Elijah Arroyo looks to make history at NFL Draft by being 1st pick from Frisco (Texas) Independence High School

Arroyo was a late-blooming star for Knights before going to play for the Miami Hurricanes

Miami Hurricanes tight end Elijah Arroyo (8) runs with the football against Wake Forest Demon Deacons defensive back Davaughn Patterson (13) during the second quarter at Hard Rock Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Sam Navarro-Imagn Images / Sam Navarro-Imagn Images

Elijah Arroyo has a chance to make history when his name is called at the upcoming NFL Draft.

The tight end from Miami University will be the first player from Frisco Independence High School to be in the NFL. The school opened in 2014 as the seventh high school in the booming town in the northeast part of the Metroplex.

The town now has 12 high schools. Of those 12, four have had at least one player drafted:

Frisco

• Dylan Horton was taken by Houston in the fourth round in 2023. 

• Jack Anderson was a 7th-round pick by Buffalo in 2021

Frisco Liberty 

• Jay Ajayi was taken in the 5th round by Miami in 2015 

Frisco Lone Star 

• Nick Bolton was taken in the 2nd round by Kansas City in 2021

• Jaylan Ford was a 5th-round pick by New Orleans in 2024 

• Marvin Mims was selected in the 2nd round in 2023 by Denver 

• Trey Taylor was a 7th-round pick by Las Vegas in 2024. 

Frisco Heritage

• Kene Nwangwu was a 4th-round selection by Minnesota in 2021

Where did the 2025 NFL Draft's top prospects play high school football

Arroyo was an all-district pick for the Knights in 2019 and 2020. He had 48 catches for 648 yards and 5 touchdowns as a junior — helping Independence reach the third round of the Class 5A Division I playoffs for the first time in school history.

The next year, Arroyo had a line of 31/690/13 touchdowns — an average of 22.3 yards per catch.

He was a four-star recruit based on ratings by 247Sports, ESPN and Rivals. 247Sports had him as the No. 4 tight end nationally and No. 22 overall in the Lone Star State.

No. 2-ranked tight end that year was Brock Bowers, currently a tight end for the Las Vegas Raiders.

According to NFL.com, Arroyo family moved from Miami, Florida to Mexico when he was 6 years old and then moved to Texas when he was in middle school.

He had a chance to return to Florida when he committed to the Hurricanes on March 3, 2020. He had offers from a plethora of schools, including Alabama, Auburn, Georgia, LSU, TCU, Texas, USC and Texas A&M. 

Arroyo also competed in track and field for the Knights. In 2020, he had a personal-best jump of 6-2 in the high jump.

In 2018, he jumped 5-6 in the event, showing a big increase in three seasons.

The 6-foot-4, 250-pounder is projected to be a mid-round pick in the NFL draft. According to a recent CBS Sports prediction, he could go to the Los Angeles Rams in the 3rd round.

Mel Kiper has him going at No. 42 to the New York Jets. 

Arroyo is coming off a season where he earned second-team All-ACC honors as a redshirt junior. He had 35 catches for 590 yards and 7 touchdowns. He had a touchdown in the Pop-Tarts Bowl against Iowa State in his final game.

Between 2022 and 2023, Arroyo played only 8 total games due to injuries, which included a redshirt in 2023.

He played 12 games as a true freshman and started one game in 2021. 

Elijah Arroyo brings legit run-away speed at the TE position https://t.co/IrVMGz58u6 pic.twitter.com/3qMsZYEGZT

— Jacob Gibbs (@jagibbs_23) April 7, 2025

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