Updated by Dan on Sep 1, 2016
What Big Ten schools had the most and highest paid NFL players in 2016?
How it works
| College | # | Salary | |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1. | Wisconsin | 23 | $84.4M |
| 2. | Ohio State | 41 | $79.7M |
| 3. | Penn State | 32 | $65M |
| 4. | Michigan State | 26 | $51.1M |
| 5. | Iowa | 23 | $50.9M |
| 6. | Michigan | 21 | $46.1M |
| 7. | Purdue | 15 | $42.9M |
| 8. | Illinois | 16 | $40.3M |
| 9. | Nebraska | 18 | $21.1M |
| 10. | Minnesota | 9 | $15.1M |
| 11. | Indiana | 8 | $13.6M |
| 12. | Northwestern | 8 | $9.4M |
| 13. | Maryland | 5 | $2.5M |
| 14. | Rutgers | 3 | $1.9M |
| Name | College | NFL | Pos | Salary | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1. | Corey Liuget | Illinois | Rams | DT | $10M |
| 2. | Vontae Davis | Illinois | Colts | CB | $8.4M |
| 3. | Jeff Allen | Illinois | Texans | G | $6.3M |
| 4. | Whitney Mercilus | Illinois | Texans | OLB | $5.8M |
| 5. | Hugh Thornton | Illinois | Colts | G | $1.8M |
| 6. | Akeem Spence | Illinois | Buccaneers | DT | $1.8M |
| 7. | Michael Hoomanawanui | Illinois | Saints | TE | $1.2M |
| 8. | Tavon Wilson | Illinois | Lions | FS | $1.1M |
| 9. | Jihad Ward | Illinois | DE | $1M | |
| 10. | Arrelious Benn | Illinois | Jaguars | WR | $600K |
| 11. | Ted Karras | Illinois | Patriots | G | $475.1K |
| 12. | Clayton Fejedelem | Illinois | Bengals | S | $465.9K |
| 13. | Josh Ferguson | Illinois | Colts | RB | $453.3K |
| 14. | Jeff Cumberland | Illinois | Rams | TE | $443K |
| 15. | Matt LaCosse | Illinois | Giants | TE | $333K |
| 16. | Geronimo Allison | Illinois | Packers | WR | $264.7K |
| Name | College | NFL | Pos | Salary | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1. | Rodger Saffold | Indiana | Rams | G | $5.7M |
| 2. | Tracy Porter | Indiana | Bears | CB | $3.9M |
| 3. | Cody Latimer | Indiana | Broncos | WR | $1M |
| 4. | Jason Spriggs | Indiana | Packers | T | $909.9K |
| 5. | Tevin Coleman | Indiana | Falcons | RB | $753.8K |
| 6. | Jordan Howard | Indiana | Bears | RB | $512K |
| 7. | Nate Sudfeld | Indiana | Redskins | QB | $484.3K |
| 8. | Darius Latham | Indiana | DT | $450K |
| Name | College | NFL | Pos | Salary | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1. | Riley Reiff | Iowa | Lions | LT | $8.1M |
| 2. | Mike Daniels | Iowa | Packers | DE | $7.4M |
| 3. | Bryan Bulaga | Iowa | Packers | RT | $5.5M |
| 4. | Brandon Scherff | Iowa | Redskins | G | $4.8M |
| 5. | Marshal Yanda | Iowa | Ravens | G | $4M |
| 6. | Adrian Clayborn | Iowa | Falcons | DE | $3M |
| 7. | Chad Greenway | Iowa | Vikings | OLB | $2.8M |
| 8. | Jonathan Babineaux | Iowa | Falcons | DT | $2.7M |
| 9. | Karl Klug | Iowa | Titans | DT | $2.3M |
| 10. | Brandon Myers | Iowa | Buccaneers | TE | $1.9M |
| 11. | Micah Hyde | Iowa | Packers | SS | $1.7M |
| 12. | C.J. Fiedorowicz | Iowa | Texans | TE | $860.8K |
| 13. | Christian Kirksey | Iowa | Browns | ILB | $815.6K |
| 14. | Anthony Hitchens | Iowa | Cowboys | ILB | $708.7K |
| 15. | Carl Davis | Iowa | Ravens | DT | $697K |
| 16. | Matt Tobin | Iowa | Eagles | G | $675K |
| 17. | Andrew Donnal | Iowa | Rams | RT | $649.2K |
| 18. | James Ferentz | Iowa | Broncos | C | $525K |
| 19. | Austin Blythe | Iowa | Colts | C | $465.5K |
| 20. | Casey Kreiter | Iowa | Broncos | LS | $450K |
| 21. | James Morris | Iowa | Cowboys | ILB | $348K |
| 21. | Louis Trinca-Pasat | Iowa | Rams | DT | $348K |
| 23. | Adam Gettis | Iowa | Giants | G | $317.6K |
| Name | College | NFL | Pos | Salary | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1. | Sean Davis | Maryland | Steelers | SS | $743.1K |
| 2. | Yannick Ngakoue | Maryland | Jaguars | DE | $664K |
| 3. | Stefon Diggs | Maryland | Vikings | WR | $581.9K |
| 4. | Quinton Jefferson | Maryland | Seahawks | DT | $444.6K |
| 5. | Marcus Leak | Maryland | Colts | WR | $48.3K |
| Name | College | NFL | Pos | Salary | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1. | Tom Brady | Michigan | Patriots | QB | $13.8M |
| 2. | David Harris | Michigan | Jets | ILB | $7.5M |
| 3. | Brandon Graham | Michigan | Eagles | OLB | $5M |
| 4. | Chad Henne | Michigan | Jaguars | QB | $4.8M |
| 5. | Taylor Lewan | Michigan | Titans | LT | $3.1M |
| 6. | Alan Branch | Michigan | Patriots | DT | $2.5M |
| 7. | Leon Hall | Michigan | Giants | CB | $1.4M |
| 8. | Devin Funchess | Michigan | Panthers | WR | $1.3M |
| 9. | Frank Clark | Michigan | Seahawks | DE | $848.2K |
| 10. | Michael Schofield | Michigan | Broncos | RT | $742.3K |
| 11. | Denard Robinson | Michigan | Jaguars | RB | $728.4K |
| 12. | Patrick Omameh | Michigan | Jaguars | G | $675K |
| 13. | Jake Ryan | Michigan | Packers | ILB | $639.2K |
| 14. | Graham Glasgow | Michigan | Lions | C | $611.4K |
| 15. | Fitz Toussaint | Michigan | Steelers | RB | $600K |
| 16. | Willie Henry | Michigan | Ravens | DT | $545.8K |
| 17. | Jarrod Wilson | Michigan | Jaguars | S | $451.7K |
| 18. | Jake Long | Michigan | Vikings | LT | $423.5K |
| 19. | Joe Kerridge | Michigan | Packers | FB | $211.8K |
| 20. | Matt Wile | Michigan | Falcons | P | $158.8K |
| 20. | Jake Rudock | Michigan | Lions | QB | $158.8K |
| Name | College | NFL | Pos | Salary | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1. | Kirk Cousins | Michigan State | Redskins | QB | $20M |
| 2. | Domata Peko | Michigan State | Bengals | DT | $3.7M |
| 3. | Trae Waynes | Michigan State | Vikings | CB | $2.9M |
| 4. | Jack Conklin | Michigan State | Titans | RT | $2.9M |
| 5. | Drew Stanton | Michigan State | Cardinals | QB | $2.5M |
| 6. | Darqueze Dennard | Michigan State | Bengals | CB | $2.2M |
| 7. | Brian Hoyer | Michigan State | Bears | QB | $2M |
| 8. | Garrett Celek | Michigan State | 49ers | TE | $1.9M |
| 9. | Dion Sims | Michigan State | Dolphins | TE | $1.8M |
| 10. | William Gholston | Michigan State | Buccaneers | DE | $1.8M |
| 11. | Le'Veon Bell | Michigan State | Steelers | RB | $1.2M |
| 12. | Kellen Davis | Michigan State | Jets | TE | $680K |
| 13. | Jeremy Langford | Michigan State | Bears | RB | $660.9K |
| 14. | Shilique Calhoun | Michigan State | DE | $647.5K | |
| 15. | Connor Cook | Michigan State | QB | $605K | |
| 16. | Jerel Worthy | Michigan State | Bills | DE | $600K |
| 16. | Glenn Winston | Michigan State | Browns | RB | $600K |
| 16. | Max Bullough | Michigan State | Texans | ILB | $600K |
| 19. | Tony Lippett | Michigan State | Dolphins | CB | $578.7K |
| 20. | Keith Mumphery | Michigan State | Texans | WR | $566.6K |
| 21. | Kurtis Drummond | Michigan State | Texans | SS | $526.7K |
| 22. | Bennie Fowler | Michigan State | Broncos | WR | $525K |
| 23. | Aaron Burbridge | Michigan State | 49ers | WR | $475.1K |
| 24. | Joel Heath | Michigan State | Texans | DE | $450K |
| 25. | Lawrence Thomas | Michigan State | Jets | DE | $358.6K |
| 26. | Donavan Clark | Michigan State | Rams | G | $354.5K |
| Name | College | NFL | Pos | Salary | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1. | Eric Decker | Minnesota | Jets | WR | $8M |
| 2. | Marcus Sherels | Minnesota | Vikings | CB | $2M |
| 3. | Ra'Shede Hageman | Minnesota | Falcons | DT | $1.5M |
| 4. | Maxx Williams | Minnesota | Ravens | TE | $713.7K |
| 5. | MarQueis Gray | Minnesota | Dolphins | TE | $675K |
| 6. | Damien Wilson | Minnesota | Cowboys | OLB | $641.6K |
| 7. | Eric Murray | Minnesota | Chiefs | CB | $600K |
| 8. | De'Vondre Campbell | Minnesota | Falcons | OLB | $591.4K |
| 9. | Briean Boddy-Calhoun | Minnesota | Browns | CB | $450K |
| Name | College | NFL | Pos | Salary | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1. | Lavonte David | Nebraska | Buccaneers | OLB | $10M |
| 2. | Jared Crick | Nebraska | Broncos | DE | $1.8M |
| 3. | Ameer Abdullah | Nebraska | Lions | RB | $944.6K |
| 4. | Spencer Long | Nebraska | Redskins | G | $763.5K |
| 5. | Rex Burkhead | Nebraska | Bengals | RB | $700.6K |
| 6. | Daimion Stafford | Nebraska | Titans | SS | $686.5K |
| 7. | Maliek Collins | Nebraska | Cowboys | DT | $670.3K |
| 8. | Vincent Valentine | Nebraska | Patriots | DT | $611.4K |
| 9. | Jeremiah Sirles | Nebraska | Vikings | G | $600K |
| 9. | Will Compton | Nebraska | Redskins | ILB | $600K |
| 11. | Alex Lewis | Nebraska | Ravens | T | $573K |
| 12. | Brent Qvale | Nebraska | Jets | RT | $525K |
| 12. | Quincy Enunwa | Nebraska | Jets | WR | $525K |
| 12. | Mohammed Seisay | Nebraska | Seahawks | CB | $525K |
| 15. | Andy Janovich | Nebraska | Broncos | FB | $491.1K |
| 16. | Zaire Anderson | Nebraska | Broncos | OLB | $450K |
| 17. | Randy Gregory | Nebraska | Cowboys | OLB | $366K |
| 18. | Stanley Jean-Baptiste | Nebraska | Seahawks | CB | $348K |
| Name | College | NFL | Pos | Salary | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1. | Zach Strief | Northwestern | Saints | RT | $3.7M |
| 2. | Corbin Bryant | Northwestern | Bills | DT | $1.7M |
| 3. | Sherrick McManis | Northwestern | Bears | CB | $1.4M |
| 4. | Ibraheim Campbell | Northwestern | Browns | SS | $653K |
| 5. | Dean Lowry | Northwestern | Packers | DE | $545.8K |
| 6. | Trevor Siemian | Northwestern | Broncos | QB | $538.2K |
| 7. | Brian Peters | Northwestern | Texans | ILB | $525K |
| 8. | Dan Vitale | Northwestern | Browns | FB | $317.6K |
| Name | College | NFL | Pos | Salary | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1. | Cameron Heyward | Ohio State | Steelers | DE | $10.4M |
| 2. | Nick Mangold | Ohio State | Jets | C | $8.6M |
| 3. | Alex Boone | Ohio State | Vikings | G | $6.7M |
| 4. | Malcolm Jenkins | Ohio State | Eagles | FS | $5.7M |
| 5. | Joey Bosa | Ohio State | Rams | DE | $4.7M |
| 6. | Ezekiel Elliott | Ohio State | Cowboys | RB | $4.5M |
| 7. | Ted Ginn Jr. | Ohio State | Panthers | WR | $2.8M |
| 8. | Eli Apple | Ohio State | Giants | CB | $2.8M |
| 9. | Kurt Coleman | Ohio State | Panthers | FS | $2.6M |
| 10. | Ryan Shazier | Ohio State | Steelers | ILB | $2.6M |
| 11. | Taylor Decker | Ohio State | Lions | T | $2M |
| 12. | Bradley Roby | Ohio State | Broncos | CB | $1.9M |
| 13. | Darron Lee | Ohio State | Jets | ILB | $1.9M |
| 14. | Terrelle Pryor | Ohio State | Browns | WR | $1.7M |
| 14. | John Simon | Ohio State | Texans | OLB | $1.7M |
| 16. | Mike Nugent | Ohio State | Bengals | K | $1.6M |
| 17. | Devin Smith | Ohio State | Jets | WR | $1.3M |
| 18. | Johnathan Hankins | Ohio State | Giants | DT | $1.3M |
| 19. | Nate Ebner | Ohio State | Patriots | FS | $1.2M |
| 20. | Noah Spence | Ohio State | Buccaneers | DE | $1.1M |
| 21. | Carlos Hyde | Ohio State | 49ers | RB | $1M |
| 22. | Jack Mewhort | Ohio State | Colts | G | $974.7K |
| 23. | Michael Thomas | Ohio State | Saints | WR | $930.7K |
| 24. | Jake McQuaide | Ohio State | Rams | LS | $875K |
| 25. | Vonn Bell | Ohio State | Saints | S | $722.2K |
| 26. | Jeff Heuerman | Ohio State | Broncos | TE | $695.2K |
| 27. | Corey Linsley | Ohio State | Packers | C | $646.3K |
| 28. | Adolphus Washington | Ohio State | Bills | DT | $638.6K |
| 29. | Braxton Miller | Ohio State | Texans | WR | $627.3K |
| 30. | Nick Vannett | Ohio State | Seahawks | TE | $614.2K |
| 31. | Corey Brown | Ohio State | Panthers | WR | $605K |
| 32. | Andrew Norwell | Ohio State | Panthers | G | $604K |
| 33. | Joshua Perry | Ohio State | Rams | ILB | $603.5K |
| 34. | Mike Adams | Ohio State | Bears | LT | $600K |
| 35. | Cardale Jones | Ohio State | Bills | QB | $545.8K |
| 36. | Chimdi Chekwa | Ohio State | Dolphins | CB | $536.5K |
| 37. | Jalin Marshall | Ohio State | Jets | WR | $454.2K |
| 38. | Tyvis Powell | Ohio State | Seahawks | S | $450K |
| 39. | Michael Bennett | Ohio State | Jaguars | DT | $382.7K |
| 40. | Christian Bryant | Ohio State | Cardinals | FS | $277.9K |
| 41. | Donte Whitner | Ohio State | Redskins | SS | N/A |
| Name | College | NFL | Pos | Salary | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1. | Navorro Bowman | Penn State | 49ers | ILB | $10.2M |
| 2. | Cameron Wake | Penn State | Dolphins | DE | $8.5M |
| 3. | Jared Odrick | Penn State | Jaguars | DE | $8M |
| 4. | Sean Lee | Penn State | Cowboys | OLB | $6.2M |
| 5. | Paul Posluszny | Penn State | Jaguars | ILB | $5.1M |
| 6. | Tamba Hali | Penn State | Chiefs | OLB | $3.8M |
| 7. | Stefen Wisniewski | Penn State | Eagles | C | $2.8M |
| 8. | Matt McGloin | Penn State | QB | $2.6M | |
| 9. | Gerald Hodges | Penn State | 49ers | ILB | $1.7M |
| 10. | Donovan Smith | Penn State | Buccaneers | LT | $1.4M |
| 11. | Jack Crawford | Penn State | Cowboys | DE | $1.1M |
| 12. | Nathan Stupar | Penn State | Saints | OLB | $1.1M |
| 13. | Austin Johnson | Penn State | Titans | DT | $1M |
| 14. | Allen Robinson | Penn State | Jaguars | WR | $957.5K |
| 15. | Jordan Norwood | Penn State | Broncos | WR | $880K |
| 16. | Christian Hackenberg | Penn State | Jets | QB | $847.3K |
| 17. | A.Q. Shipley | Penn State | Cardinals | C | $835K |
| 18. | DaQuan Jones | Penn State | Titans | DE | $713.9K |
| 19. | Devon Still | Penn State | Texans | DT | $675K |
| 19. | Michael Mauti | Penn State | Saints | OLB | $675K |
| 21. | Carl Nassib | Penn State | Browns | DE | $672.4K |
| 22. | John Urschel | Penn State | Ravens | G | $636.1K |
| 23. | Garry Gilliam | Penn State | Seahawks | RT | $604K |
| 24. | Adrian Amos | Penn State | Bears | FS | $583.1K |
| 25. | Jesse James | Penn State | Steelers | TE | $577.2K |
| 26. | Mike Hull | Penn State | Dolphins | ILB | $525K |
| 27. | Anthony Zettel | Penn State | Lions | DT | $480.9K |
| 28. | Jordan Lucas | Penn State | Dolphins | S | $480K |
| 29. | Ross Travis | Penn State | Chiefs | TE | $450K |
| 30. | Robbie Gould | Penn State | Giants | K | $388.2K |
| 31. | Trevor Williams | Penn State | Rams | CB | $344.1K |
| 32. | Jordan Hill | Penn State | Jaguars | DT | $238.2K |
| Name | College | NFL | Pos | Salary | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1. | Drew Brees | Purdue | Saints | QB | $17.3M |
| 2. | Ryan Kerrigan | Purdue | Redskins | OLB | $8.5M |
| 3. | Cliff Avril | Purdue | Seahawks | DE | $6.5M |
| 4. | Rob Ninkovich | Purdue | Patriots | DE | $4.8M |
| 5. | Kawann Short | Purdue | Panthers | DT | $1.5M |
| 6. | Dennis Kelly | Purdue | Titans | RT | $760K |
| 7. | Kevin Pamphile | Purdue | Buccaneers | G | $649.6K |
| 8. | Ricardo Allen | Purdue | Falcons | FS | $525K |
| 8. | Gabe Holmes | Purdue | TE | $525K | |
| 10. | Anthony Brown | Purdue | Cowboys | CB | $483.7K |
| 11. | Josh Johnson | Purdue | Jaguars | CB | $450K |
| 12. | Brandon Cottom | Purdue | Seahawks | RB | $333K |
| 13. | Ryan Russell | Purdue | Buccaneers | DE | $247.1K |
| 14. | Akeem Hunt | Purdue | Texans | RB | $247.1K |
| 15. | Frankie Williams | Purdue | Colts | CB | $238.2K |
| Name | College | NFL | Pos | Salary | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1. | Tyler Kroft | Rutgers | Bengals | TE | $712.4K |
| 2. | Leonte Carroo | Rutgers | Dolphins | WR | $625.1K |
| 3. | Michael Burton | Rutgers | Lions | FB | $571.1K |
| Name | College | NFL | Pos | Salary | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1. | Russell Wilson | Wisconsin | Seahawks | QB | $18.5M |
| 2. | J.J. Watt | Wisconsin | Texans | DE | $14.5M |
| 3. | Joe Thomas | Wisconsin | Browns | LT | $9.5M |
| 4. | Kevin Zeitler | Wisconsin | Bengals | G | $8.1M |
| 5. | DeAndre Levy | Wisconsin | Lions | OLB | $7.7M |
| 6. | Lance Kendricks | Wisconsin | Rams | TE | $4.5M |
| 7. | Jonathan Casillas | Wisconsin | Giants | OLB | $3.4M |
| 8. | Melvin Gordon | Wisconsin | Rams | RB | $2.4M |
| 9. | Travis Frederick | Wisconsin | Cowboys | C | $2.2M |
| 10. | Brad Nortman | Wisconsin | Jaguars | P | $2.2M |
| 11. | Ricky Wagner | Wisconsin | Ravens | RT | $1.7M |
| 12. | Chris Maragos | Wisconsin | Eagles | FS | $1.7M |
| 13. | Scott Tolzien | Wisconsin | Colts | QB | $1.5M |
| 14. | Kraig Urbik | Wisconsin | Dolphins | G | $1.1M |
| 15. | Rob Havenstein | Wisconsin | Rams | RT | $902.3K |
| 16. | James White | Wisconsin | Patriots | RB | $699.3K |
| 17. | Beau Allen | Wisconsin | Eagles | DT | $615.6K |
| 18. | Joe Schobert | Wisconsin | Browns | OLB | $608.5K |
| 19. | Ryan Groy | Wisconsin | Bills | G | $600K |
| 19. | Marcus Cromartie | Wisconsin | 49ers | CB | $600K |
| 21. | Derek Watt | Wisconsin | Rams | FB | $482.4K |
| 22. | Alex Erickson | Wisconsin | Bengals | WR | $450K |
| 22. | Tanner McEvoy | Wisconsin | Seahawks | S | $450K |