Imagine this: its draft day, fans are screaming in your ears. Mel Kiper Jr. is making an argument about how some player isn't as good as their draft stock says. You have people saying if you mess up, you're out of a job. Oh, and to top it off, your team is on the clock.
With the NFL draft only a few weeks away, teams have begun looking at players and their needs at certain positions. Now, usually if a player is good enough, their talent can take them to the NFL, no problem. But if you break down a bit more, sometimes playing for a certain college may help or hurt their draft stock.
That's just the way the NFL is sometimes, even though a kid may not be the most talented player on the board, the coach at a certain school may basically tell teams to draft the guy just because they played under him. Let's take a look at teams who produce positional player athletes.
QUARTERBACK- USC
Notable Alumni; Carson Palmer, Mark Sanchez, Matt Linert, Matt Barkley, John David Booty Cody Kessler (future).
While Stanford and Georgia could make an argument for this spot, USC produces quarterbacks better then any team in the country. They may not be the best quarterbacks of all time, but they last longer then most other guys in the NFL and are always considered for a starting job. Add on the fact that three of them were taken in the top 10 when drafted and two won the Heisman Trophy. USC is a clear winner.
RUNNING BACK- ALABAMA
Notable Alumni- Shaun Alexander, Trent Richardson, Mark Ingram, Eddie Lacy, TJ Yeldon, Derrick Henry (future).
This may be a bit biased, but c'mon, it's Alabama, they had to make it on here somewhere. Shaun Alexander was the king of running backs and so far, Eddie Lacy has been the only guy in three years who hasn't slipped up. Mark Ingram won a Heisman and Trent Richardson was the most deadly man in the backfield for three years. Scouts believe TJ Yeldon could be a beast after a few years learning the playbook, and Derrick Henry has been the talk of the SECfor two years. Alabama wins this category just barely over California and Miami.
WIDE RECEIVER- MIAMI
Notable Alumni; Andre Johnson, Reggie Wayne, Santana Moss, Micheal Irvin, Phillip Dorsett.
Ohio State is a close second, but when you have three future Hall of Famers on the same team, it's bound to be on the list. Andre Johnson has been one of the NFL top wideouts for over 10 years, while Reggie Wayne has been the face of Indianapolis since Peyton left in 2011. Santana Moss has been consistent for teams since 2001 and Michael Irvin is one of the best wide receivers to ever play the game. Add in Randy Moss who should have ended up at Miami, and there's a reason the Hurricanes nickname is wide receiver U.
TIGHT END- NOTRE DAME
Notable Alumni; Anthony Fasano, John Carlson, Kyle Rudolph, Tyler Effiert, Troy Niklas, Ben Koyack (future).
They might not be the best tight ends in the NFL, but Norte Dame is consistent with sending them to the draft. John Carlson has been in the league since 2008, while Kyle Rudolph has been Minnesota's tight end for four season. Tyler Effiert was a first round draft pick while Troy Niklas had to fight Carlson for playing time in Arizona. Since the early 2000's, Notre Dame has been great developing tight ends for the NFL.
OFFENSIVE LINE- WISCONSIN
Notable Alumni; Joe Thomas, Travis Fredrick, Gabe Carimi, Peter Konz, Kevin Zeitler.
I bet most of you are confused with this one, but honestly, you shouldn't be. Wisconsin has had more offensive linemen produce in the NFL over the last decade than almost any other team. While Michigan is a close second, all five guys are starters on NFL teams. Add in the fact that Joe Thomas, Gabe Carimi and Kevin Zeitler were all first team All-Americans and first round draft picks, it's hard to find much better then a Badger to add to a front line.
DEFENSIVE END- TEXAS
Notable Alumni; Jackson Jeffcoat, Brian Orakpo, Marcus Tubbs, Lamarr Houston.
Overall, the team whose's next has a better defensive front, but Texas can turn defensive ends into NFL studs. Brian Orakpo was granted the nickname "Sackpo" after his 2011 season. Lamarr Houston has been starting to the Chicago Bears since 2012 and Jackson Jeffcoat is working his way into a starting role for Washington Redskins. While most of these guys have transformed into 3-4 outside linebackers, they still can be considered defensive ends since the did combine drills with the line.
DEFENSIVE TACKLE- LSU
Notable Almuni; Glenn Dorsey, Beenie Logan, Micheal Brockers, Marcus Spears, Tyson Jackson.
Texas was pretty close, but LSU has had more guys go in the first round at defensive tackle then almost any other team over the last dozen years. Tyson Jackson was a monster for the Tigers as well was Micheal Brockers, who bent went in the first round. Glenn Dorsey was an All-American and a first rounder as well. Even though Marcus Spears was moved to the offensive side of the ball, he was originally drafted for defense. Something in the Bayou is cooking, and that would be talent in the trenches.
LINEBACKERS- OHIO STATE
Notable Alumni; James Laurinaitis, AJ Hawk, Ryan Shazier, Bobby Carpenter, Chris Speilman.
If the nickname of a college is "Linebacker U," there's a good chance that they will be producing a certain position. While Ohio State may also produce Running Backs, Quarterbacks and Wide Receivers, Linebackers are their subject of expertise. AJ Hawk has had a fantastic 10 year run for the Green Bay Packer,s while Bobby Carpenter was a good weak side backer for the Cowboys several years ago. James Laurinitus has managed the "Mike" backer in St. Louis since 2011 and Ryan Shaizer was great last year for Pittsburgh when he was healthy. While Alabama and USC aren't far behind, the Buckeyes are clear winners here.
CORNERBACKS- ALABAMA
Notable Alumni; Dre Kirpatrick, Dee Milliner, Javier Arenas, Kareem Jackson, Deion Belue.
For defensive backs as a whole, Alabama wouldn't even be a top 3 choice. However if teams are looking at just cornerbacks, up until 2013, Alabama always had a guy in the running for the Jim Thorpe award. Dre Kirpatrick was considered the top cover corner in the 2012 draft, while Milliner was rated one of the best press corners in the last decade. Kareem Jackson has been holding a spot with the Houston Texans since 2010, while Javier Arenas and Deion Belue have played nickel corer for whatever team they were on at the time (as of now; Miami and Atlanta). Three of them were first round picks, while Arenas was an early second. I may be an Alabama fan, but c'mon, Saban used to produce cornerbacks like flowers.
SAFETY- MIAMI
Notable Alumni; Sean Taylor, Antrel Rolle, Kenny Phillips, Brandon Merriweather, Ed Reed, Devin Hester.
The "U" is just too hard to pass up here due to the fact that from 1999-2004, safety was the easiest position to replace. When one guy left, another All-American took their place. Not to mention every guy above was a first round pick (minus Hester since he's just a return man). Also, every player has had an impressive career in the NFL as well as college. Ed Reed is possibly the best strong safety of our generation, while Sean Taylor could have been the greatest to ever play. Face it, Miami back in the day was known for breeding safeties.
KICKER- COLORADO
Notable Alumni; Mason Crosby
Kickers usually aren't even on the football team in college. They usually play soccer and when they can't make it in the European League, they try out for an NFL team. Mason Crosby, however, has been Green Bay's kicker since he left Boulder in 2007. His completion percentage is through the roof at 81%. On top of that, kickers usually are the easiest players to cut, but Crosby has never left Green Bay. Congrats Colorado, you are good a producing something other then stoners.
































