Long Island showed out in the 2024 NFL Draft.
For the first time since 1996, three Long Island natives received “the call” on draft day.
Those Long Islanders were imposing offensive tackle Matt Goncalves, big-play running back Jawhar Jordan, and versatile playmaker Dylan Laube.
You’ll have to rewind 28 years to the last time that happened. That’s when Southampton offensive tackle Andre Johnson (Round 1, Detroit Lions), Central Islip linebacker Eric Unverzagt (Round 4, Seattle Seahawks), and Elmont offensive guard Marco Rivera (Round 6, Green Bay Packers) were drafted.
And two more went in the following year.
Jon Harris, a defensive end who played at Kellenberg High School, was picked in the first round by the Eagles and Curtis Canute, a linebacker from Amityville, was selected in the sixth round by the Bengals.
But since then, it’s been a long gap since multiple prospects from the Island were selected in an NFL draft.
That was until the 2024 NFL Draft, which took place April 25-27 in Detroit, where three locals were taken.
Long Islanders in 2024 NFL Draft
Matt Goncalves
Manorville’s Goncalves was the first off the board.
Goncalves, a Day 2 selection, was scooped up by the Indianapolis Colts after the team traded up in the third round to select the big man out of the University of Pittsburgh. The team swapped picks with the Cardinals and lost a sixth-round pick in the process to get their must-have prospect with the 79th overall pick.
“He was one of our favorite offensive linemen in the draft,” Colts general manager Chris Ballard said. “And that’s including all of them.”
He spent five seasons with Pittsburgh, serving as an anchor of the Panthers’ offensive line for much of the last four seasons. He was a team captain this fall, but a leg injury forced him to miss all but the first three games of the season.
Goncalves is the first alum of Eastport-Southmanor High School to be drafted.
[Click here to read all about Goncalves and see his reaction after being drafted by the Colts.]
Jawhar Jordan
Next up was Jawhar Jordan.
The Farmingdale native, who was the leading rusher on Louisville last season, was selected by the Houston Texans with the No. 205 overall pick in the 2024 NFL Draft on Saturday.
While Jordan played his high school ball in Arizona, he learned the love of the game on the Island, playing flag football at 9 years old in the local Police Athletic League, according to the Courier-Journal.
Despite a nagging hamstring injury in his final season as a Cardinal, Jordan finished second in the ACC in rushing yards with 1,128. The Syracuse transfer also tacked on 13 rushing touchdowns, tied for third in the ACC.
“I’ve always been underrated and people counted me out a lot,” Jordan said. “Even this past season I wasn’t one of the top ACC running backs going into the season. But I made my statement. I know when it’s all said and done, I’ll be one of the greatest.”
Dylan Laube
Then, just three picks later, the Las Vegas Raiders scooped up Westhampton’s Dylan Laube, a University of New Hampshire product.
“When I got that call…It’s such an unreal feeling,” Laube said in an online press conference. Listen to the full call here.
Laube had an incredibly productive career at the University of New Hampshire, earning multiple high honors including First-team Associated Press FCS All-American All-Purpose his senior season. In his final season as a Wildcat, he led the FCS with 2,095 all-purpose yards and tied for second in touchdowns with 18. He also holds nine school records at UNH.
At Westhampton Beach High School, he darted for 2,680 yards his senior season, leading his squad to the 2017 Long Island Class III championship. He also co-won the Hansen Award, the trophy for best player in Suffolk County, with tight end Jeremy Ruckert, a 2022 draft pick by the New York Jets.
Laube is the third Westhamptoner to be drafted, the others are Dan Jiggetts, an offensive lineman plucked in the sixth round of the 1972 draft by the Chicago Bears; and Sean Farrell, another offensive lineman who was first-round pick by the Tampa Bay Buccaneers in 1982.
UDFA signing
While these three were selected, there was another that was quickly picked up following the draft.
J.J. Laap, a Ward Melville grad from Stony Brook, signed a deal with the Los Angeles Rams as an undrafted free agent.
Laap, a standout wide receiver, helped lead SUNY Cortland to the school’s first-ever Division III national football championship in the fall. Click below to read more.
