In most NFL cities, there is a large chunk of the fan base that also roots for the largest college program in that state. Call it regional tribalism or school spirit, the end result is the same: an affinity and occasional blind spot for players who hail from the area.
The feel-good element can't be dismissed, and the same intensity exists for the pain felt when the franchise passes on a player like this.
Case in point: passing on Ben Roethlisberger in 2004 was the equivalent of a rotten ice cream sundae sitting under the hot sun in the park for three days. The rancid cherry on top is the fact that he was a small-town Ohio native who grew up rooting for the Browns. The story could only be so painful.
In honor of that story and the cautionary tale it proved to be, we went into the lab and grouped together not only the states in which Browns players went to school, but also their hometowns. With admittedly low expectations, the results actually blew us away.
The Browns have been quietly building around Ohio ties
The Browns currently hold the rights to 94 players under contract and on reserve lists. Of those 94, 10 went to school in the state of Ohio. That's the greatest total from any one state, followed by Alabama (seven), Texas (six), and Florida (six).
Historically, Texas, Florida, and California have produced the most NFL players by way of birthplace. In 2024, for example, of the roughly 1,700 players on opening-day rosters, 534 came from these states. In any given year, each of those three states makes up about 10-to-12 percent of the league.
It's thus not surprising to see Florida-born players lead the way on the Browns' roster with 12. What is jolting is that Ohio-born players are second with nine (roughly 10 percent of the roster). Cleveland's roster is overrepresented by players who were born in the area, a tangible data point that goes to show the Browns are not only focused on winning but evidently on a player's hometown as well.
These players might be one tiny percent more motivated to show out for their childhood team in front of their families and friends. It's the kind of factor that can't be measured on a stat sheet. In any case, if there's anything to be gained from it whatsoever, the Browns are trying to milk it for all it's worth.
As a team that has struggled to put together a consistent winner, perhaps a quarterback with hometown ties will be the remedy for what ails Browns fans. Don't look now, but presumptive top-three pick Dante Moore of the University of Oregon was born in... you guessed it — East Cleveland, Ohio.
If Shedeur Sanders doesn't prove to be a franchise quarterback in 2026, general manager Andrew Berry ought to take a page out of Nike's book and just do it.
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