Former Georgia Elite Classic players populating NFL rosters

The state of Georgia’s premier all-star football game, the Georgia Elite Classic, added four more players to the NFL following the 2025 NFL Draft. The annual showcase, held each December, features players from seventh grade through seniors and gives many their first opportunity to play on television.

This year, four GEC alumni joined the league, bringing the number of active NFL players from the event to 12. The highest-drafted of the group was former Hardaway edge rusher Mykel Williams. One of the nation’s top prospects in the Class of 2022, Williams won the Maxwell Football National High School Defensive Player of the Year Award as a senior. After three strong seasons at Georgia, he was drafted 11th overall by the San Francisco 49ers.

Also selected was former North Gwinnett linebacker Barrett Carter, who went in the fourth round to the Cincinnati Bengals. A 5-star recruit in the Class of 2021, Carter starred at Clemson, where he totaled 233 tackles, 33 tackles for loss, and 12.5 sacks in four seasons. He was the ninth linebacker taken in the draft and is expected to play a key role for Cincinnati’s defense.

The engine of Grayson’s 2020 state championship team, running back Phil Mafah, was chosen in the seventh round by the Dallas Cowboys. Mafah had a highly productive career at Clemson, finishing with 2,887 rushing yards and 28 touchdowns. He led the Tigers in rushing in both 2023 and 2024, helping them reach the College Football Playoff in 2024.

The final GEC alum drafted was former Dacula wide receiver Konata Mumpfield, who went 242nd overall to the Los Angeles Rams. After starting his college career at Akron, Mumpfield transferred to Pitt, where he finished as one of the team’s top two receivers in each of his three seasons. Across both stops, he compiled 217 catches for 2,691 yards and 19 touchdowns.

Those four rookies join eight veteran GEC alumni in the NFL, most notably Travon Walker, Azeez Ojulari, and Xavier McKinney. Jacksonville’s Walker, the No. 1 overall pick in the 2022 NFL Draft, was the state’s top player in the Class of 2019. He helped Georgia win the 2021 national title and has since developed into one of the NFL’s premier edge rushers, posting double-digit sacks in both his second and third seasons.

McKinney, a Roswell alum, has emerged as one of the league’s top safeties. After three seasons at Alabama, where he won a national championship in 2017, he broke out in 2024, earning his first Pro Bowl selection and First-Team All-Pro honors.

Ojulari, a former Georgia standout, will spend his first season with the Philadelphia Eagles in 2025 after four years with the New York Giants, who drafted him in the second round in 2021. He posted 22 sacks in four seasons, including eight as a rookie.

In addition to those stars, five other GEC alumni are active in the NFL: Kingsley Enagbare, John FitzPatrick, Kindle Vildor, Chuma Edoga, and Darius Slayton.

To nominate yourself or someone you know for the 2025 Georgia Elite Classic All-Star games, click here!

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