By Lydia Jane Allison
CRIMSON TIDE PACES ALL COLLEGES FOR SEVENTH STRAIGHT SEASON
TIDE ROLLING INTO NFL: For the seventh consecutive season, Alabama had the most or tied for the most players (57) on active NFL Kickoff Weekend rosters, the league announced today. The Crimson Tide also placed the most active NFL players on season-opening rosters in 2018 (44), 2019 (56), 2020 (53), 2021 (54) and 2022 (58), and shared the league lead in 2017 (39). Ohio State (47) ranked second in 2023, followed by Georgia (46).
A total of 231 colleges were represented on Kickoff Weekend active rosters. The colleges with the most NFL players:
| COLLEGE | PLAYERS | COLLEGE | PLAYERS | COLLEGE | PLAYERS | ||
| Alabama | 57 | Oklahoma | 32 | Texas A&M | 23 | ||
| Ohio State | 47 | Texas | 30 | Wisconsin | 23 | ||
| Georgia | 46 | Iowa | 29 | Miami (FL) | 22 | ||
| LSU | 43 | Auburn | 28 | UCLA | 22 | ||
| Michigan | 38 | Southern California | 26 | Tennessee | 21 | ||
| Clemson | 37 | Oregon | 25 | TCU | 21 | ||
| Notre Dame | 37 | Stanford | 25 | South Carolina | 20 | ||
| Florida | 34 | Washington | 25 | ||||
| Penn State | 33 | Mississippi | 24 |
QB BREAKDOWN: A by-the-numbers look at the 32 starting quarterbacks in Week 1.
| 7 | First or second-year players | Howell, WAS; Pickett, PIT; Purdy, SF; Richardson, IND; Ridder, ATL; Stroud, HOU; Young, CAR. |
| 21 | First-round draft picks | Allen, BUF; Burrow, CIN; Fields, CHI; Goff, DET; Herbert, LAC; Jackson, BAL; D. Jones, NYG; M. Jones, NE; Lawrence, JAX; Love, GB; Mahomes, KC; Mayfield, TB; Pickett, PIT; Richardson, IND; Rodgers, NYJ; Stafford, LAR; Stroud, HOU; Tagovailoa, MIA; Tannehill, TEN; Watson, CLE; Young, CAR |
| 4 | Second-round draft picks | Carr, NO (No. 36 overall); Garoppolo, LV (62); Hurts, PHI (53); Smith, SEA (39) |
| 7 | Drafted in third round or later, or undrafted | Cousins, MIN (fourth round, No. 102 overall); Dobbs, ARI (4, 135); Howell, WAS (5, 144); Prescott, DAL (4, 135); Purdy, SF (7, 262); Ridder, ATL (3, 74); Wilson, DEN (3, 75) |
| 6 | No. 1 overall picks | Burrow, CIN; Goff, DET; Lawrence, JAX; Mayfield, TB; Stafford, LAR; Young, CAR |
| 23 | Younger than 30 years old | Allen, BUF; Burrow, CIN; Dobbs, ARI; Fields, CHI; Goff, DET; Herbert, LAC; Howell, WAS; Hurts, PHI; Jackson, BAL; D. Jones, NYG; M. Jones, NE; Lawrence, JAX; Love, GB; Mahomes, KC; Mayfield, TB; Pickett, PIT; Purdy, SF; Richardson, IND; Ridder, ATL; Stroud, HOU; Tagovailoa, MIA; Watson, CLE; Young, CAR |
THE TALL AND SHORT OF IT: On NFL Kickoff rosters, there were 300 players weighing under 200 pounds, 262 players under six-feet tall and 337 players weighing over 300 pounds.
Miami had 15 players weighing less than 200 pounds, the most in that category. Houston had the most players under six-feet tall with 13, while the New York Giants had the most players weighing over 300 pounds with 15.
A team-by-team player dimension breakdown based on 2023 Kickoff rosters:
| AFC |
|||
| TEAM | UNDER 200 LBS. | UNDER 6-FEET | OVER 300 LBS. |
| Baltimore | 13 | 9 | 13 |
| Buffalo | 13 | 9 | 12 |
| Cincinnati | 7 | 7 | 13 |
| Cleveland | 7 | 7 | 11 |
| Denver | 13 | 12 | 10 |
| Houston | 12 | 13 | 11 |
| Indianapolis | 6 | 6 | 10 |
| Jacksonville | 9 | 10 | 10 |
| Kansas City | 8 | 7 | 12 |
| Las Vegas | 10 | 10 | 7 |
| L.A. Chargers | 7 | 6 | 12 |
| Miami | 15 | 12 | 10 |
| New England | 7 | 6 | 10 |
| N.Y. Jets | 8 | 10 | 10 |
| Pittsburgh | 10 | 8 | 9 |
| Tennessee | 8 | 7 | 8 |
| NFC | |||
| TEAM | UNDER 200 LBS. | UNDER 6-FEET | OVER 300 LBS. |
| Arizona | 10 | 11 | 11 |
| Atlanta | 9 | 6 | 8 |
| Carolina | 9 | 9 | 10 |
| Chicago | 8 | 9 | 11 |
| Dallas | 9 | 6 | 12 |
| Detroit | 11 | 10 | 10 |
| Green Bay | 5 | 6 | 12 |
| L.A. Rams | 12 | 9 | 9 |
| Minnesota | 9 | 6 | 9 |
| New Orleans | 8 | 4 | 11 |
| N.Y. Giants | 12 | 8 | 15 |
| Philadelphia | 12 | 8 | 10 |
| San Francisco | 5 | 7 | 10 |
| Seattle | 11 | 9 | 12 |
| Tampa Bay | 8 | 7 | 9 |
| Washington | 9 | 8 | 10 |
HEIGHT, WEIGHT & AGE AVERAGES AMONG WEEK 1 ROSTERS, 2023
| AFC | |||||||
| Team | Height | Weight | Experience | Age (Years) | Rookie & 1st year | Players Age 30 & Over | |
| Baltimore Ravens | 6.19 | 247.33 | 4.81 | 26.52 | 6 | 11 | |
| Buffalo Bills | 6.18 | 245.32 | 5.11 | 26.57 | 5+ | 9 | |
| Cincinnati Bengals | 6.19 | 247.42 | 3.58 | 25.42+ | 10 | 1+ | |
| Cleveland Browns | 6.17 | 244.51 | 4.40 | 25.98 | 10 | 8 | |
| Denver Broncos | 6.19 | 242.85 | 4.31 | 26.42 | 10 | 11 | |
| Houston Texans | 6.13+ | 238.40+ | 4.72 | 26.43 | 11 | 9 | |
| Indianapolis Colts | 6.22 | 244.63 | 3.43+ | 25.48 | 14* | 2 | |
| Jacksonville Jaguars | 6.19 | 240.44 | 3.91 | 25.81 | 10 | 7 | |
| Kansas City Chiefs | 6.22 | 245.47 | 3.65 | 25.55 | 12 | 7 | |
| Las Vegas Raiders | 6.17 | 243.06 | 4.70 | 26.62 | 9 | 10 | |
| Los Angeles Chargers | 6.23* | 244.63 | 3.93 | 25.63 | 9 | 6 | |
| Miami Dolphins | 6.17 | 238.75 | 4.55 | 26.34 | 7 | 6 | |
| New England Patriots | 6.19 | 249.11* | 4.54 | 26.52 | 12 | 9 | |
| New York Jets | 6.17 | 243.65 | 5.24* | 27.11* | 7 | 15* | |
| Pittsburgh Steelers | 6.18 | 243.27 | 4.73 | 26.38 | 8 | 7 | |
| Tennessee Titans | 6.20 | 244.57 | 4.02 | 26.39 | 11 | 10 | |
| AFC average | 6.19 | 243.96 | 4.35 | 26.20 | 9.44 | 8.00 | |
| NFC average | 6.20 | 244.37 | 4.03 | 25.97 | 10.69 | 7.00 | |
| All NFL average | 6.19 | 244.17 | 4.19 | 26.08 | 10.06 | 7.50 | |
| * AFC high; + AFC low | |||||||
| NFC | |||||||
| Team | Height | Weight | Experience | Age (Years) | Rookie & 1st year | Players Age 30 & Over | |
| Arizona Cardinals | 6.17+ | 244.69 | 4.13 | 26.13 | 13 | 5 | |
| Atlanta Falcons | 6.21 | 241.78+ | 4.24 | 26.24 | 10 | 9 | |
| Carolina Panthers | 6.21 | 243.69 | 4.46 | 26.40 | 10 | 8 | |
| Chicago Bears | 6.17+ | 241.81 | 4.04 | 25.91 | 9 | 5 | |
| Dallas Cowboys | 6.20 | 243.22 | 4.24 | 26.07 | 11 | 8 | |
| Detroit Lions | 6.18 | 243.25 | 4.02 | 25.81 | 8 | 5 | |
| Green Bay Packers | 6.25* | 248.89* | 3.00+ | 25.13+ | 17* | 3+ | |
| Los Angeles Rams | 6.18 | 242.89 | 3.19 | 25.45 | 15 | 5 | |
| Minnesota Vikings | 6.21 | 242.45 | 4.04 | 26.09 | 8 | 6 | |
| New Orleans Saints | 6.21 | 245.34 | 4.83* | 26.94* | 9 | 12* | |
| New York Giants | 6.21 | 245.61 | 4.35 | 25.89 | 8 | 9 | |
| Philadelphia Eagles | 6.17+ | 243.19 | 4.44 | 26.11 | 8 | 8 | |
| San Francisco 49ers | 6.20 | 245.93 | 4.43 | 26.24 | 7+ | 8 | |
| Seattle Seahawks | 6.18 | 248.43 | 3.70 | 25.48 | 15 | 7 | |
| Tampa Bay Buccaneers | 6.19 | 244.25 | 3.28 | 25.58 | 15 | 6 | |
| Washington Commanders | 6.21 | 244.50 | 4.07 | 26.00 | 8 | 8 | |
| NFC average | 6.20 | 244.37 | 4.03 | 25.97 | 10.69 | 7.00 | |
| AFC average | 6.19 | 243.96 | 4.35 | 26.20 | 9.44 | 8.00 | |
| All NFL average | 6.19 | 244.17 | 4.19 | 26.08 | 10.06 | 7.50 | |
| * NFC high; + NFC low | |||||||
COURTESY NFLmedia.com
