Kaden Prather Made Northwest High Football History

When the Buffalo Bills selected University of Maryland wide receiver Kaden Prather in the seventh round of the NFL Draft on April 26, the Montgomery Village, Maryland native became the first ever Northwest High School graduate selected in the NFL Draft.

Northwest High School in Germantown, Maryland has had former players compete on the NFL gridiron in the past but Anwar Phillips and Joe Lefeged were both signed as undrafted free agents.

Prather, who was selected at No. 240 overall, has enjoyed an interesting path to the NFL.

He played youth league football for the Montgomery Village Chiefs, the same organization that produced Stefon Diggs (Houston Texans) and his brother Trevon Diggs (Dallas Cowboys). Jordan Addison (Minnesota Vikings) and Chop Robinson (Miami Dolphins) are also products of the Montgomery Village Sports Assocation. In fact, Addison and Prather were once youth league teammates and worked out together prior to the draft.

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Addison, a wide receiver who won the Biletnikoff Award in 2021 at the University of Pittsburgh, was selected in the first round of the NFL Draft in 2023 and Robinson, a linebacker, was a first round NFL Draft selection out of Penn State last year and was named to the Pro Football Writers of America (PFWA) All-Rookie Team.

Public Address announcer Tracy Callahan has been the voice of Northwest High School football games since 2016 and he described Prather as a “man among boys” during his tenure at the Montgomery County Public School.

“Nobody,” said Callahan, “could cover him in high school.”

During his junior campaign at Northwest, Prather helped lead the Jaguars to a 12-2 record and an appearance in the 2019 4A state championship game where he registered 101 receiving yards.

Prather, who earned first team All-Met honors, caught 42 passes for 895 yards and nine touchdowns that season.

“He worked hard in practice and always wanted to be the best,” recalled Callahan. “He loved catching passes in traffic and was a consistent home run threat. It was obvious from the first time he played for Northwest he was significantly more talented than those who covered him.”

Following his graduation from Northwest, Prather signed on to play college football at West Virginia University where he made an immediate impact as a true freshman.

Kaden Prather and Jordan Addison playing youth league football together for the Montgomery Village Chiefs. That’s QB Jordan Addison (2) handing off the ball to Kaden Prather. | Prather Family

The 6-foot-4 wideout played in 12 games and made four starts for the Mountaineers during his freshman campaign. He finished the season with 12 catches for 175 yards. As a sophomore, Prather finished the season as the team’s third-leading receiver with 501 yards. He also finished second in receptions (52) and third in touchdown receptions (3).

He transferred to Maryland and became one of the Terps’ primary receiving targets. As a junior, Prather caught 42 passes for 666 yards and five touchdowns. He finished his senior campaign in College Park with 56 receptions for 624 yards and four touchdowns.

Prather was invited to the NFL Combine and put on a show in front of the various scouts in attendance. He clocked an official 4.46-second 40-yard dash at the combine.

Two days of the NFL Draft passed by and Prather was still on the board. He was outside playing cornhole with his family on Day 3 when he received a call from the Bills.

“I wasn’t really expecting a call,” explained Prather, “but when I got the call, man, I took off, I ran.”

The Bills are certainly banking on Prather to use his skills to help the franchise during the upcoming season.

Last season, Buffalo (13-4) finished first place in the AFC East and lost in the AFC Championship game.

“When you win it’s a different feeling,” said Prather, “so I’m glad that I’m with a team that’s in the Super Bowl conversation.”

The Bills boast Pro Bowl quarterback Josh Allen and Prather said he looks forward to playing with him.

“Whether I have to go up and catch a 50-yard pass or whether I have to turn a five-yard pass into a 20-yard gain,” explained Prather, “I’m just always trying to find a way to win. At the end of the day, Buffalo is going to find a winner.”