It’s always good to see Kansas State players succeed at the next level and this year 16 former players were on active rosters in the NFL. The headliners included veterans Terrance Newman, Darren Sproles, Ryan Lilja, and Jeromy Clary as well as the emergence of Josh Freeman and Jordy Nelson. Read on to see how all 16 guys did this season.
Brandon Banks, WR, Washington Redskins – Banks averaged 5 yards per reception this year for the Redskins. Unfortunately that only included 2 receptions making a grand total of 10 yards on the year. Of course Banks is utilized most as a return man where he had a decent year averaging almost 19 yards a return. The highlight of his year came in his 96 yard kick return for a touchdown in week 7 against the Lions.
Rock Cartwright, RB, Oakland Raiders – In his 9th NFL year, Cartwright saw limited action for the Raiders. He only had 9 carries for 22 yards and 1 reception for 10 yards while not seeing the end zone at all.
Jeromey Clary, OL, San Diego Chargers – Clary is in his 4th year as an NFL player. He started all 16 games for the Chargers this season and helped lead San Diego to the #1 offense by total yards.
Thomas Clayton, RB, New England Patriots – Clayton only touched the ball 7 times for New England and 6 of those came in garbage time against Miami in the last game of the regular season. He totaled 7 carries for 17 yards. While he hasn’t seen much action, he is in the middle of being on a team that looks strong for another Super Bowl ring this year. Not too bad at all.
Zac Diles, LB, Houston Texans – Diles has become a solid Linebacker for the Houston Texans in his fifth year of NFL play. He ended this season with 82 tackles. (59 solo, 23 assisted)
Josh Freeman, QB, Tampa Bay Buccaneers – Freeman had an incredible year as the starter for Tampa bay under former Kansas State defensive coach Raheem Morris. Freeman threw for 3451 yards, 25 TDs, and only 6 INT. His season QB rating was 95.9. Freeman made noise with his late game heroics, size, speed, and arm strength which we are all very familiar with. I so wish there was a way to go back in time and convince that guy to stick around K-State for his senior year. Freeman is easily in the top half of quarterbacks in the NFL and could be in the top 10 if he leads Tampa Bay to the playoffs next season. The buzz for this guy should be around for the next decade baring some sort of catastrophe.
Rob Jackson, LB, Washington Redskins – Jackson basically didn’t see any playing time this season until week 16 & 17 after all hope was gone in D.C. but when he did play he made a little noise. In week 16 against Jacksonville, Jackson had 3 solo tackles, 1 sack, and 1 forced fumble. Hopefully that will spark some more time and production for him starting next year.
Ben Leber, LB, Minnesota Vikings – Leber is one of the few former Wildcats who can be called a veteran in the NFL. Leber finished 2010 with 47 tackles, 2 forced fumbles, 1 INT, and a locker room diva.
Ryan Lilja, OL, Kansas City Chiefs – Lilja returned home this season and saw plenty of time with the Chiefs. The offensive line blocked well enough to have the #1 rush offense in the league in yards per game and almost had Jamal Charles break Jim Brown’s record of yards per carry for a season. The Chiefs made an unexpected playoff appearance as the AFC West division champions and experienced a beat down by the Ravens last Sunday.
Jeron Mastrud, TE, Miami Dolphins – Mastrud didn’t accumulate any stats for the Dolphins in his rookie season.
Jon McGraw, S, Kansas City Chiefs – McGraw was helped hold down the defensive secondary for Kansas City and finished with 39 tackles and 2 INT. He continues to be solid and looks to be a mentor for a defensive unit that has plenty of young players.
Joshua Moore, CB, Chicago Bears – Moore is another one of those guys that I wish we had been able to keep around for another year. This season as an NFL rookie he didn’t see hardly any time at all. His season total is 1 solo tackle against Minnesota.
Jordy Nelson, WR, Green Bay Packers – Jordy Nelson has steadily improved and is making a name for himself as a go to receiver for Aaron Rodgers. Nelson had a reception in all but one game and totaled 45 catches for 582 yards and 2 TD. His career game so far came in week 16 against the New York Ginats where he caught 4 passes for 124 yards and a TD. That week also included his season long 80 yard reception. He also can be seen this weekend in the playoffs.
Terrance Newman, CB, Dallas Cowboys – Newman completed this season with 79 tackles, 77 of which were solo, and 5 INT. The final game of the season included 2 of those INT which helped Dallas to finish strong with a win over playoff bound Philadelphia despite a season that could have been a complete flop.
Darren Sproles, RB, San Diego Chargers – Little Tank averaged just over 5 yards per carry for a total of 267 yards rushing on 50 carries. He also ended the year with 520 yards receiving on 59 catches and 2 touchdowns. Sproles didn’t get as much action or attention as he did last year and there seems to be some speculation that he is going to be up for movement away from the Chargers. He still has the incredible speed and illusiveness that made him special at Kansas State so it shouldn’t be hard for him to find a spot if that’s the case.
Reggie Walker, LB, Arizona Cardinals – Walker didn’t see much action until the last few weeks of the season. By the end of the year he had 14 solo tackles.