We’re still 10 days away from the deadline for roster cuts, so NFL teams are still swollen with players they won’t carry into the regular season. Still, I think it’s interesting to dive into the players who make up 90-man rosters to see where they came from and what NFL teams look for these days.

Here are a few fun facts about players making up the 32 90-man rosters as of now.

• Which states have the best high school football? I think it’s pretty generally accepted that the three top states are Texas, Florida and California. What’s interesting to me is, for the 2026 draft class, Texas (75 players on NFL rosters) is head and shoulders above the other two (Florida 50, California 48). Incidentally, the next three are Georgia (46), Illinois (30) and Maryland (25).
• With respect to all players (veterans and rookies), Texas still reigns supreme with 335 players. After that it’s Florida (276) and California (247), followed by Georgia (214), North Carolina (110) and Illinois (108). Two things are interesting — the dramatic drop-off from Georgia to North Carolina, and the fact that neither Alabama (86) or Mississippi (59) are higher on the list.
• The growth at cornerback and wide receiver intrigues me. More and more, NFL teams expect corners to be at least six-feet tall. At present, 198 of the 327 cornerbacks on NFL rosters are 6-0 or taller (yes, I’m aware that listed heights aren’t always precise, but it’s all we have). That’s 60.5 percent. Of those that are shorter than six feet, almost half (62 of 129) are 5-11. However, among corners in the 2026 draft, the number of corners at least 6-0 is only 63.2 percent (43 of 68). I’m sure teams would love to get even taller at that position, but there are just so many players that size who can sprint, twist and move with today’s slot receivers and outside burners. That’s why big corners are doubly valuable.
• It’s interesting that the cornerback height average (60.5 percent are 6-0 or higher) is pretty much right in line with wide receivers in the league. Of the 387 receivers now on rosters, 262 (67.7 percent) are 6-0 or taller. That holds up for the 2026 draft class, as well, as 66 percent (70 of 106) of receivers in camps are 6-0-plus.
• It’s probably not a surprise that 90.6 percent of the league is made up of players from FBS schools. However, not all sub-FBS schools are the same. When it comes to FCS schools, there’s only one that registers on the NFL radar, and that’s North Dakota State, which has 16 alumni in NFL camps this summer. What’s interesting is that when it comes to schools a rung below FBS, pretty much all the top teams are in the Pacific Northwest. After NDSU, South Dakota St. is second with 9; South Dakota, Montana and Weber St. (not necessarily Pacific Northwest, but close) among teams tied for third with 5; and Eastern Washington and Montana State among eight teams tied for fourth with 4. Granted, many of these players won’t make NFL rosters, and even more, many of them got to the league before the era of the transfer portal. It’s worth noting that those schools still seem to be attracting NFL eyes.

So, if you’re agent — especially a younger one — trying to find a client who can beat the odds:

• Recruit players who prepped in Texas, California or Florida (no matter where they went to college)
• Don’t recruit wide receivers and corners unless they are at least 6-0
• Look to the Pacific Northwest for hidden gems at small schools.