Back to the future: Alabama vs. LSU(2011)

[JonLP24]

As the 2014 NFL draft drew to a close last Saturday, I could still hear Joe Pendry’s prophetic words in the press box on Nov. 5, 2011.

“Look out there on the field, and probably 20 of the 22 defensive starters will be playing in the NFL,” said Pendry, who was an offensive coordinator for the Kansas City Chiefs, Buffalo Bills, Carolina Panthers and Houston Texans before ending his career in the college ranks.

Turns out, he might have undersold just how much talent was on the field, which in my 20-plus years of covering the SEC is unquestionably the gold standard for premium defensive talent on the field together at one time.

In that game alone, which LSU won 9-6 in overtime, there were 28 defensive players who played in the game -- 14 on each side -- who would get drafted. That includes 10 first-rounders.

The grand total of future draftees who played in the game was 42, and that doesn’t even count another handful of players who made NFL rosters as undrafted free agents.

http://espn.go.com/blog/sec/post/_/id/83193/back-to-the-future-alabama-vs-lsu

[Elwood P Dowd]

1. Might have been the most in the SEC since Auburn vs Florida back in 1983.

Bo Jackson for Auburn and Wilbur Marshall for Florida along with about 50 others who dressed out for that game went on the sign NFL contracts the next 3-4 years. Four Auburn running backs from the 1983 team wound up playing in the NFL.

One of the reasons those two LSU/Bama games were so boring was because of the insane defensive talent both teams put on the field that season.