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Colleges with most players in NFL by position
Recently, we took a gander at the colleges that had the most alums on Week 1 NFL rosters. This time, we're going to do a position-by-position breakdown of colleges with the most players in the NFL.
Most notable alum(s): Carson Palmer, Arizona Cardinals
Most recent draft selection: Matt Barkley (2013 NFL Draft, Round 4, Philadelphia Eagles)
The skinny: The career resurgence of Palmer -- the 2002 Heisman Trophy winner -- has lifted the Cardinals into the upper echelon of NFL powers. Palmer has won nine consecutive starts for the Cardinals, the longest such streak for a Cardinals quarterback since 1950.
Most notable alum(s): Jonathan Stewart, Carolina Panthers; LeGarrette Blount, New England Patriots
Most recent draft selection: De'Anthony Thomas (2014 NFL Draft, Round 4, Kansas City Chiefs)
The skinny: Stewart (with 1,133 yards rushing in 2009) and Blount (with 1,007 yards rushing in 2010) have each produced a 1,000-yard season. Thomas brings sprinter's speed to the gridiron -- he was an All-American as the anchor for Oregon's 4x100-meter relay team in 2013 -- and has shown glimpses of that burst for the Chiefs, taking one punt return to the house in his rookie season.
Most notable alum(s): Andre Johnson, Indianapolis Colts
Most recent draft selection: Phillip Dorsett (2015 NFL Draft, Round 1, Indianapolis Colts)
The skinny: Johnson is off to a rough start in his first season in Indy, but his production while with the Houston Texans will make for an interesting discussion when it comes time for Pro Football Hall of Fame consideration. Miami (Fla.) already has one alum enshrined in Canton (Michael Irvin), and Johnson and former Colt Reggie Wayne could add to that list.
Most notable alum(s): Zach Ertz, Philadelphia Eagles; Coby Fleener, Indianapolis Colts
Most recent draft selection: Ertz (2013 NFL Draft, Round 2, Eagles)
The skinny: Ertz followed Fleener both as Stanford's go-to tight end in the passing game and in the NFL draft (Fleener went to the Colts in the second round a year before Ertz was a second-round pick). Stanford has built a reputation lately of producing NFL-caliber talent at the tight end position, and Cardinal junior Austin Hooper is the latest player to watch at the school at the position.
Most notable alum(s): Bryan Bulaga, Green Bay Packers (Iowa); D'Brickashaw Ferguson, New York Jets (Virginia)
Most recent draft selection: Iowa: Brandon Scherff (2015 NFL Draft, Round 1, Washington Redskins), Virginia: Morgan Moses (2014 NFL Draft, Round 3, Redskins)
The skinny: While Bulaga works to return from a knee injury, Ferguson has yet to miss a start in his 10-year NFL career (147 games, 147 starts).
Most notable alum(s): Evan Mathis, Denver Broncos (Alabama); Ramon Foster, Pittsburgh Steelers (Tennessee)
Most recent draft selection: Alabama: Chance Warmack (2013 NFL Draft, Round 1, Tennessee Titans), Tennessee: Zach Fulton (2014 NFL Draft, Round 6, Kansas City Chiefs)
The skinny: Despite coming off consecutive Pro Bowl seasons, the Eagles deemed Mathis expendable and released him. Mathis has found a home in Denver, however. Foster has been a regular in the Steelers' starting lineup at guard for the past five seasons.
Most notable alum(s): Maurkice Pouncey, Pittsburgh Steelers (Florida); Ryan Kalil, Carolina Panthers (USC)
Most recent draft selection: Florida: Max Garcia (2015 NFL Draft, Round 4, Denver Broncos), USC: Marcus Martin (2014 NFL Draft, Round 3, San Francisco 49ers)
The skinny: Pouncey -- a four-time Pro Bowl selection -- will miss significant playing time this season after suffering an ankle injury in a preseason game. When healthy, Pouncey is arguably the game's top center. Kalil has also been a four-time Pro Bowl pick, and has started in 103 of 106 games played for the Panthers.
Most notable alum(s): Kyle Williams, Buffalo Bills
Most recent draft selection: Ego Ferguson (2014 NFL Draft, Round 2, Chicago Bears)
The skinny: The Bills got quite the bargain when they spent a fifth-round pick in the 2006 draft on Williams, who has been a Pro Bowl selection in four of the past five seasons. Michael Brockers -- a first-round pick in 2012 -- has emerged as a force along a talented defensive front for the St. Louis Rams.
Most notable alum(s): Carlos Dunlap, Cincinnati Bengals
Most recent draft selection: Dante Fowler, Jr. (2015 NFL Draft, Round 1, Jacksonville Jaguars)
The skinny: Fowler -- who suffered a season-ending knee injury during his first NFL practice -- projects as a strong-side 3-4 outside linebacker in the NFL. Dunlap has registered seven or more sacks in three of his previous five NFL seasons.
Most notable alum(s): Clay Matthews, Green Bay Packers; Brian Cushing, Houston Texans
Most recent draft selection: Devon Kennard (2014 NFL Draft, Round 5, New York Giants)
The skinny: Matthews -- like his father before him a USC alum -- is a five-time Pro Bowl selection and has posted double-digit sack totals four times in his career. Cushing, who entered the NFL the same season (2009) as Matthews, was the NFL Defensive Rookie of the Year that season. Recently, Cushing was spotted on "Hard Knocks" playing the role of a villain.
Most notable alum(s): Patrick Peterson and Tyrann Mathieu, Arizona Cardinals; Eric Reid, San Francisco 49ers
Most recent draft selection: Jalen Collins (2015 NFL Draft, Round 2, Atlanta Falcons)
The skinny: Since 2011, three LSU defensive backs have been first-round draft selections: Peterson in 2011, Morris Claiborne in 2012 and Reid in 2013. A case could be made that Mathieu would also have been a first-round pick had off-the-field mishaps during his college career not derailed that trajectory. Mathieu's teammate in Arizona, Peterson, is in the conversation as the top cornerback in the league.
Most notable alum(s): Dustin Colquitt, Kansas City Chiefs
Most recent draft selection: Colquitt (2005 NFL Draft, Round 3, Chiefs)
The skinny: Dustin -- a 2012 Pro Bowl pick -- comes from a long line of Colquitt punters. His father, Craig, played at Tennessee and then won two Super Bowl rings with the Pittsburgh Steelers. Dustin's uncle, Jimmy, played at Tennessee and then spent a season with the Seattle Seahawks. Dustin's brother, Britton, played at Tennessee and has been the Denver Broncos' punter since 2009.
Most notable alum(s): Sebastian Janikowski, Oakland Raiders
Most recent draft selection: Dustin Hopkins (2013 NFL Draft, Round 6, Buffalo Bills)
The skinny: Janikowski was the last (and fourth in NFL history) kicker to be selected in the first round of the draft (No. 17 overall in 2000). A strong case could be made that Janikowski has been the Raiders' best first-round pick in that time span (Nnamdi Asomugha in 2003 would also be in that conversation, and it would probably end there). With having made a 63-yard field goal, Janikowski shares an NFL record with Tom Dempsey, Jason Elam and David Akers.
