Sports · Ranked by Ainsworth Sports' all-time ratings

The 50 Greatest NFL Players from Texas High Schools, Ranked

By: Bob and Kyle
List: 50 NFL players
Video: 5:57
Updated: October 31, 2026

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Drew Brees, Patrick Mahomes, Earl Campbell and a cornerback named Night Train all played high school football in Texas. Here's where 50 of the greatest NFL players from Texas high schools land, by Ainsworth Sports' all-time ratings of 5,000 pro players, counted down to #1.

Ainsworth Sports rates 5,000 pro football players, and these are the 50 highest-rated who played high school football in Texas. The order starts arguments right away. Earl Campbell won the 1979 MVP and was named an official Texas State Hero, and Eric Dickerson's 2,105 rushing yards in 1984 are still the NFL record for a season. Seven quarterbacks made it, from Sammy Baugh, a rookie in 1937, to Patrick Mahomes and Matthew Stafford, who are still playing. Wait until you see where they land.

The map marks the hometowns of the 50 greatest NFL players from Texas high schools. Houston has seven, more than any other town, and three of the seven went to Worthing High. The 50 come from 36 towns in all. Thirty of the 50 are in the Hall of Fame.

Map of Texas marking the hometowns of the 50 greatest NFL players from Texas high schools — Houston sent seven of the 50, more than any other town. The other 43 came from 35 towns across Texas.

Greatest NFL Players from Texas #50 to #41, Friday Night Lights and Three Chiefs

#46 Jessie Armstead, the New York Giants linebacker, brings the most Texas story in the bottom ten. His Dallas Carter team beat Permian in the 1988 state semifinal, the game the movie Friday Night Lights turns into the state championship. #42 Darrell Green, the Washington Redskins cornerback, brings the toughest one. He tore rib cartilage vaulting a tackler on a playoff punt return against the Chicago Bears, grabbed his side and kept running, 52 yards, for the winning touchdown.

Greatest NFL Players from Texas High Schools, #50 to #41
Rank	Player	High school	College	NFL years	Pro Bowls	First-team All-Pro	Hall of Fame
50	Jerry Mays Defensive end · Kansas City Chiefs	Sunset HS, Dallas, TX	SMU	1961–1970	7	2	No
49	Doak Walker Halfback · Detroit Lions	Highland Park HS, University Park, TX	SMU	1950–1955	5	4	Yes
48	Otis Taylor Wide receiver · Kansas City Chiefs	Worthing HS, Houston, TX	Prairie View A&M	1965–1975	3	3	No
47	Jamaal Charles Running back · Kansas City Chiefs	Memorial HS, Port Arthur, TX	Texas	2008–2018	4	2	No
46	Jessie Armstead Linebacker · New York Giants	David W. Carter HS, Dallas, TX	Miami (FL)	1993–2003	5	1	No
45	Yale Lary Safety · Detroit Lions	North Side HS, Fort Worth, TX	Texas A&M	1952–1964	9	3	Yes
44	Del Shofner End · New York Giants	Center HS, Center, TX	Baylor	1957–1967	5	5	No
43	Bill Forester Guard · Green Bay Packers	Woodrow Wilson HS, Dallas, TX	SMU	1953–1963	4	3	No
42	Darrell Green Cornerback · Washington Redskins	Jones HS, Houston, TX	Texas A&I	1983–2002	7	3	Yes
41	Don Meredith Quarterback · Dallas Cowboys	Mount Vernon HS, Mount Vernon, TX	SMU	1960–1968	3	0	No

Three of the bottom ten are Kansas City Chiefs. #50 Jerry Mays, the defensive end, never missed a game in 10 seasons, two Super Bowls included, and finished SMU with the top grades among its civil engineering students. #48 Otis Taylor, the receiver, closed the scoring in Super Bowl IV on a 46-yard touchdown from Len Dawson. #47 Jamaal Charles, the running back, found out how fast he was at the Special Olympics, where he won gold in track and field. And #45 Yale Lary, the Detroit Lions safety, served in the Texas House of Representatives from 1959 to 1963 while he was still playing.

Greatest NFL Players from Texas #40 to #31, Earl Campbell at #31

#31 Earl Campbell will start arguments. The Houston Oilers running back won three straight Offensive Player of the Year awards, 1978 to 1980, plus the 1979 MVP, and in 1981 the Texas legislature made him an official State Hero, an honor it had given only to Stephen F. Austin, Sam Houston and Davy Crockett. #31 feels low for a State Hero. Campbell played eight seasons, tied with #32 Bobby Dillon for the shortest career in the top 40. Dillon, the Green Bay Packers safety, had a glass eye, and as one story goes, it fell out during a game. A referee asked what he'd do if he lost the other one. "I'd be a referee," Dillon said.

Greatest NFL Players from Texas High Schools, #40 to #31
Rank	Player	High school	College	NFL years	Pro Bowls	First-team All-Pro	Hall of Fame
40	Ray Childress Defensive tackle · Houston Oilers	J. J. Pearce HS, Richardson, TX	Texas A&M	1985–1996	5	1	No
39	Jason Peters Offensive tackle · Philadelphia Eagles	Queen City HS, Queen City, TX	Arkansas	2004–2024	9	2	No
38	Emmitt Thomas Cornerback · Kansas City Chiefs	Angleton HS, Angleton, TX	Bishop	1966–1978	5	2	Yes
37	Raymond Berry Wide receiver · Baltimore Colts	Paris HS, Paris, TX	Schreiner / SMU	1955–1967	6	3	Yes
36	Cliff Branch Wide receiver · Oakland Raiders	Worthing HS, Houston, TX	Wharton County / Colorado	1972–1985	4	3	Yes
35	Steve McMichael Defensive tackle · Chicago Bears	Freer HS, Freer, TX	Texas	1980–1994	2	2	Yes
34	Tim Brown Wide receiver · Oakland Raiders	Woodrow Wilson HS, Dallas, TX	Notre Dame	1988–2004	9	2	Yes
33	Frank Ryan Quarterback · Cleveland Browns	R. L. Paschal HS, Fort Worth, TX	Rice	1958–1970	3	0	No
32	Bobby Dillon Safety · Green Bay Packers	Temple HS, Temple, TX	Texas	1952–1959	4	4	Yes
31	Earl Campbell Running back · Houston Oilers	John Tyler HS, Tyler, TX	Texas	1978–1985	5	3	Yes

#33 Frank Ryan, the Cleveland Browns quarterback, had a second job. He was a math professor, and at Browns training camp he taught math in the morning and went to practice in the afternoon. He got into Yale and picked Rice instead, to study physics, and won the 1964 NFL championship in Cleveland. #35 Steve McMichael, the Chicago Bears defensive tackle, went into pro wrestling after football, joined the Four Horsemen and won the WCW United States Heavyweight Championship. #34 Tim Brown, the Oakland Raiders receiver, spent his freshman year at Woodrow Wilson High in the band, because his mother wouldn't let him play football.

#39 Jason Peters, the Philadelphia Eagles tackle, went undrafted and signed with Buffalo in 2004 for a $5,000 bonus. He played 21 seasons, the longest career on the list. #38 Emmitt Thomas, the Kansas City Chiefs cornerback, also went undrafted, and he was voted into the Hall of Fame alongside #42 Darrell Green, one of the players he'd coached in Washington.

Greatest NFL Players from Texas #30 to #21, Sweetwater High and Seven Touchdowns

Sweetwater High has two players here, and they met in the 1940 NFL Championship Game. #23 Bulldog Turner, the Chicago Bears center, was a rookie, and he intercepted #30 Sammy Baugh, the Washington Redskins quarterback, and ran it back 29 yards for a touchdown in a 73–0 Bears win. Baugh's 1943 made up for it. He led the NFL in completions, in punting (45.9 yards a kick) and in interceptions, with 11 of his own.

Greatest NFL Players from Texas High Schools, #30 to #21
Rank	Player	High school	College	NFL years	Pro Bowls	First-team All-Pro	Hall of Fame
30	Sammy Baugh Quarterback · Washington Redskins	Sweetwater HS, Sweetwater, TX	TCU	1937–1952	6	4	Yes
29	Steve Wisniewski Guard · Oakland Raiders	Westfield HS, Houston, TX	Penn State	1989–2001	8	2	No
28	Lane Johnson Offensive tackle · Philadelphia Eagles	Groveton HS, Groveton, TX	Kilgore / Oklahoma	2013–now	6	2	No
27	Trent Williams Offensive tackle · Washington Redskins	Longview HS, Longview, TX	Oklahoma	2010–now	12	3	No
26	Matthew Stafford Quarterback · Detroit Lions	Highland Park HS, University Park, TX	Georgia	2009–now	3	1	No
25	Night Train Lane Cornerback · Chicago Cardinals	Anderson HS, Austin, TX	Scottsbluff	1952–1965	7	7	Yes
24	Earl Thomas III Safety · Seattle Seahawks	West Orange-Stark HS, Orange, TX	Texas	2010–2019	7	3	No
23	Bulldog Turner Center · Chicago Bears	Sweetwater HS, Sweetwater, TX	Hardin–Simmons	1940–1952	4	7	Yes
22	Mike Evans Wide receiver · Tampa Bay Buccaneers	Ball HS, Galveston, TX	Texas A&M	2014–now	6	0	No
21	Y. A. Tittle Quarterback · San Francisco 49ers	Marshall HS, Marshall, TX	LSU	1948–1964	7	3	Yes

#21 Y. A. Tittle, the San Francisco 49ers quarterback, led Marshall High to an undefeated senior season and a spot in the state finals. After 10 seasons in San Francisco he was traded to the New York Giants at 34, considered washed-up, and over the next four seasons he twice set the NFL record for touchdown passes in a season and won the 1963 MVP. On October 28, 1962, Tittle threw seven touchdown passes against Washington, still tied for the NFL record. One of them went to #44 Del Shofner, whose 269 receiving yards that day are still the most by a Giant in a game.

Two more records in this stretch still stand. #25 Night Train Lane, the cornerback who went undrafted, intercepted 14 passes as a Los Angeles Rams rookie in 1952, and that's still the NFL record. #22 Mike Evans, the Tampa Bay Buccaneers receiver, opened his career with 11 straight 1,000-yard receiving seasons, an NFL record of its own.

Greatest NFL Players from Texas #20 to #11, Three from Houston

#20 Charley Taylor and #19 Don Maynard sit back to back, and one took a record from the other. In 1975 Taylor, the Washington Redskins receiver, caught his 634th pass and passed Maynard as the NFL's career receptions leader. Maynard, the New York Jets receiver, went to five high schools as his family moved around West Texas, and he was the first player the New York Titans (later the Jets) ever signed, because their coach, Sammy Baugh, had coached against him in college. #16 Gene Upshaw, the Oakland Raiders guard, is the only player to reach the Super Bowl with one team in three different decades.

Greatest NFL Players from Texas High Schools, #20 to #11
Rank	Player	High school	College	NFL years	Pro Bowls	First-team All-Pro	Hall of Fame
20	Charley Taylor Wide receiver · Washington Redskins	Dalworth HS, Grand Prairie, TX	Arizona State	1964–1977	8	1	Yes
19	Don Maynard Wide receiver · New York Jets	Colorado HS, Colorado City, TX	Texas Western	1958–1973	4	2	Yes
18	Ken Houston Safety · Washington Redskins	Lufkin HS, Lufkin, TX	Prairie View A&M	1967–1980	12	2	Yes
17	Von Miller Linebacker · Denver Broncos	DeSoto HS, DeSoto, TX	Texas A&M	2011–now	8	3	No
16	Gene Upshaw Guard · Oakland Raiders	Robstown HS, Robstown, TX	Texas A&I	1967–1981	7	5	Yes
15	Mike Singletary Linebacker · Chicago Bears	Worthing HS, Houston, TX	Baylor	1981–1992	10	7	Yes
14	Michael Strahan Defensive end · New York Giants	Westbury HS, Houston, TX	Texas Southern	1993–2007	7	4	Yes
13	Zach Thomas Linebacker · Miami Dolphins	White Deer HS, White Deer, TX	Texas Tech	1996–2008	7	5	Yes
12	Joe Greene Defensive tackle · Pittsburgh Steelers	Dunbar HS, Temple, TX	North Texas State	1969–1981	10	5	Yes
11	Thurman Thomas Running back · Buffalo Bills	Willowridge HS, Houston, TX	Oklahoma State	1988–2000	5	2	Yes

Houston has three of the top five in this stretch. #11 Thurman Thomas went to Willowridge High, #14 Michael Strahan to Westbury and #15 Mike Singletary to Worthing. (#18 Ken Houston went to Lufkin High, so he doesn't count.) Thomas, the Buffalo Bills running back, is the only player to lead the NFL in yards from scrimmage four seasons in a row. Strahan, the New York Giants defensive end, moved in with his uncle in Houston for his senior year, and that one season of football earned him a scholarship offer from Texas Southern. Singletary, the Chicago Bears linebacker, gave a speech before the NFC Championship Game against the Los Angeles Rams that, Mike Ditka said, had the defense throwing chairs and knocking over tables.

#12 Joe Greene, the Pittsburgh Steelers defensive tackle, went to Dunbar High in Temple, and Temple sent #32 Bobby Dillon too. Greene was the first player to win AP Defensive Player of the Year twice, the second after the 1974 season, and he won four Super Bowls. The "Hey Kid, Catch!" Coca-Cola commercial he starred in aired during one of them, Super Bowl XIV.

Greatest NFL Players from Texas #10 to #2, Records That Still Stand

The top ten is full of NFL records that still stand. #10 Eric Dickerson, the Los Angeles Rams running back, ran for 2,105 yards in 1984, and nobody has topped it. #6 Adrian Peterson, the Minnesota Vikings running back, came back from a torn ACL and MCL to run for 2,097 in 2012, nine yards short, and won the MVP. Peterson also owns the single-game record, 296 yards. #7 LaDainian Tomlinson, the San Diego Chargers running back, still has the season records for rushing touchdowns (28) and points (186), both from 2006. And #8 Myles Garrett, the Cleveland Browns pass rusher, set the season sack record, 23, in 2025.

Greatest NFL Players from Texas High Schools, #10 to #2
Rank	Player	High school	College	NFL years	Pro Bowls	First-team All-Pro	Hall of Fame
10	Eric Dickerson Running back · Los Angeles Rams	Sealy HS, Sealy, TX	SMU	1983–1993	6	5	Yes
9	Alan Faneca Guard · Pittsburgh Steelers	Lamar Consolidated HS, Rosenberg, TX	LSU	1998–2010	9	6	Yes
8	Myles Garrett Linebacker · Cleveland Browns	Martin HS, Arlington, TX	Texas A&M	2017–now	7	5	No
7	LaDainian Tomlinson Running back · San Diego Chargers	University HS, Waco, TX	TCU	2001–2011	5	3	Yes
6	Adrian Peterson Running back · Minnesota Vikings	Palestine HS, Palestine, TX	Oklahoma	2007–2021	7	4	No
5	John Randle Defensive tackle · Minnesota Vikings	Hearne HS, Hearne, TX	Trinity Valley / Texas A&I	1990–2003	7	6	Yes
4	Drew Brees Quarterback · New Orleans Saints	Westlake HS, Austin, TX	Purdue	2001–2020	13	1	Yes
3	Bob Lilly Defensive tackle · Dallas Cowboys	Throckmorton HS, Throckmorton, TX	TCU	1961–1974	11	7	Yes
2	Patrick Mahomes Quarterback · Kansas City Chiefs	Whitehouse HS, Whitehouse, TX	Texas Tech	2017–now	6	2	No

#5 John Randle, the Minnesota Vikings defensive tackle, went undrafted, and the Vikings said they'd sign him only if he weighed over 250 pounds. He hid a chain under his sweats at the weigh-in and finished with 137.5 sacks. #4 Drew Brees, the New Orleans Saints quarterback, went 28–0–1 in two seasons as Westlake High's starter in Austin. #2 Patrick Mahomes, the Kansas City Chiefs quarterback, was a pitcher too, and as a Whitehouse High senior he threw a 16-strikeout no-hitter. And #3 Bob Lilly, the Dallas Cowboys defensive tackle, sacked Bob Griese for a 29-yard loss in Super Bowl VI, an NFL record at the time. Remember that Super Bowl when you get to #1.

The #1 NFL Player from a Texas High School, Forrest Gregg

1. Forrest Gregg

Offensive tackle · Green Bay Packers

High school: Sulphur Springs HS, Sulphur Springs, TX
College: SMU
NFL years: 1956–1971
Pro Bowls: 9
First-team All-Pro: 7
Hall of Fame: Yes

Forrest Gregg is #11 of 5,000 in Ainsworth Sports' all-time ratings, the highest of any player from a Texas high school. The Green Bay Packers tackle from Sulphur Springs High played 15 of his 16 seasons in Green Bay, made 9 Pro Bowls and 7 first-team All-Pro teams (tied for the most on this list), and won five NFL championships and three Super Bowls. He earned the "iron man" tag by playing a then-NFL-record 188 straight games from 1956 to 1971. The last of those Super Bowls came in his one season with the Dallas Cowboys, Super Bowl VI, alongside #3 Bob Lilly.

The case against him is #2 Patrick Mahomes. The Kansas City Chiefs quarterback has three Super Bowl wins, three Super Bowl MVPs and two league MVPs, and in 2018 he became the first quarterback to pass for 5,000 yards in both college and the NFL. Ainsworth has Mahomes #16 of 5,000, five spots behind Gregg, and Mahomes is still playing. Gregg's spot is safe for now. Chiefs fans, make your case in the comments.

The top 10 NFL players: 1. Forrest Gregg, 2. Patrick Mahomes, 3. Bob Lilly, 4. Drew Brees, 5. John Randle, 6. Adrian Peterson, 7. LaDainian Tomlinson, 8. Myles Garrett, 9. Alan Faneca, 10. Eric Dickerson

How the Greatest NFL Players from Texas High Schools Are Ranked

The order comes from Ainsworth Sports' all-time pro football player rankings, which rate 5,000 pro players and are updated through the 2025 season. We matched each player to his high school and kept the 50 highest-rated who played high school football in Texas, in Ainsworth's order. That puts Forrest Gregg (#11 overall) at #1 here and Jerry Mays (#491 overall) at #50.

Where a player was born doesn't matter, only where he played high school football, and one season is enough. Michael Strahan (#14) played a single season at Westbury High in Houston, and Mike Evans (#22) played one at Ball High in Galveston. Don Maynard (#19) went to five high schools and counts for Colorado High in Colorado City. High schools, colleges, stats and honors come from Wikipedia and Pro Football Reference. Seven of the 50 are still active, so their spots can change when Ainsworth updates.

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Questions About the Greatest NFL Players from Texas High Schools

Who is the greatest NFL player from a Texas high school?

Forrest Gregg is the greatest NFL player from a Texas high school by Ainsworth Sports' all-time ratings, #11 of 5,000 pro players. Gregg played at Sulphur Springs High School and SMU, then spent 15 seasons as a Green Bay Packers tackle and played a then-NFL-record 188 straight games.

Which Texas city has produced the most great NFL players?

Among the 50 greatest NFL players from Texas high schools, Houston has the most, seven. They're Thurman Thomas, Michael Strahan, Mike Singletary, Steve Wisniewski, Cliff Branch, Darrell Green and Otis Taylor, and Singletary, Branch and Taylor all went to Worthing High School. Dallas is next with four.

Did Patrick Mahomes go to high school in Texas?

Yes. Patrick Mahomes played at Whitehouse High School in Whitehouse, Texas, and as a senior he threw for 4,619 yards and 50 touchdowns. He's #2 among the greatest NFL players from Texas high schools, #16 of 5,000 in Ainsworth Sports' all-time ratings.

How many Hall of Famers are among the greatest NFL players from Texas high schools?

Thirty of the 50 are in the Pro Football Hall of Fame. Every retired player in the top 23 is in except #6 Adrian Peterson, and the lowest-ranked Hall of Famer is #49 Doak Walker, the Detroit Lions halfback whose impact at SMU gave the Cotton Bowl its nickname, "The House That Doak Built."

Sources

Photos from Wikimedia Commons: Forrest Gregg by Unknown authorUnknown author (Public domain); Patrick Mahomes by All-Pro Reels from District of Columbia, USA (CC BY-SA 2.0); Bob Lilly by Unknown authorUnknown author (Public domain); Drew Brees by Senate Democrats (CC BY 2.0); John Randle by Seattle Municipal Archives from Seattle, WA (CC BY 2.0); Adrian Peterson by 2C2K Photography (CC BY 4.0); LaDainian Tomlinson by original: U.S. Navy MC2 Jesse Monford on behalf of Naval Surface Warriorsderivative: Diddykong1130 (CC BY-SA 2.0); Myles Garrett by WOH3030 (CC0); Alan Faneca by SteelCityHobbies (CC BY 2.0); Eric Dickerson by Master Sgt. Cohen A. Young (Public domain); Thurman Thomas by Jeff Kern (CC BY 2.0); Joe Greene by The Steelers / NFL (Public domain); Zach Thomas by Chrisjnelson at en.wikipedia (CC BY 3.0); Michael Strahan by Airman 1st Class Andrew Britten (Public domain); Mike Singletary by BrokenSphere (CC BY-SA 3.0); Von Miller by All-Pro Reels (CC BY-SA 4.0); Ken Houston by Glendale Stamps (Public domain); Don Maynard by Jay Publishing (Public domain); Charley Taylor by All-Pro Reels from District of Columbia, USA (CC BY-SA 2.0); Y. A. Tittle by Topps (Public domain); Mike Evans by All-Pro Reels from District of Columbia, USA (CC BY-SA 2.0); Bulldog Turner by Bowman (Public domain); Earl Thomas III by Jeffrey Beall (CC BY 4.0); Night Train Lane by Detroit Lions \ NFL (Public domain); Matthew Stafford by Sewageboy (CC BY-SA 4.0); Trent Williams by Keith Allison (CC BY-SA 2.0); Lane Johnson by Staff Sgt. Charles Casner (Public domain); Sammy Baugh by Harris & Ewing, photographer (Public domain); Earl Campbell by TankedBevo of ShaggyBevo.com (CC BY 2.5); Bobby Dillon by Bowman (Public domain); Frank Ryan by Unknown authorUnknown author (Public domain); Tim Brown by Photographer's Mate 1st Class Aviation Warfare Systems Operator Toiete Jackson (Public domain); Steve McMichael by COD Newsroom (CC BY 2.0); Cliff Branch by Jbmcint1 (CC BY-SA 4.0); Raymond Berry by Topps (Public domain); Emmitt Thomas by Unknown authorUnknown author (Public domain); Jason Peters by Keith Allison from Hanover, MD, USA (CC BY-SA 2.0); Don Meredith by Unknown authorUnknown author (Public domain); Darrell Green by All-Pro Reels from District of Columbia, USA (CC BY-SA 2.0); Del Shofner by Unknown authorUnknown author (Public domain); Yale Lary by Bowman (Public domain); Jessie Armstead by Saquan Stimpson (CC BY 2.0); Jamaal Charles by Gage Skidmore (CC BY-SA 3.0); Otis Taylor by Glendale Stamps (Public domain); Doak Walker by SMU Central University Libraries (No restrictions); Jerry Mays by Topps (Public domain).