Rams, Patriots Feature Several Players With Central Valley Connections
ATLANTA (CBS13) – If you're feeling like you don't have a dog in the fight, there's no shortage of players with a Central Valley connection playing in Super Bowl LIII.
Both the Los Angeles Rams and the New England Patriots have players with local ties.
Check out the list below:
LA Rams
Brandin Cooks, Wide Receiver
Cooks, 25, was born in Stockton and attended Lincoln High School. He went on to play college ball at Oregon State. In his first season with the Rams after productive stints with the Saints and the Patriots, he's become QB Jared Goff's go-to weapons – racking up 80 catches for 1,204 yards and 5 touchdowns this year.
Justin Davis, Running Back
Davis, 23, was also born in Stockton and attended Lincoln High School. He played college ball at USC. Of course, playing behind MVP candidate Todd Gurley has meant that Davis has seen limited touches this season – 2 carries for 19 yards in the 11 games he's played in.
Johnny Mundt, Tight End
Mundt, 24, was born in Modesto and attended Central Catholic High School in Stockton. He played college ball at Oregon. Even the starting tight ends don't get targeted often in the Rams' high-powered offense, so Mundt's 1 catch for 5 yards in 10 games this season shouldn't be too surprising.
Ethan Westbrooks, Defensive Tackle
Westbrooks, 28, was born in Oakland but attended Franklin High School in Elk Grove. He went on to play college ball at West Texas A&M. He's appeared in all 16 games for the Rams this season and recorded 8 tackles, 1 sack and 2 QB hits.
New England Patriots
Danny Shelton, Defensive Tackle
Shelton, 25, was born in Sacramento but grew up in Washington state. He played college ball at the University of Washington. He's played in 13 games this season, racking up 21 tackles and 1 QB hit but no sacks.
Aside from players, one coach from the LA Rams also has local ties.
John Fassel, Los Angeles' special teams coordinator, attended University of the Pacific in Stockton and played football. However, he transferred after the Tigers dropped their football program in 1995. If his name sounds familiar, it might be because he's the son of former New York Giants head coach Jim Fassel.