Here are the top 10 football players from Polk County | Vote

There have been more than 60 players, who played high school football in Polk County, drafted by NFL teams, including 10 players selected in the first round. To reach the point of being drafted and having successful NFL careers, these players had already excelled in high school and in college.

The list includes Hall of Famers, Super Bowl champions and numerous players who went on to long NFL careers. A top 10 list made up of players who didn’t make the top 10 for Polk County, would be an impressive list in its own right, players like Bilal Powell, Justin Forsett, Vince Williams, Nickell Robey, Keydrick Vincent and Dedrick Dodge, for example. They all however, fell short of making the top 10 for Polk County.

The list of players and poll are below. There's also a write-in option if you think another player should've been included.

So who are the top 10 football players from Polk? Let’s take a look.

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Ray Lewis speaaks during the Enshrinement Ceremony at the Pro Football Hall Fame in Canton, Ohio on Saturday August 4, 2018. [SCOTT WHEELER/THE LEDGER]

Polk County’s Top 10 Football Players

1. Ray Lewis | LB | Kathleen

Lewis graduated from Kathleen in 1993 then went on to Miami where he was a three-time All-American. He entered the draft as a junior and was drafted by Baltimore in the first round, No. 26 overall, in 1996. Lewis won two Super Bowls with the Ravens. He was MVP of Super Bowl XXXV, won two Defensive MVP awards, was first-team, All-Pro seven times and was the first Polk County player to be named to the Pro Football Hall of Fame in 2018.

2. Ken Riley | DB | Union Academy

The Bartow native, Riley starred at Union Academy at quarterback in the early ’60s before going on to Florida A&M. He played quarterback in college then was a sixth-round draft pick by the Cincinnati Bengals in 1969. Riley moved to cornerback in the NFL and was selected to three All-Pro teams. He became the second Polk County player to be selected to the Hall of Fame in 2023.

3. Derwin James | DB | Haines City

James starred in high school at Auburndale then Haines City where he graduated in 2015. He became a starter at Florida State during his freshman season and entered the NFL draft. He was taken in the first round, 17th overall, by the Chargers. He has started all 98 games that he has played. He was named the Defensive Rookie of the Year, first team All Pro two times, second team, and All Pro three times and was selected to five Pro Bowls.

4. Maurkice Pouncey | OL | Lakeland

Pouncey was the starter on both of the Dreadnaughts’ national championship teams in 2005 and 2006. He played three years at Florida, winning a national championship in 2008. He was drafted in the first round, 18th overall, in 2010 by the Steelers. He has played and started in 134 games and was named to nine Pro Bowls. He also was All Pro first team twice and second team three times.

5. Mike Pouncey | OL | Lakeland

Mike teamed with his brother on the left side of Lakeland’s two national championship teams and Florida’s national championship team. He played one more year at Florida than his brother then was selected by the Miami Dolphins 15th overall in the first round in 2011.  He played and started in 114 games with the Dolphins and the Chargers and was selected to four Pro Bowls.

6. Desmond Clark | TE | Kathleen

Clark starred in football, basketball and baseball at Kathleen before going on to play college football as a wide receiver at Wake Forest. He finished his college career as the ACC all-time leading receiver. The Denver Broncos drafted Clark in the sixth round of the 1999 NFL draft and was converted to tight end. After three years with the Broncos and one with the Dolphins, Clark played eight years with the Bears and was a full-time starter six years. He started 105 of 162 games in 12 seasons and caught 40 or more passes in a season five times

7. Travis Henry | RB | Frostproof

Henry set the national single-season record by rushing for 4,087 yards as a senior at Frostproof in 1996, leading the Bulldogs to a state-runner-up finish. He was a Parade All-Amerian and was named Mr. Football. He was a 1,000-yard rusher at Tennessee as a senior in 2000, was named first-team, All-SEC and set a school record with 3,078 rushing yards. Drafted in the second round by the Bills in 2001, Henry played 90 games in the NFL over seven seasons. He had three 1,000-yard rushing seasons, twice with the Bills and once with the Titans, and was named to the Pro Bowl once. He retired with 6,086 rushing yards.

8. Wayne Gandy | OL | Haines City

Gandy starred at Haines City in the late ’90s then went on to Auburn from 1990 to 1993 where he was a consensus, first-team All-American. He was drafted 15th overall in the first round by the Rams. He started 205 of 219 games over 15 seasons with the Rams, Steelers, Saints and Falcons. He was inducted into the Polk County Hall of Fame in 2018.

9. David Williams | OL | Lakeland

Williams played on two state semifinalist teams with Lakeland as a sophomore (’82) and as a senior (’84) when he was named a Parade and USA Today All-American. The FHSAA named him as one of the “100 Greatest Players of the first 100 Years of Florida High School Football” in 2007. After a stellar college career at Florida, he was elected in the first round, No. 23 overall, in the 1989 NFL draft by the Oilers. He started 106 of the 128 games he played over nine seasons.

10. Alvin Harper | WR | Frostproof

Harper was a multi-sport standout at Frostproof in the mid-‘80s. In football, he was a USA Today All-American his senior season in 1986.  He averaged more than 20 points and 10 rebounds a game in basketball and won two sate titles in high jump, at one point holding the state record in the event. His county record of 6-11 set in 1985 was broken by Raymond Allen of Lake Wales in 1990 (7-0), which remains the county record. aT Tennessee, he became a starter as a sophomore and was first-team, All-SEC as a senior. He was also MVP of the 1991 Hula Bowl and captured the 1989 SEC indoor high jump championship (7-02.5). The 12th overall pick in the first round by the Cowboys in 1991 — the highest a Polk player has gone in the draft — Harper was the No. 2 receiver behind Michael Irvin on the Cowboys’ Super Bowl teams of the early ‘90s. He played eight seasons in the NFL, inclusion five with the Cowboys and two with the Bucs, and started 66 of 102 games that he played.

This article originally appeared on The Ledger: Polk County's top 10 football players includes Hall of Famer Ray Lewis