Legendary Players in the NFL from Texas: A Football Powerhouse

How Many NFL Players are from Texas?

Entering the 2024 NFL season, over 200 NFL players are from Texas. This is the most out of any state and averages to nearly seven per team. Next to Texas is California, which had over 150 players. This makes sense as this is the most populated state in the United States with nearly 40 million people. Florida rounds out the top three, which is just shy of 150 players.

Texas’s NFL players today include Mahomes, who is considered the face of the league. He’s a three-time Super Bowl champion and MVP and his Kansas City Chiefs are building a modern dynasty. We also have Von Miller who is a former Defensive Player of the Year and a future Hall of Famer. Justin Tucker, the Ravens’ famous kicker, should also be enshrined after he retires.

These players are not to be confused with Houston Texans players. No sir, the Texans are entirely different as a football team. Stars like J.J. Watt and DeAndre Hopkins rank among the best players and top three draft picks in Houston Texans history. But they are not from Texas, the state.

The University of Texas at Austin is also different. The school has a prominent football program that has produced top-tier NFL players as well. Legends like running back Earl Campbell and Dallas Cowboys head coach Tom Landry were Texas Longhorns football players. Campbell and Landry were also from the state making them two of the greatest Texas players in the NFL.

Campbell is notable as one of the very few Texas players in the NFL who went to a college program in Texas and played in an NFL team from Texas – the Houston Oilers.

But the school is not the only avenue for Texas football players. Other programs such as Texas A&M and even lower division programs have produced great talent. Among them is John Randle, one of the best walk-on players in NFL history. He came from Texas A&I (now Texas A&M-Kingsville Javelinas), a Division II program, and became a Hall of Famer.

Johnny Manziel came from Texas A&M and was one of the best players in history at each SEC school. He won the Heisman Trophy and was a star in the making even if he did not quite pan out in the NFL.

Drew Brees was the opposite as the Pro Football Hall of Famer is a player in the NFL from Texas but came from Purdue University in Indiana. He’s one of the best players in history at each Big Ten school.

What City Has the Most NFL Players?

Texas produces the most NFL players. But here’s a twist: the city that has the most NFL players is not from Texas. There are many NFL players from Houston, Texas, but is only second. And many Florida cities like Miami and Fort Lauderdale have NFL players. But they are also just runner-ups. The city that has the most NFL players is Detroit, Michigan.

Detroit edged Houston as the birthplace of the most current active NFL players. Notable players from here include wide receiver Allen Robinson and Jets shutdown cornerback “Sauce” Gardner. The latter would have been one top 11 college football defensive players.

Speaking of defensive players, the University of Miami, or “The U” has produced a long list of star defenders in the NFL. From Warren Sapp, one of the best players in history at each ACC school, to Ray Lewis, these studs played at the iconic school. Current active players who were born in the city include linebacker Lavonte David and the Cook brothers: Dalvin and James.

What State has the Most NFL Teams?

We have many players in the NFL from Texas. But the state does not have the most NFL teams. It has two: the Houston Texans and the Dallas Cowboys. California and Florida each have the most NFL teams with three. The Golden State has The Los Angeles Chargers, Los Angeles Rams, and San Francisco 49ers while the Sunshine State has the Jacksonville Jaguars, Miami Dolphins, and Tampa Bay Buccaneers.

However, these teams do host many Texans like Devin Duvernay with the Jaguars who is also a Texas Longhorns football recruit, and Cameron Dicker with the Chargers.