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Texas high school football dominates 2025 NFL Draft

Lawrence Andrew Fernandezby: Lawrence Fernandez04/28/25lawandfern
Cam Ward - Texas high school football
Apr 25, 2025; Nashville, TN, USA; Tennessee Titans first round draft pick Cameron Ward speaks to the media at a press conference. Cam Ward was the number one overall pick in the 2025 NFL Draft. (Mandatory Credit: Steve Roberts-Imagn Images)

It’s tough to beat Texas high school football in opulence, as proven by their multi-million football fields. However, the insatiable spending in their programs puts their teams among the nation’s best. It’s that drive to compete that helped the state develop NFL-worthy talent, as revealed during the 2025 NFL Draft.

Of the 257 selected athletes throughout seven rounds, 36 came from the Lone Star State. First overall pick Cam Ward leads the Texas high school football contingent. The Tennessee Titans hope the former Columbia High School standout will become a viable franchise quarterback.

Meanwhile, five other Texas high school football products went off the draft board in the first round. The Las Vegas Raiders selected Lone Star High School alum Ashton Jeanty with the sixth overall pick. Likewise, the New Orleans Saints drafted Kelvin Banks Jr., an offensive tackle from Summer Creek, ninth overall.

John B. Connolly’s Jahdae Barron (Denver Broncos), Klein Cain’s Matthew Golden (Green Bay Packers), and Episcopal’s Donovan Jackson (Minnesota Vikings) are also first-round selections.

After Texas high school football, Florida has the second-most draft selections with 26. Leading their list is Dallas Cowboys rookie Tyler Booker, who went to high school at IMG Academy. Georgia is third on the list with 22, led by two-way player Travis Hunter. While the WR/DB was born in Florida, he went to high school at Georgia’s Collins Hill.

Finally, California high school football has 16 draft selections, led by Mason Graham and Tetairoa McMillan, who were teammates at Servite High School. However, Graham attended Michigan before the Cleveland Browns drafted him, while McMillan played for Arizona before joining the Carolina Panthers.

Completing the top five is Virginia with ten selections, 26 fewer than Texas high school football. Alabama, Louisiana, Michigan, and North Carolina have nine former high school football standouts each. Maryland and South Carolina had eight each, while New Jersey and Ohio produced seven former high school football standouts in the 2025 draft.