5 Best Nebraska NFL Players
Nebraska won three national titles in the 1990s and built its reputation on offensive line play and option football, but the NFL pipeline out of Lincoln has been wider than that. These five Cornhuskers are ranked on their college careers, including two Heisman winners and one of the most dominant defensive tackle seasons ever recorded. Memorial Stadium's sellout streak is the backdrop for all of it.
1. Ndamukong Suh
Defensive Tackle · 2005 to 2009
Suh's 2009 season is on the short list of the best individual defensive years in college football history. He finished with 85 tackles, 24 tackles for loss, and 12 sacks from the interior, then had 4.5 sacks and 12 tackles against Texas in the Big 12 Championship while playing essentially the entire game in the backfield. He swept the Outland, Lombardi, Nagurski, and Bednarik awards and finished fourth in Heisman voting, the highest ever for a defensive tackle. Detroit took him second overall in 2010.
2. Mike Rozier
Running Back · 1981 to 1983
Rozier won the 1983 Heisman after rushing for 2,148 yards and 29 touchdowns while averaging 7.8 yards a carry for one of the most explosive offenses ever assembled. He was the centerpiece of a Nebraska team that scored 52 points a game and came a two point conversion short of a national title. He had breakaway speed and enough power to finish runs against loaded boxes. He finished his career with more than 4,700 yards.
3. Johnny Rodgers
Wide Receiver and Returner · 1970 to 1972
Rodgers won the 1972 Heisman as the most versatile weapon in the sport, scoring 45 total touchdowns as a receiver, runner, and return man. His 72 yard punt return touchdown in the 1971 Game of the Century against Oklahoma is one of the most famous plays in the history of college football. He averaged more than 15 yards per punt return for his career and never seemed to be caught from behind. He also played on two national championship teams.
4. Will Shields
Offensive Guard · 1989 to 1992
Shields won the Outland Trophy in 1992 as the best interior lineman in the country and was a three year starter on a Nebraska line that regularly cleared the way for 300 yard rushing games. He was technically clean, powerful in the run game, and rarely beaten inside. Kansas City drafted him in the third round in 1993 and he never missed a game across 14 NFL seasons, making 12 Pro Bowls. He is in both the College Football and Pro Football Halls of Fame.
5. Grant Wistrom
Defensive End · 1994 to 1997
Wistrom won the Lombardi Award in 1997 and was a two time All American on Nebraska teams that lost one game across four seasons and won three national titles. He finished with 26.5 career sacks and 58 tackles for loss, playing every snap with an intensity that became the identity of that defense. He also won the Vince Lombardi and Jack Lambert awards and was an academic All American. St. Louis took him sixth overall in 1998.
Tough Calls
Roger Craig, Dave Rimington, Rich Glover, Neil Smith, Ahman Green, and Zach Wiegert all belong in a longer list. Rimington won the Outland Trophy twice and has the nation's best center award named after him, which is a strong argument on its own. This ranking weighted national award sweeps and championship context.
Nebraska by the Numbers
Nebraska has produced three Heisman winners, five national championships, and a long list of Outland Trophy winners, more than almost any other program. The most reliable pipeline has been the offensive line, where the walk on program and strength culture produced NFL starters for decades. Defensive line has been the second strongest, from Rich Glover through Suh.
The Lincoln Development Model
Nebraska built one of the first serious college strength and conditioning programs, and the physical development of players who arrived as unheralded recruits became the program's calling card. Walk ons routinely turned into All Big Eight starters and then NFL players. That culture is why the linemen from Lincoln tended to be ready for pro workloads immediately.
Test Yourself on Nebraska Players
Reading about them is one thing. Naming them on sight is another. CollegeGuessr shows you an NFL player and asks which college he came from. Build a streak, post your score on the Big Board, and see how your football knowledge holds up.