A look at the first round picks from Florida in the 2024 NFL Draft

Editor’s Note: JC Latham who played his senior year at IMG Academy was inadvertently left off the list. We have since updated this article to reflect the accurate count.

No matter how you stack it, talent from the Sunshine State has ruled over the last decade and even more over the years in the NFL Draft.

In the first round of the 2024 NFL Draft, Florida was well represented with six first round picks selected to kick off the 2024 NFL Draft which is being held in Detroit this year. You can follow all weekend long with our 2024 Florida NFL Draft Tracker by clicking here or view on our FloridaHSFootball.com App on iOS or Android.

Here is a look at the first round picks from Florida and some cool notes we have on each one:

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OT JC Latham

IMG Academy (Bradenton)

Latham spent one year at IMG Academy before signing with Nick Saban and the Alabama Crimson Tide. He spent two seasons as the starting right tackle for the Crimson Tide which would earn him first-team All-SEC honors as a junior before he decided to declare for this year’s draft.

QB Michael Penix Jr.

Tampa Bay Tech

The Tampa Bay Tech alum was the first athlete from the Sunshine State to be taken in the 2024 NFL Draft when the Minnesota Vikings came calling at with the No. 8 pick in the first round. Penix hails a two-time All-State athlete by FloridaHSFootball.com as a second team Class 7A selection in 2016 and a first team selection in Class 7A in 2017. Penix who signed to Indiana after his successful high school career with the Titans eventually would transfer to Washington where he would excel with the Huskies including guiding them to the 2024 College Football Playoff National Championship and was Heisman Trophy Finalist. Other accolades garnered inclued the Maxwell Award for 2023, AP Comeback Player of the Year in 2022 along with multiple All-Pac-12 selections in 2022 and 2023 and garnering a first-team All-American selection for 2023.

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QB J.J. McCarthy

IMG Academy (Bradenton)

While not ultimately from Florida, McCarthy finished his high school career at IMG Academy earning him a spot in the Florida list when the Minnesota Vikings selected McCarthy with the No. 10 pick overall. McCarthy’s rise as a quarterback was capped off with winning the 2024 College Football Playoff National Championship for the 2023 season while earning Big Ten Quarterback of the Year as well first-team selection to the All-Big Ten team for the season as well.

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DE Dallas Turner

St. Thomas Aquinas (Fort Lauderdale)

FloridaHSFootball.com’s 2020 Class 7A Defensive Player of the Year and a first-team Class 7A All-State selection saw his number called when the Minnesota Vikings took him with the No. 17 pick overall. Turner capped off his high school career with a state championship winning season during the COVID-19 pandemic year after starting his high school career at American Heritage (Plantation) where he was a first-team selection in Class 5A in 2019. Signing with Nick Saban and the Alabama Crimson Tide, he earned Consenus All-American for the 2023 season that paired with his selection as the SEC Co-Defensive Player of the Year. He also garnered First-team All-SEC honors for the season before declaring for the NFL Draft.

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CB Quinyon Mitchell

Williston

Not even considered one of the top prospects in the nation or even in Florida when he came out of high school, and eventually grey shirting with Toledo, Mitchell got the call in the first round at pick No. 22 by the Philadelphia Eagles. While Mitchell did not have a ton of accolades while he was in high school, he was a first team All-State selection in Class 1A by FloridaHSFootball.com after the 2017 season. Mitchell, while at Toledo, earned first-team selections for the All-Mac teams for 2022 and 2023.

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CB Terrion Arnold

St. John Paul II (Tallahassee)

The 2020 Class 2A first-team All-State selection by FloridaHSFootball.com saw his number called at pick No. 24 when the host team of the 2024 NFL Draft saw the Detroit Lions draft Arnold. Arnold who signed with Nick Saban and the Alabama Crimson Tide declared for the NFL Draft after his senior year where he earned a first-team selection as an All-American and first-team All-SEC honors.