The 2025 NFL Draft begins on Thursday, April 24 at 8 p.m. and will conclude on Saturday, April 26.

Many of the players who are expecting to hear their name called this weekend call North Carolina home. Each year, HighSchoolOT puts together a list of the former Friday night lights stars from the Tar Heel State that have a good chance of being drafted.

Here are the former high school football players from North Carolina that could be drafted, in order of where they rank in NFL Mock Draft Database’s Consensus Big Board.

Note: If I’m missing any players, please let me know @JoelBryantHSOT

No. 9 | Jalon Walker (Salisbury High School | Salisbury, N.C.)

• Position: LB
• Height: 6-1
• Weight: 245 lbs
• High School Class: 2022
• College: Georgia

Walker is a freak athlete with rare personality traits that NFL teams want to get into their locker rooms. At Salisbury, he was a four-year varsity contributor at tight end and edge rusher. Duke and North Carolina offered Walker as a freshman. After four years of production on the gridiron, on the basketball court, and on the track, Walker left for Georgia as a 5-star prospect.

The potential top 10 pick was a First Team All-American and won the Butkus Award in 2024.

No. 22 | Omarion Hampton (Cleveland High School | Clayton, N.C.)

• Position: RB
• Height: 5-11
• Weight: 220 lbs
• High School Class: 2021
• College: North Carolina

HighSchoolOT’s Jordan Hadding pegged Hampton as a star while seeing him practice before his freshman year. He became the varsity starter as a sophomore and set Cleveland’s records with rushing yards (2,402) and touchdowns (35). If it wasn’t for a couple of injuries, he would’ve found himself high up in some of the NCHSAA’s record categories.

At UNC, Hampton was a two-time First Team All-American and the ACC’s leading rusher twice. He is expected to be a rare running back to be selected in the first round.

No. 30 | James Pearce Jr. (Julius L. Chambers High School | Charlotte, N.C.)

• Position: EDGE
• Height: 6-5
• Weight: 245 lbs
• High School Class: 2022
• College: Tennessee

A two-time state champion at Chambers, Pearce was one of the most obviously talented players in North Carolina for his entire time wearing a Vance or Chambers uniform.

Pearce was a two-time First Team All-SEC player and led the SEC in sacks when he was just 20 years old.

No. 38 | Shavon Revel Jr. (Ronald Reagan High School | Pfafftown, N.C.)

• Position: CB
• Height: 6-2
• Weight: 200 lbs
• High School Class: 2020
• College: East Carolina

Before he tore his ACL in the fall, Revel was considered to be a shoe-in for the first round. He has elite length and closing speed for his size. Revel attended R.J. Reynolds High for his first three years before transferring to Reagan High. Revel struggled with injuries and lower grades in high school, so he began his college career at Louisburg College. After two years at Louisburg, he transferred to East Carolina and was named Second-Team All-AAC in 2023.

No. 81 | Jared Wilson (West Forsyth High School | Clemmons, N.C.)

• Position: OG
• Height: 6-3
• Weight: 310 lbs
• High School Class: 2021
• College: Georgia

The West Forsyth alum is one of the most athletically gifted interior linemen in this year’s draft. He is expected to be a day two pick. At West Forsyth, he played right tackle. Wilson was originally a part of Mack Brown’s huge 2021 recruiting class before he flipped his pledge to Georgia.

No. 127 | Aeneas Peebles (Knightdale High School | Knightdale, N.C.)

• Position: DT
• Height: 6-0
• Weight: 280 lbs
• High School Class: 2020
• College: Virginia Tech

A four-year varsity player at Knigthdale, Peebles originally attended Duke University for four years before transferring to Virginia Tech. In his lone season at Virginia Tech, Peebles was named First Team All-ACC.

His grandfather Doug Wilkerson (E.E. Smith High School) was a first round pick and NFL All-Pro.

No. 145 | Carson Vinson (Panther Creek High School | Cary, N.C.)

• Position: OT
• Height: 6’7″
• Weight: 314 lbs
• High School Class: 2020
• College: Alabama A&M

Vinson became a starter at guard for Panther Creek’s varsity team as a sophomore. By the time he was a senior, he was playing at left tackle, left guard, and center. He didn’t receive an offer until after his senior season. Vinson chose Alabama A&M over VMI and NC Central.

No. 279 | Zeek Biggers (West Rowan High School | Mt. Ulla, N.C.)

• Position: DL
• Height: 6-5
• Weight: 321
• High School Class: 2021
• College: Georgia Tech

A homecoming king at West Rowan, Biggers was a four-year varsity staandout. He played both ways along the Falcons’ lines. Biggers was also a productive basketball player and lettered in baseball and track. He was named Honorable Mention All-ACC in 2024.

No. 306 | Timothy McKay (Wakefield High School | Raleigh, N.C.)

• Position: IOL
• Height: 6-3
• Weight: 310
• High School Class: 2019
• College: NC State

His older brother Matthew McKay was NC State’s starting quarterback for a time. Timothy spent six years in Raleigh and proved to be one of the most stable players on the Wolfpack’s offensive line.

No. 357 | Jahvaree Ritzie (Glenn High School | Kernersville, N.C.)

• Position: DT
• Height: 6-4
• Weight: 290 lbs
• High School Class: 2021
• College: North Carolina

Ritzie was a part of Mack Brown’s historic 2021 recruiting class at North Carolina. He is an explosive athlete, which led to his NFL Scouting Combine invite. At Glenn, he participated in the shot put and has a personal record of 57 feet.

No. 387 | Bryson Nesbit (South Mecklenburg High School | Charlotte, N.C.)

• Position: TE
• Height: 6-5
• Weight: 235 lbs
• High School Class: 2021
• College: North Carolina

Nesbit did not join the South Meckleburg football team until his junior year, purposefully following the same steps as his former NFL player father Jamar, who also picked up football late. The late start did not stop Bryson’s football recruitment and he ended up joining Mack Brown’s historic 2021 recruiting class as a 4-star. At Carolina, Nesbit was named First Team All-ACC in 2023.

No. 391 | Power Echols (Julius L. Chambers High School | Charlotte, N.C.)

• Position: LB
• Height: 5-11
• Weight: 235 lbs
• High School Class: 2021
• College: North Carolina

A state champion at Chambers High, Echols won the 2019 HSOT Honors Defensive Player of the Year award. The OPOY was Will Shipley that same year. He was a 4-star prospect and a member of Mack Brown’s historic 2021 class.

No. 408 | Payton Page (Dudley High School | Greensboro, N.C.)

• Position: DT
• Height: 6-3
• Weight: 300 lbs
• High School Class: 2021
• College: Clemson

Page entered Dudley as a basketball player primarily but became a big part of the Panthers’ football program. He spent most of his career at Clemson as a rotational player.

No. 431 | Davin Vann (Cary High School | Car, N.C.)

• Position: DL
• Height: 6-1
• Weight: 270
• High School Class: 2020
• College: NC State

A 4A state champion wrestler and an elite competitor in the shot put and discus, Vann is one of the greatest athletes to ever come out of Cary High School. At NC State, Vann totatled 144 tackles, 33.5 tackles for a loss, and 20.5 sacks for Dave Doeren.

No. 445 | Torricelli Simpkins III (Olympic High School | Charlotte, N.C.)

• Position: OG
• Height: 6-5
• Weight: 345 lbs
• High School Class: 2020
• College: South Carolina

Simpkins started his high school career at Hopewell High in Huntersville. He transferred to Olympic and became a starter at right tackle as a junior. He ended up playing both tackle spots and center. Simpkins attended NC Central for four years before getting picked up by South Carolina in 2024.

No. 450 | Tre Stewart (Winston-Salem Prep | Winston-Salem, N.C.)

• Position: RB
• Height: 5-9
• Weight: 190 lbs
• High School Class: 2021
• College: Jacksonville State

A three-sport athlete at Winston-Salem Prep, his 2019 season is one of the best we’ve ever seen. Stewart rushed for 2,045 yards and had 1,493 receiving yards with 46 total touchdowns. His 21 receiving touchdowns rank as one of the top 20 single-season marks in state history.

No. 478 | Moose Muhammad III (Myers Park High School | Charlotte, N.C.)

• Position: WR
• Height: 6-1
• Weight: 195 lbs
• High School Class: 2020
• College: Texas A&M

Muhammad was a receiver for Drake Maye at Myers Park. He had good production in 2022 for Texas A&M (610 yards, four touchdowns), but never matched those numbers again.

No. 500 | Quinton Cooley (Southern Nash High School | Stanhope, N.C.)

• Position: RB
• Height: 5-7
• Weight: 210
• High School Class: 2020
• College: Liberty

One of the more productive players in Southern Nash and NCHSAA history, Cooley produced back-to-back 1,250-plus yard seasons at Liberty.

No. 529 | Aydan White (Christ School | Arden, N.C.)

• Position: CB
• Height: 5-11
• Weight: 180
• High School Class: 2020
• College: NC State

A three-time NCISAA state champion in the 110-meter hurdle, White is one of the best athletes to ever come out of Christ School. He posted a 1,000-yard season as a receiver but was recruited to NC State as a corner. He was named First Team All-ACC in 2022 and Third Team All-ACC in 2023.

Other N.C. Players Who Declared for the Draft

Nishad Strother (Havelock High School | Havelock, N.C.)

• Position: IOL
• Height: 6-3
• Weight: 310
• High School Class: 2019
• College: Oregon

Strother was a three-year varsity player at Havelock and started his final two years. He spent four years at East Carolina University before transferring to Oregon for the past two years. At Oregon, he started at left guard.