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Philly guys making their mark in the NFL

Of the 11 area players in the NFL, two are heading to the playoffs and two more have earned Pro Bowl nods.

Miami Dolphins cornerback Brent Grimes (21) tackles Baltimore Ravens wide receiver Kamar Aiken (11) short of the end zone in the first half of a game at Sun Life Stadium. Brad Barr/USA Today)
Miami Dolphins cornerback Brent Grimes (21) tackles Baltimore Ravens wide receiver Kamar Aiken (11) short of the end zone in the first half of a game at Sun Life Stadium. Brad Barr/USA Today)Read more
    by BY MARK PERNER, Daily News Staff Writer <a href="mailto:pernerm@phillynews.com">pernerm@phillynews.com</a>
    Published 

CHECKING ALL THE names on tedsilary.com's list of city-team athletes playing in the NFL, of the 11 players only Corey "Philly" Brown, a wide receiver for the Carolina Panthers, and guard Earl Watford, of the Arizona Cardinals, are heading to the NFL playoffs.

Brown caught one pass for 28 yards and rushed twice for another 41 yards to help the Panthers clinch the NFC South title with a 34-3 win over Atlanta.

In his rookie season out of Ohio State, by way of Cardinal O'Hara, Brown started three games, caught 21 passes for 296 yards and two touchdowns and also rushed eight times for 95 yards.

Watford, a sub, has appeared in 10 games for the 11-5 Cardinals.

Two players not in the postseason but who could be playing in January are Pro Bowlers Jahri Evans, an offensive tackle for the Saints, and Dolphins cornerback Brent Grimes.

For Evans, making the Pro Bowl has become almost automatic. The Frankford High grad will be making his sixth straight Pro Bowl appearance. The former Bloomsburg University star was first-team All-NFL from 2009-2012.

In his eighth season out of Shippensburg, Grimes, a Northeast High product, will be heading to the Pro Bowl for the third time having also earned nods in 2010 and 2013. Grimes finished the 2014 season with five interceptions and returned one for a touchdown. For his career, Grimes has 22 picks and has taken two of them to the house. In a 37-0 rout of San Diego on Nov. 2, Grimes intercepted a pair of Philip Rivers passes.

The other city guys in the NFL? Quarterbacks Matt Ryan (Penn Charter, Falcons), Ryan Nassib (Malvern, Giants) and Tom Savage (O'Hara, Texans); linebackers Jameel McClain (George Washington, Giants) and Nick Moody (Roman, 49ers); defensive back Anthony Walters (O'Hara, Bears); and defensive tackle Sharrif Floyd (George Washington, Vikings).