Only Eight Huskers Earn Spots on NFL Teams' 53-Man Rosters

Nebraska lags far behind Ohio State and other Big Ten schools. The Buckeyes have 59 players on NFL rosters.

Kansas City Chiefs running back Emmett Johnson runs the ball against Seattle Seahawks cornerback Noah Igbinoghene during the preseason. | IMAGN IMAGES via Reuters Connect

Blame for Nebraska’s football struggles can be spread in many directions. There’s some for everybody.

When you’re a national brand with a reputation and a history like Nebraska and you’ve had two winning seasons in the last nine — and those two seasons were only 7-6 — there are multiple issues.

And some obvious ones.

Redeemable? Of course. Every day, the Huskers are in charge of their own destiny.

We’re not here to pin blame. We’re looking at what might be Nebraska’s most obvious problem. A problem that had a spotlight glaring on it Sunday when NFL teams made roster cuts.

It’s talent; rather, the lack of talent.

Simple, yet compelling. And true.

NFL rosters set

As NFL teams made cuts for their 53-man active rosters Sunday, only eight Nebraska players are left standing. These all happen to be what some might call true Huskers, guys who didn’t transfer into Lincoln.

• Ameer Abdullah, Jaguars
• Maliek Collins, Browns
• Thomas Fidone II, Giants
• Luke Gifford, 49ers
• Cam Jurgens, Eagles
• Emmett Johnson, Chiefs
• Ty Robinson, Eagles
• Cam Taylor-Britt, Colts

Philadelphia Eagles center Cam Jurgens was named to the 2025 Pro Bowl. | IMAGN IMAGES via Reuters Connect

The eight former Huskers on 53-man rosters are the fewest to open a season in the last five years.

• 2025: 12 Huskers
• 2024: 10 Huskers
• 2023: 10 Huskers
• 2022: 19 Huskers

In the last four years, only five Nebraska players have been drafted. Draft picks get a longer look from the teams that drafted them, to give them every opportunity to make the team and a good return on investment. What is striking is how none of the draft picks were offensive lineman, once the Huskers’ bread and butter. There was one defensive lineman, Robinson, who has earned the praise of Eagles veteran defensive coordinator Vic Fangio.

Philadelphia Eagles defensive tackle Ty Robinson has made the roster for the second consecutive season. | IMAGN IMAGES via Reuters Connect

Robinson was the highest draft pick since 2023, going in the fourth round. Where are those first-rounders, and second-rounders, once a staple of Nebraska football? Nebraska’s last first-rounder was cornerback Prince Amukamara in 2011.

Big Ten Running Back of the Year Emmett Johnson was the only Husker drafted in 2026. He went in the fifth round.

In perusing some 2027 mock drafts — accepting what they are, and that plenty can change before April — no Nebraska player is being touted as a first-rounder.

Recent Nebraska draftees

Here is the list of Nebraska draftees since 2023:

2026: 5th Round — Emmett Johnson, RB, Chiefs

2025: 4th Round — Ty Robinson, DT, Eagles; 7th Round — Thomas Fidone II, TE, Giants

2024: None

2023: 6th Round — Ochaun Mathis, Edge, Rams; 
6th Round -- Trey Palmer, WR, Buccaneers

In a powerful conference like the Big Ten, which has won the last three national championships — each won by a different team — the lack of talent can be blatant. Opponents line up with serious talent. It makes a difference.

Ohio State, for example, has 59 players on NFL rosters. Again, Nebraska has eight. Every Ohio State draft pick from the last two drafts —that’s 25 of them — remains on NFL rosters. In the last two seasons, Ohio State is 26-4 with a national championship in 2024.

Michigan, another big dog in the Big Ten, has 47 players on NFL rosters.

But here’s the shocker: 15 Maryland players remain on NFL rosters. That’s nearly double what Nebraska has.

San Francisco 49ers linebacker Luke Gifford was a Pro Bowl selection in 2025 because of his special-teams play, but he did not make the team's 53-man roster to open the 2026 season. | IMAGN IMAGES via Reuters Connect

Nineteen* former Huskers were let go this year, including undrafted free agents who got tryouts in the spring. Some are likely to land on practice squads and find their way into games later in the year, but ahead of the NFL's week 1, they are not on anyone's active roster.

• Jahmal Banks — Titans
• Omar Brown — Dolphins
• John Bullock — Bucs
• Heinrich Haarberg — Panthers
• Nash Hutmacher — Bucs
• Brenden Jaimes — Giants
• Dane Key — Broncos
• Henry Lutovsky — Bucs
• Dasan McCullough — Broncos
• Ochaun Mathis — Jets
• Garrett Nelson — Saints
• Quinton Newsome — Cardinals
• Isaiah Neyor — Packers
• Trey Palmer — Saints
• Ben Scott — Bucs
• DeShon Singleton — Chiefs
• Samori Toure — Eagles
• Ceyair Wright — Bengals
• Javin Wright — Bucs

* For consistency's sake in this article, we're counting only those players who spent their final collegiate year at Nebraska. That means a number of one-year Huskers count, while a few multi-season Huskers do not.

In the NFL, everyone can play. In college, you’re signing 18-year-olds and hoping they can play, or you can develop them into top-notch college players. That means a better selection process when recruiting is needed. Other schools have it. Some better than others.

Fans can blame coaching — and they do — and they blame other things such as athletic administration, schemes, too much turnover among the coaching staff.

But Nebraska’s lack of NFL players is glaring and ominous. You want to fix the Huskers? Get better players.

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