With the NFL Draft kicking off tomorrow night in Pittsburgh, it’s worth taking a moment to appreciate the pipeline Virginia Tech has built over the decades. The Hokies have sent some serious talent to the next level, including two No. 1 overall picks and a Hall of Famer. Here’s a look at the 10 best former Hokies in NFL football history, ranked by what they accomplished at the next level.

10. Antonio Freeman, WR

Freeman was Brett Favre’s most dangerous weapon for years in Green Bay, finishing his career with 477 catches, 7,251 yards and 61 touchdowns. He led the entire NFL with 1,424 receiving yards in 1998 and earned a Pro Bowl that season. He won a Super Bowl ring with the Packers in Super Bowl XXXI and his overtime game-winner on Monday Night Football against the Vikings in 2000 is still one of the most iconic plays in league history.

9. Tremaine Edmunds, LB

Consistency is Edmunds’ calling card. Since being drafted 16th overall by the Bills in 2018, he has topped 100 tackles in all eight of his NFL seasons, a streak of reliability that is nearly unmatched at any position. He made two Pro Bowls with Buffalo and Chicago and signed with the New York Giants this offseason. He’s not a highlight-reel player, but producing at that volume every single season is its own kind of elite.

8. Tyrod Taylor, QB

Taylor’s durability and professionalism kept him in the league for 15 seasons, which is no small feat for a quarterback. He started for the Bills, Browns, Chargers, Texans and Giants at various points and led Buffalo to the playoffs for the first time in 17 years during the 2017 season. He was never a superstar, but sustaining a starting-caliber career at quarterback in the NFL for that long puts him in rare company.

7. Kyle Fuller, CB

Fuller was a 14th overall pick by the Bears in 2014 and spent the bulk of his career proving he belonged as one of the better corners in the league. His best season came in 2018 when he led the entire NFL with seven interceptions, earned first-team All-Pro honors and made the Pro Bowl. He made a second Pro Bowl the following year and finished his career with 19 interceptions across 113 games. He is part of one of the most accomplished football families Virginia Tech has ever produced.

6. Brandon Flowers, CB

Flowers carved out a nine-year NFL career as one of the more reliable cornerbacks of his era, starting 117 of the 119 games he played for the Chiefs and Chargers. He made the Pro Bowl in 2013 and finished with 21 career interceptions, 111 passes defensed and 486 tackles. He was a two-time All-American at Virginia Tech who led the ACC in passes defended before leaving early for the draft, and he went on to be exactly the player scouts thought he could be.

5. Duane Brown, OT

Brown was a first-round pick in 2008 and developed into one of the premier offensive tackles in the NFL over a 16-year career. He made five Pro Bowls across his time with the Texans and Seahawks and added a first-team All-Pro selection in 2012. He appeared in 220 games across stops in Houston, Seattle and New York, consistently protecting quarterbacks’ blind sides at an elite level well into his mid-30s.

4. Kam Chancellor, S

Chancellor was one of the most physically dominant safeties the NFL has seen in the last 30 years. He made four Pro Bowls as the engine of Seattle’s “Legion of Boom” defense and was a cornerstone of the team that won Super Bowl XLVIII and reached a second straight Super Bowl the following season. His combination of size, instincts and punishing physicality changed how teams thought about the safety position, and his peak was as good as any defensive back of his era.

3. DeAngelo Hall, CB

Hall played 14 seasons in the NFL and accumulated 43 career interceptions, putting him in elite company among the best cornerbacks of his generation. He made three Pro Bowls and was named MVP of the 2011 game. He delivered one of the greatest individual defensive performances in league history when he picked off Chicago’s Jay Cutler four times in a single 2010 game, returning one 92 yards for a touchdown. His playmaking ability and longevity make him one of the best defensive backs Virginia Tech has ever produced.

2. Michael Vick, QB

Vick was one of the most unique players in NFL history, a quarterback who defenses simply could not scheme against because nothing like him had existed before. He made four Pro Bowls, led Atlanta to the NFC title game in 2004 and set the all-time NFL rushing record for quarterbacks with 6,109 career yards. Even after missing two full seasons, he came back to have a Pro Bowl year with the Eagles in 2010. At his absolute best, he was an unstoppable force.

1. Bruce Smith, DE

There is no debate here. Smith is the only Hokie in the Pro Football Hall of Fame and the NFL’s all-time leader in career sacks with 200. He made 11 Pro Bowls, earned spots on both the 1980s and 1990s All-Decade Teams and was named to the NFL’s 100th Anniversary All-Time Team. He dominated for nearly two decades and produced at an elite level well into his 30s. No Virginia Tech player has come close to what Smith accomplished in the NFL, and it may stay that way for a very long time.

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