When you think of states that produce the most football talent, Texas and Florida are probably the first that come to mind.
According to numbers released by the NFL this month, there were 199 players who went to high school in Texas on opening day rosters, and 185 from Florida. But Missouri also had a respectable showing with 28 players who started the season on a 53-man active roster.
“High school football is the foundation for the development of our sport,” said Roman Oben, NFL vice president of football development, in a news release. “We are excited to see the growth of players coming to the NFL from the traditional states that produce many college and NFL players, but extremely excited to see athletes making teams from the nontraditional regions, because it takes talent from all areas to make up the Kickoff Weekend roster.