The 5 Best Auburn NFL Players of All Time

Bo Jackson's Auburn football career paired a celebrated final-season peak with sustained rushing efficiency. He won the 1985 Heisman Trophy after running for 1,786 yards and averaged more than six yards per carry across his college career. The running back also competed in baseball and track, adding a multisport dimension to his time at Auburn without diminishing the football accomplishments at the heart of his résumé.

The Heisman season gives Jackson a clear signature achievement, but the career rushing average is important to his ranking as well. It supports a case based on productive running beyond one exceptional year. His other sports help explain the breadth of his Auburn legacy; the rushing output and national recognition provide the strongest football-specific reasons for his place.

Cam Newton compressed his Auburn legacy into one extraordinary season. In 2010, the quarterback threw for 2,854 yards, rushed for 1,473 and accounted for 51 touchdowns. He won the Heisman Trophy and helped deliver a national championship, joining major individual production with the team's ultimate achievement. Passing and rushing were both substantial parts of his contribution, not separate descriptions of a one-dimensional season.

Newton's ranking is an argument for peak impact rather than longevity at Auburn. His passing established one major source of offense, while his rushing added another from the same position. The touchdown production connects those roles to scoring, and the championship gives that output team significance. Few elements of his case depend on what happened before or after his Auburn season.

Tracy Rocker supplied Auburn with sustained production from defensive tackle and capped his college career with major national recognition. In 1988, he won both the Outland Trophy and Lombardi Award. His career totals included 354 tackles and 48 tackles for loss, combining a large volume of defensive involvement with repeated stops behind the line of scrimmage.

Those accomplishments make his ranking more than a tribute to an award-winning finish. The career tackling totals establish a broader body of work, and the losses show how often that work disrupted an offense before it could gain ground. His senior-season honors provide the peak; his accumulated production provides the staying power. Together, they give Auburn's interior defensive line a substantial presence in this group.

Pat Sullivan gave Auburn a decorated quarterback career built over three seasons, accounting for 71 touchdowns and winning the 1971 Heisman Trophy. His partnership with receiver Terry Beasley was a central feature of that career. In an era when passing occupied a smaller place in college offenses, Sullivan's production made the quarterback-receiver connection an especially important part of Auburn's identity.

His place in the ranking draws strength from the relationship between a sustained scoring record and a nationally recognized peak. The Heisman marks the standout season, but his touchdown total reflects work across his college tenure. Beasley's role also gives the story a concrete football partnership rather than an isolated individual achievement. Sullivan's Auburn contribution stands on both production and the recognition that followed it.

Carnell Williams built a substantial Auburn rushing résumé while sharing the backfield with Ronnie Brown. Known as Cadillac, Williams finished with 3,831 rushing yards and 45 touchdowns. He also helped power Auburn's undefeated 2004 team, giving his career a major team achievement alongside the accumulated production. His smooth acceleration and balance were notable features of the running style behind those totals.

Williams belongs in this discussion because his case combines career substance with a memorable finish. Sharing carries did not prevent him from compiling significant yardage and scoring production, and the undefeated season adds context to those accomplishments. His ranking is not dependent on one isolated performance or a single individual honor. Instead, it rests on a productive Auburn career that contributed to an unbeaten team.