Joe Schobert and Derek Watt made history Saturday.
When both were selected by NFL teams during the draft, it marked the first time two football players who attended high school in Waukesha County were drafted in the same year.
Schobert, a 2012 Waukesha West graduate, was selected as the 99th overall pick at the start of the fourth round by the Cleveland Browns. Watt, a 2011 graduate of Pewaukee High School, was taken in the sixth round by the San Diego Chargers. He was the 198th overall selection.
Schobert, the first player ever drafted into the NFL from Waukesha West, is joining fellow Waukesha County product Joe Thomas on the Cleveland Browns. Thomas is a graduate of Brookfield Central and, like Schobert, played at Wisconsin.
Watt became the third Pewaukee graduate to be selected in the NFL Draft. Watt's older brother, J.J., the three-time NFL Defensive Player of the Year, in 2011, and Chris McIntosh, in 2000, are the others. Both were first-round selections.
Current Cincinnati Bengals offensive lineman Kevin Zeitler is from Waukesha but he attended Wisconsin Lutheran High School in Milwaukee. He was drafted in 2012, the same year Brookfield Central's Brad Nortman was taken in the sixth round of the draft.
Schobert and Derek Watt were both star high school players and found their way to Wisconsin in different ways.
Despite setting rushing records and leading his team to the state title his junior year, Schobert wasn't recruited by any major college programs coming out of Waukesha West and was actually heading to the University of North Dakota as a walk-on until then-Wisconsin coach Bret Bielema made a late offer.
Schobert eventually joined the Badgers as a walk-on and went from scout team player of the year his freshman year to an All-American linebacker his senior year.
Derek Watt, who was a running back and linebacker at Pewaukee, also wasn't initially heading to Wisconsin.
He gave an oral commitment before the start of his senior year at Pewaukee to play for Northwestern.
But he changed his mind and ultimately made Wisconsin his college choice. He redshirted the 2011 season before making 24 starts at fullback during the next four years.
So thankful for this opportunity!⚡️#BoltUp pic.twitter.com/fuk8t4M5IE
— Derek Watt (@DerekWatt34)
April 30, 2016RELATED COVERAGE
Lake Country Publications/NOW Newspapers Sports Director JR Radcliffe takes a further look at both Schobert and Derek Watt's journey to the NFL and breaks down the players from Waukesha County who have been drafted in the NFL. Below are also photo galleries from the athletic careers of Schobert and Derek Watt.
FROM THE ARCHIVE