FOOTBALL FRATERNITY: Tank Dell set to join long list of Volusia-Flagler NFL draft picks
Tank Dell is expected to join a rare football fraternity within Volusia and Flagler counties this week.
Widely expected to be selected in the middle rounds, Dell will almost certainly become the 29th area athlete drafted into the National Football League. The 5-foot-8, 165-pound Mainland High grad was a Biletnikoff Award semifinalist this past season at Houston, leading the Football Bowl Subdivision with 1,398 receiving yards and 17 touchdowns while finishing second in catches (109).
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Dell told The News-Journal he met with the Cleveland Browns, the Houston Texans and the Tennessee Titans for top-30 prospect visits, held private workouts with the Buffalo Bills and the Dallas Cowboys and spoke with more than half of the league's franchises in Zoom meetings.
The Athletic's Dane Brugler and ESPN's tandem of Mel Kiper Jr. and Todd McShay both listed Dell as a third-round pick in their respective mock drafts, while NFL.com's Chad Reuter had Dell going off the board early in Round 4.
Louisville offensive lineman Adonis Boone and North Carolina State safety Cyrus Fagan, another pair of former Mainland Buccaneers, hold out hope as potential Day 3 prospects.
Draft position, of course, does not correlate to success at the NFL level. Plenty of first-round picks have busted, and undrafted players have received gold jackets and entered the Hall of Fame. And there has been a similarly wide range of outcomes with regards to the football fates of those hailing from the Daytona Beach area.
Here is a look at where each of those players in the Super Bowl era was drafted, and how they performed in the pros.
Darrynton Evans
High school: New Smyrna Beach
Drafted: 93rd overall (Round 3) by the Tennessee Titans in 2020
How he did: Injuries limited Evans' effectiveness and availability for the first two seasons of his career. He played just six games for the Titans, carrying the ball 16 times for 61 yards as a change-of-pace option to bruising former NFL rushing champ Derrick Henry. Tennessee waived Evans ahead of the 2022 season, and he got a fresh start with the Chicago Bears. Last season, Evans had 14 rushing attempts for 64 yards, and one catch for 33 yards while playing 40% of the special teams snaps in his six appearances. On March 31, the Indianapolis Colts signed Evans to a one-year contract worth $940,000.
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Jachai Polite
High school: Mainland
Drafted: 68th overall (Round 3) by the New York Jets in 2019
How he did: Polite had first-round buzz after a stellar junior season at Florida in which led the team with 17½ tackles for loss, 11 sacks and six forced fumbles. But a poor performance at the NFL scouting combine, both on the field and in interviews, resulted in a slide into Day 2. The Jets grabbed Polite early in Round 3, but reportedly fined him more than $100,000 for "tardiness and other issues" and waived him before the opening week of the 2019 season. Polite played in 11 games for the Los Angeles Rams the following year, registering four total tackles and his lone career sack. Now 25, Polite was released by the Rams in December 2020 and has been out of the league since.
Cole Holcomb
High school: New Smyrna Beach
Drafted: 173rd overall (Round 5) by the Washington Commanders in 2019
How he did: Holcomb tested extraordinarily well at his pro day at North Carolina, and Washington jumped at the chance to pick him in the fifth round. He started 48 of the 50 games in which he was healthy enough to play, and became the unit's signal-caller. During the 2022 season, Holcomb recorded a career-high 142 tackles (83 solo) with one sack, seven pass breakups, two interceptions and two forced fumbles. Despite coach Ron Rivera's public pleas for the team to re-sign him this spring, Holcomb was allowed to explore free agency and later signed a three-year, $18 million contract with the Pittsburgh Steelers.
Paxton Lynch
High school: Trinity Christian
Drafted: 26th overall (Round 1) by the Denver Broncos in 2016
How he did: Then-Broncos general manager John Elway executed a trade to move up five spots and snatch Lynch away from the Dallas Cowboys, whose owner Jerry Jones publicly lamented not overpaying to make the move. Instead, the Cowboys selected Dak Prescott three rounds later. It's safe to say that has worked in their favor. Lynch lasted two seasons in Denver and made only four starts, completing 61.7% of his attempts for 792 yards with four touchdowns, four interceptions and a 76.7 passer rating. Lynch spent time in Seattle and bounced back and forth between the practice squad and active roster of the Pittsburgh Steelers between 2019-20. He's since had brief stints in the Canadian Football League, the United States Football League and the XFL, where he is currently on the roster of the San Antonio Brahmas.
Leonard Williams
High school: Mainland
Drafted: 6th overall (Round 1) by the New York Jets in 2015
How he did: Widely viewed as one of the safer prospects of the 2015 draft, Williams has indeed turned into a solid, if not spectacular, pro. He finished third in AP Defensive Rookie of the Year voting, and then appeared in his lone Pro Bowl in 2016. The Jets traded Williams to the New York Giants for two draft picks before the 2019 deadline, and the "Big Cat" recorded a career-high 11½ sacks the following season. Williams reached the playoffs for the first time in 2022, playing a key role (45 tackles, five TFLs, 2½ sacks) in the trenches alongside budding stars Dexter Lawrence and Kayvon Thibodeaux as the Giants secured a wild card. He's signed for one more season, though at an astronomical salary cap figure of $32.3 million.
Ricardo Allen
High school: Mainland
Drafted: 147th overall (Round 5) by the Atlanta Falcons in 2014
How he did: Allen spent much of his rookie season on the Falcons' practice squad, but the converted cornerback became an integral piece of Dan Quinn's defense by the time 2015 rolled around. The 5-foot-9, 186-pounder started 76 games at safety, making 340 tackles and picking off 11 passes. Allen suited up in two Super Bowls, one apiece for Atlanta and the Cincinnati Bengals, with the latter proving to be his final NFL game. He retired at age 30 and immediately entered the coaching ranks. He'll enter his second season as an assistant on Mike McDaniel's staff with the Miami Dolphins this fall.
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Mike Gillislee
High school: DeLand
Drafted: 164th overall (Round 5) by the Miami Dolphins in 2013
How he did: Gillislee found success and carved out an NFL career once he left Miami. He suited up just three times for the Dolphins as a rookie, missed all of 2014 with a hamstring injury and was waived the next year. AFC East rival Buffalo scooped up the former Florida Gator, and he averaged 5.7 yards per carry with 12 total touchdowns in 17 games for the Bills between 2015-16. Somewhat surprisingly, the New England Patriots offered Gillislee a two-year, $6.4 million offer sheet, which the Bills declined to match. He then scored three times in the Pats' season-opening loss to Kansas City, but peetered off in productivity, finishing with 383 yards and five scores on the ground and being deactivated for Super Bowl LII. New England released Gillislee, and he retired following a short stint in New Orleans and a handful of tryouts.
Johnny Patrick
High school: DeLand
Drafted: 88th overall (Round 3) by the New Orleans Saints in 2011
How he did: Patrick picked off five passes in his final season at Louisville, but slid into the third round after a disappointing 40-yard dash time (4.59 seconds) at the combine. Patrick lasted two seasons in New Orleans, but started four games in 2013 for the San Diego Chargers, where he recorded his one career interception as well as 1½ sacks and a forced fumble. Released the following March, Patrick had a five-month stint with the New York Jets, but never made an appearance in the regular season.
Mardy Gilyard
High school: Flagler Palm Coast
Drafted: 99th overall (Round 4) by the St. Louis Rams in 2010
How he did: A trailblazer for Flagler County, Gilyard left Cincinnati as the program's all-time leader in receiving touchdowns (25), receiving yards (2,962), all-purpose yards (5,697), kickoff returns (85), kickoff return TDs (four), and kickoff return average (28.8). The Rams were enticed by Gilyard's speed, special teams value and Senior Bowl performance, but he was waived after one season in which he averaged 22.3 yards per kick return. Gilyard finished his NFL career with just two receptions, both for the Philadelphia Eagles in 2012, but he continued to play professionally until last year, including stops in Canada, Mexico and two American indoor leagues.
Steve Justice
High school: New Smyrna Beach
Drafted: 201st overall (Round 7) by the Indianapolis Colts in 2008
How he did: Inducted into Wake Forest’s Sports Hall of Fame, Justice was a three-year starter in the trenches at New Smyrna Beach, a consensus All-American center for the Demon Deacons in 2007 and a runner-up for the Rimington Trophy. The Colts selected Justice as a potential understudy to standout Jeff Saturday, but he lasted just one season. Justice played for three teams in the defunct United Football League from 2009-11, and spent an offseason with the Carolina Panthers in between.
Dallas Baker
High school: New Smyrna Beach
Drafted: 227th overall (Round 7) by the Pittsburgh Steelers in 2008
How he did: Just 26 picks after the Colts chose Justice, a second Barracuda went off the board. Baker, an electric playmaker at New Smyrna Beach and a national champion at Florida, earned a Super Bowl ring in his lone NFL campaign. In eight games as a rookie, he caught one pass for 6 yards. Arena League and CFL stints followed before Baker called time on his playing career in 2014. He's since risen from the NAIA coaching ranks to the Power Five, working as the wide receivers coach on Dave Aranda's staff at Baylor.
Buster Davis
High school: Mainland
Drafted: 69th overall (Round 3) by the Arizona Cardinals in 2007
How he did: An All-American during his high school days at Mainland and at Florida State, Davis could not achieve the same accolades during a brief NFL career. Arizona handed Davis a $610,000 signing bonus as part of a three-year contract, but cut him just before the start of his rookie season. He spent one season apiece in Detroit and Indianapolis, making 24 tackles and starting three games in 2008, as well as some time on the Houston Texans' practice squad in 2009. He continued his pro career with UFL stops in Hartford and Las Vegas, and an Arena League tenure in Jacksonville.
Marlon McCree
High school: Atlantic
Drafted: 233rd overall (Round 7) in 2001
How he did: Jacksonville struck gold in the dying hours of the 2001 draft. McCree made 11 starts as a rookie and picked off six passes the following season. Across an eight-year career, McCree also played for Houston, Carolina, San Diego and Denver. During his stint with the Chargers, he picked off Tom Brady with less than seven minutes remaining in a 2006 AFC Divisional Round game, but was immediately stripped by Troy Brown. New England tied the game after the turnover, and won 24-21 as Nate Kaeding missed a last-second field goal. McCree made 349 solo tackles and tallied 16 interceptions, including a 95-yard pick-six of Steve McNair in 2003.
Sebastian Janikowski
High school: Seabreeze
Drafted: 17th overall (Round 1) by the Oakland Raiders in 2000
How he did: Longtime Raiders owner Al Davis developed a reputation as the most unpredictable executive in league history, and selecting a placekicker in the first round only further cemented his legacy. Not only was the choice a surprise within the draft community, it stunned Janikowski, who was on the golf course — at Tomoka Oaks in Ormond Beach. "I was on the fourth hole, I believe," he recalled in a 2019 interview with The News-Journal. "My agent called me and said, 'Hey, you've got to come in.' I wasn't expecting to get drafted that high; I was expecting to go to St. Louis, who had the 31st pick. I thought there was some time to play golf." A native of Poland, Janikowski booted 60-yard field goals as a prep star at Seabreeze, and that leg strength remained his calling card through an 18-year pro career which ended in 2019. Janikowski is the Raiders’ all-time leading scorer, converting 80.4% of his field goals with a long of 63 yards.
William Bartee
High school: Atlantic
Drafted: 54th overall (Round 2) in 2000
How he did: Bartee became a junior college success story, landing a scholarship at Oklahoma after two years at Butler County Community College in Kansas. He remained in the midwest throughout his pro career, spending all six of his NFL seasons with the Chiefs and starting 31 games at cornerback. Bartee’s most productive campaign came in 2002, when he made 78 solo tackles and batted down seven passes. Kansas City released him after the 2006 season, one in which Bartee missed all 16 games on the Physically Unable to Perform (PUP) list.
Tra Thomas
High school: DeLand
Drafted: 11th overall (Round 1) in 1998
How he did: Thomas can make a strong case for the title of the top NFL player ever produced from Volusia and Flagler counties. Florida State molded him into an athletic force on the blind side, and Thomas become an invaluable protector for Donovan McNabb through the Eagles' renaissance in the early-to-mid 2000s under Andy Reid. Thomas earned three trips to the Pro Bowl (2001, '02, 04), started in Super Bowl XXXIX in Jacksonville and logged 174 games over 12 seasons. He and fellow bookend Jon Runyan were inducted into the Eagles' Hall of Fame on Oct. 14, 2021.
Antwuan Wyatt
High school: Mainland
Drafted: 190th overall (Round 6) by the Philadelphia Eagles in 1997
How he did: Wyatt, an all-state running back and nationally ranked recruit, rebounded at Bethune-Cookman after being dismissed from Clemson for a marijuana arrest. He switched positions to wide receiver and enjoyed a brief spell with the Eagles. He appeared in just one NFL game, returning two punts for minus-2 yards and two kickoffs for 50 yards. Wyatt spent the next three years in the Arena Football League around the height of its popularity, catching 26 balls for 320 yards and seven scores as a member of the Orlando Predators and the Carolina Cobras.
Percell Gaskins
High school: Seabreeze
Drafted: 106th overall (Round 4) by the St. Louis Rams in 1996
How he did: Underrecruited at Seabreeze despite winning the high jump at the U.S. Junior Olympics as a sophomore, Gaskins started his college journey at then-NAIA Northwestern Oklahoma State. He later transferred to Kansas State where he was a national champion in track and field, and a three-year starter on the gridiron. He played two seasons, 15 games for the Rams and 12 for the Carolina Panthers in 1997. He made 28 career tackles (24 solo) and recovered a fumble.
Raymond Irvin
High school: Father Lopez
Drafted: 225th overall (Round 9) by the Cleveland Browns in 1991
How he did: Irvin became only the sixth UCF player selected in the NFL draft; at the time, the Knights had only recently jumped into the I-AA ranks from NCAA Division II. The Browns took a swing on the Ormond Beach native, who snagged eight interceptions and returned them for a school-record 233 yards. Irvin, however, never got into a regular-season game after suffering a double dislocation in his right wrist in a preseason contest with the New York Giants. He sat out on injured reserve and could not recuperate well enough to impress the Kansas City Chiefs in 1992.
Terry Anthony
High school: Mainland
Drafted: 281st overall (Round 11) by the Tampa Bay Buccaneers in 1990
How he did: Considering the draft was shortened to seven rounds in 1994, Anthony will likely hold the distinction of the area's latest selection until the end of time. Part of Florida State's famed "Fab Four" receiving corps in the late 80s, Anthony stuck around in Tampa Bay for two seasons, catching four passes for 51 yards in 1991. A knee injury cut his playing career short, and he returned to Daytona Beach in 1996 following the death of his mother. He stayed and now holds the title of athletic director and track and field coach at his alma mater.
Darrell Fullington
High school: New Smyrna Beach
Drafted: 124th overall (Round 5) by the Minnesota Vikings in 1988
How he did: Fullington played sparingly in his Minnesota tenure, starting only 13 games in three seasons. However, Tampa Bay Buccaneers coach Richard Williamson saw value in Fullington as a nickelback and special teamer and claimed him off waivers from New England. In 1992, his age-28 season, Fullington started 13 games and matched a career-high with three interceptions. That proved to be his NFL swan song.
Kenny Flowers
High school: Spruce Creek
Drafted: 31st overall (Round 2) by the Atlanta Falcons in 1987
How he did: Flowers put himself on the NFL draft radar with a monster 1985 season at Clemson, rushing for 1,200 yards and 13 touchdowns. He departed Death Valley as the school's career rushing leader, and signed a series of one-year contracts with the Falcons after a lengthy holdout. Flowers spent three years in Atlanta, missing all of 1988 with a torn MCL in his left knee, and totaling 135 yards from scrimmage with one touchdown.
Earl Johnson
High school: Seabreeze
Drafted: 236th overall (Round 9) by the New Orleans Saints in 1985
How he did: A 6-foot cornerback out of South Carolina, Johnson worked his way onto the field for two games as a rookie. Two seasons later, he earned three starts in the secondary for defending AFC champion Denver. Injuries derailed his career, and he eventually returned home and became an administator at several local elementary, middle and high schools. He's now the chief operating officer of Volusia County's school district.
Bruce McNorton
High school: Spruce Creek
Drafted: 96th overall (Round 4) by the Detroit Lions in 1982
How he did: The first Spruce Creek alumnus to be drafted, McNorton was a mainstay in the Detroit secondary for nearly a decade. He intercepted 20 passes, seven during the 1983 season alone, recovered six fumbles and started 92 of 116 games. Kudos were due at the time to the Lions' scouting department, who plucked McNorton out of Georgetown College in Kentucky. As fate would have it, McNorton entered the scouting profession and spent two decades on the Pittsburgh Steelers' payroll.
James Murphy
High school: DeLand
Drafted: 266th overall (Round 10) by the Minnesota Vikings in 1981
How he did: Murphy's NFL career was little more than a footnote; he played 10 games and returned 20 kickoffs at an average of 23.9 yards for the Kansas City Chiefs in 1981. In college and in Canada, however, Murphy is a legend. He earned an All-American honorable mention from the Sporting News after a senior year at Utah State in which he caught 66 balls for 1,067 yards. After leaving the Chiefs, Murphy played eight seasons in the CFL for the Winnipeg Blue Bombers, winning the Grey Cup three times and being named the league's Most Outstanding Player in 1986. He finished his career with 9,036 receiving yards and was inducted into the Canadian Football Hall of Fame in 2000.
Wes Chandler
High school: New Smyrna Beach
Drafted: 3rd overall (Round 1) by the New Orleans Saints in 1978
How he did: A College Football Hall of Fame inductee, Chandler still holds the honor of being the highest-drafted player in Volusia-Flagler history. The NSB and Florida Gators legend surpassed 1,000 receiving yards in his second year with the Saints, but became a household name once acquired by the San Diego Chargers as a centerpiece of the revolutionary "Air Coryell" offense. In the strike-shortened 1982 season, Chandler earned All-Pro status by leading the NFL in receiving yards (1,032), receiving yards per game (129.0) and touchdown receptions (nine). Chandler lasted more than a decade in the league, making four Pro Bowls and totaling 8,966 receiving yards with 56 scores.
Willie Lee
High school: Campbell
Drafted: 137th overall (Round 5) by the Kansas City Chiefs in 1976
How he did: Nicknamed “Foots” due to his size 16EEE shoes, Lee was a legend at Bethune-Cookman after attending the segregated Campbell High. Lee started 13 of 28 games at defensive tackle before a knee injury derailed his career. He tallied five sacks, recovered two fumbles and scored a touchdown in the 1977 season. A former B-CU assisant coach under Larry Little and the father of Seabreeze quarterback Xavier Lee, “Foots” died at age 67 in 2017.
Larry Gagner
High school: Seabreeze
Drafted: 19th overall (Round 2) by the Pittsburgh Steelers in 1966
How he did: Still recognized as one of Seabreeze’s greatest athletes in history, Gagner was the first local draft pick of the modern era. Gagner was drafted twice in fact, by both the NFL’s Steelers and the AFL’s Miami Dolphins as the leagues had yet to merge. He started 50 of the Steelers’ next 52 games at left guard, but was nearly killed in a car crash in Ormond Beach in March 1970. He appeared in just seven games after the wreck, all for the Chiefs in 1972.
This article originally appeared on The Daytona Beach News-Journal: NFL Draft: Tank Dell will join Volusia-Flagler's football fraternity
