States with the most No. 1 NFL Draft picks since 2000

The NFL Draft has officially arrived, and all eyes are on who will be selected No. 1 overall when it begins Thursday night at 8:30 ET.

Expectations are currently that Miami quarterback Cam Ward will have his name etched onto the illustrious list of first overall picks, with multiple mock drafts sending him to the Tennessee Titans. If Ward is indeed taken No. 1, he’ll add to a growing list of Texans — seven in total — that have been taken with the top picks since 2000.

In the entire draft’s history dating back to 1936, 17 natives of the Lone Star State have earned that title, beginning with Ki Aldrich back in 1939. The center was taken by the Chicago Bears and was a two-time Pro Bowler who played alongside legendary quarterbacks Davey O’Brien and Sammy Baugh at TCU.

The most recent Texan take with the top overall pick was quarterback Kyler Murray, who starred at Texas A&M and Oklahoma before being selected by the Arizona Cardinals in 2019. In between, the state has produced names like Baker Mayfield, Matthew Stafford, Billy Sims, Earl Campbell and more.

Since 2000, Murray is joined by Mayfield, Stafford, Myles Garrett, Andrew Luck and David Carr, with five of the six being QBs. Ward has a chance to even further establish the state as the premier hotbed for talent nationally — particularly when it comes to passers.

California, Georgia lead the rest of the No. 1 pick producers

But what about the other states? In the past 25 years, 12 different states have produced No. 1 overall picks. Six have had at least two players taken in the top spot, while the other six have one apiece.

California is next on the list behind Texas with four picks of its own: quarterbacks Bryce Young, Jared Goff, Alex Smith and Carson Palmer. Young is the most recent top pick for the state, coming off the board to the Carolina Panthers in 2023, while Palmer got things started in this century when he was taken by the Arizona Cardinals 20 years prior.

Only one state has three top picks in that span: Georgia. Two of those three are quarterbacks — Trevor Lawrence and Cam Newton — while edge rusher Travon Walker rounds out the trio. Florida, the state directly to Georgia’s south, routinely produces top high school talent but has yet to have a No. 1 overall pick in the past two-and-a-half decades.

South Carolina, Alabama and Michigan are the states with multiple, while Virginia, North Carolina, Alabama, Oklahoma, Ohio and Washington D.C. each have one.

For the full list of No. 1 overall picks since 2000, check out the table below:

2024	Caleb Williams	QB	Gonzaga (District of Columbia)	Chicago Bears
2023	Bryce Young	QB	Mater Dei (CA)	Carolina Panthers
2022	Travon Walker	LB	Upson-Lee (GA)	Jacksonville Jaguars
2021	Trevor Lawrence	QB	Cartersville (GA)	Jacksonville Jaguars
2020	Joe Burrow	QB	Athens (OH)	Cincinnati Bengals
2019	Kyler Murray	QB	Allen (TX)	Arizona Cardinals
2018	Baker Mayfield	QB	Lake Travis (TX)	Cleveland Browns
2017	Myles Garrett	DE	Arlington Martin (TX)	Cleveland Browns
2016	Jared Goff	QB	Marin Catholic (CA)	Los Angeles Rams
2015	Jameis Winston	QB	Hueytown (AL)	Tampa Bay Buccaneers
2014	Jadeveon Clowney	DE	South Pointe (SC)	Houston Texans
2013	Eric Fisher	OT	Stoney Creek (MI)	Kansas City Chiefs
2012	Andrew Luck	QB	Stratford (TX)	Indianapolis Colts
2011	Cam Newton	QB	Westlake (GA)	Carolina Panthers
2010	Sam Bradford	QB	Putnam City North (OK)	St. Louis Rams
2009	Matthew Stafford	QB	Highland Park (TX)	Detroit Lions
2008	Jake Long	OT	Lapeer North (MI)	Miami Dolphins
2007	JaMarcus Russell	QB	Williamson (AL)	Oakland Raiders
2006	Mario Williams	DE	Richlands (NC)	Houston Texans
2005	Alex Smith	QB	Helix (CA)	San Francisco 49ers
2004	Eli Manning	QB	Isadore Newman (LA)	San Diego Chargers
2003	Carson Palmer	QB	Santa Margarita (CA)	Cincinnati Bengals
2002	David Carr	QB	Clements (TX)	Houston Texans
2001	Michael Vick	QB	Ferguson (VA)	Atlanta Falcons
2000	Courtney Brown	DE	Macdeonia (SC)	Cleveland Browns