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Is Derrius Guice the next Leonard Fournette?
Is Donte Jackson the next Patrick Peterson?
Is D.J. Chark the next Odell Beckham Jr.?
Who knows? But the latest group of LSU players to get drafted into the NFL, which also includes WR Russell Gage, DE Arden Key, QB Danny Etling and OL Will Clapp, has plenty of former-Tigers-turned-NFL-standouts to emulate as they embark on their professional careers.
The Tigers who are now NFL rookies have a challenge ahead of them if they’re going to find a spot among the Top 10 LSU players in the NFL:
10. S Jamal Adams (Jets)
Though he has played only one season, Adams as a rookie lived up to the Jets’ expectations when they used the sixth pick in the 2017 draft to make him the first defensive back selected. He earned the starting strong safety position in training camp and started all 16 games.
9. DT Kyle Williams (Bills)
Williams played for Nick Saban and Les Miles at LSU before embarking on a lengthy NFL career. He has been a 12-year starter for the Bills and one of the steadiest defenders in the NFL during his career.
8. G Trai Turner (Panthers)
He became a starter during his rookie season and has earned two Pro Bowl berths in his four seasons. Turner has been one of the key components on a line that has helped Carolina go to three playoffs and one Super Bowl in his brief career.
7. T Andrew Whitworth (Rams)
He moved into the Cincinnati Bengals’ starting lineup as a guard in the second game of his rookie season in 2006 and stayed there until being moved to left tackle in 2009. He had 11 very good seasons with the Bengals before signing with the Rams a year ago and being named All-Pro in 2017.
6. CB Tyrann Mathieu (Texans)
Mathieu spent his first five seasons playing in the same secondary as his cousin — former LSU star Patrick Peterson — in Arizona. But the Cardinals terminated his contract after last season and he signed as a free agent with the Houston Texans. He has started 57 games in the NFL.
5. LB Deion Jones (Falcons)
He was a late bloomer at LSU, not becoming a starter until his senior season, and has continued to blossom in two seasons with the Atlanta Falcons. He became a starter right away and has made more than 100 tackles each season.
4. RB Leonard Fournette (Jaguars)
Fournette wasn’t able to return the Tigers to national championship-contender status during his three seasons in Baton Rouge, but in his rookie season in the NFL he helped Jacksonville reach the playoffs for the first time in 10 seasons. He had a 1,000-yard season despite missing three games.
3. WR Jarvis Landry (Browns)
He is sometimes overlooked because he’s not a big-play receiver, averaging just 10 yards per catch in his four-year career, but his overall productivity in a limited offense has been exceptional. He averaged 100 catches, 1,010 yards and 5 touchdowns per season with the Miami Dolphins, who traded him to the Cleveland Browns earlier this offseason.
2. WR Odell Beckham Jr., Giants
He’s coming off a serious injury and he’s had a few off-the-field issues, but when he’s healthy and focused on football he’s one of the most dynamic players in the NFL. Before being injured after playing in four games game last season, he had had one of the productive starts to an NFL career for a wide receiver. In his first three seasons he averaged 96 catches, 1,374 yards and 12 touchdowns.
1. CB Patrick Peterson (Cardinals)
LSU is sometimes referred to as “DBU” because of its track record of producing defensive backs that succeed at a high level in the NFL. No one is more responsible for the Tigers earning that nickname than Peterson. He has started every game Arizona has played in his seven seasons, been named to the Pro Bowl each season and earned three All-Pro honors.
Les East is a New Orleans-based football writer who covers LSU for SaturdayDownSouth.com. Follow him on Twitter @Les_East.
