Ranking the 20 best NFL players from Big 12 schools, including Super Bowl MVP Von Miller and future Hall of Fame running back Adrian Peterson.
Best NFL Players from the ACC / Big Ten / SEC / Pac-12
The Big 12 has fallen off the pace when it comes to churning out NFL players in recent years, but much of that can be attributed to conference realignment with Nebraska, Colorado, Texas A&M and Missouri leaving.
Those four schools were replaced with TCU and West Virginia, so that’s one way to explain the numbers. The other is the result of the struggling Texas Longhorns who didn’t have a player drafted in the 2014 NFL Draft, the first time that’s happened for the powerhouse program in 77 years.
Despite the Big 12 being in a state of flux, it’s still able to able to claim some of the best players in the NFL, including reigning Super Bowl MVP Von Miller and Adrian Peterson who is one of the best running backs in NFL history.
This list is a ranking of the 20 best NFL players from Big 12 schools but I wanted to give an honorable mention to two more players. Sam Koch is an All-Pro punter out of Nebraska and Dan Bailey is an All-Pro out of Oklahoma State. Specialists don’t get much love, but they deserve an honorable mention on this list of the best NFL players from the Big 12.
Oklahoma led the way with five former Sooners on the list with Kansas State, Texas A&M and Nebraska in a three-way tie for second. Shockingly, Texas and Kansas each placed two on the list with Missouri and TCU each getting one player named.
- Oklahoma Sooners – 5
- Kansas State Wildcats – 3
- Texas A&M Aggies – 3
- Nebraska Cornhuskers – 3
- Texas Longhorns – 2
- Kansas Jayhawks – 2
- Missouri Tigers – 1
- TCU Horned Frogs – 1
So without further ado, here are the 20 best NFL players from Big 12 schools. After reading through the list, leave your thoughts and reactions in the comments section and continue the conversation on our social media accounts as well.
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20. Martellus Bennett – Former second round pick by the Dallas Cowboys in the 2008 NFL Draft out of Texas A&M. Didn’t get much of an opportunity behind Jason Witten but has proven he can be a No. 1 tight end the last four seasons. Had a career-high 90 receptions for 916 yards and six touchdowns with the Chicago Bears in 2014.
19. Darren Sproles – The diminutive Kansas State product is one of the best triple-threat running backs of his generation. He has nearly 3,000 rushing yards for his career to go with more than 4,000 receiving yards and nearly 11,000 yards as a punt and kick returner. He led the NFL in punt return yards the last two years to make his firs two Pro Bowls.
18. Lane Johnson – The No. 4 pick in the 2013 NFL Draft out of Oklahoma looked like he could be on the cusp of Pro Bowl consideration in the 2014 season. I think he got bogged down by the dysfunction surrounding the Philadelphia Eagles last year that affected the entire team and could be in line for a breakthrough season in 2016.
17. Tyler Lockett – The all-time receiving leader in Kansas State history slid to the third round over concerns about his 5-10, 180-pound size but he proved to be a draft steal for the Seattle Seahawks after an All-Pro rookie campaign. Lockett had 51 receptions for 664 yards and six touchdowns but made his biggest impact as a return man with a punt and kick returned for a touchdown.
16. DeMarco Murray – Talk about a fall from grace for the 2014 rushing champion who saw his rushing totals drop from 1,845 yards and 13 touchdowns on 4.7 yards per carry to 702 yards, six touchdowns and a 3.6 ypc average. Leaving Dallas for Philadelphia didn’t work out for the former Oklahoma back, but maybe a fresh start with the Tennessee Titans will be what he needs to get back on track.
Next: 15-11
15. Jason Verrett – First round pick out of TCU in the 2014 NFL Draft by the San Diego Chargers made his first Pro Bowl in 2015 after collecting 48 total tackles, 12 passes defended and three interceptions, including one returned for a touchdown. He’s a rising talent at the position.
14. Richie Incognito – The bad guy from Nebraska is one of the most hated figures in sports but no matter your personal feelings toward him, you can’t deny he’s one of the best guards in the NFL. After missing the last 1.5 years, Incognito returned to the NFL in 2015 with the Buffalo Bills and started all 16 games, playing at an All-Pro level. Few want to give the guy credit, but I will, he’s one of the best left guards in the game.
13. Lavonte David – He finished his career in the Big Ten after Nebraska ditched the Big 12, but the Tampa Bay Buccaneers do-it-all linebacker still counts as a Big 12 product. He was an All-Pro in 2013 after making 145 total tackles, seven sacks and five interceptions. He made the Pro Bowl in 2015 and is one of the game’s most underrated talents.
12. Sheldon Richardson – Finished his college career in the SEC after Missouri left the Big 12. The former first round pick by the New York Jets won the AP Defensive Rookie of the Year in 2013 and was an All-Pro in 2014 after getting eight sacks. If he stays out of trouble off the field, he can be a perennial Pro Bowler.
11. Aqib Talib – A rare first round pick out of Kansas, Talib was the No. 20 pick in the 2008 NFL Draft by the Tampa Bay Buccaneers but has experienced his best success elsewhere. Off-the-field reasons led to the Bucs trading him to the New England Patriots in 2012. The next year, Talib made his first of what would be three straight Pro Bowl teams. He has 11 interceptions and 44 passes defended over that time.
Next: 10. Gerald McCoy
Gerald McCoy was the No. 3 pick in the 2010 NFL Draft out of Oklahoma and has been a staple in the middle of the defensive line for the Tampa Bay Buccaneers ever since.
He missed 13 games due to injury in his first two years in the NFL but in the last four years, McCoy has only missed four games. Being a consistent force at defensive tackle is a tall order, but the former Sooner has been able to do just that.
McCoy has made the Pro Bowl in each of the last four seasons and has a total of 31.5 sacks over that span, including 9, 8.5 and 8.5 the last three seasons. He faces constant double teams and hasn’t had much help next to him on the line but has managed to remain a productive player, especially as a pass rusher.
If Tampa Bay was better at putting talent around him, his impact would be even greater if he had a chance to exploit not being double and triple teamed every play.
Next: 9. Aqib Talib
Jordy Nelson would have ranked a few spots higher on this list if not for a torn ACL that cost him the entire 2015 season with the Green Bay Packers. Those were the first games the Pro Bowler has missed since the 2012 season.
When healthy, the former second round pick out of Kansas State has been one of the best receivers in the NFL and Aaron Rodgers’ go-to receiver. One of the best deep threats in the NFL, Nelson averages 15.3 yards per reception for his career, including a career-best 18.6 in 2011.
Nelson was coming into his own in the last three years and was poised to top the 100-reception mark for the first time in his career if not for the injury last year.
Nelson had 85 receptions for 1,314 yards and eight scores in 2013 and 2014 saw him put up a career-high 98 receptions for 1,519 yards. His 13 touchdowns were two off his career-high of 15 set in 2011.
I expect a fully healthy Nelson will be back to putting up those types of numbers this year as he and Rodgers look to make up for lost time.
Next: 8. Michael Bennett
Michael Bennett is coming off his best season in the NFL after picking up a career-high 10 sacks in 2015 to make his first Pro Bowl team.
The former Texas A&M product really came on in his final season in Tampa Bay in 2012 when he started all 16 games in the season for the first time in his career and made nine sacks. In his previous three years, Bennett had a total of six sacks over his first 34 games played.
He left the Buccaneers to sign with the Seattle Seahawks as a free agent and he’s seen his career take off. Bennett has 25.5 sacks over the last three years in the Emerald City and hasn’t missed one game. During the team’s run to the Super Bowl in 2013, Bennett had 1.5 sacks, three forced fumbles and two fumble recoveries.
During the team’s run to the Super Bowl in 2013, Bennett had 1.5 sacks, three forced fumbles and two fumble recoveries.
Next: 7. Ndamukong Suh
Ndamukong Suh cashed in with the Miami Dolphins in free agency and promptly delivered his worst season since his second season in the NFL in 2011. He still had 60 total tackles, which was the second-best mark of his career and six sacks but didn’t have the same type of impact he had when he was with the Detroit Lions.
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The Lions made Suh the No. 2 pick in the 2011 NFL Draft after the St. Louis Rams took Sam Bradford out of Oklahoma with the top pick but Suh was the far better player. Suh won the Defensive Rookie of the Year after notching a career-high 10 sacks and 48 solo tackles. He also had an interception, forced fumble and returned a fumble for a touchdown.
Suh made the first of his three first-team All-Pro teams as a rookie with the others coming in 2013 and 2014 when he had 14 combined sacks.
He could easily be on top of this list next year or he could go the way of Albert Haynesworth and go in the tank after getting $60 million in guaranteed money as part of his six-year, $114 million deal.
Next: 6. Chris Harris Jr.
Chris Harris Jr. is one of the most underrated players in the entire NFL. He came to the league as an undrafted free agent out of Kansas despite finishing his career with the Jayhawks second on the team’s all-time tackles list.
He cracked the starting lineup with the Denver Broncos after Champ Bailey was injured and never looked back. He made 75 total tackles, six passes defended and intercepted Carson Palmer for his first career pick.
Harris has made 59 starts in the four years since his rookie year with 11 interceptions to assert himself as one of the best corners in the league. No one could have seen this coming when he was at Kansas but he represents one of the best success stories in the NFL.
He made the Pro Bowl in 2014 after starting 16 games for the first time in his career and had a career-high 18 passes defended as teams tested him with Aqib Talib on the other side. Harris was even better in 2015 and teams stopped challenging him as often and he made the Pro Bowl a second time and helped the Broncos win the Super Bowl.
Next: 5. Earl Thomas
Earl Thomas had a bit of a down year by his standards last year but still managed to make the Pro Bowl for the fifth year in a row. The former No. 14 pick in the 2010 NFL Draft out of Texas by the Seattle Seahawks, has started all 96 of his 96 games and is the key to the team’s Legion of Boom secondary.
Thomas should be a candidate to win Defensive Player of the Year while he’s in the prime of his career, although that’s a tough award to win as a free safety. Thomas has 21 career interceptions, including three seasons with five picks. He had five interceptions last year after only picking off one pass in the 2014 season but his tackle numbers dropped off significantly.
Thomas had 88 solo tackles in 2014 and 78 in 2013 when he made his second and third first-team All-Pro team but saw his solo numbers drop to 42 last year. His combined tackle numbers went from 122 to 61.
Those numbers can be attributed to the players in front of Thomas, like Bobby Wagner picking up the tackle production and Thomas rather than his play dropping off as significantly as the numbers may suggest.
Next: 4. Derrick Johnson
Derrick Johnson was a good player for the Kansas City Chiefs for the first five years of his career since they took the Texas Longhorns middle linebacker with the No. 15 pick in the 2005 NFL Draft. But in the last five seasons, he’s taken his game to another level and been one of the best linebackers in the NFL.
Johnson is perfectly suited to play the inside linebacker position in the 3-4 and he’s shown the ability to play the pass with 43 passes defended and six interceptions in his last five seasons. and he’s shown the ability to rush the passer with 13.5 sacks, including 8.5 over his last two seasons.
Further, he’s been the steadying force for one of the best defenses in the NFL over the last few years. The Chiefs have studs in the secondary with Eric Berry and Marcus Peters and on the edge with Justin Houston and Tamba Hali and nose tackle Dontari Poe is a beast. However, without Johnson to be the glue to hold it all together, the overall team success wouldn’t be where it is.
Next: 3. Trent Williams
Trent Williams is the second Oklahoma offensive tackle to be taken with the No. 4 overall pick to be included on this list, joining Lane Johnson.
Unlike the defenders and offensive specialists mentioned before on this list, there are no statistics to back up the case for the left tackle for the Washington Redskins to be on this list.
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But I will mention Williams has made the Pro Bowl four years in a row and was a second-team All-Pro by the Associated Press last year. He also was a second-team All-Pro in 2013 according to Pro Football Focus.
The less you hear about an offensive tackle, the better, because that means they aren’t giving up sacks, committing holding penalties or getting blown up in the run game. And chances are you’ve heard little about Williams because he is the complete package as a left tackle. He is a skilled pass protector as he is a rugged run blocker.
His 2015 season was the best of his career and it helped Kirk Cousins transition to the starting lineup as a full-time starter for the first time in his career and all he did was lead the NFL in completion percentage. Because of the time Williams gives him and the clean pocket he has to maneuver, Cousins reaped the benefits.
Next: 2. Adrian Peterson
Adrian Peterson is a no-brainer first-ballot Hall of Famer five years after he decides to call it a career and retire from the NFL. When that time comes, he may be the NFL’s all-time rushing champion too.
The former Oklahoma standout who finished as the Heisman runner-up as a freshman with the Sooners was the No. 7 pick by the Minnesota Vikings in the 2006 NFL Draft and won the Offensive Rookie of the Year Award after running for 1,341 yards and 12 touchdowns.
Peterson has led the NFL in rushing yards three times, including in 2012 when he was the NFL MVP after rushing for 2,097 yards and finished just shy of setting the single-season mark for yards. He has the single-game rushing record with 296 yards set in 2007. He’s also led the league in yards per game three times and had the most touchdowns twice, including a career-high 18 in 2008.
He is a seven-time Pro Bowler and four-time first-team All-Pro.
His 97.3 rushing yards per game for his career is the fourth best in NFL history, behind Jim Brown, Barry Sanders and Terrell Davis. His 97 career rushing touchdowns rank tenth.
Next: 1. Von Miller
Von Miller is coming off a dominant postseason that saw him five sacks, two forced fumbles and one interception en route to winning the Super Bowl MVP.
He had 2.5 sacks against Tom Brady and the New England Patriots in the AFC Championship Game and an interception then had 2.5 more sacks and the game-clinching forced fumble against league MVP Cam Newton and the Carolina Panthers in the Super Bowl.
The No. 2 pick out of Texas A&M in the loaded 2011 NFL Draft, one pick behind Newton, Miller has established himself as one of the best pass rushers in the NFL.
He had 11.5 to win Defensive Rookie of the Year and backed that up with a career-high 18.5 the following year to earn first-team All-Pro honors. A suspension cost him in 2013 when he was only able to play in nine games when he had a career-low five sacks, but he had 14 in 2014 to return to the Pro Bowl.
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Miller is coming off an 11-sack regular season last year, but I think he was every bit as dominant and disruptive as he was during his 18.5 sack season. His dip move off the edge is one of the best moves in the game and could challenge Derrick Thomas’ single-game sack record of seven.
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