Alumni of Servite School secure esteemed positions in the NFL draft's top tier
Get ready to give a standing ovation, fellow football fanatics! Southern California's high school football scene just got a whole lot more exciting, and here's why.
Servite High School in Anaheim, CA made history on a momentous night, becoming the first school in California to ever have two players selected in the top 10 of the same NFL draft. The groundbreaking achievement was confirmed by CalHi Sports and HSFA data.
Defensive tackle Mason Graham was picked fifth overall by the Cleveland Browns, and wide receiver Tetairoa McMillan followed suit by being selected eighth overall by the Carolina Panthers.
This remarkable feat overshadows Oceanside El Camino's 1997 draft, where Bryant Westbrook and Michael Booker were picked fifth and eleventh, respectively.
As it turns out, high schools boasting multiple former players being picked in a single draft is a growing trend. For instance, IMG Academy (Bradenton, FL) and Bishop Gorman (Las Vegas) each had three players selected in the 2024 draft. In the previous year, IMG Academy also had two alumni selected in the first round, with JC Latham (No. 7) and J.J. McCarthy (No. 10).
Surprisingly, it's been a while since a Southern Section school had former teammates selected in the first round. Long Beach Poly achieved this feat in both 1990 and 1991, with Mark Carrier (No. 6) and Leonard Russell (No. 14) on the team, according to CalHi Sports. However, Long Beach Poly is the only school in California to have achieved this feat twice, though never in the same draft year.
The NFL Draft 2025
As anticipated, Miami quarterback Cam Ward was the first pick of the 2025 NFL draft. Meanwhile, Colorado's Shedeur Sanders did not make the cut in the first round.
Both Graham and McMillan graduated from Servite in 2022 and were part of the 2021 Friars team that reached the Southern Section Division 1 championship game, finishing with a 10-3 victory.
Graham, who was named The Times' high school player of the year in 2021, was an All-American at Michigan. McMillan, on the other hand, shone at Arizona.
Extra Time
- Could Alabama quarterback Jalen Milroe go in the first round of the NFL draft?
- Jaslene Massey of Aliso Niguel is eyeing the state title in shotput.
- Prep talk: Former Servite coach Troy Thomas will attend the NFL draft.
Eric Sondheimer contributed to this report
[1]: CalHi Sports NFL Draft data[2]: HSFA data[3]: NFL Draft 2025 results
- Servite High School in Anaheim, California, made history in the 2025 NFL Draft by having two players, Mason Graham and Tetairoa McMillan, both drafted in the top 10, a groundbreaking achievement for California high schools.
- Mason Graham, a defensive tackle, was drafted fifth overall by the Cleveland Browns, while Tetairoa McMillan, a wide receiver, was selected eighth overall by the Carolina Panthers, respectively.
- observer football analysts are speculating whether Alabama quarterback Jalen Milroe could also join them in the first round of future NFL drafts.
- Jaslene Massey of Aliso Niguel is aiming to win the state title in shotput in upcoming competitions.
- Prep talk: Troy Thomas, former Servite coach, is expected to attend the upcoming NFL draft.
- In a growing trend across high schools, IMG Academy in Bradenton, Florida, and Bishop Gorman in Las Vegas each had multiple players selected in the 2024 draft, aligning with Servite's historic top 10 pick feat in 2025.
