Why do some NFL players say their High School during player introductions?

The NFL is a popular and diverse league that sees different teams being pitted against each other week after week. The league is home to the finest Gridiron players on the planet, and it is fair to say that no two players are the same.

The NFL is a marketer's dream as its players are known for distinguishing themselves in various creative ways. One relates to pregame player introductions, a custom that has been a part of the league for as long as it has been televised.

To make it interesting, different players have different ways of showcasing where they are from and the schools they attended. Here, we will be looking at why some NFL players choose to name their high schools.

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The sentiment behind players mentioning their high schools

There are a plethora of reasons why certain players choose this route, one of which is that some players aren't happy with how they were treated at college.

For many of us, college is/was the best time. However, not every professional athlete feels that way and thus prefer to name their high school during pregame introductions.

Another reason is merely out of banter, as several players in the league have taken up the funny-guy persona. They know that most players will name their colleges during pregame introductions, so they mention their high schools instead.

Last but not least is the attachment factor and the desire to put a not-so-popular school on the map. Being on national television, NFL players are aware of their reach and just how far their co-signs could go for an establishment. As such, several players choose to call out their high schools to give more exposure to under-publicized institutions.

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Can NFL players be drafted from high school?

Unlike in the MLB and NBA (back in the day), the NFL does not allow prospects to be drafted straight out of high school. Instead, there is a certain rule known as the three-year rule. The rule states that to be eligible for the draft, players must have been out of high school for at least three years and must have used up their college eligibility before the start of the next college football season.

As such, no matter how talented a prospect is, they must have played a total of three years in college to be eligible for the next year's professional draft. Some players, agencies, and associations have challenged this rule. So far, however, the league has resisted all calls for change

The league committee believes that the Gridiron is no place for kids and a three-year college career would greatly prepare an amateur for the rigors of professional action.