States with the most 1st-round picks in the 2025 NFL Draft

Thirty-two dreams came true on Thursday night, as some of the top college football players in the country heard their names called during the first round of the NFL Draft.

The moments were the culmination of years — and in many cases decades — of football for each player selected in the top 32. It was also a chance to look back at each player as a college and high school prospect, including which states talent-rich states produced the most players taken.

To no one’s surprise, Texas led the way in the first round of this year’s draft with 6 selections. The Lone Star State not only had the No. 1 overall pick in Cam Ward, but also had three of the top 10 with running back Ashton Jeanty (No. 6) and offensive tackle Kelvin Banks Jr. (No. 9).

Georgia also showcased off its growing talent pool, with three from the Peach State being taken in Round 1: Travis Hunter, Mykel Williams, and Malaki Starks.

Maybe the biggest surprise of the night came from trio of east and west coast states, as North Carolina (3) tied for the second-most selections with talent-rich Georgia and California. Virginia (2) and Washington (2) — two areas not known nationally for a wealth of football talent — were two of the seven states in total to have multiple top-32 draft picks, joining Michigan.

Eleven other states had one player taken as well: Pennsylvania, Louisiana, Missouri, Idaho, Connecticut, Indiana, Tennessee, Florida, South Dakota, Utah, and New Jersey.

For the full list of first-round picks and where they hail from, follow the list below.

Note: Players who finished their high school careers at IMG Academy are counted for their home states.

Texas – 6

No. 1 QB Cam Ward – Tennessee Titans
School: Columbia (West Columbia, TX)
Colleges: Incarnate Word, Washington State, Miami (Fla.)

No. 6 RB Ashton Jeanty – Las Vegas Raiders
School: Lone Star (Frisco, TX)
College: Boise State

No. 9 OT Kelvin Banks Jr. – New Orleans Saints
School: Summer Creek (Humble, TX)
College: Texas

No. 20 CB Jahdae Barron – Denver Broncos
School: Pflugerville Connally (Texas)
College: Texas

No. 23 WR Matthew Golden – Green Bay Packers
School: Klein Cain (Houston, TX)
Colleges: Houston, Texas

No. 24 OL Donovan Jackson – Minnesota Vikings
School: Episcopal (Bellaire, TX)
College: Ohio State

Georgia – 3

No. 2 WR/DB Travis Hunter – Jacksonville Jaguars
School: Collins Hill (Suwanee, GA)
College: Jackson State, Colorado

No. 11 DL Mykel Williams – San Francisco 49ers
School: Hardaway (Columbus, GA)
College: Georgia

No. 27 DB Malaki Starks – Baltimore Ravens
School: Jefferson (Jefferson, GA)
College: Georgia

California – 3

No. 5 DT Mason Graham – Cleveland Browns
School: Servite (Anaheim, CA)
College: Michigan

No. 8 WR Tetairoa McMillan – Carolina Panthers
School: Servite (Anaheim, CA)
College: Arizona

No. 32 OT Josh Simmons – Kansas City Chiefs
School: Helix (La Mesa, CA)
Colleges: San Diego State, Ohio State

North Carolina – 3

No. 15 EDGE Jalon Walker – Atlanta Falcons
School: Salisbury (Salisbury, NC)
College: Georgia

No. 22 Omarion Hampton – Los Angeles Chargers
School: Cleveland (Clayton, NC)
College: North Carolina

No. 26 EDGE James Pearce – Atlanta Falcons
School: Chambers (Charlotte, NC)
College: Tennessee

Virginia – 2

No. 14 TE Tyler Warren – Indianapolis Colts
School: Atlee (Mechanicsville, VA)
College: Penn State

No. 28 Tyleik Williams – Detroit Lions
School: Unity Reed (Manassas, VA)
College: Ohio State

Washington – 2

No. 19 WR Emeka Egbuka – Tampa Bay Bucaneers
School: Steilacoom (Steilacoom, WA)
College: Ohio State

No. 29 Josh Conerly Jr. – Washington Commanders
School: Rainier Beach (Seattle, WA)
College: Oregon

Michigan – 2

No. 21 DL Derrick Harmon – Pittsburgh Steelers
School: Loyola (Detroit, MI)
College: Michigan State, Oregon

No. 30 Maxwell Hairston – Buffalo Bills
School: West Bloomfield (West Bloomfield, MI)
College: Kentucky

States with 1 draft selection

No. 3 EDGE Abdul Carter – New York Giants
School: La Salle College (Philadelphia, PA)
College: Penn State

No. 4 OT Will Campbell – New England Patriots
School: Neville (Monroe, LA)
College: LSU

No. 7 OT Armand Membou – New York Jets
School: Lee’s Summit North (Lee’s Summit, MO)
College: Missouri

No. 10 TE Colston Loveland – Chicago Bears
School: Gooding (Gooding, ID)
College: Michigan

No. 12 OL Tyler Booker – Dallas Cowboys
School: St. Luke’s (New Canaan, CT), Senior year: IMG Academy (Fla.)
College: Alabama

No. 13 DL Kenneth Grant – Miami Dolphins
School: Merrillville (Merrillville, IN)
College: Michigan

No. 16 DL Walter Nolen – Arizona Cardinals
School: Powell (Powell, TN)
Colleges: Texas A&M, Ole Miss

No. 17 DL Shemar Stewart – Cincinnati Bengals
School: Monsignor Pace (Opa Locka, FL)
College: Texas A&M

No. 18 OL Grey Zabel – Seattle Seahawks
School: T.F. Riggs (Pierre, SD)
College: North Dakota State

No. 25 Jaxson Dart – New York Giants
School: Corner Canyon (Draper, UT)
Colleges: USC, Ole Miss

No. 31 LB Jihaad Campbell – Philadelphia Eagles
School: Timber Creek (N.J.), Senior year: IMG Academy (Fla.)
College: Alabama