Getty Image / Michael Owens
People love to argue about what part of the country best produces great football players. But many will be surprised that Detroit, Michigan had the most players on week 1 rosters in the NFL.
Take a look at this list, which made the rounds on Twitter on Friday. It may surprise you.
Detroit high schools produced more Week 1 NFL players this year than any other city in America pic.twitter.com/xeQzgo8Aqj
— Jonathan Jones (@jjones9) September 15, 2023
Oftentimes, when people have this conversation, it centers around states, not cities. But, it’s still impressive for Detroit to have the most active NFL players in week 1, as that is not as city that would often find itself in that discussion. Usually, people are talking about Atlanta, Miami, Houston, and a few other warmer-weather destinations.
There are some big stars from Detroit currently in the league. New York Jets cornerback Sauce Gardner is one of the NFL’s best cover corners in just his second year in the league after a sensational rookie campaign. Wide receiver Allen Robinson has been a good player in the league for a decade now, despite having pretty terrible quarterback play for most of his career. And, Cleveland Browns wide receiver Donovan Peoples-Jones had a breakout year last year, coming just short of 900 receiving yards.
When it comes to what states put out the most NFL players per capita in week 1, it’s no surprise that state was Georgia.
No state produced more NFL players in Week 1 per capita than Georgia pic.twitter.com/1RUXnddZF5
— Jonathan Jones (@jjones9) September 15, 2023
It’s not as if the football in Georgia was ever bad. But, it seems like it’s really come into its own in the past decade or so. The conversation around what states produce the most talent used to center around Florida, California, and Texas. But, the Peach State has put itself right in that conversation as the population in suburban Atlanta has boomed, and the football has with it.
Eight active players from the state of Georgia have All-Pro selections. Dolphins wide receiver Tyreek Hill, Browns running back Nick Chubb, Jaguars quarterback Trevor Lawrence and Eagles cornerback Darius Slay are some of the superstars from the state of Georgia currently.
No matter what these two graphics say, the debate over what parts of the country produce the best football players.