Which College Has Been The Best At Producing Detroit Lions?
This is the 12th article in a 12-part series that will examine which colleges have been the best at producing Detroit Lions in the 21st century. Today will be a ranking of all of the colleges covered in the series.
11: Oklahoma
Grade: F
Players:
Ryan Broyles
Ronnell Lewis
Travis Lewis
None of these players had any major impact and are all out of the NFL now. This is easily the most disappointing college because none of the players ever did anything notable in the NFL.
10: Alabama
Grade: D
Players:
Ramzee Robinson
Michael Williams
Cyrus Kouandjio
A’Shawn Robinson
None of these players have had good NFL careers, but unlike Oklahoma, Robinson and Kouandjio both have a shot to earn starting positions and prove themselves this year.
9: Auburn
Grade: C-
Players:
Gabe Wright
Greg Robinson
Nick Fairley
Gabe Wright and Greg Robinson were both complete busts. Nick Fairley was an ok player, but left the Lions after just four years.
8: Illinois
Grade: C
Players:
Mikel Leshoure
Tavon Wilson
Akeem Spence
None of these players have had very good NFL careers, but all of them have played average at their peaks. Leshoure is out of the NFL now, but Spence and Wilson both have a chance to prove themselves for the Lions in 2017.
7: Michigan
Grade: C+
Players:
Jake Rudock
Graham Glasgow
Jeff Backus
Jake Rudock is a promising backup quarterback. Glasgow looked surprisingly decent as a guard in his rookie season last year, and Jeff Backus was the Lions left tackle for more than a decade, missing only one game in his entire career.
6: California
Grade: C+
Players:
Jahvid Best
Zack Follett
Marvin Jones
Jahvid Best and Zack Follett were both guys with very high potential who saw their careers ended early with injuries. The jury is still out on Marvin Jones, he will start for the Lions this year and hopefully establish himself as a number one receiver.
5: Georgia
Grade: B-
Players:
Kris Durham
Cornelius Washington
Matthew Stafford
Kris Durham and Cornelius Washington have not done anything of note in the NFL, but Matthew Stafford is so important that he drags Georgia up several spots in the rankings. Just like he dragged the Lions to an NFL record eight comeback wins last year and a playoff berth.
4: Arkansas
Grade: B-
Jeremiah Ledbetter
Travis Swanson
Chris Houston
Travis Swanson just finished his third season in the NFL, and was very good in it. Chris Houston’s career is over, but he had a few above average years for the Lions. Jeremiah Ledbetter is a rookie this season.
3: Wisconsin
Grade: B+
Players:
Jared Abbrederis
Rick Wagner
DeAndre Levy
Abbrederis has not proven anything in his career, and is competing to make the Lions roster this year. Wagner just signed with the Lions and is one of the best right tackles in the NFL. There was a time when Levy was arguably the best linebacker in the NFL.
2: Notre Dame
Grade: B+
Players:
TJ Jones
Theo Riddick
Golden Tate
TJ Jones has made a few big catches in his NFL career, but not much else. Theo Riddick had developed into one of the top pass catching backs in the NFL and Golden Tate has caught more than 90 passes in three consecutive seasons.
1: Nebraska
Grade: A-
Players:
Lydon Murtha
Ameer Abdullah
Cory Schlesinger
Kyle Vanden Bosch
Dominic Raiola
Ndamukong Suh
Suh, Raiola, and Schlesinger all had great Lions careers and belong in the ring of honor. Vanden Bosch was good for the Lions. Abdullah still has a chance to prove himself. Murtha didn’t have much of an NFL career.
Conclusion
Nebraska is the easy choice for the best college at producing Detroit Lions. Not only did they have the most Lions produced, but most of them were great Lions – Schlesinger and Raiola were both with the Lions for over a decade, Vanden Bosch was also a good NFL player for over a decade, and Suh made the all pro team five times in his five years in Detroit. Honorable mentions to Notre Dame, Wisconsin and Arkansa for producing more than one above average Lions player each.
None of the other colleges were able to produce more than one above average player, and many of the couldn’t even produce one.
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