Oklahoma State University Athletics
Up Close: OSU is an NFL Talent Pipeline
May 20, 2010 | Cowboy Football
May 20, 2010
By Stefan Nolet
ESPN.com recently put together a comparison of the best college football programs for producing elite NFL talent from 1979 through 2009 and pitted them against one another in a 16-team bracket challenge.
Oklahoma State was the No. 15 seed in that elite group, while several traditional powers such as Texas, Oklahoma, Alabama, LSU and countless others didn't warrant so much as a mention.
The Cowboys have produced more than 150 NFL players, but OSU made it onto the list by producing two of the NFL's most dominant running backs: Barry Sanders and Thurman Thomas, both of whom are Hall of Famers.
With two NFL most valuable player awards and 15 Pro Bowl appearances between them, Hall of Famers Barry Sanders (1997 NFL MVP with 10 Pro Bowls) and Thurman Thomas (1991 NFL MVP with five Pro Bowls) are the first two Cowboys ESPN cited.
Current Minnesota Vikings defensive tackle Kevin Williams was listed as the third-best pro out of OSU. Former defensive end Leslie O'Neal (six Pro Bowls) was ranked fourth and former linebacker Jason Gildon (three Pro Bowls) rounded out the top five.
Kevin Williams has 327 total tackles in his career, to go along with 48.5 sacks and four interceptions. He has been invited to the Pro Bowl the past five seasons, but was unable to play in the game last year due to injury.
In addition to the five Cowboys ESPN highlighted, San Diego Charger Jamal Williams has been a run stopping force throughout his career and Philadelphia Eagle Juqua Parker has emerged as a solid pass rusher for the Eagles the past four seasons, racking up 24 of his 29 career sacks in that time.
Defensive end Antonio Smith of the Houston Texans has also been playing for a while. He will be entering his seventh season; his second in Houston. Prior to playing for the Texans, Smith played for the Arizona Cardinals. He was a member of the Cardinals team that narrowly lost to the Pittsburgh Steelers in Super Bowl XLIII.
Two former Cowboys are making their presence felt on the Indianapolis Colts. Offensive tackle Charlie Johnson is entering his fifth year of protecting Peyton Manning and has played in two Super Bowls, winning one. Cornerback Jacob Lacey made an instant impact for the Colts last season as a rookie. He racked up 85 tackles and broke up 13 passes, including three interceptions and one returned for a touchdown.
A first-round draft pick and the first tight end selected in the 2009 NFL Draft, Brandon Pettigrew also had an impact last season as rookie for the Detroit Lions. He caught 30 passes for 346 yards and two touchdowns before missing the final five games of the season with a knee injury.
Six other veteran players in the NFL are products of OSU: tight end Billy Bajema of the St. Louis Rams, defensive end Ryan McBean of the Denver Broncos, offensive lineman Corey Hilliard of the Lions, wide receiver D'Juan Woods of the New Orleans Saints, safety Ricky Price of the Kansas City Chiefs and linebacker Donovan Woods of the Dallas Cowboys.
OSU's reputation as an NFL factory continues to grow as four Cowboys were selected in this year's NFL Draft, with two OSU products going in the first round. The Seattle Seahawks selected offensive tackle Russell Okung with the sixth overall pick. Dallas selected wide receiver Dez Bryant in the first round as well.
Cornerback Perrish Cox went in to the Denver Broncos in the fifth round, while the New England Patriots selected quarterback Zac Robinson in the seventh round.
Six more former Cowboys were picked up as undrafted free agents. Running back Keith Toston will be in St. Louis and defensive tackle Swanson Miller was signed by the Cleveland Browns.
The remaining seniors on the offensive line were all signed and will join Okung in the NFL. Tackle Andrew Mitchell is with the Cincinnati Bengals, center Andrew Lewis joined the Chiefs, guard Noah Franklin was signed by the Carolina Panthers and tackle Brady Bond is with the San Diego Chargers.
As of right now, 23 former Cowboys will be entering training camps of NFL teams across the country before the start of the season.
