Superstar Wide Receiver From Nacogdoches Will Play in Super Bowl

I was really pulling for Denver to make this year's Super Bowl. I'm not a Broncos fan, but I have followed the football career of Brandon Jones since he graduated from Nacogdoches High School. He played at the University of Texas, then with the Miami Dolphins, before becoming a starting safety for the Denver Broncos.

Unfortunately, Brandon suffered a torn pectoral muscle against Green Bay in Week 15, and he was placed on injured reserve on December 15. Following surgery, there was a slim hope that he could be back for the Super Bowl, but that's now academic since Denver lost in the AFC Championship game.

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Nacogdoches Will Be Represented At Super Bowl LX

I decided to take a look at the rosters for both New England and Seattle to see how many players with Texas roots are on each team. The Patriots boast 8 players who were born in Texas and played football at a Texas high school. The Seahawks feature 5 of the same, and one of those was born in Nacogdoches.

Jaxon Smith-Njigba is a standout wide receiver for the Seattle Seahawks. He played his high school ball at Rockwall High School (near Dallas), and the highly-recruited receiver went on to play college ball at Ohio State. But, Smith-Njigba was born on Valentine's Day 2002 in Nacogdoches. Jaxon's family moved to Rockwall shortly thereafter, but it's still cool to know that someone playing in this year's Super Bowl was born in the Oldest Town in Texas.

What A Season For Jaxon Smith-Njigba

The 23-year-old wide receiver led the NFL with 1,793 receiving yards, the eighth-highest single-season total in NFL history. The fact that Seattle is one of the most 'run-heavy' teams in the league emphasizes just how huge a feat that was for Smith-Njigba. The receiver was also named First Team All-Pro for this season.

In the NFC Championship game against the Rams, Jaxon caught 10 passes for over 150 yards, including an amazing one-handed catch along the sidelines.

Let's find out the other Texas natives who will be playing in this year's Super Bowl.