2021 NFL draft prospects with ties to Maryland

Christian Darrisaw, OT, Virginia Tech

Christian Darrisaw, OT, Virginia Tech. The Upper Marlboro native played at Riverdale Baptist and earned a spot on Team Baltimore in the 2016 Maryland Crab Bowl his senior season. The three-star prospect was ranked the No. 171 offensive tackle in the country and No. 30 recruit in Maryland, receiving FCS offers from Morgan State and others before spending a year at Fork Union Military Academy in Virginia and signing with Virginia Tech. The 6-foot-5, 322-pound Darrisaw started 35 games at left tackle for the Hokies, earning first-team All-Atlantic Coast Conference honors this past season before declaring for the draft. He’s a projected top-20 pick in the first round. (AP Photo/Matt Gentry)

Quincy Roche, EDGE, Miami

Quincy Roche, EDGE, Miami. The Randallstown native was a two-sport star at New Town, earning all-state honors with a school-record 19 sacks as a senior defensive end and helping lead the Titans to back-to-back Class 2A state basketball titles his junior and senior seasons. However, the three-star prospect only received FBS offers from Temple, Appalachian State and Toledo. After three strong seasons at Temple, where he had 39.5 tackles for loss and 26 sacks in 25 games and was named the 2019 American Athletic Conference Defensive Player of the Year, he transferred to Miami for his senior season. He recorded 14.5 tackles for loss and 4.5 sacks for the Hurricanes and tied for the ACC lead with three forced fumbles. The 6-3, 245-pound Roche is projected third- to fourth-round pick. (Matthew Hinton/AP)

Zech McPhearson, CB, Texas Tech

Zech McPhearson, CB, Texas Tech. The Columbia native played alongside Darrisaw at Riverdale Baptist, where he became a four-star prospect ranked No. 11 in Maryland and No. 32 nationally at cornerback by 247Sports. He was also a star baseball player, leading the Crusaders to back-to-back National Association of Christian Athletes national championships in 2014 and 2015. The youngest of seven boys, McPhearson comes from an athletic family, with his father, Gerrick Sr., playing defensive back for Boston College and later the New England Patriots and his brother Gerrick Jr. a former Maryland cornerback who was picked in the 2006 NFL draft. After three seasons at Penn State, McPhearson transferred to Texas Tech, where he blossomed into a first-team All-Big 12 player his senior season. The 5-11, 195-pound prospect is a projected fourth- to fifth-round pick. (Rick Scuteri/AP)

Charles Snowden, OLB, Virginia

Charles Snowden, OLB, Virginia. The Silver Spring native played linebacker and wide receiver at St. Albans, where he grew into a star despite focusing primarily on basketball throughout his youth. The three-star prospect was the No. 100 outside linebacker and the No. 11 recruit from Washington in the Class of 2017 and signed with Virginia. He was a second-team All-ACC selection in 2020, recording six sacks and 10 tackles for loss. The 6-7, 243-pound Snowden is a projected third- to fourth-round pick. (Andrew Shurtleff/AP)

Joshua Kaindoh, EDGE, Florida State

Joshua Kaindoh, EDGE, Florida State. The Baltimore native started his high school career at Mount Carmel before enrolling at IMG Academy in Bradenton, Florida, where he grew into a five-star recruit and one of the top-ranked defensive ends in the country in the Class of 2017. He initially committed to Maryland, giving the Terps their highest-ranked recruit since Stefon Diggs, but flipped to Florida State before signing day. With the Seminoles, Kaindoh recorded just eight sacks in four seasons and missed 11 games with injuries. The 6-6, 260-pound prospect is a projected fifth- to seventh-round pick. (KYLE PULEK)

Victor Dimukeje, EDGE, Duke

Victor Dimukeje, EDGE, Duke. Dimukeje moved from Lagos, Nigeria, to Owings Mills when he was 8 years old and attended New Town as a freshman before enrolling at Boys’ Latin. He became a first-team All-Metro selection his senior season and was a consensus three-star prospect, choosing Duke over Michigan State, Pittsburgh and Virginia Tech. A four-year starter and two-time All-ACC performer with 21.5 career sacks (one shy of the school record), Dimukeje graduated in 2020 with a degree in evolutionary anthropology. The 6-3, 265-pound prospect is a projected fifth- to sixth-round pick. (Nell Redmond/AP)

Jaret Patterson, RB, Buffalo. The Glendale native rushed for 2,045 yards and 23 touchdowns his senior season at St. Vincent Pallotti, earning all-state honorable mention. As a package deal with his fraternal twin James, a linebacker, he signed with Buffalo and became one of the most productive running backs in the country. He rushed for 1,072 yards and 19 touchdowns in just six games in 2020, including 409 yards and an FBS-record eight rushing touchdowns against Kent State, and declared for the draft a year early as the school’s second all-time leading rusher. The 5-9, 195-pound Patterson is a projected fifth- to sixth-round pick. — Jaret Patterson, RB, Buffalo

Jaylen Twyman, DT, Pittsburgh

The Washington, D.C., native (97) grew into a three-star prospect at H.D. Woodson High School, choosing Pittsburgh over Maryland, Penn State and others in part because of his appreciation for former Panthers star Aaron Donald. He’s overcome personal tragedy -- his father was incarcerated and his brother and uncle were killed -- to become an All-American and first-team All-ACC selection in 2019 before he opted out in 2020. The 6-2, 301-pound prospect is a projected fourth- to sixth-round pick. (Keith Srakocic)

Ky'el Hemby, S, Southern Miss. The Abingdon native had 193 tackles, six interceptions and four fumble recoveries over his final two years at John Carroll and was named first-team all-state in 2015. He spent two seasons at Iowa Western Community College before transferring to Southern Miss, where he led the team in pass breakups and interceptions and was named second-team All-Conference USA his first season. He recorded 73 tackles, 2.5 tackles for loss, an interception, four pass breakups and a blocked kick in 10 games in 2020. The 6-0, 200-pound prospect is a projected priority free agent. — Ky'el Hemby, S, Southern Miss

Jake Funk, RB, Maryland

Jake Funk, RB, Maryland. The Gaithersburg native was a star at Damascus High School, rushing for 2,866 yards and a Maryland single-season record 57 touchdowns on 249 carries in 2015 to earn Gatorade Maryland Player of the Year honors. The three-star prospect missed most of the 2018 and 2019 seasons with ACL tears before breaking out with 516 rushing yards and three touchdowns in four games in 2020 to earn third-team All-Big Ten honors. The 5-10, 204-pound Funk is a projected priority free agent. (Julio Cortez/AP)

Shaq Smith, OLB, Maryland

Shaq Smith, OLB, Maryland. The Baltimore native was a star for St. Frances before transferring to IMG Academy for his senior season. An Under Armour All-American and five-star prospect, he spent three seasons at national powerhouse Clemson but played sparingly and transferred to Maryland. He recorded 24 tackles, 3.5 tackles for loss and one sack in 2019 but played only one game for the Terps in 2020. The 6-2, 245-pound prospect is a projected priority free agent. (Kim Hairston / Baltimore Sun)

Jamar Watson, OLB, Kentucky. The Brandywine native didn’t play football until his junior year of high school at Bishop McNamara, where he was also a standout basketball player. He also received basketball scholarship offers after averaging 11.4 points during his junior year, but decided to play football in the SEC. At Kentucky, he led the team in tackles for loss in his junior and senior seasons, and his 18.5 career sacks rank fifth in school history. The 6-3, 244-pound prospect is a projected priority free agent. — Jamar Watson, OLB, Kentucky

2021 NFL draft prospects with ties to Maryland | PHOTOS

Here are the prospects with ties to Maryland in the 2021 NFL draft.