Miami Produces More NFL Players Than Any Other U.S. City

Three of the top five high schools with the most NFL players are located in South Florida.

September 16, 2024

Image: Amari Cooper wearing a white Cleveland Browns Jersey

Cleveland Browns wide receiver Amari Cooper was once a star at Miami Northwestern. Photo by Richard Rodriguez/Getty Images

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Miami-area high schools produced the most players on NFL Week 1 rosters.

The Magic City led the way with 17 athletes, while Las Vegas and Bradenton followed with 16 and 15 players, respectively. IMG Academy in Bradenton produces the most players on opening weekend rosters out of all high schools across the country.

Up in Broward County, Plantation ranks ninth on the list with 12 players. Plantation is home to football powerhouse American Heritage, whose former players include Denver Broncos cornerback Patrick Surtain II, New York Giants linebacker Brian Burns, and Jacksonville Jaguars cornerback Tyson Campbell, among others.

"I think the mentality and competitiveness of the city of Miami is the reason for the success in football," Tampa Bay Buccaneers linebacker Lavonte David said in a press release. "Everybody from Miami, we know how much talent is there, so you have to bring your individual talent level up. I started playing football when I was five or six years old."

South Florida has become a hotbed of NFL talent over the years. Notable players hail from St. Thomas Aquinas High School in Fort Lauderdale, Miami Northwestern Senior High School, and Miami Central Senior High School.

Although Florida is home to two of the three top NFL player-producing cities, Texas produced the most players of any state with 190. Florida comes in second with 168 players.

Naomi Feinstein is a staff writer of Miami New Times where she primarily focuses on news. Naomi started her career with New Times as a summer intern in 2019, then returned as a fellow in August 2022 before joining the staff full-time in February 2023. She graduated from University of Miami where she contributed to the student-run newspaper, the Miami Hurricane. She holds a master’s degree and graduated with honors from the Columbia School of Journalism. In 2021, Naomi was recognized as the College Journalist of the Year from the Society of Professional Journalists of Florida, and she placed second for Best General News Story in the 2021 Pinnacle Awards.

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