Cal Leads Pac-12 in Players on CBS’ List of Top 100 NFL Stars
CBS Sports ranked the top 100 players in the NFL for 2021, and Cal had more players on that list than any other Pac-12 school.
Three former Golden Bears were ranked in the top 100: Packers quarterback Aaron Rodgers at No. 3, New Orleans Saints defensive end Cam Jordan at No. 32, and Los Angeles Chargers wide receiver Keenan Allen at No. 76.
Only one other Pac-12 school -- Oregon -- had as many as two former players on that list. Only four schools in the country had more former players in the CBS Sports' top 100 than the Golden Bears -- LSU, Alabama, Ohio State and Notre Dame.
Here are the CBS Sports' comments about the three ex-Cal players, followed by the number of players from each Pac-12 school and the schools with the most representatives nationally.
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No. 3 Aaron Rodgers, No. 2-ranked quarterback. (He is behind Patrick Mahomes, ahead of Tom Brady
Happy in Green Bay or not, the reigning MVP remains one of the league's best players. I still think he ends up back in Green Bay. Why let him go?
No. 32 Cam Jordan, No. 6-ranked defensive end. (Aaron Donald is listed as a defensive end, although he is really more of a defensive tackle).
He was a dominant force on the edge of the Saints defense, even if his sack numbers fell from 15.5 to 7.5 last season. He still had a lot of pressures and made life tough for opposing quarterbacks.
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No. 76 Keenan Allen, No. 14-ranked wide receiver. (Davante Adams is the only wide receiver in the top 10.)
He was banged up last year, yet still caught 100 passes with eight touchdowns. The injuries did make his yards-per-catch average drop to 9.9, which is concerning.
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Number of top-100 NFL players from each Pac-12 school:
Cal: 3
Oregon: 2
Stanford: 1
Colorado: 1
USC: 1 (Yes, only one former Trojan made the list)
Washington: 1
UCLA: 1
Utah: 1
Arizona State: 0
Arizona: 0
Oregon State: 0
Washington State: 0
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Schools with the most top-100 representatives nationally
LSU: 9
Ohio State: 7
Alabama: 5
Notre Dame: 4
Cal: 3
Florida State: 3
Wisconsin: 3
Iowa: 3
Clemson: 3
Mississippi State: 3
Penn State: 3
Oregon: 2
Texas A&M: 2
Maryland: 2
Louisville: 2
Oklahoma: 2
Mississippi: 2
Georgia: 2
Boston College: 2
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Cover photo of Cam Jordan by Kirby Lee, USA TODAY Sports
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Follow Jake Curtis of Cal Sports Report on Twitter: @jakecurtis53
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