Best NFL player from every Power 5 NCAA school
Mike Haynes. 40. player. 854. . Cornerback. Sun Devils
Best NFL player who played for Arizona State Sun Devils — Mike Haynes
- Pro Football Hall of Fame (Inducted in 1997)
- Super Bowl Champ (XVIII)
- 9x Pro Bowler
- Defensive Rookie of the Year (1976)
- NFL 1980s All-Decade Team
After an impressive career at Arizona State, it only made sense that Mike Haynes would be a first-round draft pick and he was indeed. The Patriots took him No. 5 overall in the 1976 NFL Draft and would not be disappointed with the production they got from him.
Haynes was named Defensive Rookie of the Year after nabbing eight interceptions and recovering three fumbles as a rookie in 1976. He spent the next six years with New England before landing with the Raiders and winning a Super Bowl with them in 1983.
Haynes finished his career with 46 interceptions and a Super Bowl title on his resumé. He also made the 1980s All-Decade team and goes down as the best Arizona State player to ever play in the NFL.
Runner-up: John Henry Johnson – Twelve years in the NFL is hard to do, especially for running backs, but Johnson did just that, playing from 1954-1966. He spent that time with four different teams and rushed for a total of 6,803 yards and 48 touchdowns.
835. . Tight End. Wildcats . Rob Gronkowski. 48. player
Best NFL player who played for Arizona Wildcats — Rob Gronkowski
- 3x Super Bowl Champ (XLIX, LI, LIII)
- 5x Pro Bowler
- NFL 2010s All-Decade Team
- NFL Comeback Player of the Year (2014)
Rob Gronkowski mowed over people during his college days at Arizona and it was no surprise that the New England Patriots scooped him up in the second round of the 2010 NFL Draft. He went on to have a monster career in New England, racking up 7,861 receiving yards and 79 touchdowns while also winning three Super Bowl titles.
Gronkowski totaled over 1,000 yards receiving in four seasons with the Patriots and also had double-digit touchdowns in five different seasons, including 17 touchdowns in 2011. That was just his second year in the league!
Gronkowski struggled with injuries during the course of his career but kept coming back stronger every time. In 2014, he was named Comeback Player of the Year after recording 1,124 yards and 12 touchdowns that year.
The former Arizona tight end retired following the end of the 2018 season but returned to the NFL for the 2020 season when his buddy Tom Brady signed with Tampa Bay. When it’s all said and done, Gronkowski will undoubtedly be inducted into the Hall of Fame and will be considered one of the greatest tight ends of all-time.
Runner-up: Lance Briggs – A seven-time Pro Bowler and one-time All-Pro linebacker, Briggs spent all 12 years of his NFL career with the Bears. He had over 100 tackles in eight of his 12 NFL seasons and had 15 career sacks.