Here are the Eagle Scouts playing in the NFL in 2017
Not all Eagle Scout go on to be Eagles like Donnie Jones, punter of the Philadelphia Eagles.
Others find careers as Raiders, Dolphins, Chiefs, Ravens, Broncos, Redskins, Texans and Saints.
A search of the NFL’s 2017 active rosters — 1,692 players in all — turns up at least 10 Eagle Scouts. These guys are living proof that great things start in Scouting.
Compiling this list, like winning a Super Bowl, was a team effort. BSA researcher Scott Olson created a spreadsheet of every player on NFL teams’ 53-man rosters. Then the National Eagle Scout Association’s Ryan Larson cross-referenced that list with his own spreadsheet of the 2.4 million-plus Eagle Scouts in history.
That spawned a list of Eagle Scout potentials for me to investigate. First, I eliminated the false positives. For example, there are several NFL players named Chris Jones and lots of Eagle Scouts with that name, but there are no Eagle Scouts named Chris Jones currently playing in the NFL.
After all that, we have confirmation that each of the NFL players below is an Eagle Scout.
Put another way: Scott threw a deep pass, and Ryan caught it for the game-winning touchdown. I was simply there on the sidelines to give them both a high five.
Two things to know:
- Unlike my annually updated list of Eagle Scouts with Super Bowl ties, this list includes only Eagle Scouts on NFL rosters at the start of 2017 season. Others, including players on the practice squad or reserve rosters, weren’t included.
- There’s a chance this list is incomplete, so let’s crowdsource it. If you know of an Eagle Scout on a current NFL team, leave a comment below.
OK, it’s game time. Here’s the list!
James Cowser, Oakland Raiders
Position: Defensive end
Date of birth: Sept. 13, 1990
Eagle earned: 1996
Council: Trapper Trails Council
College: Southern Utah University
More: Cowser was undrafted out of college, where the 6-foot-3, 245-pounder set the NCAA FCS record with 43.5 career sacks. Before that, he did his LDS mission trip in Hong Kong and is now fluent in Mandarin Chinese.
John Denney, Miami Dolphins
Position: Long snapper
Date of birth: Dec. 13, 1978
Eagle earned: 1996
Council: Denver Area Council
College: Brigham Young University
More: Denney, signed by the Dolphins in 2005, is the team’s longest-tenured player. He’s in his 13th NFL season with the Dolphins, joining a very short list of players who have had that kind of longevity with one team.
Jordan Devey, Kansas City Chiefs
Position: Guard
Date of birth: Jan. 11, 1988
Eagle earned: 2006
Council: Utah National Parks Council
College: University of Memphis
More: Devey, who won a Super Bowl with New England after the 2014 season, also played for the San Francisco 49ers before joining the Chiefs in 2016.
Donnie Jones, Philadelphia Eagles
Position: Punter
Date of birth: July 5, 1980
Eagle earned: 1998
Council: Istrouma Area
College: Louisiana State University
More: Last season, the 37-year-old had a 45.8-yard punting average and even boomed a 72-yarder.
Bronson Kaufusi, Baltimore Ravens
Position: Defensive end
Date of birth: July 6, 1991
Eagle earned: 2006
Council: Utah National Parks Council
College: Brigham Young University
More: In 2016, the Ravens drafted Kaufusi in the third round — pick No. 70 overall. Unfortunately, he broke his ankle in training camp that year, but he’s fully healed and is eager to make his Ravens debut in 2017.
Matt Paradis, Denver Broncos
Position: Center
Date of birth: Oct. 12, 1989
Eagle earned: 2008
Council: Ore-Ida Council
College: Boise State University
More: For his Eagle Scout service project, Paradis renovated and enlarged a long-jump pit and shotput area. In the recent offseason, Paradis had surgery on both hips. He made a full recovery in time for the 2017 season.
Brandon Scherff, Washington Redskins
Position: Offensive guard
Date of birth: Dec. 26, 1991
Eagle earned: 2009
Council: Mid-America Council
College: University of Iowa
More: Scherff, drafted fifth overall in the 2015 NFL Draft, is the highest-drafted Eagle Scout on this list. After a strong 2016 season in which he started every game, Scherff was named to the Pro Bowl.
Daniel Sorensen, Kansas City Chiefs
Position: Defensive back
Date of birth: March 5, 1990
Eagle earned: 2008
Council: California Inland Empire Council
College: Brigham Young University
More: For his Eagle Scout service project, Sorensen planted 300 trees in his hometown of Grand Terrace, Calif. The trees are still there today — forever a reminder of the young man’s service. Sorensen has become an important part of the Chiefs defense and was rewarded with a four-year contract extension in 2017.
Xavier Su’A-Filo, Houston Texans
Position: Offensive guard
Date of birth: Jan. 1, 1991
Eagle earned: 2009
Council: Utah National Parks Council
College: UCLA
More: Of his Scouting past, Su’A-Filo said: “I think it says a lot about me and my dedication, my leadership and my worth ethic. That’s something that I’ll bring and that I get to bring in the locker room in that environment.”
Manti Te’o, New Orleans Saints
Position: Linebacker
Date of birth: Jan. 26, 1991
Eagle earned: 2008
Council: Aloha Council
College: University of Notre Dame
More: In 2012, Te’o told a crowd about a good deed he had performed for a woman in need. “I had a big smile on my face expecting my dad to tell me how proud he was,” Manti told the group. “But instead, he just simply said, ‘That’s what being a Scout is all about.’”
Any I missed?
I’m looking for more Eagle Scouts on current NFL rosters. If you have any you’d like me to check out, please leave a comment below.