These 5 South Jersey Football Players Impacted This NFL Season

There have been some great athletes who have come from South Jersey High Schools who have played Professional Sports over the years.  From Mike Trout (Millville High School) to Haason Reddick (Camden High School), we have seen some talent athletes find success at the professional level.

With the 2023 NFL regular season in the books, here is a review of how the year went for five South Jersey High School Graduates:

*Austin Johnson, Saint Augustine Prep, Defensive Tackle, Los Angeles Chargers
Since being selected in the 2nd Round of the 2016 NFL Draft, Johnson has played eight seasons in the NFL, starting 55 of 116 games played in his career. Johnson played the most snaps of any Defensive Tackle for the Chargers this season (640) while starting every game.  The 29-year-old finished the season with the second-most Solo Tackles in his career (24).

*Bo Melton, Cedar Creek High School, Wide Receiver, Green Bay Packers
After spending the 2022 NFL season on the Seattle Seahawks and Green Bay Packers Practice Squads, the Rutgers University Graduate was invited to the 2023 Packers Training Camp and earned his opportunity for playing time this year. Melton caught his first NFL Touchdown against the Minnesota Vikings on December 31st; The Speedy Wide Receiver played in five games this season.

*Isiah Pacheco, Vineland High School, Running Back, Kansas City Chiefs
This Rutgers University Alumni earned the starting Running Back job during his rookie season with the Kansas City Chiefs, a year which ended in the Chiefs winning the Super Bowl. The 24-year-old Running Back followed up with a 2023 campaign which featured his first season with over 1,000 Yards from Scrimmage (935 Rushing and 244 Receiving) to go along with Nine Total Touchdowns (7 Rushing and 2 Receiving).

*Markquese Bell, Bridgeton High School, Safety, Dallas Cowboys
After appearing in five games for the Dallas Cowboys last season, the 25-year-old Defensive Back became an important player for the Dallas Defense this year. Bell played the ninth most snaps of any Cowboys Defensive Player this season (649) and his 61 Solo Tackles were the second most on the team.

*Mike Gesicki, Southern Regional High School, Tight End, New England Patriots
Following five seasons playing for the Miami Dolphins, the 6'6" Tight End spent the 2023 NFL with the New England Patriots. He played a secondary role in a Patriots offense and only caught Two Touchdowns as the number two Tight End in New England.  Gesicki will be a Free Agent this offseason where he will hope to find an offense that will better use him compared to his five seasons in Miami when he caught 18 Touchdowns during his time with the Dolphins.

Three of those five South Jersey High School Graduates will be playing in the NFL Playoffs with Bell and Melton seeing each other on Sunday when the Cowboys host the Packers.  Meanwhile, Pacheco's Chiefs will host the Miami Dolphins on Saturday Night.