North Dakota State Tops FCS in NFL Player Production by Position

The numbers behind North Dakota State's NFL pipeline are staggering. The Bison have sent 11 offensive linemen to the NFL this decade, according to an Opta Analyst study by Stats Perform researchers Jesse Abrahams and Chase Weight, outpacing every FCS program at the position and reinforcing the program's standing as FCS Offensive Line U. That group includes Cody Mauch, Mason Miller, Grey Zabel, Cordell Volson, Dillon Radunz, Billy Turner, and five others placed on rosters spanning the 2020-25 NFL seasons.

NDSU's reach extends well beyond the trenches. The Bison also lead all FCS programs with five NFL linebackers this decade, counting Chris Board, Jabril Cox, Kyle Emanuel, Brayden Thomas, and Derrek Tuszka, and tie for first at wide receiver with five players including Christian Watson and Darrius Shepherd. For the fifth consecutive season as of 2025, NDSU leads FCS in total NFL representation, with nine alumni on active rosters or injured reserve and 15 overall when counting practice squads and the physically unable to perform list. Carson Wentz and Trey Lance, both NDSU alumni, appeared on 2022 NFL rosters as quarterbacks.

The foundation runs through the championship room. NDSU has won a record 10 FCS national titles in 14 seasons from 2011 to 2024, including an unprecedented five-peat from 2011 to 2015, and set an FCS-record 33 consecutive wins from 2012 to 2014, the third-longest streak in all of Division I history.

Eastern Washington matches NDSU atop the wide receiver leaderboard with five NFL players this decade: Kendrick Bourne, Efton Chism III, Jakobie Keeney-James, Cooper Kupp, and Nsimba Webster. Kupp anchors that group decisively. When he finished at EWU, his 428 receptions and 6,464 receiving yards were both FCS all-time records, surpassing Elon's Terrell Hudgins, who totaled 395 catches for 5,250 yards from 2006 to 2009. Kupp also set FCS marks for touchdown catches (73), yards per game (124.3), and touchdowns per game (1.40), winning the 2015 Walter Payton Award. Eastern Washington won 41 of the 52 games he played in. His NFL career now stands at 634 receptions, 7,776 yards, and 57 touchdowns.

At safety and cornerback, South Dakota State and Southern Illinois each produced five NFL defensive backs this decade, sharing the top spot among FCS programs. South Dakota State's contingent includes Dalys Beanum, Jordan Brown, Don Gardner, Michael Griffin II, and J.T. Hassell; Southern Illinois counters with Jeremy Chinn, Madre Harper, Craig James, PJ Jules, and Ryan Neal.

The most counterintuitive position factory in the data may be South Carolina State at linebacker. The HBCU from Orangeburg placed three linebackers on NFL rosters this decade, matching Illinois State and Sacramento State, led by Darius Leonard, who became one of the most decorated defensive players in recent NFL history. Leonard's ascent from the MEAC level points to what consistent coaching can produce when scheme aligns with overlooked physical profiles.

Roughly 200 former FCS players appear on NFL rosters and practice squads each season. In 2023, the Missouri Valley Football Conference, which includes NDSU, South Dakota State, Illinois State, and Southern Illinois, led all FCS conferences with 28 players on NFL active rosters. Across 128 programs in 13 leagues, FCS supplies the NFL at every position, from Harvard fullback Kyle Juszczyk to specialists like Marist's Jason Myers and Portland State's Seth Vernon.