As a Texan, I am proud of my state’s football heritage. Year in and year out, great Texas high school football players pop up in both the big cities and the small towns across our state.
The same can be said for California (which produces more NFL players than any other state) and Florida. These “big three” states account for nearly a third of all of the players currently in the NFL.
I wondered, though – what if every football player was rostered on the team he was born closest to? The Texas, California and Florida NFL teams would, logically, have some pretty mean starting rosters. But what would the rest of the teams look like?
Using the territories indicated by this map, I found the answer to this question for all of the NFL teams. In the study, I combined the 49ers and Raiders, the Giants and Jets, and the Redskins and Ravens.
I also plugged in players who were born outside of a team’s target area if that team didn’t have any local guys at a certain position. These replacement players – identified with a blue dot – were pulled from places as close to the team’s target area as possible.
Enjoy!
Kirk Cousins – Barrington, IL
Pierre Thomas – Chicago, IL
Greg Jennings – Kalamazoo, MI
Jason Avant – Chicago, IL
Owen Daniels – Naperville, IL
Jared Veldheer – Grand Rapids, MI
Bryan Bulaga – Barrington, IL
Kelvin Hayden – Chicago, IL
Charles TIllman – Chicago, IL
David Harris – Grand Rapids, MI
Sam Acho – Hawthorn Woods, IL
Rob Ninkovich – New Lennox, IL
Desmond Bryant – Shorewood, IL
Don Carey – Grand Rapids, MI
Brian Hoyer - Barrington, IL
Michael Bush - Chicago, IL
Lance Moore - Kalamazoo, MI
Taylor Price - Chicago, IL
Kyle Rudolph – Naperville, IL
Zach Strief - Grand Rapids, MI
Sam Young - Barrington, IL
Rashaan Melvin - Chicago, IL (Not from target area.)
Sherrick McManis - Chicago, IL (Not from target area.)
Luke Kuechly - Grand Rapids, MI
Chase Blackburn - Hawthorn Woods, IL
Trent Cole - New Lennox, IL
Derek Wolfe - Shorewood, IL
CJ Spillman - Grand Rapids, MI
Matthew McGloin – Scranton, PA
James Starks – Niagara Falls, NY
Mike Williams (TB) – Buffalo, NY
Ted Ginn – Cleveland, OH (Not from target area.)
Rob Gronkowski - Amherst, NY
Branden Albert – Rochester, NY
Austin Pasztor – Langton, ON
Corey Graham – Buffalo, NY
Jerome Murphy – Elizabeth, NJ (Not from target area.)
Tyvon Branch – Syracuse, NY
Jo-Lonn Dunbar – Syracuse, NY
Whitney Mercilus – Akron, OH (Not from target area.)
Arthur Jones – Rochester, NY
Chandler Jones – Rochester, NY
Matt Hasselbeck – Boulder, CO
Danny Woodhead – North Platte, NE
Vincent Jackson – Colorado Sprin, CO
Drew Davis – Denver, CO
Alex Smith – Denver, CO
Erik Pears – Price, UT
Nate Solder – Denver, CO
Bryan McCann – Lawton, OK (Not from target area.)
Josh Thomas – Cedar Hill, TX (Not from target area.)
Reed Doughty – Greelye, CO
Paul Kruger – Rexburg, ID
Stewart Bradley – Salt Lake City, UT
Calais Campbell – Denver, CO
Brett Keisel – Provo, UT
Ben Roethlisberger – Lima, OH
Kyle Juszczyk – Medina, OH
Brian Hartline – Canton, OH
Mario Manningham – Warren, OH
James Hanna – Lakewood, OH
John Greco – Ravenna, OH
Mike McGlynn – Austintown, OH
Aqib Talib – Cleveland, OH
Bradley Fletcher – Cleveland, OH
Donte Whitner – Cleveland, OH
James Harrison – Akron, OH
Danny Trevathan – Youngstown, OH
Cullen Jenkins – Detroit, MI (Not from target area.)
Kevin Vickerson – Detroit, MI (Not from target area.)
Matthew Stafford – Tampa, FL
Chris Johnson – Orlando, FL
Ace Sanders – Bradenton, FL
Harry Douglas – Tampa, FL
Charles Orson – Tampa, FL
Thomas Welch – Deltona, FL
Jah Reid – Kissimmee, FL
Dominique Rodgers-Cromartie – Bradenton, FL
Sam Shields – Sarasota, FL
Brandon Meriweather – Apopka, FL
D’Qwell Jackson – Largo, FL
Albert Mclellan – Lakeland, FL
Pernell Mcphee – Orlando, FL
Kyle Wilber – Orlando, FL
Ryan Fitzpatrick – Gilbert, AZ
Arian Foster – Albuquerque, NM
Markus Wheaton – Chandler, AZ
Juron Criner – Las Vegas, NV
Zach Miller – Tempe, AZ
Mike Pollack – Scottsdale, AZ
Chris Degeare – Chandler, AZ
Jalil Brown – Phoenix, AZ
Nolan Carroll – Rio Rancho, NM
Matt Daniels – Tucson, AZ
Brooks Reed – Tucson, AZ
Justin Hickman – El Paso, TX
Everson Griffen – Avondale, AZ
Jared Crick – Albuquerque, NM
Tony Romo – San Diego, CA
Reggie Bush – San Diego, CA
Desean Jackson – Long Beach, CA
Steve Smith – Los Angeles, CA
Jordan Cameron – Los Angeles, CA
Ryan Clady – Long Beach, CA
Matt Kalil – Corona, CA
Richard Sherman – Los Angeles, CA
Orlando Scandrick – Los Angeles, CA
Jairus Byrd – San Diego, CA
Clay Matthews - Los Angeles, CA
Lance Briggs - Los Angeles, CA
Chris Long – Santa Monica, CA
Haloti Ngata – Inglewood, CA
Josh Freeman – Kansas City, MO
Felix Jones – Tulsa, OK
Jordy Nelson – Manhattan, KS
Kevin Walter – Lake Forest, IL (Not from target area.)
Brandon Myers – Prairie City, IA
Jeromey Clary – Norfolk, NE
Michael Bowie – Tulsa, OK
Chris Harris – Bixby, OK
Terrence Newman – Salina, KS
Darrell Stuckey – Kansas City, KS
Arthur Brown – Wichita, KS
Keenan Robinson – Omaha, NE
Adam Carriker – Hastings, NE
Kamerion Wimbley – Wichita, KS
Rex Grossman -Bloomington, IN
Isaiah Pead – Columbus, OH (Not from target area.)
Andre Holmes – Bartlett, IL (Not from target area.)
Nathan Palmer – Elkhart, IN (Not from target area.)
Dustin Keller – Lafayette, IN
Kory Lichtensteiger – Van Wert, OH
Michael Otto – Kokomo, IN
Marquice Cole – Chicago, IL (Not from target area.)
Brandon Hughes – Bloomington, IL (Not from target area.)
Bernard Pollard – Fort Wayne, IN
Ryan Kerrigan – Muncie, IN
Mathias Kiwanuka – Indianapolis, IN
Anthony Spencer – Fort Wayne, IN
CJ Mosley – Fort Knox, KY (Not from target area.)
Sam Bradford – Oklahoma City, OK
Adrian Peterson – Palestine, TX
Wes Welker – Oklahoma City, OK
Michael Crabtree – Dallas, TX
Jermaine Gresham – Ardmore, OK
Jason Peters – Queen City, TX
Trent Williams – Longview, TX
Morris Claiborne – Shreveport, LA
Brice McCain – Dallas, TX
Kenny Vacarro – Brownwood, TX
Von Miller – Dallas, TX
Derrick Johnson – Waco, TX
Jared Allen – Dallas, TX
Gerald Mccoy – Oklahoma City, OK
Jeff Tuel – Boca Raton, FL
Frank Gore – Miami, FL
Pierre Garcon – West Palm Beach, FL
Andre Johnson – Miami, FL
DC Jefferson – Winter Haven, FL (Not from target area.)
Davin Joseph – Hallendale, FL
Gosder Cherilus – Haiti
Brandon Flowers – Delray Beach, FL
Patrick Peterson – Fort Lauderdale, FL
Antrel Rolle – Homestead, FL
Jonathan Vilma – Coral Gables, FL
Tamba Hali – Gbanga, Liberia
Jason Pierre-Paul – Deerfield Beach, FL
Vince Wilfork – Boynton Beach, FL
Matt Ryan – Exton, PA
Shonn Greene – Scklerville, NJ
Rod Streater – Burlington, NJ
Kenny Britt – Bayonne, NJ (Not from target area.)
Garrett Graham – Brick, NJ (Not from target area.)
Bryant McKinnie – Woodbury, NJ
Jahri Evans – Philadelphia, PA
Brent Grimes - Philadelphia, PA
Chris Culliver - Philadelphia, PA
Jeromy Miles – Voorhees, NJ
Jameel McClain - Philadelphia, PA
Shaun Phillips - Philadelphia, PA
Mike Daniels – Stratford, NJ
George Johnson – Glassboro, NJ
Cam Newton – Atlanta, GA
Ronnie Brown – Rome, GA
Calvin Johnson – Newman, GA
Demaryius Thomas – Montrose, GA
Jared Cook – Birmingham, AL
Evan Mathis - Birmingham, AL
Andre Smith – Savannah, GA
Lardarius Webb – Opeika, AL
Brandon Boykin – La Grange, GA
Eric Berry – Atlanta, GA
Robert Mathis – Atlanta, GA
DeMeco Ryans – Bessemer, AL
Demarcus Ware – Auburn, AL
Charles Johnson - Hawkinsville, GA
Dan Orlovsky – Bridgeport, CT
Ray Rice – New Rochelle, NY
Victor Cruz – Patterson, NJ
Miles Austin – Summit, NJ
Anthony Fasano – Glen Ridge, NJ
D’Brickashaw Ferguson – New York, NY
Chris Snee – Edison, NJ
Jason McCourty – Nyack, NY
Kyle Wilson – Piscataway, NJ
Devin McCourty – Nyack, NY
Brian Cushing – Park Ridge, NJ
Will Smith – Queens, NY
Muhammed Wilkerson – Elizabeth, NJ
Chris Canty – Bronx, NY
B.J. Daniels – Tallahassee, FL
CJ Spiller – Lake Butler, FL
Eric Weems – Daytona Beach, FL
Dexter McCluster – Largo, FL (Not from target area.)
Gavin Escobar – New York, NY (Not from target area.)
Josh Sitton – Jacksonville, FL
Glenn Cordy – Atlanta, GA (Not from target area.)
Antonio Cromartie – Tallahassee, FL
William Gay - Tallahassee, FL
Antonio Allen – Ocala, FL
Stephen Nicholas – Jacksonville, FL
Ernie Sims - Tallahassee, FL
Cliff Avril – Jacksonville, FL
Brodrick Bunkley – Tampa, FL (Not from target area.)
Drew Stanton – Okemos, MI
Marcus Thigpen – Detroit, MI
Nate Washington – Toledo, OH
Dane Sanzenbacher – Maumee, OH
Antonio Gates - Detroit, MI
Joe Barksdale - Detroit, MI
Jake Long - Detroit, MI
Brandon Carr – Flint, MI
Alan Ball - Detroit, MI
Charles Woodson – Fremont, OH (Not from target area.)
LaMarr Woodley – Saginaw, MI
Connor Barwin – Southfield, MI
Brandon Graham - Detroit, MI
Jason Jones - Detroit, MI
Aaron Rodgers – Chico, CA
Marshawn Lynch – Oakland, CA
Steve Johnson – San Francisco, CA
Julian Edelman – Redwood City, CA
Julius Thomas – Stockton, CA
Phil Loadholt – Honolulu, HI
Logan Mankins – Catheys Valley, CA
Jarrett Bush – Vacaville, CA
Taiwan Jones – San Francisco, CA
TJ Ward – San Francisco, CA
Lorenzo Alexander – Oakland, CA
Manti Te’o – Laie, HI
Lamarr Houston – San Francisco, CA
Tyson Alualu – Honolulu, HI
Colin Kaepernick – Milwaukee, WI
Joique Bell – Benton Harber, MI (Not from target area.)
Nick Toon – Middleton, WI
Michael Floyd – St. Paul, MN (Not from target area.)
Lance Kendricks – Milwaukee, WI
Joe Thomas – Brookfield, WI
Doug Free – Manitowoc, WI
Darius Slay – Brunswick, GA (Not from target area.)
Darrin Walls – Pittsburgh, PA (Not from target area.)
Sergio Brown – Oak Park, IL (Not from target area.)
Nick Roach – Milwaukee, WI
DeAndre Levy – Milwaukee, WI
JJ Watt – Waukesha, WI
Jason Babin – Kalamazoo, MI (Not from target area.)
Jay Cutler – Columbus, GA (Not from target area.)
Andre Ellington – Rock Hill, SC
AJ Green – Ridgeville, SC
Randall Cobb – Maryville, TN
Jimmy Graham – Goldsboro, NC
Levi Brown – Jacksonville, NC
Jonathan Cooper – Wilmington, NC
Cortland Finnegan – Fayetteville, NC
Johnathan Joseph – Rock Hill, SC
Adrian Wilson – High Point, NC
Lawrence Timmons – Florence, SC
Justin Durant – Florence, SC
Mario Williams – Richlands, NC
Julius Peppers – Wislon, NC
Joe Flacco – Audobon, NJ (Not from target area.)
Jordan Todman – Bedford, MA
Brandon Gibson – Germany
Domenik Hixon – Germany
Jordan Reed – New London, CT
Michael Roos – Tallin, Estonia
Sebastian Vollmer – Germany
Prince Amukamara – Leominster, MA
Mike Jenkins – Germany
James Ihedigbo – Northampton, MA
Kiko Alonso – Newton, MA
Dwight Freeney – Hartford, CT
Osi Umenyiora – London, England
Matt Shaughnessy- Norwich, CT
Blaine Gabbert – Chesterfield, MO
Darren McFadden – Little Rock, AR
Joe Adams – Little Rock, AR
Jeremy Maclin – Chesterfield, MO
Mike McNeill – St. Louis, MO
Terron Armstead – Cahokia, IL
Dan Connolly – St. Louis, MO
Jabari Greer – Jackson, TN (Not from target area.)
Dre Kirkpatrick – Gadsen, AL (Not from target area.)
Morgan Burnett – Memphis, TN (Not from target area.)
LJ Fort – Ganite City, IL
Mark Herzlich – Kirkwood, MO
Justin Smith – Jefferson City, MO
Sheldon Richardson – St. Louis, MO
Andrew Luck – Washington D.C.
LeSean McCoy – Harrisburg, PA
Percy Harvin – Chesapeake, VA
Torrey Smith – Richmond, VA
Vernon Davis - Washington D.C.
Duan Brown – Richmond, VA
Will Beatty – York, PA
Joe Haden- Fort Washington, MD
Vontae Davis - Washington D.C.
Kam Chancellor – Norfolk, VA
NaVorro Bowman – District Heights, MD
Jerod Mayo – Hampton, VA
Cameron Wake – Beltsville, MD
Darnell Dockett – Burtonville, MD
Peyton Manning – New Orleans, LA
Eddie Lacy – Gretna, LA
Julio Jones – Foley, AL
Mike Wallace – New Orleans, LA
Kyle Adams – Austin, TX (Not from target area.)
Andrew Whitworth – Monroe, LA
Corey Hilliard – New Orleans, LA
Nnamdi Asomugha – Lafayette, LA
Captain Munnerlyn – Mobile, AL
LaRon Landry – Metairie, LA
Aldon Smith – Greenwood, MS
Heath Farwell – New Iberia, LA
Tyson Jackson – New Orleans, LA
Nick Fairley – Mobile, AL
Alex Smith – Seattle, WA
Jonathan Stewart – Fort Lewis, WA
Nate Burleson – Calgary, Alberta
Jermain Kearse – Tacoma, WA
Dante Rosario – Beaverton, OR
Jordan Gross – Nampa, ID
David DeCastro – Kirkland, WA
Will Davis – Spokane, WA
Jordan Poyer – Dallas, OR
Taylor Mays - Seattle, WA
Jordan Senn – Beaverton, OR
Caesar Rayford – Spanaway, WA
Shea McClellin – Caldwell, ID
Ndamukong Suh – Portland, OR
Matt Schaub – Pittsburgh, PA
LaRod Stephens-Howling – Johnstown, PA
Brandon Marshall – Pittsburgh, PA
Andrew Hawkins – Johnstown, PA
Benjamin Watson – Norfolk, VA (Not from target area.)
Jonathan Martin - Pittsburgh, PA
Gino Gradkowski - Pittsburgh, PA
Darrelle Revis – Aliquippa, PA
Tommie Campbell – Aliquippa, PA
Barry Church - Pittsburgh, PA
Paul Posluszny – Butler, PA
Sean Lee - Pittsburgh, PA
Cameron Heyward - Pittsburgh, PA
Ryan Robinson – Charleston, WV
Drew Brees – Austin, TX
Jamaal Charles – Port Arthur, TX
Dez Bryant – Lufkin, TX
Josh Gordon – Houston, TX
Jermichael Finley – Lufkin, TX
Russell Okung – Fort Bend, TX
Mike Brisiel – San Marcos, TX
Chris Houston – Austin, TX
Josh Wilson – Houston, TX
Michael Griffin – Austin, TX
Brian Orakpo – Houston, TX
Jerry Hughes – Sugar Land, TX
Red Bryant – Galveston, TX
Jonathan Babineaux – Port Arthur, TX
Philip Rivers – Decatur, AL
Deangelo Williams – Little Rock, AR (Not from target area.)
Golden Tate – Nashville, TN
Earl Bennett – Birmingham, AL (Not from target area.)
Jason Witten – Knoxville, TN
Jeremy Parnell – Blytheville, AR
Tyson Clabo – Knoxville, TN
Jerraud Powers – Decatur, AL
Cassius Vaughn – Memphis, TN
Jamarca Sanford – Batesville, MS
Patrick Willis – Bruceton, TN
Dont’a Hightower – Lewisburg, N
Alex Carrington – Tupelo, MS
Greg Hardy – Millington, TN
Kyle Orton – Altoona, IA (Not from target area.)
Darren Sproles – Waterloo, IA
Larry Fitzgerald – Minneapolis, MN
Eric Decker – Cold Spring, MN
Joel Dreessen – Ida Grove, IA
Riley Reiff – Parkston, SD
Ryan Harris – Minneapolis, MN
Marcus Sherels – Rochester, MN
Coty Sensabaugh – Kingsport, TN (Not from target area.)
Craig Dahl – Mankato, MN
Chad Greenway – Mount Vernon, SD
Terrell Suggs – Minneapolis, MN
Cameron Jordan – Minneapolis, MN
Karl Klug – La Crosse, WI
[tps_footer]Written by Andrew Powell-Morse of BestTickets.com[/tps_footer]
