LSU Football: Tigers' All-Time NFL Offensive Unit

LSU has gained a reputation lately of producing some of the best NFL talent each year. The truth is, the Tigers have been producing NFL talent for a while. 

Throughout the years, LSU players have been named to countless Pro Bowls and have led their teams to NFL championships. 

LSU has three players in the Pro Football Hall of Fame, all on offense. So let's look at LSU's all-time NFL offensive unit. 

Quarterback: Y. A. Tittle

Y.A. Tittle played 17 NFL seasons for the Baltimore Colts, San Francisco 49ers and New York Giants. In that time, Tittle did things that hadn’t been seen before his playing days.

Tittle established himself as a top NFL quarterback in San Francisco. While there, Tittle made four Pro Bowls and was named the UPI Most Valuable Player of the NFL in 1957. After being traded to New York, Tittle put up stats unheard of at the time. He passed for 30 touchdowns in both the 1962 and 1963 seasons, winning a UPI MVP in ’62 and an AP MVP in ’64.

Tittle’s 36 touchdowns in 1963 stood as an NFL record until Dan Marino threw 48 in 1984. Tittle was elected to the Pro Football Hall of Fame in 1971. 

Running Back: Steve Van Buren

Van Buren’s stats might not be eye-popping by today’s standards, but he was the most accomplished running back of his time. During his eight-year career with the Philadelphia Eagles, Van Buren starred as a running back and return man while also playing on defense for a portion of his career.

In addition to scoring seven total touchdowns his rookie season, Van Buren recorded five interceptions. Five times Van Buren was a First Team All-Pro selection and four times he led the NFL in rushing.

Van Buren enjoyed a great amount of team success as well. He lead the Eagles to back-to-back NFL titles in 1948 and 1949.

His 5,680 rushing yards and 69 rushing touchdowns were both NFL records at the time of his retirement. Van Buren was inducted into the Pro Football Hall of Fame in 1965.

Fullback: Jim Taylor

Jim Taylor achieved great success as the fullback for the great Packers teams of the 1960’s. Taylor began getting the majority of the carries in 1960 and went on to post five straight seasons of over 1,000 yards rushing.

He made the Pro Bowl each year from 1960-1964, winning NFL MVP in 1962. Taylor was a part of four NFL championship teams during his time in Green Bay.

Taylor finished his career with 8,597 rushing yards and 83 rushing touchdowns. He was inducted into the Pro Football Hall of Fame in 1976. 

Wide Receiver: Eric Martin

Eric Martin had a solid career for both the New Orleans Saints and Kansas City Chiefs. Three times, Martin topped 1,000 yards in a season, including his Pro Bowl season in 1988. Over the course of his career, Martin gained 8,161 yards receiving and caught 49 touchdown passes. 

Tight End: Billy Cannon

Defining a position for Cannon can be considered difficult. He spent the beginning portion of his career as a running back. However, the majority of his years were spent at tight end.

After being the first pick in both the NFL and AFL drafts, Cannon opted for the AFL and the Houston Oilers. During his time in Houston, Cannon excelled as a running back, leading the league in rushing in 1961.

After his days in Houston, the Raiders switched Cannon to tight end, where he would find great success as well. Over the course of his two-time All-Pro career, Cannon rushed for 2,455 yards and 17 touchdowns while gaining 3,656 receiving yards and pulling in 47 receiving touchdowns.     

Offensive Guard: Alan Faneca

Faneca has been one of the best interior offensive lineman in the NFL over the past 10 years. In his time with the Steelers and Jets, Faneca anchored the line for some of the best rushing attacks in the NFL.

During his career, Faneca was named to nine Pro Bowls and six times was a First Team All-Pro. Faneca also won Super Bowl XL as a member of the Pittsburgh Steelers. 

Center: Kevin Mawae

Kevin Mawae is considered one of the finest centers in recent NFL history. Beginning his career in Seattle, Mawae started as a guard before being switched to center.

His career truly took off in New York, though. As a Jet, Mawae was named to five straight Pro Bowls. After his time with the Jets, Mawae finished his career with the Titans, where he made two more Pro Bowls in his final two seasons.

Mawae has also served as president of the NFL Players Association.