ASU Sun Devils Currently in the National Football League
By Kyler Burd
The ASU football program is well-represented in the National Football League with 19 former Sun Devils currently donning uniforms for professional teams.
Drafted as far back as 2011 in the case of Lawrence Guy, ASU football has made an impact on fourteen different teams in the NFL and some, like Guy, are key contributors to their teams’ success.
Herm Edwards took over the ASU football program after the 2017 season and vowed to install not only a pro-style offense but a pro-style method of running the program. Devoted to producing draftable players, Edwards has been modestly successful in that goal and has had 9 players drafted under his current regime.
The Pac-12 as a whole has produced some of the best players in the NFL over the past couple of decades and currently, the conference has 305 former college stars playing on Sundays. Here is the breakdown by team:
- Washington – 39
- Oregon – 35
- USC – 35
- UCLA – 34
- Stanford – 31
- Utah – 26
- California – 25
- Oregon St. – 21
- Arizona State – 19
- Colorado – 15
- Washington St. – 15
- Arizona – 10
These nineteen players represent some of the best that Arizona State has produced over the past decade-plus. Let’s take a look at who they are, where they are playing, and how their professional career has gone thus far.
2011 ASU Draft Class
Defensive Tackle. Arizona State. 11. 47. . . Lawrence Guy. player
Lawrence Guy has had a wild ride of a time in the NFL. Originally drafted by the Green Bay Packers in 2011, an injury forced him onto the IR list before the first game of the season. Placed on the practice squad going into 2012, Guy was snagged by the Indianapolis Colts where he got his first playing time in the league.
In the next three years, he bounced around three teams (Colts, Chargers, Ravens) and landed in Baltimore for two full seasons in 2015-2016. In 2017 he finally signed to a long-term home and became a New England Patriot. During his five seasons in Foxborough, Guy has had 8.5 sacks, 295 combined tackles, 1 interception, 1 forced fumble, and 4 fumble recoveries.
As a Patriot, Guy has won a Super Bowl (LIII vs Rams) and has been nominated by his team for the Walter Payton Man of the Year award.