The NFL Network completed its countdown of the league’s 100 best players, as voted by the players themselves.
Ohio State was among the university leaders with six of the 100 best elections. That group included:
New Orleans Saints wide receiver Michael Thomas in the N. ° 5;
Defensive end of the San Francisco 49ers Nick Bosa classified No. 17;
Dallas Cowboys running Ezekiel Elliott in the N. 24;
Los Angeles Chargers defensive end Joey Bosa at number 34;
New Orleans Saints cornerback Marshon Lattimore at number 76; and
Pittsburgh Steelers defensive lineman Cameron heyward it is ranked 84.
(Click here to see our story about Thomas, here to see our story about Elliott, here to see our story about the Bosa brothers, and here to see our story about Lattimore and Heyward.)
The total of Ohio’s six best 100 elections was tied for second on the list. Alabama had the most of the top 100 picks with seven on the list. That group was chaired by RB Derrick Henry (10th place), WR Julio Jones (11) and CB Minkah Fitzpatrick (35).
LSU was tied with Ohio State for the second with six teams, including safety. Jamal Adams (27), security Tyrann Mathieu (39) and DE Danielle Hunter (40).
Mississippi State and Notre Dame had five picks in the top 100. Texas A&M and Wisconsin each had four. Rounding out the top 10 producers were Clemson, Penn State, Stanford and California with three selections each.
As for conference-by-conference elections, the SEC had the most selections with 30. The Big Ten was next with 21, followed by the Pac-12 with 13, the ACC with 11, and the Big 12 with five. Outside of the Power Five, the rest of the taxpayers were: Independent, six (including five from Notre Dame); Mountain West, four; the FCS classifies, three; American and MAC, two each; USA Conference, Sun Belt and Division II class, one each.
Here are the NFL 100 picks from Big Ten schools in addition to the state of Ohio:
* Wisconsin (4) – QB Russell Wilson (second place), DL TJ Watt (25º), DL JJ Watt (45º), OL Ryan Ramczyk (82).
* Penn Status (3) – RB Barkley Saquon (31), WR Chris Godwin (38), WR Allen robinson (93)
* Michigan (2) – QB Tom brady (14), DL Frank Clark (95)
* Iowa (1) – TEA George Kittle (seventh)
* Purdue (1) – QB Drew Brees (12)
* Maryland (1) – WR Stefon Diggs (54)
* State of Michigan (1) – QB Kirk cousins (58)
* Rutgers (1) – CB Logan Ryan (60)
* Nebraska (1) – LB Lavonte David (100)
Brady left Michigan after the 1999 season. Clark left Michigan after the 2014 season. For Clark, being the only Michigan player for the past two decades on the NFL’s Top 100 list could help explain how that show is doing. now in a record 15-year drought from school by winning a Big Ten championship.
The top ten largest schools without a current player in the top 100 in the NFL include Indiana, Northwestern, Illinois and Minnesota.
As a separate comment, the four players who voted ahead of Thomas on the OSU list were:
1. Baltimore Ravens QB Lamar Jackson, a Louisville product;
2. Seattle Seahawks QB Russell Wilson, who played for NC State and Wisconsin;
3. Los Angeles Rams DE Aaron Donald, who played college ball in Pittsburgh; and
4. Kansas City QB boss Patrick Mahomes, who played for Texas Tech.
The Baltimore Ravens and New Orleans Saints have the most players on the list with seven each.
Relive the excitement of the 2014 OSU National Championship. Click here for more information.
We know that Ohio State fans are watching the AFC North Division closely. In addition to the Ravens, the Cleveland Browns had four picks, the Steelers had three picks, and the Cincinnati Bengals were excluded. Maybe that will change next year after the 2020 NFL No. 1 draft pick. Joe Burrow plays his rookie season with the Bengals.
Browns elections were RB Nick Chubb (36), WR Odell Beckham Jr. (59), WR Jarvis Landry (61) and DE Myles Garrett (80). The Steelers’ picks were TJ Watt (25th), Fitzpatrick (35th), and Heyward (84th).
