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Our hearts might want Vince Young, but the numbers favor Luck in a tough choice between Houston high school superstars. Luck passed for 7,139 yards and 53 touchdowns in three varsity seasons at Stratford High. After a redshirt year, he racked up 9,430 passing yards and 82 touchdown passes in three seasons at Stanford.

Luck was drafted No. 1 overall by Indianapolis in 2012 and would earn four Pro Bowl invitations in six seasons with the Colts. He retired from the NFL in 2019 with 23,671 passing yards and 171 touchdown passes.

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Young threw for 4,860 yards and 61 touchdowns and ran for 2,764 yards as a three-year starter at Madison High, and he followed that up with 6,040 passing yards and 3,127 rushing yards, while accounting for 81 touchdowns in three seasons at Texas. He was named to the Pro Bowl twice in six NFL seasons while registering 8,964 passing yards and 1,459 rushing yards. Vince might’ve been edged out for our QB1 spot, but he will always have the 2006 Rose Bowl.

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The Sealy High product emerged as a college star at SMU, rushing for 4,450 yards and 47 touchdowns – with 3,045 yards and 36 touchdowns coming in his junior and senior seasons. He became an unstoppable force for the Los Angeles Rams, leading the NFL in rushing three of his first four seasons – including 2,105 yards in 1984, a league record that still stands. The six-time Pro Bowler and five-time All-Pro also played for the Indianapolis Colts, Los Angeles Raiders and Atlanta Falcons, tallying 13,259 career rushing yards. The No. 2 overall draft pick by the Rams in 1983, Dickerson was inducted into the Pro Football Hall of Fame in 1999.

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Thomas rushed for 3,918 yards and 48 touchdowns at Willowridge High in Fort Bend County on his way to setting school records that still stand at Oklahoma State with 989 carries and 5,001 rushing yards. The Buffalo Bills drafted him in the second round in 1988, No. 40 overall, making him the eighth running back selected that year. He proved the doubters wrong by registering 16,532 yards from scrimmage and 88 touchdowns in 13 NFL seasons. Thomas, who helped the Bills make four consecutive Super Bowl appearances, earned five Pro Bowl invitations during his career and was inducted into the Pro Football Hall of Fame in 2007.

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An alum of Worthing High in Houston, Taylor won back-to-back Black college national championships at Prairie View A&M in 1963 and 1964. He remains the school’s career leader with 2,220 receiving yards, and his No. 17 jersey was the first in Panthers history to be retired. He went on to enjoy an 11-year pro career with the Kansas City Chiefs, winning Super Bowl IV and earning invitations to one AFL All-Star Game and two Pro Bowls. He recorded 7,306 receiving yards, including an NFL-high 1,110  in 1971, and 57 touchdown catches over the course of his career.

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Branch attended Worthing High a few years after Taylor and eventually went on to even greater pro success than his idol. After graduating from Worthing, Branch became a football and track standout at Wharton County Junior College and the University of Colorado. Even in a Colorado offense that leaned heavily on the run, Branch recorded 24 touchdowns in two seasons – 11 by reception, eight on kick and punt returns, and five as a rusher. The Raiders drafted the speedster in the fourth round in 1972, and he went on to earn four Pro Bowl nods and win three Super Bowls in 14 seasons with the franchise. Branch registered 8,685 receiving yards, including an NFL-high 1,092 in 1974, and 67 touchdowns during his pro career.

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Bennett was a football and basketball standout at Taylor High in Alief who considered playing pro basketball before concentrating on football at Texas A&M. He caught 105 passes in three seasons for the Aggies and was drafted in the second round by the Cowboys in 2008. Bennett recorded 433 receptions for 4,573 yards and 30 touchdowns in a 10-year NFL career with the Cowboys, Giants, Bears, Patriots and Packers. He received a Pro Bowl selection in the 2014 season with the Bears and won Super Bowl LI in his hometown of Houston as a member of the Patriots in February 2017.

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Matthews, son of Pro Football Hall of Famer Bruce Matthews, attended Elkin High in Missouri City and developed into a first-team All-American at Texas A&M. Atlanta drafted him No. 6 overall in 2014, and he has become a franchise cornerstone for the Falcons. Jake, like his father, is known for his durability — he’s missed just one game in his first seven pro seasons. Matthews was named to the Pro Bowl in the 2018 season.

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Okung was a standout at George Bush High in Fort Bend County and became a consensus All-America pick at Oklahoma State. Seattle drafted him No. 6 overall in 2010, and he would go on to earn a Pro Bowl invitation in 2012 and win Super Bowl XLVIII the following season. After six seasons in Seattle, Okung played three seasons with the Chargers and earned another Pro Bowl selection in 2017. Okung was traded to Carolina in March 2020 but was limited to seven games with the Panthers last season due to injury.

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Wisniewski is a graduate of Westfield High in Houston who went on to win a national championship at Penn State. He played his entire 13-year NFL career with the Raiders, earning eight Pro Bowl invitations along the way. Wisniewski missed just two games as a pro, starting all 206 regular-season games in which he appeared. He also played in nine postseason games for the Raiders.

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Thielemann attended Spring Woods High in Houston and developed into an All-Southwest Conference performer at the University of Arkansas. He was drafted by Atlanta in the second round in 1977 and was named to three Pro Bowl rosters in eight seasons with the Falcons. Thielemann was traded to Washington in 1985 and played under head coach Joe Gibbs, a former Arkansas assistant who had helped recruit him more than a decade earlier. Thielemann played in 157 NFL regular-season games and also appeared in 10 postseason contests, including Washington’s victory in Super Bowl XXII to cap the 1987 season.

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A product of North Shore High in Houston, Gurode developed into a consensus All-America selection at the University of Colorado. Dallas drafted him in the second round in 2002, and he went on to earn five Pro Bowl selections in nine seasons with the Cowboys. Gurode finished out his career with the Baltimore Ravens (2011), Chicago Bears (2012) and Oakland Raiders (2013).

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Strahan is a Houston native but lived in Germany from age 9 until his senior year in high school. He returned to his hometown to play one year of football at Westbury High and earned a scholarship to Texas Southern. He recorded a school-record 41½ sacks for the Tigers, including 19 as a senior. That spurred the New York Giants to draft him in the second round in 1993, and he would spend his entire 15-year NFL career with the franchise. Strahan was named to seven Pro Bowls and four All-Pro first teams. He holds the NFL record for sacks in a single season with 22½ and the Giants record for career sacks with 141½. He retired from the NFL after winning Super Bowl XLII in February 2008.

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Smith grew up in Beaumont and attended Charlton-Pollard High. Racial segregation at powerhouse college programs across the South led him to attend Michigan State, where he became a two-time consensus All-America selection. At 6 feet 7 and 280 pounds, Smith was an intimidating presence, and the Baltimore Colts drafted him No. 1 overall in 1967. He would play a decade in the NFL with the Colts, Raiders and Oilers, earning two Pro Bowl invitations. He played in two Super Bowls with Baltimore, losing to the Jets in Super Bowl III and beating the Cowboys in Super Bowl V. Smith went on to a successful acting career after retiring from the NFL.

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To run Bum Phillips’ 3-4 defense effectively, we need a big, strong talent who can fight through double-teams and clog the middle. Look no further than Hampton, a Galveston native who became a coveted recruit at Ball High School. He developed into the Big 12 Defensive Player of the Year and a consensus All-American at the University of Texas, recording 329 total tackles as a collegian. Pittsburgh drafted him No. 19 overall in 2001, and he went on to play his entire 12-year pro career with the Steelers. Hampton was named to five Pro Bowl squads and won two Super Bowls while registering more than 300 tackles in the NFL.

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Known for intensity and toughness, Singletary followed a path previously traveled by Otis Taylor and Cliff Branch from Houston’s Worthing High to the Super Bowl. Singletary was a two-time consensus All-American at Baylor but slipped to the second round of the 1981 NFL draft. Chicago selected him No. 38 overall, and he rewarded the Bears with one of the greatest linebacking careers in NFL history. Singletary played his entire 12-year pro career with the Bears and was named to 10 Pro Bowl teams and seven first-team All-Pro rosters. He was named NFL Defensive Player of the Year twice and NFL Man of the Year once. Singletary was inducted into the Pro Football Hall of Fame in 1998.

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Orakpo is a Houston native who became a football and basketball standout at Lamar High. Like Hampton, Orakpo also was honored as a consensus All-America selection and Big 12 Defensive Player of the Year at Texas. Washington drafted him No. 13 overall in 2009, and he went on to register 66 sacks and 12 forced fumbles in 10 NFL seasons. Orakpo earned three Pro Bowl nods during his six years in Washington and a fourth invitation in 2016 with the Tennessee Titans. He started all 132 regular-season games in which he appeared.

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Fast, strong and athletic, Lathon was a standout at Wharton High and the University of Houston on his way to being drafted No. 15 overall by the Oilers in 1990. He would play nine NFL seasons – five with Houston and four in Carolina – racking up 37½ sacks in 115 career regular-season games. Lathon enjoyed his best season as a pro in 1996, earning a Pro Bowl invitation and recording a career-high 13½ sacks while helping the Panthers reach the NFC Championship Game in just their second season as a franchise.

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Fletcher didn’t start playing football until his junior season at Bay City High, and he didn’t become a starter until the following year. He went on to play three seasons at the University of Houston, becoming a second-round draft pick by Denver in 1985. Fletcher would play all 11 seasons of his NFL career with the Broncos, recording 20 forced fumbles and 10 fumble recoveries. He ranked as the Broncos’ career leader with 97½ sacks for more than two decades until Von Miller eclipsed the mark in 2018. Fletcher played in three Super Bowls for the Broncos and was inducted into the team’s Ring of Honor in 2016.

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A product of Wheatley High in Houston, Hayes played defensive end, linebacker and safety at Texas A&M before becoming a shutdown cornerback in the NFL. A fifth-round draft pick in 1977, he would play his entire 10-year career with the Raiders. Hayes earned five consecutive Pro Bowl invitations from the 1980 through 1984 seasons and also won two Super Bowls during that span. He was named NFL Defensive Player of the Year in 1980, when he led the league with 13 interceptions. Hayes registered 39 interceptions in 149 career regular-season games and eight more picks in 13 postseason contests.

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Thomas is a native of Angleton, where he attended Marshall High on his way to now-defunct Bishop College in Dallas. He caught on with the AFL’s Chiefs in 1966 as an undrafted free agent and wound up playing 13 seasons for Kansas City. Thomas holds the Chiefs franchise record with 58 career interceptions, including an NFL-high 12 in 1974 and an AFL-best nine in 1969. He was named to one AFL All-Star Game and four Pro Bowls, eventually earning induction into the Pro Football Hall of Fame in 2008.

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Green attended Jesse H. Jones High in Houston and excelled in football and track at Texas A&I, now known as Texas A&M-Kingsville. Known for his blistering speed, he was drafted in the first round in 1983 and played 20 NFL seasons with Washington. Green registered 54 interceptions in 295 career regular-season games and added eight more picks in 18 postseason contests. He appeared in three Super Bowls, winning twice, and was inducted into the Pro Football Hall of Fame in 2008.

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A standout at West Orange-Stark High, Thomas went on to become a consensus All-American at the University of Texas. Seattle drafted him No. 14 overall in 2010, and he became the dean of the team’s famed Legion of Boom secondary. Thomas won a Super Bowl and was named to six Pro Bowl squads and three first-team All-Pro rosters in nine seasons with the Seahawks. After joining the Ravens last season, he rebounded from a broken leg to earn his seventh Pro Bowl invitation before an acrimonious parting of ways with the team in August 2020. Thomas has 30 interceptions in 140 career regular-season games.

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Dante Hall, a product of Houston’s Nimitz High and Texas A&M, was an electrifying returner for the Chiefs and Rams from 2000 through 2008. A two-time Pro Bowler, Hall made the 2000s NFL All-Decade Team after scoring 12 touchdowns on punt and kickoff returns in his career.

From East Bernard High and Texas A&M, Shane Lechler earned seven Pro Bowl nods during a 17-year career with the Raiders and Texans. He led the NFL in punting average five times and was named to the NFL’s 100th anniversary team.

Livingston High graduate Mark Moseley played quarterback in college at Texas A&M and Stephen F. Austin until focusing on kicking as a senior at SFA. He scored 1,382 points in 17 NFL seasons and is the only place-kicker to be named league MVP, having earned the honor in the strike-shortened 1982 season with Washington.

Ryan Pontbriand, an alum of Clements High in Sugar Land and Rice University, is our long snapper. He played for the Cleveland Browns from 2003 through 2011 and earned two Pro Bowl nods.

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There is no one better to coach a Texans squad composed of area high school legends than Phillips, the former Oilers head coach known for his dry wit and trademark cowboy hat. Phillips cut his teeth as a coach on the high school circuit, including stops at Nederland and Port Neches-Groves. He later worked under Bear Bryant at Texas A&M and Bill Yeoman at the University of Houston. Phillips guided the Oilers to two AFC Championship Game appearances during the famed Luv Ya Blue era and later also served as head coach of the New Orleans Saints.

AFC rosters:

Buf / Mia / NE / NYJ // Bal / Cin / Cle / Pit // Hou / Ind / Jax / Ten // Den / KC / LV / LAC

NFC rosters:

Dal / NYG / Phi / Was // Chi / Det / GB / Min // Atl / Car / NO / TB // Ari / LAR / SF / Sea

• Doug Farrar: Ranking the 32 Homegrown Legends rosters