Two former standout high school players from Alabama achieved the milestone of reaching 1,000 receiving yards in the NFL in 2023.
Before the commencement of this season, a total of eight players hailing from Alabama high schools had collectively amassed 26 seasons with 1,000 or more receiving yards. Among them, Terrell Owens leads the pack with nine such seasons, followed by with seven, John Stallworth with three, and Harlon Hill and Ozzie Newsome with two each. Additionally, Jerricho Cotchery and Red Phillips each contributed one season to this impressive tally.
In the 2023 NFL season, a former star from Clay-Chalkville High School recorded 80 receptions for 1,297 yards and eight touchdowns while playing for the Houston Texans. Simultaneously, another former standout from Hoover High School tallied 63 receptions for 1,140 yards and five touchdowns as a member of the Pittsburgh Steelers. Notably, Pickens excelled by leading the league with an average of 18.1 yards per reception during this season.
Collins achieved the 1,000 receiving yards milestone in his third NFL season, whereas Pickens accomplished the feat in only his second season. Despite their remarkable performances, they have yet to secure a position among the top 10 players from Alabama high schools in terms of career NFL receiving yards.
Among the active players, Julio Jones currently holds a spot in the top 10. However, in 2023, he added a mere 74 yards to his total while playing for the Philadelphia Eagles, where he garnered 11 receptions and three touchdowns.
As of the conclusion of the 2019 season, Jones had accumulated an impressive 12,125 receiving yards, surpassing all other players in NFL history after nine seasons. Unfortunately, due to injuries that caused him to miss a significant number of games in the 2020-2022 seasons, Jones fell short of maintaining his remarkable pace. His delayed signing with the Eagles for the 2023 season further impacted his standing, leaving Terrell Owens, an alumnus of Benjamin Russell High School, at the top of the list for Alabama high school players by a margin of 2,231 receiving yards.
Apart from Jones, ten other players from Alabama high schools made notable contributions during the 2023 NFL season. Their performances ranged from Brian Robinson Jr. from Hillcrest-Tuscaloosa with 36 receptions for 368 yards and four touchdowns to Khari Blasingame from Buckhorn with three receptions for 2 yards as a fullback for the Chicago Bears. Other players include Darnell Mooney from Gadsden City, Kadarius Toney from Blount, Jalen Tolbert from McGill-Toolen and South Alabama, Ameer Abdullah from Homewood, Quez Watkins from Athens, Justyn Ross from Central-Phenix City, Velus Jones Jr. from Saraland, and La’Mical Perine from Theodore.
For further insights into the top performers from Alabama high schools in terms of NFL receiving yards, the following players stand out:
- Terrell Owens: 15,934 receiving yards
- Julio Jones: 13,703 receiving yards
- John Stallworth: 8,723 receiving yards
- Ozzie Newsome: 7,980 receiving yards
- Jerricho Cotchery: 6,623 receiving yards
- Red Phillips: 6,044 receiving yards
- Rich Caster: 5,515 receiving yards
- Harlon Hill: 4,717 receiving yards
- Marcus Pollard: 4,280 receiving yards
- Tony Nathan: 3,592 receiving yards
Each of these players has left a significant mark on the NFL through their exceptional performances, with Terrell Owens even earning induction into the Pro Football Hall of Fame in 2018.
For more comprehensive coverage of NFL-related news and updates, you can follow Mark Inabinett, a sports reporter for Alabama Media Group, on Twitter.