Best NFL players born in North Carolina
Football has long been woven into the cultural fabric of America, and every state has produced its share of gridiron legends. From Hall of Fame quarterbacks to record-setting receivers and defensive stalwarts, some of the NFL's greatest talents trace their roots back to North Carolina.
Using data from Pro Football Reference, Stacker compiled a ranking of the best NFL players born in North Carolina. Players were ranked by weighted career approximate value (AV), a metric developed by Pro Football Reference that measures overall career impact. Data is as of the start of the 2025 NFL season.
This list highlights players who made their mark on the league—some remembered for their longevity, others for their peak dominance. Read on to see which football stars born in North Carolina have left the biggest legacy in NFL history.
#50. Yancey Thigpen (WR)
- City: Tarboro
- Years played: 1991-2000 (4 years as starter)
- Games played: 112
- Pro Bowl selections: 2
- Weighted career value: 48
#49. Doug Cline (LB)
- City: Valdese
- Years played: 1960-1966 (6 years as starter)
- Games played: 95
- Weighted career value: 49
#43. Dexter Lawrence (DL) (tie)
- City: Wake Forest
- Years played: 2019-2024 (5 years as starter)
- Games played: 92
- Pro Bowl selections: 3
- Weighted career value: 50
#43. Donnell Thompson (DE) (tie)
- City: Lumberton
- Years played: 1981-1991 (11 years as starter)
- Games played: 147
- Weighted career value: 50
#43. George Koonce (LB) (tie)
- City: New Bern
- Years played: 1992-2000 (8 years as starter)
- Games played: 128
- Weighted career value: 50
#43. Haywood Jeffires (WR) (tie)
- City: Greensboro
- Years played: 1987-1996 (6 years as starter)
- Games played: 132
- Pro Bowl selections: 3
- All-Pro selections (1st team): 1
- Weighted career value: 50
#43. Robert Brown (DE) (tie)
- City: Edenton
- Years played: 1982-1992 (7 years as starter)
- Games played: 164
- Weighted career value: 50
#43. Ted Brown (RB) (tie)
- City: High Point
- Years played: 1979-1986 (7 years as starter)
- Games played: 104
- Weighted career value: 50
#42. Ike Lassiter (DE)
- City: Wilson
- Years played: 1962-1971 (7 years as starter)
- Games played: 112
- Pro Bowl selections: 1
- Weighted career value: 51
#36. Bennie McRae (DB) (tie)
- City: Pinehurst
- Years played: 1962-1971 (8 years as starter)
- Games played: 133
- Weighted career value: 52
#36. Charlie Sanders (TE) (tie)
- City: Richlands
- Years played: 1968-1977 (9 years as starter)
- Games played: 128
- Pro Bowl selections: 7
- All-Pro selections (1st team): 2
- Weighted career value: 52
#36. Leonard Little (DE) (tie)
- City: Asheville
- Years played: 1998-2009 (7 years as starter)
- Games played: 147
- Pro Bowl selections: 1
- All-Pro selections (1st team): 1
- Weighted career value: 52
#36. Louis Breeden (DB) (tie)
- City: Hamlet
- Years played: 1978-1987 (8 years as starter)
- Games played: 134
- All-Pro selections (1st team): 1
- Weighted career value: 52
#36. Marques Douglas (DE) (tie)
- City: Greensboro
- Years played: 2000-2010 (6 years as starter)
- Games played: 126
- Weighted career value: 52
#36. Robert Jackson (G) (tie)
- City: Charlotte
- Years played: 1975-1985 (8 years as starter)
- Games played: 160
- Weighted career value: 52
#33. Bruce Davis (T) (tie)
- City: Rutherfordton
- Years played: 1979-1989 (8 years as starter)
- Games played: 160
- Weighted career value: 53
#33. Cortland Finnegan (DB) (tie)
- City: Fayetteville
- Years played: 2006-2015 (7 years as starter)
- Games played: 133
- Pro Bowl selections: 1
- All-Pro selections (1st team): 1
- Weighted career value: 53
#33. Javon Hargrave (DT) (tie)
- City: Salisbury
- Years played: 2016-2024 (8 years as starter)
- Games played: 130
- Pro Bowl selections: 2
- Weighted career value: 53
#31. Fred McNeill (LB) (tie)
- City: Durham
- Years played: 1974-1985 (8 years as starter)
- Games played: 167
- Weighted career value: 54
#31. Tootie Robbins (T) (tie)
- City: Windsor
- Years played: 1982-1993 (11 years as starter)
- Games played: 159
- Weighted career value: 54
#29. Carl Pickens (WR) (tie)
- City: Murphy
- Years played: 1992-2000 (8 years as starter)
- Games played: 129
- Pro Bowl selections: 2
- Weighted career value: 56
#29. Garry Cobb (LB) (tie)
- City: Carthage
- Years played: 1979-1989 (8 years as starter)
- Games played: 140
- Weighted career value: 56
#27. Bill Bryan (C) (tie)
- City: Burlington
- Years played: 1977-1988 (10 years as starter)
- Games played: 153
- Weighted career value: 57
#27. Melvin Ingram (DE) (tie)
- City: Hamlet
- Years played: 2012-2023 (6 years as starter)
- Games played: 148
- Pro Bowl selections: 3
- Weighted career value: 57
#24. Carson Wentz (QB) (tie)
- City: Raleigh
- Years played: 2016-2024 (6 years as starter)
- Games played: 98
- Pro Bowl selections: 1
- Weighted career value: 60
#24. Mike Johnson (LB) (tie)
- City: Southport
- Years played: 1986-1995 (8 years as starter)
- Games played: 144
- Pro Bowl selections: 2
- Weighted career value: 60
#24. Vaughan Johnson (LB) (tie)
- City: Morehead City
- Years played: 1986-1994 (7 years as starter)
- Games played: 124
- Pro Bowl selections: 4
- Weighted career value: 60
#22. Dwight Clark (WR) (tie)
- City: Kinston
- Years played: 1979-1987 (7 years as starter)
- Games played: 134
- Pro Bowl selections: 2
- All-Pro selections (1st team): 1
- Weighted career value: 61
#22. Jimmy Graham (TE) (tie)
- City: Goldsboro
- Years played: 2010-2023 (10 years as starter)
- Games played: 197
- Pro Bowl selections: 5
- All-Pro selections (1st team): 1
- Weighted career value: 61
#21. Jack Tatum (DB)
- City: Cherryville
- Years played: 1971-1980 (9 years as starter)
- Games played: 136
- Pro Bowl selections: 3
- Weighted career value: 62
#20. Dewayne Washington (DB)
- City: Durham
- Years played: 1994-2005 (11 years as starter)
- Games played: 191
- Weighted career value: 63
#19. Dave Lutz (T)
- City: Monroe
- Years played: 1983-1995 (11 years as starter)
- Games played: 187
- Weighted career value: 66
#17. Adrian Wilson (DB) (tie)
- City: High Point
- Years played: 2001-2012 (11 years as starter)
- Games played: 181
- Pro Bowl selections: 5
- All-Pro selections (1st team): 1
- Weighted career value: 68
#17. Greg Ellis (DE) (tie)
- City: Wendell
- Years played: 1998-2009 (12 years as starter)
- Games played: 176
- Pro Bowl selections: 1
- Weighted career value: 68
#16. Jeff Bostic (C)
- City: Greensboro
- Years played: 1980-1993 (10 years as starter)
- Games played: 184
- Pro Bowl selections: 1
- Weighted career value: 70
#15. Jethro Pugh (DT)
- City: Windsor
- Years played: 1965-1978 (12 years as starter)
- Games played: 183
- Weighted career value: 72
#14. Keenan Allen (WR)
- City: Greensboro
- Years played: 2013-2024 (11 years as starter)
- Games played: 154
- Pro Bowl selections: 6
- Weighted career value: 77
#13. Marvin Powell (T)
- City: Fort Bragg
- Years played: 1977-1987 (9 years as starter)
- Games played: 133
- Pro Bowl selections: 5
- All-Pro selections (1st team): 3
- Weighted career value: 78
#11. Chester McGlockton (DT) (tie)
- City: Whiteville
- Years played: 1992-2003 (10 years as starter)
- Games played: 179
- Pro Bowl selections: 4
- All-Pro selections (1st team): 1
- Weighted career value: 79
#11. Mario Williams (DE) (tie)
- City: Richlands
- Years played: 2006-2016 (9 years as starter)
- Games played: 158
- Pro Bowl selections: 4
- All-Pro selections (1st team): 1
- Weighted career value: 79
#10. Dwight Stephenson (C)
- City: Murfreesboro
- Years played: 1980-1987 (6 years as starter)
- Games played: 114
- Pro Bowl selections: 5
- All-Pro selections (1st team): 4
- Weighted career value: 80
#9. Doug Wilkerson (G)
- City: Fayetteville
- Years played: 1970-1984 (14 years as starter)
- Games played: 204
- Pro Bowl selections: 3
- All-Pro selections (1st team): 1
- Weighted career value: 87
#8. Roman Gabriel (QB)
- City: Wilmington
- Years played: 1962-1977 (11 years as starter)
- Games played: 183
- Pro Bowl selections: 4
- All-Pro selections (1st team): 1
- Weighted career value: 98
#7. Torry Holt (WR)
- City: Greensboro
- Years played: 1999-2009 (11 years as starter)
- Games played: 173
- Pro Bowl selections: 7
- All-Pro selections (1st team): 1
- Weighted career value: 99
#6. Chris Hanburger (LB)
- City: Fort Bragg
- Years played: 1965-1978 (12 years as starter)
- Games played: 187
- Pro Bowl selections: 9
- All-Pro selections (1st team): 3
- Weighted career value: 100
#5. Bobby Bell (LB)
- City: Shelby
- Years played: 1963-1974 (12 years as starter)
- Games played: 168
- Pro Bowl selections: 9
- All-Pro selections (1st team): 6
- Weighted career value: 104
#4. Sonny Jurgensen (QB)
- City: Wilmington
- Years played: 1957-1974 (10 years as starter)
- Games played: 218
- Pro Bowl selections: 5
- All-Pro selections (1st team): 1
- Weighted career value: 105
#3. Julius Peppers (DE)
- City: Wilson
- Years played: 2002-2018 (16 years as starter)
- Games played: 266
- Pro Bowl selections: 9
- All-Pro selections (1st team): 3
- Weighted career value: 130
#2. Carl Eller (DE)
- City: Winston-Salem
- Years played: 1964-1979 (15 years as starter)
- Games played: 225
- Pro Bowl selections: 6
- All-Pro selections (1st team): 5
- Weighted career value: 132
#1. Bruce Matthews (G)
- City: Raleigh
- Years played: 1983-2001 (19 years as starter)
- Games played: 296
- Pro Bowl selections: 14
- All-Pro selections (1st team): 7
- Weighted career value: 138
