A shoulder injury prevented wide receiver Darnell Mooney from playing in the final game of the Atlanta Falcons’ season and likely kept him from recording a 1,000-yard performance in 2024.

Mooney completed the campaign with 64 receptions for 992 yards and five touchdowns.

The injury also likely kept the former Gadsden City star from entering the top 10 for NFL career receiving yards among players from Alabama high schools and colleges.

Mooney has 3,585 career receiving yards. Woodlawn’s Tony Nathan holds the No. 10 spot on the Alabama high school NFL list with 3,592 receiving yards.

The Alabama high school alumni in the NFL did include a 1,000-yard receiver in 2024 as Houston Texans wide receiver Nico Collins reached the milestone for the second straight season. The former Clay-Chalkville star had 68 receptions for 1,006 yards and seven touchdowns even though he missed five games.

Collins also is closing in on the top 10. He has 3,230 career receiving yards.

While Mooney and Collins are close to Nathan at No. 10, they’ve got a lot of passes to catch to reach Terrell Owens at No. 1. The Pro Football Hall of Fame member had 15,934 receiving yards in his career.

Nine other players from Alabama high schools had receptions during the 2024 season, including a pair of surprise touchdown catches:

• Pittsburgh Steelers wide receiver George Pickens (Hoover): 59 receptions for 900 yards and three touchdowns
• Dallas Cowboys wide receiver Jalen Tolbert (McGill-Toolen): 49 receptions for 610 yards and seven receptions
• Las Vegas Raiders running back Ameer Abdullah (Homewood): 40 receptions for 261 yards and three touchdowns
• Washington Commanders running back Brian Robinson Jr. (Hillcrest-Tuscaloosa): 20 receptions for 159 yards
• Miami Dolphins wide receiver Grant DuBose (Park Crossing): Two receptions for 11 yards
• New England Patriots cornerback Marcus Jones (Enterprise): One reception for 18 yards
• Chicago Bears wide receiver Velus Jones Jr. (Saraland): One reception for 8 yards
• Denver Broncos quarterback Bo Nix (Pinson Valley): One reception for 2 yards and one touchdown
• Washington Commanders offensive tackle Trent Scott (Lee-Huntsville): One reception for 1 yard and one touchdown

Trick plays resulted in the first NFL receptions by Nix and Scott going for touchdowns.

ALABAMA HIGH SCHOOLS’ TOP 10 NFL RUSHERS

ALABAMA HIGH SCHOOLS’ TOP 10 NFL PASSERS

The 10 players from Alabama high schools with the most NFL receiving yards are:

1. Terrell Owens: 15,934 receiving yards

San Francisco 49ers 1996-2003, Philadelphia Eagles 2004-05, Dallas Cowboys 2006-08, Buffalo Bills 2009, Cincinnati Bengals 2010: The former Benjamin Russell High School standout caught 1,078 passes, averaged 14.8 yards per reception and scored 153 receiving touchdowns during his career. In addition to ranking third in NFL history in receiving yards, Owens also ranks eighth in receptions and third in touchdown catches. He was inducted into the Pro Football Hall of Fame in 2018.

2. Julio Jones: 13,703 receiving yards

Atlanta Falcons 2011-20, Tennessee Titans 2021, Tampa Bay Buccaneers 2022, Philadelphia Eagles 2023: The former Foley High School and Alabama standout caught 914 passes, averaged 15.0 yards per reception and scored 66 receiving touchdowns during his career.

3. John Stallworth: 8,723 receiving yards

Pittsburgh Steelers 1974-87: The former Tuscaloosa High School and Alabama A&M standout caught 537 passes, averaged 16.2 yards per reception and scored 63 receiving touchdowns during his career. Stallworth played on four Super Bowl-winning teams and caught 11 passes for 268 yards and three touchdowns in those NFL championship games. Stallworth was inducted into the Pro Football Hall of Fame in 2002.

4. Ozzie Newsome: 7,980 receiving yards

Cleveland Browns 1978-90: The former Colbert County High School and Alabama standout caught 662 passes, averaged 12.1 yards per reception and scored 47 receiving touchdowns during his career. A member of the Pro Football Hall of Fame’s Class of 1999, Newsome is the Browns’ franchise leader in receptions and receiving yards.

5. Jerricho Cotchery: 6,623 receiving yards

New York Jets 2004-10, Pittsburgh Steelers 2011-13, Carolina Panthers 2014-15: The former Phillips High School standout caught 524 passes, averaged 12.6 yards per reception and scored 34 receiving touchdowns during his career. Cotchery had 1,130 receiving yards in 2007 for his top season.

6. Red Phillips: 6,044 receiving yards

Los Angeles Rams 1958-64, Vikings 1965-67: The former Benjamin Russell High School and Auburn standout caught 401 passes, averaged 15.1 yards per reception and scored 34 receiving touchdowns during his career. Phillips was an All-Pro selection in 1961, when he led the NFL with 78 receptions and reached 1,092 receiving yards.

7. Rich Caster: 5,515 receiving yards

New York Jets 1970-77, Houston Oilers 1978-80, New Orleans Saints 1981, Washington Redskins 1981-82: The former Williamson High School standout caught 322 passes, averaged 17.1 yards per reception and scored 45 receiving touchdowns during his career. Of the players on the top 10 list, Terrell Owens, Julio Jones, John Stallworth, Jerricho Cotchery, Red Phillips and Harlon Hill are wide receivers, and Ozzie Newsome and Marcus Pollard are tight ends. Caster’s position is listed as tight end, but at 6-foot-5 and 228 pounds, he also could play wide receiver. The No. 10 player on the state list, Tony Nathan, is a running back.

8. Harlon Hill: 4,717 receiving yards

Chicago Bears 1954-61, Pittsburgh Steelers 1962, Detroit Lions 1962: The former Lauderdale County High School and North Alabama standout caught 233 passes, averaged 20.2 yards per reception and scored 40 receiving touchdowns during his career. Hill won the Newspaper Enterprise Association’s NFL MVP Award for the 1955 season, and his career yards-per-catch average is the third-best in league history among qualifying players.

9. Marcus Pollard: 4,280 receiving yards

Indianapolis Colts 1995-2004, Detroit Lions 2005-06, Seattle Seahawks 2007, Atlanta Falcons 2008: The former Valley High School standout caught 349 passes, averaged 12.3 yards per reception and scored 40 receiving touchdowns during his career. Pollard did not play football in college. He went to the NFL after playing basketball at Bradley.

10. Tony Nathan: 3,592 receiving yards

Miami Dolphins 1979-87: The Woodlawn High School and Alabama standout caught 383 passes, averaged 9.4 yards per reception and scored 16 receiving touchdowns during his career. Nathan ranks seventh among former Alabama high school players in NFL rushing yards with 3,543.

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Mark Inabinett is a sports reporter for Alabama Media Group. Follow him on X @AMarkG1.