The 5 Best Mississippi State NFL Players of All Time

Dak Prescott led Mississippi State to a number-one ranking in 2014 and remained a Heisman contender for much of that season. His quarterback play combined record-setting passing with a powerful rushing contribution near the goal line. He established dozens of school records in passing and total offense, giving his college résumé a broad statistical foundation beyond the attention surrounding that highly ranked team.

Prescott's place in this ranking rests on both program achievement and accumulated production. The team's national standing supplies the defining season, while the school records show a contribution larger than one stretch of prominence. His rushing belongs alongside his passing in assessing that impact. A fourth-round draft selection was the next step, not the measure of what he had accomplished at Mississippi State.

Johnthan Banks earned the Jim Thorpe Award in 2012 as the nation's best defensive back, giving Mississippi State a nationally distinguished cornerback. His length, physical play, and ball skills were central to his college reputation. He tied the school record for career interceptions and was a unanimous All-SEC selection, combining a significant career benchmark with recognition at both the conference and national levels.

Banks offers a particularly balanced ranking case because his signature award is supported by accumulated production. The interception record gives concrete backing to his reputation for playing the ball, while the conference honor reinforces the quality of his peak. His second-round selection in the 2013 draft followed a Mississippi State career that already had clear reasons to stand out.

Fletcher Cox made his mark at Mississippi State as a defensive tackle whose quickness and power produced regular disruption in the backfield. He earned first-team All-SEC honors in 2011, providing a clear conference-level distinction for his interior line play. His college career led to a selection among the top 12 picks in the 2012 draft, before his later success as an NFL interior pass rusher.

The Mississippi State argument begins with his disruptive role and the recognition it earned, rather than projecting his professional accomplishments backward. His conference honor identifies the clearest peak in that college résumé. Cox belongs in the discussion because he supplied impact from the defensive interior, adding a different form of production to a list that also includes more readily quantified offensive achievements.

Jeffery Simmons established himself at Mississippi State as a force in the middle of the defensive line. At defensive tackle, he combined the quickness to pursue running plays with the strength to handle double teams. Those complementary qualities defined his college contribution. A torn ACL before the draft did not prevent him from becoming a first-round selection, and he later earned Pro Bowl recognition.

His place in this ranking is best explained through the scope of that interior role. Pursuit and strength against multiple blockers describe different demands, making his contribution broader than one isolated trait. The college argument rests on his effectiveness in the middle rather than on an unspecified statistical total. His professional recognition remains secondary to the player he had become at Mississippi State.

Anthony Dixon left Mississippi State as its career rushing leader after four seasons as the focal point of the offense. He was a big, physical running back whose style put pressure on defenders, with particular value near the goal line. His record-setting college career preceded his selection by the 49ers in the sixth round of the 2010 draft.

Dixon's ranking case is built primarily on sustained contribution rather than a single decorated season. Being the offensive focal point across that span gives context to the career record: it reflects a lengthy body of rushing work. His goal-line effectiveness adds a specific dimension to that legacy. For Mississippi State, the lasting argument is his accumulated production and central offensive role, not his eventual draft position.