How Much NFL Talent Does WVU Produce vs. Other Big 12 Schools?

The Mountaineers hope to get things turned around sooner than later and put more guys into the NFL.

Sam Navarro-USA TODAY Sports

West Virginia has never been an NFL factory like some of the big-time programs in the country, but they've done an admirable job producing NFL talent over the years.

Over the last five or six years though, there has been a bit of a dry spell in that pipeline with only five players being drafted out of WVU since 2020 - Kenny Robinson, Colton McKivitz, Tony Fields, Dante Stills, and Zach Frazier.

Currently, West Virginia has 14 active players in the NFL which puts them in the same boat as Colorado, Georgia Tech, Indiana, North Dakota State, and Southern Miss. As far as Big 12 schools are concerned, WVU ranks tied for 13th in active players.

They have less than TCU (34), Utah (29), Cincinnati (23), BYU (22), UCF (22), Kansas State (22), Oklahoma State (22), Houston (21), Baylor (20), Texas Tech (18), Iowa State (17), Arizona State (16), the same as Colorado, and more than Arizona (13) and Kansas (11).

Active Players: QB Will Grier (Eagles), QB Geno Smith (Seahawks), WR Bryce Ford-Wheaton (Giants), WR David Sills (Broncos), OT Yodny Cajuste (Giants), OT Colton McKivitz (49ers), OT Doug Nester (Vikings), C Zach Frazier (Steelers), DL Dante Stills (Cardinals), LB Tony Fields (Browns), LB David Long Jr. (Dolphins), LB Kyzir White (Cardinals), CB Beanie Bishop (Steelers), CB Rasul Douglas (Bills).

Note: A few players such as Trevon Wesco, Karl Joseph, Mark Glowinski, and others are listed as free agents, meaning they are not considered active.

West Virginia should see this number spike over the next few years with RB CJ Donaldson, RB Jahiem White, WR Traylon Ray, OL Wyatt Milum, OL Tomas Rimac, OL Brandon Yates, TE Kole Taylor, DL Sean Martin, DL Fatorma Mulbah, LB Trey Lathan, LB Josiah Trotter, S Aubrey Burks, and several others who are on path to make it to the next level.

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