Every year at the NFL Draft and throughout the football season, college players boast about the strength of their position groups, while programs tout their success getting players drafted in order to help with recruiting. But which teams really deserve the bragging rights when it comes to developing players and preparing them for success in the league?
Welcome to our Position U series, where CBS Sports examines where NFL talent has come from over the last decade (2006-15).
It’s not simply getting players into the league that matters, though. How do those players perform once they're receiving big paychecks and playing in the NFL?
Our methodology places significant value on NFL starts (1 point per) because a pipeline of starters by position is the very definition of 'Position U.' Bonus points are provided for Pro Bowls (2 points per appearance), draft selections (2 points per) and first-round picks (3 points per). Many of the players who counted for this exercise were drafted before 2006. The point is to evaluate where all NFL players came from who played in the league between 2006-15.
In reality, the players themselves make their own way into the NFL on an individual basis. But along the way, they get help through coaching, training and exposure from their college.
We continue with the big nasties on offense, the linemen.
More Position U: Defensive Line | Tight End
5. Wisconsin: What’s Offensive Line U without the Big Ten? Wisconsin comes in at No. 5, barely edging Iowa. The Badgers’ 11 Pro Bowl trips from offensive linemen Joe Thomas and Travis Frederick are the most by any college from 2006-15. Based on more recent NFL Drafts, a case could be made for Wisconsin to rank No. 1. The Badgers may become OL U in the near future.
| Wisconsin Offensive Line: Points Breakdown | ||||
| NFL Starts | Pro Bowls | Draft Picks | First-Round Picks | Total Points |
| 572 | 11 | 10 | 3 | 623 |
4. Miami: Here’s how deep the Hurricanes’ teams were from the early- to mid-2000s: No one will mistake offensive line for being Miami’s best position, and yet it still ranks No. 4 at here. Bryant McKinnie, Chris Myers and Vernon Carey and Eric Winston are some of the Hurricanes’ offensive linemen who succeeded in the NFL.
| Miami Offensive Line: Points Breakdown | ||||
| NFL Starts | Pro Bowls | Draft Picks | First-Round Picks | Total Points |
| 610 | 3 | 9 | 1 | 637 |
3. Boston College: BC’s reputation for spitting out offensive linemen is well earned. Chris Snee, Dan Koppen, Damien Woody and Marc Colombo are among the ex-Eagles who enjoyed lengthy NFL careers that overlapped into the past decade. Consider this: Of Boston College’s last 34 NFL Draft picks, 15 were offensive linemen. It's not often you see 44 percent of a school's NFL Draft picks since 1999 come from one position.
| Boston College Offensive Line: Points Breakdown | ||||
| NFL Starts | Pro Bowls | Draft Picks | First-Round Picks | Total Points |
| 631 | 5 | 8 | 2 | 663 |
2. LSU: No college has produced more Pro Bowl offensive linemen in the past decade than LSU: Trai Turner, Andrew Whitworth, Alan Faneca and Kevin Mawae. LSU ranks this high in large part because of offensive linemen drafted before 2006 who started and lasted a long time in the NFL. Turner has developed into a key lineman for the NFC champion Carolina Panthers.
LSU has had only four offensive linemen drafted in the past decade -- fewer than schools such as Pittsburgh, Boise State, Purdue and South Carolina. Vadal Alexander, a 2016 draft prospect, could be LSU’s next long term NFL lineman given his flexibility at guard and tackle.
| LSU Offensive Line: Points Breakdown | ||||
| NFL Starts | Pro Bowls | Draft Picks | First-Round Picks | Total Points |
| 670 | 9 | 4 | 0 | 696 |
1. Michigan: At first blush, the Wolverines winning the Offensive Line U title might seem odd given how the Brady Hoke era ended in 2014 with the Wolverines’ offensive line a mess. But UM is No. 1 on this list because of its decade-old NFL history that’s starting to come to an end. Michigan barely edged out LSU for the most NFL starts by offensive linemen from 2006-15, led by players such as Steve Hutchinson, Jake Long, Jeff Backus and David Baas.
The well has been a little drier for the Wolverines in recent years. Since 2006, Michigan is tied for 19th in offensive linemen NFL Draft picks with six. From 1996-2005, Michigan had 10 offensive linemen drafted, which rates similarly to the highest totals from 2006-15: USC (11 draft picks), Wisconsin (10), Alabama (10). Michigan’s ability to keep its Offensive Line U reputation in the future will bank on linemen like Taylor Lewan and Michael Schofield, who are NFL starters after getting drafted in 2014, and the new wave of players being coached up by Jim Harbaugh.
| Michigan Offensive Line: Points Breakdown | ||||
| NFL Starts | Pro Bowls | Draft Picks | First-Round Picks | Total Points |
| 679 | 8 | 6 | 2 | 713 |
| Offensive Line U Comparison | |||||
| Team | NFL Starts | Pro Bowls | Draft Picks | First-Round Picks | Total Points |
| 1. Michigan | 679 | 8 | 6 | 2 | 713 |
| 2. LSU | 670 | 9 | 4 | 0 | 696 |
| 3. Boston College | 631 | 5 | 8 | 2 | 663 |
| 4. Miami | 610 | 3 | 9 | 1 | 637 |
| 5. Wisconsin | 572 | 11 | 10 | 3 | 623 |
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