ST. LOUIS — Are you ready for some football?
The National Football League will kick off its 2024-25 season with a game between the Chiefs and Ravens on Thursday night. The Chiefs are hoping to be the first team in NFL history to win back-to-back-to-back Super Bowl championships.
Here's a list of NFL players who have connections to the St. Louis and Metro East area:
Tony Adams - Safety
The Saint Louis University High School and University of Illinois graduate is on the New York Jets roster. The safety was signed by the team in 2022 as an undrafted free agent.
Terron Armstead - Offensive Tackle
Armstead is a native of Cahokia, Illinois, and graduated from Cahokia High School. He attended the University of Arkansas at Pine Bluff where he played college football and was also on the track and field team.
He was selected in the 2013 NFL Draft by the New Orleans Saints and was there from 2013-2021.
He joined the Miami Dolphins on a five-year, $75 million contract in March 2022.
Ezekiel Elliott - Running Back
Elliott was born in Alton, Illinois, and attended John Burroughs School. He played for The Ohio State University before being selected with the fourth pick in the 2016 NFL Draft.
He played with the Dallas Cowboys from 2016-2022 before being released in March 2023. He signed a one-year contract with the New England Patriots for the 2023-24 season.
Elliott will return with the Cowboys this season on a one-year deal.
A.J. Epenesa - Defensive End
Epenesa graduated from Edwardsville High School and played college football at the University of Iowa.
He was selected by the Buffalo Bills in the second round of the 2020 NFL Draft and signed a four-year deal with the team.
In March 2024, he signed a two-year contract extension to stay with the Bills.
Jack Fox - Punter
Fox grew up in St. Louis and attended Ladue Horton Watkins High School. After playing four seasons at Rice University, he signed as an undrafted free agent with the Kansas City Chiefs.
In 2019, he signed to the Detroit Lions' practice squad and made his NFL debut in 2020.
He signed a three-year, $11.325 million contract extension with the Lions, making him the highest-paid punter in the league in 2022.
Sam LaPorta - Tight End
LaPorta attended Highland High School and played wide receiver and defensive back. He had 3,793 receiving yards and 50 touchdowns, the second-most touchdown passes in state history.
He played college football at the University of Iowa.
As a tight end, he had his best year during the 2021-2022 season with 53 receptions and 670 yards. He was named the Kwalick-Clark Tight End of the Year in 2022.
In 2021, he led the Big Ten tight ends in receptions, yards, yards after catch, yards after contact and catches for 15+ yards.
He was drafted 34th overall in the 2023 NFL Draft by the Detroit Lions. In his rookie season, he set new Lions records for receptions, receiving yards and receiving touchdowns by a tight end overall.
Michael Niese - Guard
Niese was born in St. Louis and attended St. Louis University High School.
He played college football at Dayton and Temple before signing with the Denver Broncos in 2022.
In 2023, he was signed to the Lions practice squad and made his NFL debut. He later signed a reserve/future contract with the team in January 2024.
Foyesade Oluokun - Linebacker
Oluokun played football at John Burroughs School alongside Elliott. He attended and played for Yale for his college career.
He was selected in the sixth round of the 2018 NFL Draft by the Atlanta Falcons. He played with Atlanta from 2018-2021 before signing with the Jacksonville Jaguars in 2022.
In 2022, he led the NFL in tackles for the second straight year.
Jonathan Owens - Defensive End
Owens played high school football at Christian Brother College High School and college football at Missouri Western State University.
He signed as an undrafted free agent with the Arizona Cardinals following the 2018 Draft. He would later join the Houston Texans and was promoted from their practice squad.
In 2023, he signed with the Green Bay Packers and is now with the Chicago Bears.
He is married to Simone Biles.
Rico Payton - Cornerback
Payton was born and raised in St. Louis and attended Lindbergh High School. He was a wide receiver and cornerback and set a school record for single-season touchdowns and most rushing touchdowns in a season.
He began his college career at Southern Illinois University but transferred to Pittsburgh State in Kansas. In 2023, he recorded 35 tackles with four interceptions.
He was signed as an undrafted free agent by the New Orleans Saints after the 2024 Draft. He made the team's 53-man roster for the 2024 season.
Ronnie Perkins - Linebacker
Perkins attended Lutheran North and played college football at the University of Oklahoma.
He was drafted by the New England Patriots in the 2021 NFL Draft. In 2023, he was signed by the Denver Broncos and put on their practice squad.
He is currently listed on the team's injured reserve as of August 2024.
Dominick Puni - Offensive Guard
Puni was born in St. Charles and attended Francis Howell Central High School. He played at the University of Central Missouri from 2018-2021 before transferring to the University of Kansas in 2022.
He was selected by the San Francisco 49ers with the 86th overall pick in the 2024 Draft. The 24-year-old was named the team's starting right guard.
Khalen Saunders - Defensive Lineman
Saunders was born in St. Louis and played high school football as a running back and defensive lineman at Parkway Central High School.
After playing at Western Illinois, he was selected by the Kansas City Chiefs in the 2019 Draft. He was a member of the Chiefs' Super Bowl wins in 2019 and 2022.
In March 2023, he signed a three-year contract with the New Orleans Saints.
Cody Schrader - Running Back
Schrader was born in St. Louis and attended Lutheran South. In his high school career, he rushed for 6,759 yards and 99 touchdowns.
He played for Truman State University in Division II football before joining the University of Missouri in 2022.
In 2023, he set the Missouri single-season rushing record during the team's victory over Ohio State in the Cotton Bowl. He rushed for 1,627 yards that season.
He signed with the San Fransisco 49ers as an undrafted free agent but was waived after the team announced its 53-man roster. Schrader was claimed off of waivers by the Los Angeles Rams.
Armon Watts - Defensive Tackle
Watts was born in St. Louis and graduated from Christian Brothers College High School. He would play his college career at the University of Arkansas.
He was drafted by the Minnesota Vikings in the 2019 Draft but was waived in 2022 by the team. He would later join the New England Patriots and is currently placed on their injured reserve.
Tershawn Wharton - Defensive Tackle
Wharton was born in St. Louis and attended Maplewood Richmond Heights School for three years before transferring to University City High School.
He was a four-year starter for Missouri S&T in Rolla. He finished his college career with 58 tackles for loss and 35.5 sacks.
He was signed by the Kansas City Chiefs as an undrafted free agent in April 2020. He would later make the team's final roster out of training camp and made his NFL debut that season.
In 2022, he tore his ACL and was placed on injured reserve. The Chiefs would go on to defeat the Philadelphia Eagles in the Super Bowl.
He returned in 2023 and helped the team win Super Bowl LVIII where they defeated the San Francisco 49ers.
Isaiah Williams - Wide Receiver
Isaiah Williams attended Trinity Catholic High School in St. Louis where he played quarterback. He was named the Missouri Gatorade Football Player of the Year in both his junior and senior years.
He played quarterback at the University of Illinois before switching to a wide receiver prior to the 2021 season.
He was signed by the Lions as an undrafted free agent in 2024.
Jameson Williams - Wide Receiver
The St. Louis native attended Cardinal Ritter College Prep High School before playing college football at Ohio State. In 2021, he would go on to play with Alabama University.
He was selected by the Lions 12th overall in the 2022 NFL Draft.
He made his NFL debut in 2022 and would in 12 regular-season games for the Lions in 2023.
Kyren Williams - Running Back
Williams grew up in St. Louis and attended St. John Vianney High School. He would join Notre Dame for his college career.
In 2022, he was drafted by the Los Angeles Rams in the fifth round. As a rookie, he played in 10 games and recorded 35 carries for 139 yards, and nine receptions for 76 yards.
He appeared in 12 games with the Rams in 2023. He finished the season with 228 carries for 1.144 rushing yards and 12 rushing touchdowns. He also had 32 receptions for 206 receiving yards and three reviewing touchdowns.
Mekhi Wingo - Defensive Tackle
Wingo attended De Smet Jesuit High School and was named the Missouri Gatorade Football Player of the Year when he was a senior.
He played college football at the University of Missouri but transferred to Louisana State University his sophomore year.
In 2024, he was drafted by the Detroit Lions.
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