Top 12 NFL Alumni
Teams - 2008
What
would happen if you created an All-Alumni starting lineup of current
players NFL players? Which schools would be able to put together the
best teams? In a recent ASK CFN, a reader basically asked that question
and it sparked a ton of debate with as much response as the article has
ever received.
Do you go with the teams that have the best skill players, or the ones
that can field the best overall lineups? Which schools are shockingly
average at cranking out current pro stars? It’s an interesting exercise.
Remember, these are current players, or players that are still close to
playing, with the occasional current college stars thrown in to to fill
out a starting lineup. A * is next to the names of the incoming rookies,
and a ** is next to the names of the players coming back to school next
year. Also to note, the idea is to find the best players for the lines
and the secondaries; they might not always fit with four safeties or
five tackles if needed.
Since the NFL has 12 playoff teams, here are the top All-Alumni squads,
and the one that just missed.
Just Missing Out …
Oklahoma
Somewhat surprisingly considering the number of Sooners drafted in
recent years, and for all the speed and athleticism Bob Stoops is able
to bring in, it’s almost impossible to field a full squad. The lines are
shockingly soft needing two starters from the upcoming 2008 OU team
along with much-troubled DeMarcus Granger for the D line. The back
seven, again, considering all the college all-stars over the years,
stinks. No pro quarterback option and little defensive star power
outside of Tommie Harris and Roy Williams means a near miss.
QB – Sam Bradford**
RB – Allen Patrick*
RB - Adrian Peterson
WR - Mark Clayton
WR – Malcolm Kelly*
TE – Joe Jon Finley**
OL - Jammal Brown
OL - Chris Chester
OL - Davin Joseph
OL – Phil Loadholt**
OL – Duke Robinson**
DL - Dusty Dvoracek
DL – DeMarcus Granger**
DL – Tommie Harris
DL - Jimmy Wilkerson
LB - Clint Ingram
LB - Teddy Lehman
LB – Curtis Lofton*
DB - Brodney Pool
DB – Reggie Smith*
DB – Roy Williams
DB – D.J. Wolfe**
12. Penn State
The Nittany Lions can put together a nice team of average, serviceable
pro starters, with a big, glaring exception on the offensive line. Levi
Brown and Kareem McKenzie are nice pieces to start with, but there’s
almost nothing else. Desperate for help on the defensive front, LaVar
Arrington is being called back into action, but Courtney Brown or junior
Maurice Evans could take a spot. Having Derrick Williams as a
receiver/kick returner helps, and Bryant Johnson is a decent third
target to bring off the bench.
QB – Kerry Collins
RB – Tony Hunt
RB - Larry Johnson
WR – Bobby Engram
WR – Joe Jurevicious
TE – Kyle Brady
OL – Levi Brown
OL - Kareem McKenzie
OL – Rich Ohrnberger**
OL – Tyler Reed
OL – A.Q. Shipley**
DL – Anthony Adams
DL – Tamba Hali
DL – Jimmy Kennedy
DL/LB – LaVar Arrington
LB – Dan Connor*
LB – Paul Posluszny
LB – Sean Lee**
DB – Justin King*
DB – Calvin Lowry
DB – Bryan Scott
DB -
Alan Zemaitis
11. Auburn
Offensively, the Tigers could hang with just about anyone. Forget about
the tight end; three running backs would find a spot in the rotation,
with FB Heath Evans leading the way from time to time and serving as a
tight end when needed. If Carnell Williams (doubtful) and Kenny Irons
(definite) can come back healthy, there’s even more help for the running
game. The O line is one of the best of the bunch. Defensively, Auburn
always relied on speed over size, and that’ll be a must up front. The
problem is the lack of proven NFL players on the line (no, Stanley
McClover doesn’t really count), and in the secondary around Carlos
Rogers,
QB – Jason Campbell
RB – Ronnie Brown
RB – Brandon Jacobs
RB – Rudi Johnson
WR - Ben Obomanu
WR – Courtney Taylor
OL - Willie Anderson
OL - Ben Grubbs
OL - Marcus McNeill
OL – Mike Pucillo
OL - Kendall Simmons
DL – Quentin Groves*
DL – Sen’Derrick Marks**
DL – Pat Sims*
LB - Karlos Dansby
LB - Reggie Torbor
LB - Takeo Spikes
L B - Dontarrious Thomas
LB - Marcus Washington
LB/DB – Will Herring
DB – David Irons
DB – Carlos Rogers
10. Florida
Average all across the board, the big issue is on the offensive line
where tight end Aaron Walker has to use his 270 pounds as a light
tackle. For being known as a high-octane passing program over the years,
the Gator receivers have always stunk … Jabar Gaffney and a
no-gas-in-the-tank Darrell Jackson is the best they can do? The defense
is just good enough to get by.
QB – Rex Grossman
RB – Fred Taylor
RB – DeShawn Wynn
WR – Jabar Gaffney
WR – Darrell Jackson
TE - Ben Troupe
OL - Cooper Carlisle
OL - Aaron Walker/TE (6-6 270)
OL – Zach Piller
OL – Max Starks
OL - Kenyatta Walker
DL – Alex Brown
DL – Jevon Kearse
DL - Bobby McCray
DL – Jarvis Moss
LB – Channing Crowder
LB – Andra Davis
LB – Mike Peterson
DB - Reynaldo Hill
DB - Marquand Manuel
DB – Reggie Nelson
DB - Lito Sheppard
9. Florida State
The offensive line makes everything else better. Chris Weinke at least
has experience while the tandem of Lorenzo Booker and Leon Washington
provide some speed. There’s no tight end, so the Noles have to go three
wide; that’s not a negative. Considering Brodrick Bunkley has, shall we
say, not quite played up to expectations for Philadelphia, the D will go
to a 3-4 and used a few hybrid players in a variety of roles. The
secondary is solid. Sebastian Janikowski is a weapon who helped the
overall ranking.
QB – Chris Weinke
RB - Lorenzo Booker
RB - Leon Washington
WR - Anquan Boldin
WR - Laveraneues Coles
WR – Javon Walker
OL - Alex Barron
OL - Milford Brown
OL – Walter Jones
OL - Montrae Holland
OL - Ray Willis
DL – Peter Boulware
DL - Darnell Dockett
DL - Travis Johnson
LB - Lawrence Timmons
LB – Derrick Brooks
LB - Ernie Sims
LB - Kamerion Wimbley
DB - Antonio Cromartie
DB - Bryant McFadden
DB - Samari Rolle
DB - Pat Watkins
8.
Georgia
Quarterback is the huge problem needing D.J. Shockley to be healthy and
effective. Next year, Matthew Stafford might be the choice. The Dawgs
would use plenty of two tight end sets with Randy McMichael and Leonard
Pope seeing plenty of time along side Ben Watson, and the O line would
be solid with Adam Meadows able to come off the bench. The defense has
the potential to be among the best if David Pollack can come back
healthy and if Odell Thurman can get past his legal issues. Kendrell
Bell could fill in at linebacker and Jermaine Phillips could step in the
secondary.
QB – D.J. Shockley
RB – Knowshon Moreno**
RB – Musa Smith
WR – Reggie Brown
WR – Hines Ward
TE – Ben Watson
OL – Max Jean-Gilles
OL – Jonas Jennings
OL – Jon Stinchcomb
OL – George Foster
OL – Kevin Breedlove
DL – Robert Geathers
DL – Charles Grant
DL – Richard Seymour
DL – Marcus Stroud
LB – Boss Bailey
LB – Odell Thurman
LB – Will Witherspoon
DB – Champ Bailey
DB - Thomas Davis
DB – Sean Jones
DB – Tim Jennings
7.
Texas
Creativity is a must on a defense with only one viable linebacker.
Occasionally there will be a hybrid of linemen and linebackers with Tim
Crowder and Brian Robinson seeing time, and other times the D would have
to take its chances with six defensive backs. Offensively, the skill
players, at an NFL level, aren’t nearly as good as they look on paper,
but Selvin Young and Ricky Williams could step in and help the
backfield. The O line is a huge help, and there would be several two and
three tight end sets with David Thomas and current Longhorn Jermichael
Finley worthy of playing time.
QB – Vince Young
RB – Cedric Benson
RB – Jamaal Charles*
WR – Limas Sweed*
WR – Roy Williams
TE – Bo Sciafe
OL - Justin Blalock
OL – Leonard Davis
OL – Derrick Dockery
OL - Jonathan Scott
OL - Kasey Studdard
DL – Casey Hampton
DL – Cory Redding
DL – Shaun Rogers
DL – Rod Wright
LB – Derrick Johnson
DB - Cedric Griffin
DB – Michael Griffin
DB – Michael Huff
DB – Quentin Jammer
DB – Aaron Ross
DB – Nathan Vasher
6. LSU
Move the Tigers up in a big hurry if JaMarcus Russell can actually play.
Going three-wide is an option with Eddie Kennison, Craig Davis, Michael
Clayton and Early Doucet able to come in, but this would be a running
team with Joseph Addai working behind a big, talented line that’ll only
get better in the next few years when Herman Johnson and Ciron Black get
to the next level. The defensive line has the potential to be special,
especially with Kyle Williams, Mel Oliver and Tyson Jackson providing
depth. The linebacking corps is fine, and the secondary it excellent
with Mark Roman, Ryan Clark and Ronnie Prude are good backups. Again,
it’s all up to Russell. If he’s fantastic, this is one of the best
teams.
QB – JaMarcus Russell
RB - Joseph Addai
RB - Kevin Faulk
WR – Dwayne Bowe
WR – Devery Henderson
TE – Robert Royal
OL – Alan Faneca
OL – Kevin Mawae
OL –Todd McClure
OL – Andrew Whitworth
OL – Ben Wilkerson
DL
– Jarvis Green
DL – Glenn Dorsey*
DL – Anthony McFarland
DL – Marcus Spears
LB – Eric Alexander
LB – Bradie James
LB – Ali Highsmith*
DB – Travis Daniels
DB – LaRon Landry
DB – Randall Gay
DB - Corey Webster
5.
USC
The Trojans would put together a nice team, but not the dominant one you
might expect. Having Carson Palmer leading the attack makes a huge
difference, but his receivers, at an NFL level, stink, and his line is
merely average. On the plus side, having Matt Leinart and Justin Fargas
coming off the bench is a huge help. The defense is deep with Shaun Cody
and Lawrence Jackson able to help on the line, Keith Rivers and current
Trojan Brian Cushing as linebacker reserves, but Terrell Thomas is the
one true corner option for the secondary.
QB – Carson Palmer
RB – Reggie Bush
RB – LenDale White
WR – Keary Colbert
WR – Steve Smith
TE – Fred Davis*
OL – Sam Baker*
OL – Winston Justice
OL – Ryan Kalil
OL – Deuce Lutui
OL – Fred Matua
DL – Sedrick
Ellis*
DL –
Kenechi Udeze
DL – Mike Patterson
DL – Frostee Rucker
LB – Lofa Tatupu
LB – Junior Seau
LB – Rey Maualuga**
DB – Darnell Bing
DB – Troy Polamalu
DB – Will Poole
DB- Taylor Mays**
4. Ohio State
The defense is one of the best of the bunch, but the offense has to rely
on Troy Smith. Everything else is in place from a good, deep O line to a
phenomenal receiving corps that boasts Terry Glenn, Michael Jenkins,
Anthony Gonzalez and Ted Ginn in the rotation. The defensive line is
also loaded with Darrion Scott, Kenny Peterson and Vernon Gholston on
the bench. The linebacking corps can rotate in Bobby Carpenter, Anthony
Schlegel and Matt Wilhelm, while the secondary is phenomenal with Mike
Doss, Will Allen, Donte Whitner, Ashton Youboty and Malcolm Jenkins to
choose from.
QB – Troy Smith
RB – Antonio Pittman
RB – Beanie Wells**
WR – Joey Galloway
WR – Santonio Holmes
TE – Ben Hartsock
OL – LeCharles Bentley
OL – Adrien Clarke
OL – Nick Mangold
OL – Orlando Pace
OL – Rob Sims
DL – Will Allen
DL – Quinn Pitcock
DL – Ryan Pickett
DL – Will Smith
LB – Nial Diggs
LB – A.J. Hawk
LB – James Laurinaitis**
DB – Nate Clements
DB- Chris Gamble
DB – Shawn Springs
DB – Antoine Winfield
3.
Tennessee
Having Peyton Manning makes up for a lot of other issues, particularly
on the offensive line where Cosey Coleman has to make an appearance to
round out the starting five. Travis Henry and Jamal Lewis are excellent,
but surprisingly, considering the history of Tennessee receivers, Robert
Meachem and Donte Stallworth form a weak tandem. Jason Witten helps make
up for it. The defensive line is devastating, and it has to be with a
relatively light back seven.
QB – Peyton Manning
RB – Travis Henry
RB – Jamal Lewis
WR – Robert Meachem
WR – Donte Stallworth
TE – Jason Witten
OL – Chad Clifton
OL – Cosey Coleman
OL - Arron Sears
OL - Fred Weary
OL – Scott Wells
DL – Shaun Ellis
DL – John Henderson
DL – Parys Haralson
DL – Albert Haynesworth
LB – Kevin Burnett
LB – Omar Gaither
LB – Jerod Mayo*
DB – Jason Allen
DB – Deon Grant
DB – Jonathan Hefney*
DB - Gibril Wilson
2. Michigan
If Jon Jansen is healthy and Jake Long plays up to his potential, the
offensive line, led by Steve Hutchinson, is fantastic. Braylon Edwards
has grown into one of the NFL’s elite talents, the backfield tandem of
Mike Hart and Anthony Thomas, with Chris Perry coming off the bench,
should be fine behind this line, and oh yeah, there’s some guy named
Brady pitching it around to a three-receiver set with Adrian Arrington
coming off the bench. With Alan Branch having a less-than-scintillating
start to his career, the line is average, so the D goes to a 3-4 with
Larry Foote filling in where needed. The secondary is excellent.
QB – Tom Brady
RB – Mike Hart*
RB – Anthony Thomas
WR – Braylon Edwards
WR – Mario Manningham*
WR – Amani Toomer
OL – David Baas
OL – Jeff Backus
OL – Steve Hutchinson
OL – Jon Jansen
OL – Jake Long*
DL – Terrance Taylor**
DL - LaMarr Woodley
DL – Gabe Watson
LB - Ian Gold
LB - Cato June
LB - David Harris
LB - Victor Hobson
DB – Leon Hall
DB - Marlin Jackson
DB - Ty Law
DB – Charles Woodson
1. Miami
Amazingly, considering the school, the quarterback is the glaring weak
link. The three-headed combo of Vinny Testaverde, Brock Berlin and Ken
Dorsey is a problem compared to other teams with Peyton Manning, Tom
Brady and Carson Palmer, but the rest of the team should be able to pick
up the slack. The starting running backs are debatable with Frank Gore
and Willis McGahee in the mix, along with Najeh Davenport as a fullback.
The tight ends are devastating with Jeremy Shockey, Bubba Franks and
Greg Olsen able to rotate in with Kellen Winslow. Warren Sapp is being
forced to return to the D line, but it’s not like there aren’t bodies
for the front three with Damione Lewis, Kenard Lang, Santonio Thomas,
William Joseph, Orien Harris and Calais Campbell providing the depth.
Still not convinced Miami is No. 1?
Look at the defensive back seven. Dan Morgan, Nate Webster, Leon
Williams and Rocky McIntosh can’t crack the top four, while Kenny
Phillips and Kelly Jennings are backups in the secondary. Oh yeah, and
Devin Hester is returning kicks.
QB – Vinny Testaverde
RB – Edgerrin James
RB – Clinton Portis
WR – Andre Johnson
WR – Reggie Wayne
TE – Kellen Winslow
OL – Rashad Butler
OL – Bryant McKinnie
OL – Chris Myers
OL – Brett Romberg
OL – Eric Winston
DL – Jerome McDougle
DL – Warren Sapp
DL – Vince Wilfork
LB – Jon Beason
LB – Ray Lewis
LB – Jonathan Vilma
LB – D.J. Williams
DB - Philip Buchanon
DB – Brandon Meriweather
DB – Ed Reed
DB – Antrel Rolle
KR – Devin Hester