Special to The Democrat

MEADVILLE — Two Franklin County High School 2009 graduates will be keeping a sharp eye on the NFL draft.

Southern Mississippi linebacker Jamie Collins and Florida International linebacker Jordan Hunt both have NFL aspirations heading into the draft, which begins tonight.

Collins is expected to go in round two or three, while Hunt is looking at possibly signing as an undrafted free agent.

“I’m going to be rooting for him, and I know he’ll be rooting for me,” Collins said. “We’ve been friends and teammates for so long that we know the other will do good no matter what or where.”

Hunt said he’s maintained a competitive relationship with Collins, both of whom grew up together in Franklin County.

“After high school, we both went different places, but we always stayed in contact,” Hunt said. “We’re both competitive; we’ve always been that way growing up. If one did something big, the other tried to do something bigger.”

Collins recently broke the NFL Combine record in the broad jump at 11 feet, 7 inches. He also ran a 4.64 40-yard dash at the combine.

“I’m just training and working hard every day,” Collins said after the combine. “I don’t really pay attention to all the draft talk. That still will all play out in the end.”

Hunt, meanwhile, ran a 4.72 40-yard dash and had a broad jump of 9 feet, 9 inches in Florida International’s Pro Day last month.

The first round of the NFL draft begins at 7 p.m. tonight. Rounds two and three will begin at 5:30 p.m. Friday, and rounds four through seven will start at 11 a.m. Saturday.