Jake Browning, Arik Armstead, Shaq Thompson among Sacramento-area players on NFL rosters
The NFL season kicked off Thursday and kicked into full go mode Sunday with players from the Sacramento area and the Sac-Joaquin Section dotting rosters across the football landscape.
It’s difficult enough to secure a full Division I football scholarship out of high school as fewer than 2% of seniors land such a luxury nationally. It’s not easy to crack the starting lineup in college, or to get drafted into the NFL, or to make a team’s 53-man roster with as many as 90 players in training camp.
Here’s a closer look at the list of local products on NFL rosters, practice squads and injury lists in Week 1.
Arik Armstead
Position: DL
High school: Pleasant Grove
NFL team: Jacksonville Jaguars
Comment: A team captain and rock of stability with the 49ers after he was their first-round pick in 2015, AA is now sweating and grinding away in the Florida heat, where he is a team leader and a giver in the community. He has regularly been nominated by his peers for the NFL’s Walter Payton Man of the Year award.
Levelle Bailey
Position: LB
High school: Burbank
NFL team: Denver Broncos
Comment: A relentless tackler and leader in high school and at Fresno State, the rookie is on the practice squad.
DaRon Bland
Position: DB
High school: Central Catholic
NFL team: Dallas Cowboys
Comment: The former Sacramento State and Fresno State star had a big rookie season in 2023 when he led the NFL with nine interceptions and set a league record by returning five of them for touchdowns. Bland is on the reserve list, having suffered a stress fracture on his foot in training camp. He is expected to return by midseason.
Brandin Cooks
Position: WR
High school: Lincoln-Stockton
NFL team: Dallas Cowboys
Comment: A first-round selection by the New Orleans Saints in 2014, Cooks enters his second season in Dallas as a deep-ball threat. Speed has been his game since his prep days.
Jake Browning
Position: QB
High school: Folsom
NFL team: Cincinnati Bengals
Comment: The Bee’s Player of the Decade for the 2010s and the winningest quarterback in the history of the Washington Huskies, Browning proved to be a valuable backup last season, winning four games.
Josiah Deguara
Position: TE
High school: Folsom
NFL team: Jacksonville Jaguars
Comment: The former Green Bay Packers starter is on the Jacksonville practice squad.
Ross Dwelley
Position: TE
High school: Oak Ridge
NFL team: Atlanta Falcons
Comment: For a guy who nearly gave up football in high school, Dwelley has carved out a nice career, including a stint with the 49ers. He also makes plays on special teams.
Tucker Fisk
Position: TE
High school: Davis
NFL team: Los Angeles Chargers
Comment: His father, Jason Fisk, logged 12 NFL seasons on the defensive line after starring at Davis High and Stanford, and here comes the son, who did the same at Davis and Stanford. He is on the Chargers’ practice squad.
Carl Granderson
Position: DL
High school: Grant
NFL team: New Orleans Saints
Comment: A trench terror at Grant, Granderson hasn’t slowed down a bit. He’s gone from being undrafted in the NFL to recording 181 tackles and 23 sacks with the Saints since 2019.
DJ Johnson
Position: LB
High school: Burbank
NFL team: Carolina Panthers
Comment: A third-round pick in 2023 by the Panthers, Johnson has showed flashes of greatness since his prep and college days, including playing tight end, linebacker, defensive end and special teams at Oregon.
Taron Johnson
Position: DB
High school: Sheldon
NFL team: Buffalo Bills
Comment: The pride of Weber State of the Big Sky Conference, Johnson has been a mainstay on defense for the Bills since they selected him in the fourth round of the 2018 draft. He earned All-Pro honors in 2023 and is motivated by the memory of his mother Trina, who died from breast cancer in 2005.
Jordan Kunaszyk
Position: LB
High school: Roseville
NFL team: Minnesota Vikings
Comment: A classic example of a star who had to go the JC route (at American River College) to jump-start his football career, Kunaszyk has logged time with four NFL teams. He is on injured reserve, sidelining him for this season.
Laiatu Latu
Position: DL
High school: Jesuit
NFL team: Indianapolis Colts
Comment: A first-round pick in the 2024 draft after starring at Jesuit and UCLA, Latu is already generating early mention as a Defensive Rookie of the Year candidate. His Colts coach is one-time Oak Ridge star QB Shane Steichen.
Kolton Miller
Position: OL
High school: Roseville
NFL team: Las Vegas Raiders
Comment: A late bloomer in high school who really bloomed at UCLA and became a first-round pick by the Raiders in 2018, the 6-foot-9 Miller has been a mainstay in the trenches. He has started in 90 of the 92 games in which he has played.
Joseph Ngata
Position: WR
High school: Folsom
NFL team: Philadelphia Eagles
Comment: Ngata looked the part of star in high school and continued to show it in college at Clemson, but he has been stalled by injuries in the NFL. Ngata is on injured reserve, meaning he will miss this season.
Stone Smartt
Position: TE
High school: Del Oro
NFL team: Los Angeles Chargers
Comment: A star QB for Del Oro for two teams that played for CIF state championships, Smartt switched to tight end in college and had some highlight plays in 2023 with the Chargers.
Shaq Thompson
Position: LB
High school: Grant
NFL team: Carolina Panthers
Comment: The Panthers’ first-round pick in 2015, Thompson has been an impact player from Grant to the Washington Huskies and in his time with Carolina. He was again voted by teammates as a team captain and has frequently been nominated by his peers for NFL Man of the Year honors, which includes community service.
Mykal Walker
Position: LB
High school: Vacaville
NFL team: Washington Commanders
Comment: He spent his first three NFL seasons with the Atlanta Falcons, where he had 20 starts in 49 games, and he started five games with the Pittsburgh Steelers in 2023.
Jonah Williams
Position: OL
High school: Folsom
NF team: Arizona Cardinals
Comment: A first-round pick by the Cincinnati Bengals in 2019 and regarded by a lot of area prep coaches as the most dominant regional player of them all, Williams started in a Super Bowl. Over the offseason, Williams signed a two-year, $30 million free-agent deal with the Arizona Cardinals.
▪ Quarterback Ian Book of Oak Ridge and Notre Dame fame was released at the end of training camp by the Kansas City Chiefs and has yet to be signed by another club. He was drafted by the Saints in 2021.
This story was originally published September 8, 2024 at 5:00 AM.