Fifteen DCSD Alums Make NFL Rosters

By Carla Parker

DCSD has 15 alums on NFL rosters when games kickoff on Sunday, Sept. 13. Six schools will former players on 13 NFL teams. Those former players are Arabia Mountain High School alums Breshad Perriman (New York Jets) and Jakobi Meyers (New England Patriots); Columbia High School alum Gerald Everett (Los Angeles Rams); M. L. King Jr. High School alum Kevin Byard (Tennessee Titans); Stephenson High School alums Mike Davis (Carolina Panthers), Bruce Irvin (Seattle Seahawks), Preston Smith (Green Bay Packers), Montez Sweat (Washington Football Team) and D.J. Wonnum (Minnesota Vikings); Southwest DeKalb High School alum Rock Ya-Sin (Indianapolis Colts); and Tucker alums A.J. Bouye (Denver Broncos), Jonathan Ledbetter (Miami Dolphins), Duke Shelley (Chicago Bears), Neiko Thorpe (Seattle Seahawks) and James Vaughters (Chicago Bears).

Ivrin and Thorpe will be back home this weekend as the Seattle Seahawks open the season against the Atlanta Falcons on Sunday. Shelley and Vaughters will also make a trip back home to Atlanta when the Chicago Bears take on the Falcons on Sept. 27, Davis will be back in Atlanta on Oct. 11 when the Falcons host the Panthers, and Bouye will play in his hometown when the Denver Broncos come to Atlanta on Nov. 8.

With five players each in the NFL, Stephenson and Tucker are tied with Norcross High School in Gwinnett County to lead the state of Georgia with the most players on NFL rosters this season.

Irvin leads the list in NFL experience with nine years, followed by Bouye and Thorpe with eight years.