The NFL Draft kicks off Thursday night and one New Haven native could hear his name called pretty early.

Tyler Booker, 6 feet, 5 inch, 300-pound offensive lineman, is projected to be selected as high as the middle of the first round.

Before becoming an all-American and captain at the University of Alabama, Booker’s journey to the NFL launched at St. Luke’s school in New Canaan.

“He’s special," Booker's former coach Ernest Anderson says. "Tyler was so big and intense, that he played seventh and eighth grade football for me as a fifth grader.”

After St. Luke's, Booker played at Bergen Catholic in New Jersey before transferring to IMG Academy in Florida.

“He was a sponge from the beginning," Anderson says. "He sacrificed a lot of nights of playing manhunt, and all these other things that kids do to sharpen his sword."

Booker continues to use his platform for good.

His fourth annual youth football camp will be held in New Haven this summer.

“All he wants to do is make his family happy," Anderson says. "And let kids know from his area of New Haven, Connecticut, that with hard work, you can do anything."

Booker and his family will be in Green Bay where this year's draft is being held.

The first round kicks off Thursday night at 8p.m.