Big 12 Football: 50 best players of all-time
By Randy Gurzi
Jayhawks . Aqib Talib. 46. player. 821. . CB
Big 12 Football best players of all-time: 46. Aqib Talib, DB, Kansas State football
When most of us think of Aqib Talib now, we think of a savvy veteran who had an incredibly long NFL career. Talib was with the Tampa Bay Buccaneers from 2008 through 2012 before joining the New England Patriots. After a couple of seasons there, he went to the Denver Broncos for four seasons before joining the Los Angeles Rams in 2018.
Talib was traded in 2019 to the Miami Dolphins but never actually suited up for them before retiring. During his playing career, he won a Super Bowl with the Broncos and appeared in the big game for the Rams as well. However, before becoming an NFL star, he was a monster for the Kansas Jayhawks.
A shutdown corner, Talib had 162 tackles with 13 picks — two of which were returned for touchdowns. He wasn’t just a big body that could pick off passes either as Talib was a freak athlete for Kansas. He was so good that they even put him in the game as a wide receiver at times.
He finished his offensive career with nine catches for 224 yards (an average of just under 25 yards per reception) and had five touchdowns. Talib stood out for the Jayhawks and when the Bucs took him at No. 20 in the 2000 NFL Draft, he was the first player from Kansas to go in the opening round since Dana Stubblefield back in 1993. He had quite the career which included two First-Team All-Big 12 nods and an All-American season in 2007.