Top 10 NFL players from LSU
LSU’s football program has an illustrious modern history and the college has provided the NFL with some truly iconic players. The Tigers have won four national championships.
The 2019 season was particularly memorable for the program as they had a 15-0 record. Joe Burrow was the leading star in that team and his brilliance has translated to the NFL as well.
As of the beginning of the 2022 season, there are 62 former Tigers active in the league. Below we will rank the top 10 from that group.
#10 Danielle Hunter, LB | Minnesota Vikings
Danielle Hunter has surpassed all expectations of a third-round pick. In seven seasons in the NFL, he has been voted to the Pro Bowl twice.
Whilst strictly being used as an outside linebacker in 2022, Hunter’s best years came as a defensive end. The Minnesota Vikings enjoyed their primary pass rusher getting a respectable 14.5 sacks in each of his Pro Bowl years.
At 28, he still has a lot of football left in him. Hunter has five sacks and eight quarterback hits in the 2022 NFL season despite having to change his position.
#9 Jarvis Landry, WR | New Orleans Saints
Jarvis Landry has been one of the most productive receivers in the NFL since his arrival in 2014.
The Miami Dolphins watched as the former Tiger surged to the forefront of their offense. In his rookie year, he caught five touchdown passes and registered 758 receiving yards.
From 2015 to 2019, Landry went to five successive Pro Bowls and led the league in receptions in 2017.
A move to Cleveland worked out initially, but he quickly ran out of steam in a team struggling for an identity. New Orleans offered the receiver a clean slate in 2022, although availability has been a problem.
In four appearances, he has managed just 168 yards and no touchdowns. There is, however, confidence that he will regain his swagger, especially if he is reunited with former college teammate Odell Beckham Jr.
Beckham Jr. misses out on this list due to being an injured free-agent at the time of writing.
#8 Jamal Adams, S | Seattle Seahawks
LSU has produced as many gifted defensive players as they have offensive weapons. Jamal Adams is one of the most naturally gifted defenders in the league right now.
Having been drafted by the New York Jets, Adams broke hearts in the Big Apple when he forced a trade. The Seattle Seahawks gave up a mountain of draft capital to sign him, but he hasn’t ever really been the same player.
What reaffirms just how good Adams has been is the fact that he still makes it to #8 on this list. He does better while underperforming than most solid professional safeties who are close to their peak.
Three Pro Bowls in his first four seasons were impressive. Yet, health concerns have limited his progress in Seattle. He has started the 2022 NFL season poorly after suffering a serious injury in the opening game and hasn’t played since.
#7 Clyde Edwards-Helaire, RB | Kansas City Chiefs
Coming out of Louisiana State, Clyde Edwards-Helaire wasn’t a player who was projected to be something special immediately. He has been one of the many beneficiaries of an Andy Reid offense.
Having just snuck into the first round of the draft, the Kansas City Chiefs took Edwards-Helaire on a reach in 2020. He was projected to slip into day two, but the then defending Super Bowl champions knew what he could offer.
A dynamic runner with strength that doesn’t reflect his slender height, Edwards-Helaire has been an instant hit. He has often been used as a key third-down weapon by Patrick Mahomes and has already rushed for 1,613 yards in three seasons with 11 touchdowns.
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#6 Ja’Marr Chase, WR | Cincinnati Bengals
Ja’Marr Chase could feel slighted at not being ranked higher than #6 on this list, but so much talent has emerged from LSU in recent years.
Chase was a college teammate of Joe Burrow in that magical 2019 campaign for the Tigers. He was Burrow’s primary target and the pair were totally in sync on the field.
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So, when Chase declared for the draft a year after his college quarterback, the Cincinnati Bengals jumped at the chance to draft him.
His rookie year was a complete revelation. He won the Offensive Rookie of the Year award, was voted to the Pro Bowl and helped the Bengals to a Super Bowl appearance. Chase caught for 1,455 yards and 13 touchdowns as a rookie.
He has continued to play well in the 2022 NFL season, catching six touchdown passes in seven games.
#5 Tre’Davious White, CB | Buffalo Bills
Tre’Davious White was a vital piece of the Buffalo Bills’ league-leading defense before injuries struck. He is an All-Pro cornerback who knows exactly how to defend the ball.
His best year came in 2019 when he led the league in interceptions with six. He followed that up with three interceptions the next year.
White has missed the entire 2022 NFL season so far through injury, but will return before it finishes. The Buffalo Bills are relying on him to return and solidify their defense as they look to reach the Super Bowl.
#4 Devin White, LB | Tampa Bay Buccaneers
Selected fifth overall in the 2019 NFL draft, Devin White is one of the best natural defenders to ever come out of LSU.
It took White until his third season in the league to be selected to the Pro Bowl, but his play has been dominant throughout his career. He had nine sacks and 140 tackles in 2020. Last year, he registered 3.5 sacks and 128 tackles.
In 2022, White has played nine games for the Tampa Bay Buccaneers and made three sacks with 67 tackles.
He is a defensive machine who has an innate ability to see plays in the midfield. He can tempt QBs into making mistakes and will be a key player for his franchise in the NFL for years to come.
#3 Tyrann Mathieu, S | New Orleans Saints
Nicknamed the "Honey Badger," Tyrann Mathieu is one of the best defensive players in the NFL at the moment.
Since exiting LSU, Mathieu has gone on to play in three Pro Bowls and win a Super Bowl. His time with the Tigers may not have ended in the most auspicious of circumstances, but he has looked much more mature in 2022.
He formed a crucial part of the Kansas City Chiefs' Super Bowl-winning defense before signing with his hometown franchise, the New Orleans Saints, in 2022. Since signing with the Saints, Mathieu has been in great form. He has three interceptions this year, three successful pass defenses and 43 tackles.
It’s not just what he brings from a statistical standpoint. Mathieu is a leader who galvanizes his team. Ask any coach to pick a defensive cornerstone with an unlimited budget and most would choose the "Honey Badger."
#2 Justin Jefferson, WR | Minnesota Vikings
Justin Jefferson has started the 2022 season like a man possessed. His production as a receiver is up there with any of the highest-paid players at his position.
He made the Pro Bowl in his first two years and is on course to do so for a third year. As a rookie, he caught for 1,400 yards and scored seven touchdowns. He followed that up by catching for 1,616 yards and recording 10 touchdowns last year.
Jefferson is tall enough to make catches at just over six feet tall and can produce immense speed as well. This makes him a very dangerous opponent for backfield defenders, who will simply not win a 1v1 race against the Minnesota Vikings receiver.
#1 Joe Burrow, QB | Cincinnati Bengals
It won’t be long before Joe Burrow is seen as one of the best players in the NFL altogether. His confidence has allowed him to thrive, arriving in a team that has been so bad for much of his own lifetime.
Burrow has turned the Cincinnati Bengals around and has given them a sense of confidence that they can win games.
Having been taken as the #1 pick, he became just the third LSU alumni to ever achieve the feat. In just his second year in the NFL, he led the league in completions, threw for 4,611 yards and carried his team to a Super Bowl appearance.
Burrow is a genuine superstar in the modern iteration of the NFL. He has helped the Bengals recruit talented players he knows and the frightening thing is that he’s only going to improve.