Not too long ago, we here at the W&M Sports Blog wrote a two-part article about William & Mary’s recent success at placing players into the NFL–with ten currently on NFL squads. That got us thinking. How does this compare to other teams in the Colonial Athletic Association (CAA)? Is W&M an anomaly, or does this coincide with the conference norm? With all these questions yet to be answered, and with the assistance of something called Google, we were very quickly able to figure it all out.

In our research, we came across a very helpful tool via ESPN, which allows one to search for any college by name and see the players they currently have in the NFL. In our research, we found that each CAA school averages around 4 active NFLers. Four CAA teams currently have five players in the NFL–representing the norm for the conference. In total, there are an incredible FIFTY EIGHT former CAA players currently on NFL rosters. For hardcore CAA fans, many of these names will be very familiar, as these are the players who tore up the league back in their collegiate playing days. So kick back, relax, and enjoy the list below!

CAA Ranking: Number of Players Currently In The NFL

1. 
   William & Mary: 10 Active Players — R.J. Archer (Seahawks), Jasper Coleman (Texans), Jerome Couplin III (Eagles), Derek Cox (Patriots), Jonathan Grimes (Texans), Mike Leach (Cardinals), Sean Lissemore (Chargers), Tre McBride (Titans), Mike Reilly (Browns), B.W. Webb (Steelers)
   
   Delaware: 10 Active Players — Mike Adams (Colts), Nick Boyle (Ravens), Marcus Burley (Seahawks), Pat Devlin (Vikings), Joe Flacco (Ravens), Gino Gradkowski (Broncos), Zach Kerr (Colts), Ronald Talley (Jets), Anthony Walters (Bears), Paul Worrilow (Falcons)
2. 
   James Madison: 7 Active Players — Daniel Brown (Ravens), Sage Harold (Chiefs), Dean Marlowe (Panthers), Arthur Moats (Steelers), Jordan Stanton (Giants), Earl Watford (Cardinals), Josh Wells (Jaguars)
   
   Richmond: 7 Active Players — Ben Edwards (Giants), Kendall Gaskins (49ers), Tim Hightower (Saints), Justin Rogers (Redskins), Lawrence Sidbury (Buccaneers), Cooper Taylor (Giants), Kerry Wynn (Giants)
3. 
   Maine: 5 Active Players — Damarr Aultman (Dolphins), Mike DeVito (Chiefs), Kendall James (Browns), Matthew Mulligan (Bills), Justin Perillo (Packers)
   
   New Hampshire: 5 Active Players — R.J. Harris (Saints), Mike Coccia (Eagles), Corey Graham (Bills), Jared Smith (Falcons), Harold Spears (Saints)
   
   Villanova: 5 Active Players — Rakim Cox (Panthers), Ben Ijalana (Jets), Vince Kowalski (Packers), Ross Ventrone (Steelers), Darrel Young (Redskins)
   
   Towson: 5 Active Players — Jermon Bushrod (Bears), Jordan Dangerfield (Steelers), Ryan Delaire (Buccaneers), Tye Smith (Seahawks), Terrance West (Browns)
4. 
   Stony Brook: 3 Active Players — Michael Bamiro (Giants), Adrian Coxson (Packers), Will Tye (Giants)
5. 
   Rhode Island: 1 Active Player — Andrew Bose (Ravens)
6. 
   Albany: 0 Active Players
   
   Elon: 0 Active Players

Naturally, this list includes players who are currently on NFL rosters before this year’s Summer Camps open (and before a lot of cuts are made), so you can look for the number of players on this list to decline over the next month or so. Even still, this is an incredibly impressive showing for the CAA–which remains one of the most powerful FCS conferences, boasting an outstanding 58 players in the NFL.

There’s no doubt that FBS schools take notice when playing a member of our conference, which is by no means a cupcake league in D1 football. Looking ahead, the CAA looks to be deep again next season, and we here at the Blog are very excited to root on our Tribe in the coming year! LET’S GO TRIBE!!!