Adrian Peterson, Andy Dalton, Dez Bryant and Drew Brees are among more than 150 former Texas high school football players who played in the NFL last season. That number should swell to at least 160 in 2017. And there's a chance the top three picks in the 2017 NFL Draft could all be former Texas high school football players.
Likely top-overall pick Myles Garrett was the Texas 5A Defensive Player of the Year in 2013 after recording 81 tackles, 19.5 sacks, 19 quarterback hurries, three forced fumbles and three blocked kicks at Martin High School in Arlington. Garrett may be followed by Stanford defensive end and former Coppell High School star Solomon Thomas and LSU safety and former Hebron High School (Carrollton) star Jamal Adams.
MORE: Dirty Dozen: 12 Best Prospect Who Weigh 325 Pounds
Those three headline the top 2017 NFL Draft prospects who played high school football in Texas. In the latest edition of the Dirty Dozen, here are the top 12, ranked.
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12. Dede Westbrook – WR, Oklahoma
High School: Cameron Yoe (Cameron, Texas)
Projected: 5th-6th Round
One of two former Sooners in the top 12, Dede Westbrook was a three-star recruit in the 2012 class who carried mostly Group of Five offers before playing two seasons at Blinn Community College. He was bumped to a four-star prospect in 2015 after an All-American sophomore season at Blinn.
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11. Deatrich Wise Jr. – DE, Arkansas
High School: Hebron High School (Carrollton, Texas)
Projected: 5th-6th Round
Deatrich Wise graduated from Hebron High School two years before Jamal Adams but was not nearly as highly regarded as the future LSU star.
A three-star recruit and 67th-ranked prospect in Texas, Wise had a monster senior season, recording 113 tackles, 12 tackles for loss, 10 sacks and two forced fumbles.
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10. Howard Wilson – CB, Houston
High School: DeSoto High School (DeSoto, Texas)
Projected: 4th-5th Round
One of two former Houston stars in the top 12, Howard Wilson was a two-year starter at DeSoto and had five interceptions as a senior in 2012, but he received minimal FBS interest and zero Power Five offers as a two-star recruit. He was an AP All-State selection in 2013.
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9. Davis Webb – QB, Cal
High School: Prosper High School (Prosper, Texas)
Projected: 3rd-5th Round
Davis Webb was a three-star recruit and 58th-ranked prospect in Texas (third-ranked quarterback) in 2013. As a senior at Prosper, he threw for 2,658 yards and 23 touchdowns and ran for 589 yards and 12 scores.
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8. Samaje Perine – RB, Oklahoma
High School: Hendrickson High School (Pflugerville, Texas)
Projected: 3rd-4th Round
Samaje Perine starred at Hendrickson High School in the Austin suburb of Pflugerville, rushing for nearly 3,500 yards his last two seasons.
He was a four-star recruit and the 19th-ranked prospect in the state in 2014 before earning All-American honors as a true freshman for the Sooners.
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7. Vincent Taylor – DT, Oklahoma State
High School: James Madison High School (San Antonio)
Projected: 4th-6th Round
Despite being a First-Team All-State selection, Vincent Taylor was just a three-star prospect and the 67th-rated player in Texas in the 2013 class. He had 79 tackles and 12 tackles for loss as a senior at James Madison High School in San Antonio.
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6. Zay Jones – WR, East Carolina
High School: Stephen F. Austin High School (Austin, Texas)
Projected: 1st-2nd Round
Zay Jones transformed from little-known receiver from Austin in 2013 to one of the elite receivers in college football and potential first-round pick. He had 47 catches for 798 yards and 10 touchdowns over his last two seasons at Stephen F. Austin High School.
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5. Tyus Bowser – LB, Houston
High School: John Tyler High School (Tyler, Texas)
Projected: 1st-2nd Round
Four years ago, Tyus Bowser was the 62nd-ranked player in Texas. Following a stellar career at Houston — 21.5 sacks, 27.5 tackles for loss — he's a top-50 NFL prospect.
He was a Class 4A all-state selection at John Tyler High School after totaling a whopping 24 sacks as a senior.
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4. Patrick Mahomes II – QB, Texas Tech
High School: Whitehouse High School (Whitehouse, Texas)
Projected: 1st-2nd Round
Patrick Mahomes demolished box scores in Whitehouse, Texas.
The three-star dual-threat quarterback threw for 4,619 yards and 50 touchdowns in 13 games as a senior, leading Whitehouse to their first-ever district title. He also passed for 605 yards in one game.
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3. Jamal Adams – S, LSU
High School: Hebron High School (Carrollton, Texas)
Projected: Top 5
Like many players on this list, Jamal Adams' draft slot should be higher than his Texas state ranking.
A four-star recruit and fifth-ranked player in the state, Adams was an Under Armor All-American after racking up 138 tackles and seven interceptions over his final two years at Hebron.
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2. Solomon Thomas – DE, Stanford
High School: Coppell High School (Coppell, Texas)
Projected: Top 5
Thomas was the third-ranked defensive end prospect in the country and fourth-ranked prospect in Texas in 2013, two and three spots below Myles Garrett, respectively.
The four-star recruit had 272 tackles in his final three years at Coppell, including 44 tackles for loss and 21 sacks in his final two years.
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1. Myles Garrett – DE, Texas A&M
High School: Martin High School (Arlington, Texas)
Projected: No. 1
Garrett was the top-ranked recruit in the state and second-ranked recruit in the nation after dominating at Martin High School. Along with his Texas 5A Defensive Player of the Year honor, he was named All-American by MaxPreps, Parade and Under Armour.
