Cameron Clark(Smith HS) goes to the New York Jets in the 4th Round of the NFL Draft/Happy Appy for Darrynton Evans and Akeem-Davis Gaither from Appalachian State

from Jeff Mills with the News and Record at www.greensboro.com and CLICK HERE to see Jeff’s full post/article on Cameron Clark, from Ben L. Smith High School here in Greensboro, as Cam Clark will look to make his mark, just beyond/past Central Park, right there on the offensive line for the New York Jets……

Jeff Mills….
He was projected as a fifth- or sixth-rounder in most experts’ mock drafts.

But like he’s done all his life, Cameron Clark of Greensboro exceeded expectations.

The New York Jets selected Clark with the 23rd pick of the fourth round in the NFL Draft on Saturday afternoon, adding a second offensive lineman to a deep draft class after taking Louisville tackle Mekhi Becton 11th overall…

Cameron Clark with us on our Football in Focus Show, back when Cameron was at Smith High School…Cameron then at 6’4/240 pounds, and now at 6’5/308….Click Below for that video…

************************************************************************************************************************************
from www.appstatesports.com:
On Darrynton Evans from Appalachian State University to the Tennessee Titans…..
BOONE, N.C. — App State made history in the NFL Draft on Friday, as running back Darrynton Evans went 93rd overall as a third-round pick of the Tennessee Titans.

It’s the highest pick of a Sun Belt running back in the history of the conference, as three other drafted backs were sixth-round selections. In the last 25 years, only two other running backs from North Carolina colleges have been drafted higher than Evans: East Carolina’s Chris Johnson (24th in 2008) and North Carolina’s Gio Bernard (37th in 2013).

Evans, an early draft entry who was App State’s primary running back for just 23 games, posted career totals of 2,884 rushing yards and no fumbles on 482 carries (6.0 yards per attempt). Also a skilled returner and receiver, he had 4,642 all-purpose yards and 34 touchdowns in three college seasons, helping the Mountaineers go 10-3 in 2016, 11-2 in 2018 and 13-1 during a 2019 season in which they finished with a top-20 national ranking.

In addition to being named the Sun Belt Conference’s Offensive Player of the Year in 2019 and winning the Sun Belt rushing title in each of his final seasons, he collected three pieces of hardware in four postseason chances as a two-time MVP of the Sun Belt championship game and the MVP of the 2019 R+L Carriers New Orleans Bowl.

“I’m very hard to tackle in the open field,” Evans said on a video call with Titans reporters. “That’s just one area that I’ve always worked on in the offseason, just getting quick to where if I see a hole I can hit it fast, and then once I get through it at the drop of a dime, or I can tempo through, and then from there just go 100 miles per hour. So it’s just really using my speed to my advantage, using my vision, and just making people miss.”

On Akeem Davis-Gaither, from Appalachian State and Thomasville High School, going to the Cincinnati Bengals…..
Akeem Davis-Gaither(Thomasville High School) joins locals D.J. Reader(Grimsley High School) and Germaine Pratt(High Point Central High School) as players with local ties, that are now with the Cincinnati Bengals…..

BOONE, N.C. — The Cincinnati Bengals reopened the NFL Draft with a bang Saturday, using the first pick of the fourth round to select hard-hitting App State linebacker Akeem Davis-Gaither.

He went 107th overall to the Bengals, whose coaches were in charge of the South team for which Davis-Gaither excelled as a captain during the Reese’s Senior Bowl in late January. It’s the second-highest pick of a Sun Belt Conference linebacker in the history of the league, after only Arkansas State’s Demario Davis (No. 77 in 2012).

“I always carry that chip on my shoulder, regardless of if I would have went in the second round, because I know there are people out there that are doubting me,” Davis-Gaither said on a video call with Bengals reporters. “I just want to prove them wrong. (At App State), that’s our motto.”

Moving forward from a 13-1 season in which it finished with a top-20 ranking in both national polls, App State was the first Group of Five program to have two players picked in the 2020 NFL Draft, as running back Darrynton Evans went to the Tennessee Titans in the third round.

With two players going in the opening four rounds for the first time in school history, App State is also the first Sun Belt program ever with two players selected that early in an NFL Draft. Previously, Louisiana had a second player taken 110th in 2012 and 125th in 2003.