Indianapolis — 319 prospects were invited to participate in the 2023 NFL Scouting Combine. 14 of them are from North Carolina (4.3%). We have a list and background info on each of the 14 former N.C. high school football players that made the cut.
First, here’s a schedule of the combine. The event itself starts on Monday, Feb. 27, but the NFL Network-televised workouts will start on Thursday, Mar. 2.
Hendon Hooker (Dudley High School | Greensboro, N.C.)
As the quarterback at Dudley, Hendon Hooker helped the Panthers put together one of the more dominant state championship victories in recent memory. Dudley defeated Cape Fear in the 2016 4A state championship by a blowout score of 54-0. Hooker was named MVP of the game thanks to his 310-total yard, 6-touchdown performance. Hooker was named to the HighSchoolOT All Decade Team for the 2010s.
Hooker graduated Dudley as a 4-star prospect and started his college career at Virginia Tech. After a solid run at Virginia Tech, Hooker transferred to the University of Tennessee in the 2021 offseason. At Tennessee, Hooker’s game grew and he became a household name to every college football fan. Hooker was a contender for 2022’s Heisman Trophy before he tore his left ACL in a November game against South Carolina. Due to the injury, Hooker won’t participate in the on-field drills at the combine. However, it will still be an important experience for him due to the amount of other measurements the NFL franchise make during the event.
No players from North Carolina.
Jalen Brooks (Hickory Ridge High School | Harrisburg, N.C.)
One of two former Hickory Ridge High School players invited to the combine, Brooks wasn’t a big recruit coming out of high school. He spent the first two years of his Collegiate career at D-II Wingate University before transferring to the University of South Carolina. Brooks only totaled 1,743 receiving yards and 11 touchdowns over five college seasons, but his athletic profile has the attention of the NFL.
Bryce Ford-Wheaton (Holly Springs High School | Holly Springs, N.C.)
Ford-Wheaton’s bloodlines led him to attend West Virginia University. His grandfather and uncle were standout running backs for the Mountaineers. Ford-Wheaton was a three-year starter at Holly Springs High School and became a 3-star prospect. At West Virginia, Ford-Wheaton started 32 games over five seasons. He was the Mountaineers’ leading receiver in 2022. Over his college career, he caught 131 passes for 1,666 yards and 13 touchdowns. The NFL really likes Ford-Wheaton’s frame and there is buzz that some of his testing numbers still stand out in the group.
C.J. Johnson (D.H. Conley High School | Greenville, N.C.)
Johnson never got the recruiting recognition he deserved, but folks in North Carolina know how dominant he was at Conley. Over his high school career, he caught 239 passes for 5,198 yards (108.3 ypg) and 79 touchdowns. He also rushed 50 times for 713 yards (14.3 ypc) and 17 touchdowns. In total, he scored 98 touchdowns. He was named to the HighSchoolOT All-Decade Team for the 2010s. The Greenville native and lifelong ECU fan stayed home to play with the Pirates.
At ECU, he made an instant impact. Johnson was named a Freshman All-America by the Football Writers Association of America and named to the PFF All-Freshman Team. Johnson finished his ECU career with 175 receptions for 2,849 yards, and 21 touchdowns.
Blake Whiteheart (Mount Tabor High School | Winston-Salem, N.C.)
A 3-star athlete coming out of Mount Tabor High School, Whiteheart was a four-time All-Forsyth County selection. He was also a four-year varsity player on the lacrosse team and made all-conference three times.
At Wake Forest, Whiteheart only played special teams during his first two seasons. Over the last couple of seasons, Whiteheart got involved on offense and recorded 44 receptions for 541 yards and six touchdowns. Whiteheart was also an impressive blocker for the Demon Deacons. His performance in January’s East-West Shrine Bowl turned some heads.
Jovaughn Gwyn (Harding University High School | Charlotte, N.C.)
Gwyn was the top offensive lineman on Harding University’s historic 4A state championship-winning team in 2017. He was named to the AP All-State team that same year. By the time he left Harding, he was considered a 4-star prospect.
At South Carolina, Gwyn made the SEC Fall Academic Honor Roll in all five of his seasons. He was a permanent team captain the last two seasons. His first start came in his redshirt freshman season in 2019. Gwyn went on to start 47 games for the Gamecocks, the second-most by any player in the program all-time. He was named Second-Team All-SEC last season and won South Carolina’s Most Outstanding Senior Award.
Nick Saldiveri (Parkwood High School | Monroe, N.C.)
Nick Saldiveri had zero stars as a recruit in the class of 2018. He was a first-team all-conference player and also threw the shot put and discus during track and field season.He received offers from two schools: Richmond and Old Dominion. Saldiveri picked Old Dominion.
After one redshirt year, Saldiveri became a starter at right tackle in 2019. After Old Dominion did not play in 2020, Saldiveri was named Conference USA Honorable Mention in 2021. In 2022, Saldiveri was named Second-Team All-Sun Belt and didn’t allow a single sack all season. He also played some guard for the Monarchs over the last two seasons. Saldiveri’s presence on the offensive line helped ODU set a number of program rushing records.
K.J. Henry (West Forstyh High School | Clemmons, N.C.)
Henry was a 5-star prospect coming out of West Forsyth High School. He was named to the AP All-State team in 2017 and a second-team All-American by USA Today. Henry was also a basketball standout with the Titans. He scored 1,156 points in 115 career basketball games.
At Clemson, Henry earned his degree in five years and was a three-time ACC Honor Roll selection. He completed his master’s degree in athletic leadership just one year later. Last fall, it was announced that Henry and Will Shipley (Weddington High School alum) founded the “1 CLEM5ON” endowment to help provide resources to Clemson University students. Their endowment will is immediately supporting Clemson University’s Harvey and Lucinda Gantt Multicultural Center and Clemson Athletics’ “Hear Her Roar” campaign.
On the field, it took Henry a little bit to become a featured part of the Tigers’ stacked defensive line rotation. However, by 2022, Henry displayed that he has put most of his athletic tools together into a dominant package. Last fall, Henry was named a third-team All-American selection by Pro Football Focus and was an All-ACC selection. Henry is the exact kind of athlete that can wow at the combine.
Eku Leota (Asheville High School | Asheville, N.C.)
Leota was a 3-star prospect while at Asheville High School. The all-time sacks leader at Asheville, Leota picked Northwestern University over offers from Tennessee, Virginia Tech, North Carolina, Duke, and Georgia State. In 2020, Leota earned third-team all-Big 10 honors.
The edge rusher left for Auburn University as a graduate transfer in 2021. He saw instant success with the Tigers in the SEC. Leota became a starter and finished the year with 23 tackles, 10.0 tackles for a loss, and seven sacks. Unfortunately, Leota’s 2022 season came to an end after five games after he an injured a pectoral muscle. Leota was able to recover in time to participate at the Senior Bowl and we should be able to see him in the on-field workouts this week.
Keion White (Garner High School | Garner, N.C.)
White was not a big-time recruit coming out of high school but he developed into one of this draft classes’ top edge rushers. NFL Network Draft Analyst Daniel Jeremiah recently placed White has his No. overall 8 player in the class in his ever-popular prospect rankings. White signed to play at Old Dominion University out of high school before later transferring to Georgia Tech. HighSchoolOT was at his signing day ceremony. At that same ceremony, current Las Vegas Raiders defensive tackle Matthew Butler signed with Tennessee. White will be the third active Garner player in the NFL after he is drafted (Butler, Nyheim Hines).
At Garner, White spent some time along the offensive line before shifting over to tight end and defensive end full-time. He also came off the bench on some of Garner’s best basketball teams of the 21st century.
Trenton Simpson (Mallard Creek High School | Charlotte, N.C.)
A 5-star prospect coming out of Mallard Creek, Simpson is one of three of this year’s combine invites that were named to the HighSchoolOT All-Decade Team for the 2010s. In 10 games as a senior, he had 98 tackles (45 for loss) with 18 sacks and three forced fumbles. As a junior, he had 74 tackles (28 for loss).
There was no redshirt year for Simpson at Clemson. As a freshman, he contributed 32 tackles, 6.5 tackles for a loss, four sacks, and a forced fumble. His best game was in the ACC Championship against No. 2 Notre Dame, where he had two tackles for loss and a sack. Over his sophomore and junior seasons, he finished third on the team in tackles. Simpson, a military son, made the ACC Honor Roll twice at Clemson.
As soon as he is drafted, Simpson will join fellow Mallard Creek Maverick graduates D.J. Humphries and Jordan Davis in the NFL. Mallard Creek was also the home of current free agents Jaylen Samuels and Thaddeus Moss.
Lance Boykin (High Point Christian Academy | High Point, N.C.)
Boykin was an unheralded recruit coming out of High Point Christian. The only two in-state schools that offered Boykin were Campbell and UNC-Charlotte. Similar to Keion White, Boykin started his collegiate career at Old Dominion University. Boykin started at Old Dominion as a true freshman and then as a sophomore. He transferred to Coastal Carolina after the Monarchs canceled the 2020 season due to the pandemic. Boykin became a team captain at Coastal. In 2022, he recorded 58 total tackles, one sack, two interceptions, one foreced fumble, and 10 pass breakups.
At High Point Christian, Boykin was used all over the field. He totaled 99 tackles and 14 interceptions and rushed for 1,560 yards and 16 touchdowns on offense in his high school career.
Garrett Williams (Hickory Ridge High School | Harrisburg, N.C.)
The second former Hickory Ridge Ragin’ Bull to be invited to this year’s combine, Williams is considered to be a top 10 cornerback prospect in the draft by many experts. That could mean a day 2 selection come draft time. Williams was only ranked as the 75th-best class of 2019 player in North Carolina by the 247Sports Composite. The only in-state schools to offer him were App State, Campbell, UNC-Charlotte, and East Carolina.
Williams broke out onto the national college football scene during his redshirt-freshman season in 2020. He was named a Freshman All-American by The Athletic and Honorable Mention All-ACC. His first career interception was Trevor Lawrence’s first career pick-6. He led the entire ACC in pass breakups and tackles-per-game by a corner. In 2021, Williams once again led the ACC in pass breakups and was named All-ACC. Unfortunately, Williams tore his ACL in Syracuse’s seventh game last fall. He still made Honorable Mention All-ACC. Williams may not be able to any of the physical testing at the combine, but the week will still be important for him.
Christopher Dunn (North Davidson High School | Lexington, N.C.)
Dunn had a spectacular career as the kicker for the Wolfpack. He is one of just six kickers to receive an invite to the combine. Dunn is top 10 in ACC history and first in NC State history with 377 career points. He holds the Wolfpack’s record for field goals at 69 and made all 170 of his point after attempts. At North Davidson High School, he scored 271 points on 30-of-48 field goals and 175-of-184 extra points. He was named to the AP All-State team in 2017.
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