pushed to get to this point over three seasons with the Crimson Tide, winning the Biletnikoff Award for the nation’s top receiver in 2018 as a sophomore.
“He was driven,” said Deerfield coach Jevon Glenn. “I was really impressed with how he was able to turn his pain into motivation, his pain into a passion for the game of football.
“Jerry always loved ball, so that was the easy part. I think he fell in love with the process of what it’s going to take.”
As a freshman at Alabama, Jeudy had 14 receptions for 264 yards and two touchdowns, contributing early to the national champions of the 2017 season. In his Biletnikoff Award-winning season of 2018, Jeudy caught 68 passes for 1,315 yards and 14 touchdowns, including one each in the College Football Playoff semifinal win over Oklahoma at Hard Rock Stadium and in the championship loss to Clemson.
His junior season, he made 77 catches for 1,163 yards and 10 touchdowns before declaring early for the draft.
Jeudy was considered Broward County’s top football prospect in the 2017 class by the Sun Sentinel. Rivals and the 247 Sports composite rankings tabbed him the nation’s No. 3 receiver prospect.
Raiders draft ex-Raider Arnette: Former St. Thomas Aquinas cornerback Damon Arnette’s career will continue in Las Vegas after the Raiders selected him with the No. 19 pick Thursday night. He was the second Broward County player to be selected in this year’s draft.
“I consider myself one of the best players in the draft, so I feel like the best players go in the first round,” Arnette said. “So I wouldn’t say I’m surprised. But I’m definitely thankful for it and grateful for the opportunity.”
Arnette is the 28th St. Thomas Aquinas player to be selected in the NFL draft and the fifth be selected in the first round.
“Damon was very long, athletic and physical,” former St. Thomas coach Rocco Casullo said of his former player, who went on to star at Ohio State. “He was blessed with tremendous athletic ability.”
Arnette was a standout for St. Thomas and helped the 2014 team go 15-1 en route to 31-0 shutout victory over Kissimmee Osceola in the Class 7A state title game. That year’s St. Thomas team outscored opponents 680-96, allowing an average of six points per game. The Raiders allowed only 20 combined points in five playoff games.
Arnette was a Sun Sentinel Class 8A-6A All-County honorable mention after his senior year. He was rated a three-star prospect and the No. 62 cornerback in the 2015 class by 247Sports’ composite ranking. Despite what appeared like a low recruiting ranking, big-time programs still pursued Arnette.
“That’s why you don’t put much emphasis on stars,” Casullo said. “Everybody’s a three-star in high school, and then the cream rises to the top after playing college, especially playing at Ohio State.”
Arnette originally committed to South Carolina, but he flipped to Ohio State two days before national signing day.
Arnette spent five seasons with Ohio State, redshirting his freshman year. He racked up 140 total tackles, 22 pass breakups and five interceptions. In 2019, he had 35 total tackles and one interception.