10 College Football Teams That Are the Best at Producing NFL Talent
Let's face it: college football programs are the unofficial minor leagues for the NFL, a place where upcoming prospects can hone their skills for a few years before being ready to shine in the pros. And for those who enter college with their eyes on the NFL, their school choices tend to be influenced by where the most professionals have spent their time.
Every FBS program has at least one former player on a current NFL roster, based on ESPN's regularly updated alumni database. Some schools are far more represented than others, and we've highlighted the 10 colleges best at developing and producing pros.
In each case we've picked out five of the schools' best active alumni and also note those on the current college roster who figure to be in the NFL a year from now. Let us know what you think in the comments section.
9. (tie) Auburn
1 of 10
Active players: 33
Notable current NFL alumni: WR Sammie Coates (Pittsburgh Steelers), LB Karlos Dansby (Cincinnati Bengals), DT Sen'Derrick Marks (Jacksonville Jaguars), QB Cam Newton (Carolina Panthers), OT Greg Robinson (Los Angeles Rams)
Top 2017 draft prospects: DT Montravius Adams, S Johnathan Ford, DE Carl Lawson, WR Tony Stevens
Auburn's NFL representation goes far beyond that of its most famous active player, though Newton is part of the crop of talent that has entered the league in the past few years and made the school a go-to destination for scouts. He was one of four Tigers drafted in 2011 and another 14 have been picked since then, including eight in the past two years.
The Tigers will be most active on the defensive side in this draft because of the wealth of talent they have potentially leaving. Adams and Lawson are both potential first-round picks, something Auburn last had in 2014 when Robinson went second overall and defensive end Dee Ford was the No. 23 pick.
9. (tie) Clemson
2 of 10
Active players: 33
Notable current NFL alumni: DE Vic Beasley (Atlanta Falcons), DE Andre Branch (Miami Dolphins), WR DeAndre Hopkins (Houston Texans), DT Grady Jarrett (Atlanta Falcons), P Bradley Pinion (San Francisco 49ers)
Top 2017 draft prospects: RB Wayne Gallman, TE Jordan Leggett, WR Artavis Scott, CB Cordrea Tankersley, DT Carlos Watkins, QB Deshaun Watson, WR Mike Williams
Clemson is like the "new money" in a room full of talent-rich programs that have been sending loads of players to the NFL for years. Not surprisingly, that's coincided with coach Dabo Swinney's tenure, which began as one of the Tigers' top recruiters and has resulted in 39 players getting drafted since 2010.
In comparison, from 1996-2009 Clemson had 40 drafted players. As a result, most of Clemson's NFL alumni are early in their careers, and that number figures to continue to rise as long as Swinney is bringing in strong prospects and developing them into pros.
8. Oklahoma
3 of 10
Active players: 34
Notable current NFL alumni: QB Sam Bradford (Minnesota Vikings), RB Adrian Peterson (Minnesota Vikings), DT Gerald McCoy (Tampa Bay Buccaneers), RB DeMarco Murray (Tennessee Titans), OT Trent Williams (Washington Redskins)
Top 2017 draft prospects: LB Jordan Evans, WR Geno Lewis, RB Joe Mixon, DT Charles Walker, WR Dede Westbrook
Sitting fourth all-time in drafted players with 377, Oklahoma consistently has between four and seven players added to the NFL every year. The last time the Sooners saw fewer or greater than that via the draft was in 2007 and 2005, respectively.
The 2017 additions should fall right in that range again and will be heavy on skill-position players, though one potential pro has already taken his name off the board. Quarterback Baker Mayfield, who finished third in the Heisman Trophy voting, announced right after Oklahoma beat rival Oklahoma State on Dec. 3 that he was returning for his senior year (h/t Brady Vardeman of the Dallas Morning News).
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7. Miami (Florida)
4 of 10
Active players: 37
Notable current NFL alumni: DT Calais Campbell (Arizona Cardinals), RB Frank Gore (Indianapolis Colts), TE Jimmy Graham (Seattle Seahawks), RB Lamar Miller (Houston Texans), TE Greg Olsen (Carolina Panthers)
Top 2017 draft prospects: S Jamal Carter, CB Corn Elder, OG Danny Isidora, S Rayshawn Jenkins, QB Brad Kaaya, P Justin Vogel
The number of players from “The U” isn't as high as it was during the 1980s and 1990s, when the program was in its heyday and some Miami teams had more standouts than some NFL squads. The Hurricanes are still 12th all-time in terms of players drafted, with 327, and the number getting picked in 2017 figures to be among their best this decade.
Miami had eight players drafted in 2011 and seven in 2015 but just two last season, and it's been since 2003 that a Hurricanes quarterback was picked when Ken Dorsey went in the seventh round to the San Francisco 49ers. That drought should end rather early, assuming Kaaya declares for the draft, since Bleacher Report's Matt Miller has him going early in the second round (ironically, to the 49ers).
4. (tie) Florida
5 of 10
Active players: 39
Notable current NFL alumni: CB Joe Haden (Cleveland Browns), OT Marcus Gilbert (Pittsburgh Steelers), S Keanu Neal (Atlanta Falcons), S Reggie Nelson (Oakland Raiders), C Maurkice Pouncey (Pittsburgh Steelers)
Top 2017 draft prospects: DT Caleb Brantley, DT Bryan Cox, LB Jarrad Davis, S Marcus Maye, CB Teez Tabor, CB Quincy Wilson
It's looking good that Florida's 2017 draft class will be an all-defensive affair, which makes sense both because that's the side of the ball which has paced the Gators to consecutive SEC East titles and because defenders make up the vast majority of their active NFL players. Of the 39 on current rosters, 24 play on defense and most of the offensive Gator alumni are linemen.
Six of the seven Florida players drafted this past spring were from defense and many of their successors in college are now in line to join them via the next draft.
4. (tie) USC
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Active players: 39
Notable current NFL alumni: RB Reggie Bush (Buffalo Bills), S Su'a Cravens (Washington Redskins), LB Clay Matthews (Green Bay Packers), OT Tyron Smith (Dallas Cowboys), DE Leonard Williams (New York Jets)
Top 2017 draft prospects: OT Zach Banner, CB Adoree' Jackson, WR Darreus Rogers, WR JuJu Smith-Schuster, OT Chad Wheeler
Barring some unforeseen blacklisting of its players in the 2017 draft, USC will become the first team to have 500 all-time selections. The Trojans stand at 497, just ahead of Notre Dame for most in draft history, after having four players taken in 2016.
How far the Trojans go over that milestone will depend on which, if any, of its notable underclassmen opt to turn pro. Multi-way star Jackson likely won't make his decision public until after USC plays Penn State in the Rose Bowl on Jan. 2, though USC fans can turn to a tweet he sent out right after the Heisman Trophy ceremony on Dec. 10 as a sign he's at least considering playing his senior year.
4. (tie) Ohio State
7 of 10
Active players: 39
Notable current NFL alumni: DE Joey Bosa (San Diego Chargers), RB Ezekiel Elliott (Dallas Cowboys), RB Carlos Hyde (San Francisco 49ers), OG Andrew Norwell (Carolina Panthers), WR Terrelle Pryor (Cleveland Browns)
Top 2017 draft prospects: QB J.T. Barrett, OL Pat Elflein, CB Gareon Conley, CB Marshon Lattimore, LB Raekwon McMillan
Ohio State has traditionally been well-represented in the NFL but its active alumni tally got a major boost this past spring when 12 players were drafted. All dozen are still on pro rosters and that includes two of the top contenders for offensive and defensive rookie of the year honors in Elliott and Bosa. Elliott, who leads the NFL with 1,551 rushing yards, needs 258 in his final two games to break Eric Dickerson's rookie record.
The Buckeyes won't be adding nearly as many players to the pros in 2017 but it's still a strong bunch. Corners Conley and Lattimore, neither of whom played much before this season, could be among the first defensive backs taken, while Elflein's ability to play multiple positions on the offensive line will make him a coveted prospect.
Barrett, assuming he enters the draft, may end up falling into the same category as past OSU quarterbacks and get looked at for his mobility more than his arm. Braxton Miller has caught 28 passes this season as a rookie for the Houston Texans while Cleveland has used Pryor as a receiver, ball carrier and passer at times in 2016.
3. Alabama
8 of 10
Active players: 42
Notable current NFL alumni: S Ha-Ha Clinton-Dix (Green Bay Packers), S Landon Collins (New York Giants), WR Amari Cooper (Oakland Raiders), RB Mark Ingram (New Orleans Saints), WR Julio Jones (Atlanta Falcons)
Top 2017 draft prospects: DT Jonathan Allen, LB Ryan Anderson, LB Rueben Foster, CB Marlon Humphrey, TE O.J. Howard, S Eddie Jackson, OT Cam Robinson, LB Tim Williams
As the defending national champions, winners of 25 consecutive games and the only team to participate in all three college playoffs, it makes sense that Alabama has quite a few players in the NFL and will be sending another load there in a few months. Championships are won because of, among other things, great on-field talent, and the pro scouts see that and want it for their clubs as well.
Seven members of the 2015-16 national title team got drafted last spring and it would have been even more had several notable players not opted to come back. Allen and Howard, most notably, would have been high draft selections had they skipped their junior season, but their return has made it very likely the Crimson Tide are going to repeat and also gives their school a great chance at having the most players taken in the 2017 draft.
Alabama has had at least seven players picked in each of the last five drafts and a good portion of those guys are still active.
2. Florida State
9 of 10
Active players: 43
Notable current NFL alumni: WR Kelvin Benjamin (Carolina Panthers), RB Devonta Freeman (Atlanta Falcons), K Sebastian Janikowski (Oakland Raiders), CB Xavier Rhodes (Minnesota Vikings), QB Jameis Winston (Tampa Bay Buccaneers)
Top 2017 draft prospects: RB Dalvin Cook, OT Roderick Johnson, FB Freddie Stevenson, DE DeMarcus Walker, CB Marquez White, WR Kermit Whitfield
Florida State hasn't been a part of the playoffs these past two seasons but the team that won the final BCS-fueled national championship and made the semifinals a year later produced quite a bit of NFL talent. The Seminoles had 11 players drafted in 2015 and 10 of those players are on rosters, comprising nearly 25 percent of the school's active NFL brethren.
Another strong batch is on its way to the pros in the spring assuming school single-season and career rushing leader Cook skips his senior year. Cook is pegged by Bleacher Report draft expert Matt Miller as the No. 13 pick in his latest mock draft, one of three Seminoles (along with Walker and Johnson) he thinks will go in the first three rounds.
It won't be a double-digit number that gets drafted this time around but it will still be a good one, keeping FSU high on this list for years to come.
1. LSU
10 of 10
Active players: 46
Notable current NFL alumni: WR Odell Beckham Jr. (New York Giants), LB Deion Jones (Atlanta Falcons), WR Jarvis Landry (Miami Dolphins), S Tyrann Mathieu (Arizona Cardinals), OT Andrew Whitworth (Cincinnati Bengals)
Top 2017 draft prospects: S Jamal Adams, LB Kendell Beckwith, WR Travin Dural, RB Leonard Fournette, OL Ethan Pocic, LB Duke Riley, CB Tre'Davious White
LSU is the most well-represented college program in the NFL and it doesn't show any signs of slowing down based on the players eligible to enter the draft in 2017. This time around it includes more seniors than normal, as players such as Beckwith, Pocic and White passed up a chance to turn pro a season ago.
That might not have paid off for the Tigers in terms of wins, as they fired coach Les Miles after a 2-2 start and head into bowl season at 7-4, but it hasn't impacted those players' chances of getting drafted. To make certain of that, Fournette announced he was skipping the Citrus Bowl to focus on draft preparation rather than risk re-injuring an ankle that's bothered him all season.
LSU had five players drafted in 2016 and four in 2015, that total of nine the same it saw get picked in 2014.
All recruiting information courtesy of Scout.com, unless otherwise noted. All statistics provided by CFBStats, unless otherwise noted.
Follow Brian J. Pedersen on Twitter at @realBJP.
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