WEST PALM BEACH, Fla. — A national champion from Okeechobee has found a new home.
Alabama offensive lineman Evan Neal was selected with the No. 7 overall pick by the New York Giants in Thursday night's NFL Draft.
Neal is a former Okeechobee High School player who transferred to IMG Academy in Bradenton, where he caught the eye of Alabama head coach Nick Saban.
A consensus first-team All-American last season, Neal helped the Crimson Tide win the 2020 national championship in South Florida and play for another in last season's title game.
The 6-foot-7, 337-pound 21-year-old started 40 games at three different positions along the offensive line in three seasons at Alabama.
WATCH: Okeechobee community gathers in support of Evan Neal
Neal was the second acquisition by the Giants in the draft. The Giants used the fifth overall pick to select Oregon defensive end Kayvon Thibodeaux.
Kaiir Elam is trading in the Florida sunshine for the frigid falls of upstate New York.
The Buffalo Bills selected the former Florida cornerback with the No. 23 overall pick.
Elam, 20, grew up in Riviera Beach and was a standout player for the Benjamin School in Palm Beach Gardens.
The Bills traded up two spots with the Baltimore Ravens to snag Elam.
WATCH: Kaiir Elam gets call from Bills
If the name sounds familiar, it should. His uncle, Matt Elam, also played for the Gators and was a first-round draft pick in 2013.
It seems the waiting was the hardest part for Jermaine Johnson II.
The Florida State defensive end was the No. 26 overall pick by the New York Jets.
Johnson becomes the first Florida State player to be drafted in the first round since 2019.
He was the third first-round pick for the Jets, who selected Cincinnati cornerback Ahmad Gardner with the fourth overall pick and Ohio State wide receiver Garrett Wilson with the No. 10 overall pick.
The 2021 Atlantic Coast Conference defensive player of the year registered 12 sacks and 18 tackles for loss, both of which led the league.
Earlier in the evening, the Jacksonville Jaguars selected Georgia defensive end Travon Walker with the first pick of the 2022 NFL Draft.
Walker recorded 19 solo tackles and six sacks for the national champion Bulldogs last season.
This is the second straight year that Jacksonville has selected No. 1 overall.
Michigan defensive end Aidan Hutchinson is staying close to home after the Detroit Lions made him the No. 2 overall pick.
The Houston Texans selected LSU cornerback Derek Stingley Jr. as the No. 3 overall pick.
In other draft news, Pittsburgh quarterback Kenny Pickett won't have to pack. The 2021 ACC player of the year was selected No. 20 overall by the Pittsburgh Steelers.
Pickett was the first quarterback selected in this year's draft.
The Steelers had a pressing need at the position after the retirement of former first-round pick Ben Roethlisberger and the sudden death of 2019 first-round pick Dwayne Haskins in South Florida.
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