Detroit Cass Technical High School continues to add to its list of former student-athletes that have gone on to play in the NFL.
After former Technician teammates Deone Walker and Kobe King were drafted in 2025, the Detroit high school now leads all Michigan high schools with the most players in the NFL at 25, with nine active, according to Pro Football Reference.
Although Cass Tech didn’t win it’s first state championship until 2011, the program has produced some of Detroit’s most accomplished athletes throughout the years.
Here are 10 former Technicians that went on to play in the NFL:
Del’Shawn Phillips
Class: 2014.
Position: OLB.
The buzz: Philips led the Technicians to the Division 1 semifinals in 2014. He was committed to Western Michigan after high school, but was deemed academically ineligible and spent two seasons at Garden City Community College, where he racked up 167 tackles with the Broncbusters and led the program to a junior college championship in 2016. Phillips transferred to Illinois for his junior and senior seasons and led the Illini in tackles in back-to-back seasons (with 180 total). After going undrafted in 2019, Phillips traveled across the league, playing with the Atlanta Falcons, Buffalo Bills, New York Jets, Baltimore Ravens and Houston Texans. In March, he signed a one-year deal to play with the Los Angeles Chargers.
Jalen Graham
Class: 2019.
Position: QB, S, LB.
The buzz: Graham transferred to Cass Tech in his junior season after playing two years with Birmingham Detroit Country Day. Although at times he played quarterback for the Technicians, he received multiple offers to play safety. Graham committed to Purdue and played four seasons with the Boilermakers, for whom he racked up 169 tackles. He was selected in the seventh round (No. 255 overall) of the 2023 draft by the San Francisco 49ers.
Michael Onwenu
Class: 2016.
Position: OL.
The buzz: After losing to Romeo in the Division 1 state championship game in 2015, Onwenu committed to play at Michigan under then-coach Jim Harbaugh. He played four seasons with the Wolverines before being selected in the sixth round (182 overall) by the New England Patriots in the 2020 NFL Draft.
Jourdan Lewis
Class: 2013.
Position: CB.
The buzz: Lewis was a contributor to Cass Tech’s defense, leading the team to back-to-back Division 1 state championships in 2011-12. He headed to Michigan and, over four seasons, had 133 tackles and six interceptions in his 42 appearances. Lewis was selected in the third round of the 2017 NFL Draft (No. 92 overall) by the Dallas Cowboys, with whom he spent eight seasons before signing a three-year, $30 million deal with the Jacksonville Jaguars this offseason.
Delano Hill
Class: 2013.
Position: Safety.
The buzz: One of four members of the collective known as “The Midnight Crew” (the other members were Lewis, DaQuan Pace and DeJuan Rodgers), Hill played with Lewis in college, at Michigan, as well. The former Technician was taken in the third round (No. 95 overall) of the 2017 NFL Draaft by the Seattle Seahawks and played four seasons in the league. He tallied 119 tackles and three interceptions in the NFL.
Donovan Peoples-Jones
Class: 2017.
Position: WR.
The buzz: Peoples-Jones garnered attention as a freshman during the 2013 Detroit Public School Championship, in which he ran 80 yards for a touchdown. As a senior, he was the only five-star recruit in Michigan and contributed to the team’s 49-20 Division 1 state championship victory over Detroit Catholic Central in 2016, where he finished with 118 yards and two touchdowns in the game. Like several other Technicians on this list, he also headed to Michigan after his time at Cass Tech ended. In Ann Arbor, he played three seasons before entering the 2020 NFL Draft, selected by the Cleveland Browns in the sixth round at No. 187 overall. In 2023, Peoples-Jones was traded to the Detroit Lions. In five NFL seasons, the Detroit native has 122 catches for 1,895 yards and eight touchdowns.
Dyonte Johnson
Class: 2018.
Position: LB.
The buzz: Johnson played alongside Peoples-Jones on the 2016 undefeated MHSAA championship team. He continued playing football at Toledo and went undrafted in the 2024 draft but joined the New York Giants. Johnson made his NFL debut in the final two games last season.
Joe Barksdale
Class: 2007.
Position: DT, OL, OT.
The buzz: One of the top prospects in the Midwest after recording 73 tackles and seven sacks in his senior season with the Technicians, Barksdale became the first recruit from Michigan to attend LSU. During his time with the Tigers, he earned second-team All-SEC honors. in 2011, he was a third-round pick (No. 92 overall) by the then-Oakland Raiders, then went on to play for the then-St. Louis Rams and the then-San Diego Chargers during his seven NFL seasons.
Vernon Gholston
Class: 2004.
Position: DL, LB.
The Buzz: Gholston was a top prospect and committed to Ohio State. Following his collegiate career with the Buckeyes, he entered the 2008 NFL Draft, in which he was selected No. 6 overall by the New York Jets. He played three seasons in the NFL, with 42 tackles in 45 games.
Curtis Greer
Class: 1975.
Position: DL.
The buzz: Greer attended Michigan and helped the Wolverines win three Big Ten championships, earning All-American honors in his senior season. He is the program’s all-time leader in tackles by a defensive lineman, with 313. In 1980, he was drafted No. 6 overall by the then-St. Louis Cardinals and played seven seasons with the team. In 2024, Greer was inducted into Michigan football’s Hall of Honor.
Others
Eric Guzmán covers youth sports culture at the Free Press as a corps member for Report for America, an initiative of The GroundTruth Project. Make a tax-deductible contribution to support this work.
Contact Eric Guzmán: eguzman@freepress.com; 313-222-1850. Follow him on X, formerly known as Twitter: @EricGuzman90.
This article originally appeared on Detroit Free Press: Every Detroit Cass Tech football player who has made it to the NFL
Reporting by Eric Guzmán, Detroit Free Press / Detroit Free Press
USA TODAY Network via Reuters Connect
