MIAMI (AP) — Former Meridian High School defensive lineman Raekwon Davis will be joining Alabama teammate Tua Tagovailoa in Miami.

With the 56th overall pick, the Miami Dolphins selected Raekwon Davis, a 2016 graduate of Meridian High School, in the second round of the NFL Draft Friday night.

“It’s a great feeling,” said Meridian defensive line coach Demetrius Hill, who coached Davis in high school and is still close to the Dolphins’ second-round pick. “It was intense waiting for the call, and anything can happen around draft time, but it’s a great day for him. He deserved every bit of it, so expect great things from him.

“Today was more intense. He knew he should be coming off the board pretty soon, so he was very anxious and nervous, and excited at the same time. If you’ve never been put in a situation like that, you don’t how it feels, but once he got the call we knew it.”

Davis was a three-year starter at Alabama and had a stellar sophomore season with 8 1/2 sacks. He tallied just two sacks in his final two seasons but was stout against the run and projected as a potential first-round pick.

“It’s been a grind from day one,” Hill said. “From ninth grade, through high school, through Alabama, he put in the work. He works hard, and he wanted to prove that he can do this. Everything that he’s been doing has been for this moment.

“It’s big for our community. We have a saying: ‘Built by Meridian.’ He’s a kid who’s been through the process of Meridian, from grade school all the way up. He’s put in the work here, and the community knows him, and I believe with all my heart the community is backing him 100%.”

The 6-foot-6, 311-pound Davis was the the seventh player taken from Alabama. He said his goal in 2020 is to be the rookie of the year. Tagovailoa, the Crimson Tide’s quarterback, was selected with the fifth overall pick by the Dolphins Thursday evening.

Anxious to keep Tagovailoa healthy, the Miami Dolphins invested in more protection for him Friday. Miami used a second-round pick to select offensive lineman Robert Hunt, a four-year starter for Louisiana-Lafayette at left guard, left tackle and right tackle.

The 6-foot-5, 323-pound Hunt and Southern Cal tackle Austin Jackson, acquired with Miami’s second first-round pick Thursday, will shore up an offensive line that could have four new starters in 2020.

The Dolphins’ third-round pick — and their sixth among the NFL’s first 70 selections — was safety Brandon Jones, a three-year starter at Texas.

Miami has nine more picks on the final day of the draft Saturday.

Tagovailoa is considered a potential franchise quarterback if he can stay healthy. He set an FBS record for career passing efficiency at Alabama but underwent surgery four times, and his college career was ended by a hip injury in mid-November.

“I’m super excited to get on the field with Tua and all the other guys we already have,” Hunt said. “It’s my job to protect him, and that’s what I’m going to do every day.”

Hunt started all 13 games at left guard as a freshman, and played left guard and left tackle as a sophomore. He switched to right tackle for his final two seasons, but was limited to seven games in 2019 because of a groin injury.

Hunt missed the NFL combine in February but said he’s 100% healthy now. He laughed when asked about his reputation for flattening defenders at Louisiana-Lafayette.

“It’s fun doing that, and it looks really good,” he said. “You don’t get in trouble for destroying people on the football field, so why not do it, you know? I came into any game with a bully mentality.”

The Dolphins, who stockpiled picks after they embarked on a rebuilding project more than a year ago, still need a running back and a tight end. Miami went 5-11 last year under first-year coach Brian Flores, and began an attempted turnaround last month by spending $235 million to sign 10 free agents. 

The Meridian Star’s Matt Case contributed to this report.