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Alabama vs. LSU Rivalry: History in the NFL Draft

By Erik Lambert

TUSCALOOSA, AL - NOVEMBER 04: The LSU Tigers offense faces the Alabama Crimson Tide defense at Bryant-Denny Stadium on November 4, 2017 in Tuscaloosa, Alabama. (Photo by Kevin C. Cox/Getty Images)
TUSCALOOSA, AL - NOVEMBER 04: The LSU Tigers offense faces the Alabama Crimson Tide defense at Bryant-Denny Stadium on November 4, 2017 in Tuscaloosa, Alabama. (Photo by Kevin C. Cox/Getty Images) /
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The Alabama vs. LSU rivalry is one of the most heated and physical in college football. It didn’t really get great until the past 20 years but it goes way back.

Of late it’s difficult to call this a rivalry. Alabama has defeated LSU seven-straight times including a win in the national championship game. The Tigers have been struggling to stay relevant as the mighty Crimson Tide continue to build a distance between them. Then again this is nothing new. There have been stretches in the past where the two programs gain a significant streak over the other. What never changes? The quality of talent involved.

Few programs have deeper, richer histories of sending young men to the NFL than Alabama and LSU. It’s not just one side of the ball either. Offense and defense. Quarterbacks, wide receivers, and offensive linemen. Pass rushers, linebackers, and cover corners. They’ve produced it all and done it consistently for decades. A fun question to ask? Who has done it better?

Fans may be surprised how close it actually is. Dating back to 1936 when the draft started, I’ve separated the two programs into three categories:  players drafted, Pro Bowlers, and Hall of Famers. Whoever had more for each wins the category.

Alabama

  • Total players drafted – 358
  • Pro Bowlers – 34
  • Hall of Famers – 7

LSU

  • Total players drafted – 340
  • Pro Bowlers – 40
  • Hall of Famers – 2

Alabama wins by the decision but fails to deliver LSU the knockout

The amazing thing is Alabama was established 40 years before LSU was. Their football program was winning championships 30 years before the Tigers got their first in 1958. So for the two teams to have produced a remarkably similar amount of talent for the NFL is impressive. The Crimson Tide hold serve on total number of players and Hall of Famers. However, the Tigers struck back with a decisive edge in Pro Bowlers.

In essence, this indicates that Alabama has been rather top heavy. They’ve produced a lot of greats over the years but haven’t had a lot of bang for their buck. Not quite like LSU has. To date 9.49% of Alabama players have gone to the Pro Bowl when reaching the NFL. That number jumps to 11.76% for LSU. It will be interesting to see if they can close the Hall of Fame gap at some point down the road with names like Alan Faneca, Kevin Mawae, Patrick Peterson, and Odell Beckham Jr. all either currently or could soon be in the conversation.

Then again at the rate ‘Bama is churning out studs every year, it will be hard keep up.

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