A ranking of the 2020 Best NFL Football Players in Colorado. Located just 10 miles south of the Los Angeles Coliseum, Junipero Serra has been a pipeline to USC for decades. Bottom line: Located just two miles from BYUs campus, it comes as no surprise that many Timpview Thunderbirds then become BYU Cougars. Avalanche fans can now represent their team with the official Locker Room and Trophy Collection gear. In addition to being the captain of the football team, he also captained the basketball and baseball teams. Bears linebacker James Vaughters had quite the academic and athletic career at Tucker High School. Active NFL Players Who Attended Westlake High School, First alumni in NFL: Martellus Bennett (2008). ThunderRidge High School - Wikipedia 6-5 / 230. Active NFL Players Who Attended Bellevue High Schoo, First alumni in NFL: Chris McIntosh (2000). The graduate of Poudre High in Fort Collins spent time with four different teams from 1956-63, totaling 14 interceptions and 12 fumble recoveries as a pro. At Florida's Miami Central High, Dalvin Cook was 247Sports' second-highest-rated running back of the 2014 recruiting class, behind only fellow future NFL starLeonard Fournette. List of best NFL players from Philadelphia evokes epic all-era roster Bellevue is just outside of Seattle, and the schools football team had a 67-game winning streak from 2010 to 2014. Theyve had past Heisman winners in Vinny Testaverde and Eddie George, a Pro Bowler in Plaxico Burress and even a WWE wrestler in Darren "Puke" Drozdov. 3 FUM. Ryan was an all-everything in high school. Olive Branch is in the northwestern part of Mississippi and is about 20 miles away from Memphis, Tennessee. Everywhere from Penn State to USC to Ohio State has claimed to be Running Back U. Some were off-the-radar talents. The fourth active player is longtime Seahawk Michael Bennett, who was in the same grade as his brother Martellus, despite being a year-and-a-half older. Logos were compiled by the amazing SportsLogos.net. A member of the NFLs 1990s All-Decade Team, he grew up in Boulder and attended Fairview High. The three current players are all younger than the school and were teammates together from 2008 to 2010. Ekeler played a key role on that team, while Sieg served as a student manager while recovering from shoulder surgery. That program is no longer, but many of those alums are still in the NFL today. Children ride bicycles after school down the middle of the wide, tree-lined streets. He was an important part of Tampa Bays defense that year, tying for the NFL lead with eight interceptions. Stefon Diggs' journey to becoming one of the NFLs best receivers began at Our Lady of Good Counsel in suburban Washington, D.C. Diggs was the No. This TURN THE LIGHTS OFF, CARRY ME HOME shirt and hoodie are available in Adult, Women's, and Youth sizes small-3XL. And. The star player of that group is Super Bowl 50 MVP Von Miller. He calls Clay Matthews cousin and Bruce Matthews uncle. (AP Photo/David Zalubowski), 1993 NFL Draft, seventh round, Los Angeles Raiders -- Biekert played nine seasons for the Raiders (1993-2001) and two seasons with the Minnesota Vikings (2002-03). The SPORTS REFERENCE and STATHEAD trademarks are owned exclusively by Sports Reference LLC. New England Patriots / 4th / 124th pick /, Washington Redskins / 17th / 446th pick /, Philadelphia Eagles / 10th / 118th pick /, Pittsburgh Steelers / 10th / 291st pick /, Washington Redskins / 19th / 253rd pick /, Philadelphia Eagles / 11th / 144th pick /, New England Patriots / 4th / 101st pick /, Los Angeles Raiders / 11th / 288th pick /, St. Louis Cardinals / 11th / 277th pick /, New England Patriots / 6th / 197th pick /, Pittsburgh Steelers / 10th / 269th pick /, New England Patriots / 7th / 166th pick /, Philadelphia Eagles / 15th / 208th pick /, Includes head coaches and coordinators only. These high schools have become pipelines for producing pro football players. Heres a Top 10 ranking from The Denver Post. Outside of those two, Miami Central has produced four other NFL running backs, including two-time Pro Bowler Willis McGahee and former Packer Najeh Davenport. 2023 NFL Enterprises LLC. Professional Athletes - Valor Christian High School However, the selections were based strictly on NFL performance. They also produced one of two wide receivers to win the NFL Offensive Player of the Year Award. 22 Najee Harris. The USC alum has been named a finalist for the Pro Football Hall of Fame in each of the past four years. A two-time All-America selection for the Fighting Irish, he lifted Notre Dame past Ohio State in the first "Game of the Century" with the winning touchdown catch, a 19-yarder from . Moran played both as a defensive lineman and as a linebacker, recording 139 tackles, 10 sacks and two interceptions in 120 games as a pro. A member of the CSU Hall of Fame, Mullaney starred at defensive end in Minnesota, where he was part of the Purple People Eaters defense and played in Super Bowl XI. NFL playoff stars: How top players ranked as high school recruits Joe Neguse, Representative for Colorado's 2nd congressional district, former University of Colorado Regent Matt Bouldin, Israeli Basketball Super League player for the Hapoel Tel Aviv Emily Fox, WNBA, played for the Minnesota Lynx Jesse Nading, NFL player for the Houston Texans Derek Tolan, PGA player The most notable is wide receiver Marquise Goodwin, who is more known for his track and field exploits than his football accomplishments. He would spend his entire nine-year career with the Atlanta Falcons, starting all 118 games in which he appeared. A freshman during that year was another future Pro Bowl receiver by the name of Antonio Brown. Odell Beckham Jr. is seen taking in LSU's national-championship victory in 2020. Ekeler, 5-10 and 200 pounds, played at NCAA Division II Western Coloradoin Gunnison. In high school, he was one of 247Sports' five-star standouts from the recruiting class of 2013. Active NFL Players Who Attended La Costa Canyon High School, First alumni in NFL: Jessie Hester (1985). Safety Justin Reid of the Texans has lots of pressure on him to become a Pro Bowler as every other player from Dutchtown has done so. Active NFL Players Who Attended Helix High School, First alumni in NFL: Kevin OConnell (2008). 1 spot with their 70 players. And now you can see for yourself what these NFL stars -- and more -- looked like back in the high-school day. Solder was born in Denver and played high school football at Buena Vista before going on to play college football for the University of Colorado. Mullen High School - Wikipedia He reached the Super Bowl in his first year with Arizona and has played in three conference championship games most recently in 2017 with Jacksonville. Note: There have been many other local football players who ended up playing in the NFL, but they were not drafted. - 5 DeSoto (De Soto, Texas) - 5 Destrehan (Destrehan, La.) Another active player from West Monroe is someone who would make the NFL Name Hall of Fame. New Orleans Saints running back Alvin Kamara has had a lot to smile about in the NFL. There are just 14 active NFL players from Colorado, according to Pro-Football-Reference.com, including four from Denver (population 704,621) and three from Colorado Springs (population 464,474). At South Carolina'sSouth Pointe High, Jadeveon Clowney was already a star. The 25 all-time greatest football players from Charleston area He started all 16 games for the Broncos last season as well. (Colorado State University Department of Athletics). He went on to focus on football at Clemson, but regularly gives shout-outs to his high-school alma materat NFL games. This list includes players who were active at any point of the 2019 season, even if they were cut during the season. But because there isn't a reputable D-league for the NFL, players will go to college and showcase their talents. He played in 160 regular-season NFL games and 13 more postseason contests. Active NFL Players Who Attended St. Augustine High School, Location of school: West Monroe, Louisiana, First alumni in NFL: Jerry Stovall (1963). Alief Taylor attracts students from many different nationalities and backgrounds as over 21 percent of the student population are English Language Learners. Former CSU football star Michael Gallup scores first NFL TD; Kapri Bibbs also grabs TD, Ongoing Broncos drama points to team being sold sooner than later, Your California Privacy Rights / Privacy Policy. Player Linker Tool, Birthdays, Uniform Numbers. But every now and then, Ill just be sitting round the locker room, and Ill look over, and thats Jared Cook and Derek Carr over there and Marshawn Lynch. Hilton. Copyright 2000-2023 Sports Reference LLC. Brees was undefeated in high school with a 28-0-1 starting record and over 5,000 passing yards. Unrein, who spent four years with the Denver Broncos, one with the San Diego Chargers and three with the Chicago Bears, is currently on injured reserve and on the leagues concussion protocol, a team spokesman said, which prohibited making him available for an interview. https://broncoswire.usatoday.com/lists/homegrown-legends-best-nfl-players-from-denver-colorado/, we explain our selection methodology in detail in this article, he signed a new contract with the Giants in March 2021, Your California Privacy Rights/Privacy Policy. That only adds to the irony that the town is home to three current NFL players Mitch Unrein, a defensive tackle with the Tampa Bay Buccaneers; Austin Ekeler, a running back for the Los Angeles Chargers; and Trent Sieg, the long-snapper for the Oakland Raiders. Its three active players were all teammates together in the 2008 season, which was, ironically, not one of its title-winning seasons. Going back to high school, the defender has been at the top of the gridiron game. A Northern Colorado and Sierra High grad, Smith won a pair of Super Bowl championships with the Pittsburgh Steelers. Welcome to Homegrown Legends, a series of mythical all-star rosters composed of the best players in pro . Anderson was named the NFL Defensive Player of the Year in 1973 after leading the league with eight interceptions. Bennett played at North St. Paul High and Concordia College in Moorhead, Minnesota, before embarking on an 11-year NFL career with the Saints, Jets and Vikings. Yet even withEkeler running for 2,398 yards and 39 touchdowns as a senior and Sieg starring attight end and linebacker, they never made it past the first or second round of the football playoffs. Imagine we've got the No. Those include all-time Jaguars leading rusher Fred Taylor and Super Bowl MVP Santonio Holmes, who are actually cousins. Thomas made a pitstop to Fork Union in between high school and Ohio State, where he roomed with future Buckeye hero Cardale Jones. Top 10 all-time NFL players from Colorado Here are the top 10 all-time NFL players from Colorado, as determined by NFL.com's Jim Reineking (follow on Twitter @jimreineking ). As a pro, Carlson has converted 69 of 82 field-goal attempts (84.1%) with a long of 54 yards in his first three seasons. He was an Under Armour All-American, a member of the National Honors Society and also a member of the Beta Club all at the same time. Hes won the Heisman, was a first-round MLB selection, was the first overall NFL selection and won Offensive Rookie of the Year. Jadeveon Clowney celebrates the Seattle Seahawks' Wild-Card playoff win over the Philadelphia Eagles in January 2020. Place-kicker Daniel Carlson attended The Classical Academy in Colorado Springs and went on to become the leading scorer in Southeastern Conference history at Auburn. List of best NFL players from Southern California evokes epic roster Peppers now plays 20 miles away from Don Boscos campus with the New York Giants after being traded there as part of the Odell Beckham Jr. trade. Its best NFL player was former Eagles running back Brian Westbrook, while the best active player is five-time Pro Bowler Cameron Wake. Before the draft starts next Thursday, The Athletic's complete prospect . IMG Academy (Florida) led the way with four players selected, St. Joseph's Prep (Pennsylvania) followed . He took a team that was 1-9 in 2007 and turned them into a playoff team. George Kittle is seen on the field before his San Francisco 49ers kicked off against the Kansas City Chiefs in 2020's Super Bowl LIV. What if Phillip Lindsay, Christian McCaffrey and Calais Campbell could combine forces and represent Denver on a territorial all-star team for the ages? r/nfl - Why do some players say their high school when they announce Anderson spent his entire 10-year career with the Miami Dolphins, winning two Super Bowls in the 1970s. (National Football League) For more go to NFL.com/CFB247. The McCourty twins shared a defensive backfield at St. Joseph before doing the same at Rutgers and later with the New England Patriots. These high schools have the most active NFL players. Here's a Top 10 ranking from The Denver Post. Every player from the Houston area on an NFL roster in 2022 Former USC and Raven safety Iman Marshall hails from the top NFL-producing high school in CA, Long Beach Poly. The future Supreme Court judge led the league in rushing in 1938 and 1940 to earn two All-Pro nods and finished his career with 1,622 total yards and 12 touchdowns. He was nearly flawless last season, connecting on 33 of 35 field-goal attempts (94.1%) and 45 of 47 extra points (95.7%) for the Las Vegas Raiders. Click on any of the photos below or check out the whole 'Colorado Hockey Collection' here. Pro Bowl Chargers receiver Keenan Allen spent his first two years of high school across town at another school and then transferred to Northern Guilford right after it opened in 2008. The Cathedral Fighting Irish are the all-time winningest high school football program in Indiana, and lots of great players have suited up for the school. Active NFL Players Who Attended Stephenson High School. Cincinnati Bengals defensive . NFL Players Who Attended Chandler High School (Years in League). A tight end, the Pueblo Central High School and CU product made several iconic catches in Packers history including the winning touchdown reception in the first game at Lambeau Field and was also known for his blocking in additional stints with the Cardinals and 49ers. The pipeline from Texas high school football to the NFL is about to get even stronger. Dalvin Cook is seen in the Minnesota Vikings' playoff game against the San Francisco 49ers in 2020. But Wake is the best active player as of now. He enjoyed his best seasons with. His first NFL game was in Denver against the Broncos, and three weeks later, he was facing Ekeler, his best friend growing up, in a game in Los Angeles. Players have to be three years removed from high school in order to play in the pros. (AP Photo), 1968 NFL Draft, third round, Miami Dolphins -- Anderson played nine seasons for the Dolphins (1968-1974, 1976-77). Im just a guy that keeps my nose to the grindstone and tries not to get too caught up in everything, Sieg said. Risner currently plays left guard for the Broncos, but he spent time at center during his college career at Kansas State. The most famous active NFL alum is DeSean Jackson, who had to fill in at defensive back in his last high school game due to injuries. Kenny Golladay is still playing for the NY Giants and Pat O'Connor is playing for Tampa Bay Buccaneers. A ranking of the 2024 Best NFL Football Players in Colorado. Wright, who didnt transfer but was all-state at Olive Branch. Founded in 1689, this K-12 school is the fifth-oldest elementary school in the United States. The 2011 Lakewood team had four future NFL players and somehow only finished with a 7-4 record. 2018 Best NFL Football Players in Colorado The town20 miles east of Fort Collins is known for baseball, with the high school claiming 11 state titles. Jarryd Hayne would make the jump to the NFL in 2015 NFL Season where the San Francisco 49ers would sign him. The wide receiver was raised on the football fields of South Carolina. The ultimate guide to 50 former Texas high school football players in Since both are in the San Diego area, their rivalry football game is known as the Surf Bowl, and each year, the winning team takes possession of The Surfboard until the next game. The New York Giants made Taylor the No. Back at Wisconsin's Pewaukee High, where he was a member of the 2007 recruiting class, J.J. Watt was tall, but not exactly a star. Active NFL Players Who Attended DeMatha Catholic High School, First alumni in NFL: Victor Abiamiri (2007). 1 / 5 Jimmy Smith, DB, Baltimore Ravens (AP Photo/Paul Spinelli) Paul Spinelli/2012 Paul Spinelli 2 / 5 Lawrence Vickers, FB, Dallas Cowboys. Among the current players are Chargers teammates Travis Benjamin and Jatavis Brown. Player High Schools; . The schools are spread throughout the country with 21 different states represented. He recorded 23 sacks, 11 fumble recoveries and two defensive touchdowns in his career. An All-American halfback at CU, Whizzer had a short but distinguished career in the NFL. Aaron Donald began his NFL career with the Rams when the franchise was based in St. Louis. Garrett graduated from Martin High in 2014, and he became the No. The Indianapolis Colts wideout is from Miami Springs, Florida, and he played at Florida International University from 2008-11. That includes Terry McLaurin, who was Indianas Mr. Football in high school, an award that is given to the best player in the state. Barkely went on to play college football for Penn State. Biekert played nine years with the Raiders before joining the Minnesota Vikings for the final two seasons of his career. Colorado High Schools Table; High School HS City HS State People Active; South: Denver: CO: 9: 2: Thomas Jefferson: Denver: CO: 8: 0: Cherry Creek: . WINDSOR, Colo. (KDVR) Emotions always run high in high school sports. From a little public school out in the middle of Colorado, youd never expect it, Ekeler said. 2016 NFL players from Colorado high schools Graphic by SocialRecluse Graphx Cherokee Trail Josh Martin LB New York Jets Doherty Lamarr Houston OLB Chicago Bears Eaton Mitch Unrein DE Chicago Bears Fairview Kenny Bell WR Tampa Bay Buccaneers Fort Morgan Ryan Jensen OG Baltimore Ravens Grand Junction Central Ben Garland C Atlanta Falcons 2 receiver in the nation coming out of high school, and he also spent a couple of years teaming with Chiefs cornerback Kendall Fuller. Just as Dan River High School made this list thanks to the Edmunds brothers, Pewaukee High School can give thanks to the Watts. Just for comparisons sake, there are 48 colleges that had more NFL players in the 2019 season than St. Thomas Aquinas' 15.