Four players from Columbus-area high schools are on NFL teams this season. Three of them came from the same school: Central High in Phenix City.

Here's who they are, where they played high school ball, and how they got to the NFL.

Mykel Williams, San Francisco 49ers

High school: Hardaway, Columbus Position: Defensive end College: Georgia

After his senior season at Hardaway, Williams was named the Maxwell Football Club's National High School Defensive Player of the Year. He went on to Georgia, where he won a national championship in 2022.

The 49ers took him with the 11th overall pick in the 2025 NFL draft. He started all nine games he played as a rookie before tearing the ACL in his right knee in November.

He started the 2026 season on the physically unable to perform list while recovering. On Sept. 30, the 49ers opened his practice window, the first step toward getting him back on the field.

Rakeem Nuñez-Roches, Tampa Bay Buccaneers

High school: Central, Phenix City Position: Nose tackle College: Southern Miss

Nuñez-Roches's family moved from Belize to Alabama when he was 8. He started playing football at Central, where he made 132 tackles and 17 sacks in his high school career.

The Kansas City Chiefs drafted him in the sixth round in 2015. He has since played more than a decade in the league. He won a Super Bowl ring with Tampa Bay in the 2020 season, then played three seasons for the New York Giants.

In April, he signed a one-year deal to return to the Buccaneers. He is the veteran of this group: 2026 is his 12th NFL season.

T.J. Parker, Buffalo Bills

High school: Central, Phenix City Position: Outside linebacker College: Clemson

Parker is the newest pro on this list. The Bills picked him 35th overall, in the second round of the 2026 NFL draft.

An Army kid, Parker moved several times growing up before his family settled in Phenix City. At Central, he played for coach Patrick Nix, the father of Denver Broncos quarterback Bo Nix. As a senior he had 63 tackles and 12 sacks and was picked for the All-American Bowl. He first committed to Penn State, then chose Clemson.

Jackson Meeks, Detroit Lions

High school: Central, Phenix City Position: Tight end College: Georgia and Syracuse

Meeks took the long road. He played three seasons at Georgia, then one at Syracuse, and went undrafted in 2025. The Lions signed him anyway, cut him at the end of training camp and kept him on their practice squad.

He earned a new contract in January. This offseason, the Lions moved him from wide receiver to tight end, and he put on 25 pounds for the job. Football runs in the family: he's the nephew of NFL pass rusher Za'Darius Smith.

Which area high schools have produced the most NFL players?

Counting every player who has appeared in an NFL game, according to Pro Football Reference:

Some famous names from that list:

• Central: Woodrow Lowe (Chargers linebacker for 11 seasons), J.D. McKissic, Justyn Ross
• Spencer: Otis Sistrunk (Raiders), Ernie Green (Browns), Moe Williams (Vikings)
• Carver: Brentson Buckner, Jarvis Jones (Steelers first-round pick), Isaiah Crowell
• Brookstone: Mack Strong, a Seattle Seahawks fullback for 14 seasons
• Shaw: Philip Wheeler, an NFL linebacker for nine seasons

Just missed the list

• Chris Hubbard (Carver) has played offensive tackle in the NFL since 2014, most recently starting a game for Detroit at the end of last season. He isn't on a 2026 roster right now.
• Chris Edmonds (Brookstone), a safety, played for Cleveland in 2024 and 2025. The Browns released him on Aug. 28.

Did we miss someone? Practice-squad players and players who moved here after high school can be hard to track. If you know a Columbus-area grad on an NFL team, tell us at columbustimes.com/contact.