Group of Five schools may not be the flashiest programs, but some of the best players in the NFL today have come from these smaller programs.
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Everybody likes a dream team starting lineup, so we here at FanBuzz decided to put one together — using just NFL players who came out of the current Group of Five schools within the Division I Football Bowl Subdivision ranks. Think of it: Top NFL talent from schools currently in the American Athletic Conference, Conference USA, Mid-American Conference, Mountain West and Sun Belt all put together.
And, boy oh boy, would this team rock if it actually existed. Five All-Pro players dot the roster, and six total players on the list were selected to last season's Pro Bowl — which nearly leads the NFL, just one player behind the largest contingent of any NFL team (Indianapolis had seven).
Can you envision Wyoming QB product Josh Allen throwing darts to wide receiver Davante Adams out of Fresno State? How about an offensive line with two Pro Bowlers — Joel Bitonio (Nevada) and Dion Dawkins (Temple), along with All-Rookie Team selection Tyler Smith (Tulsa) — carving out a canyon-sized space worth of running room for a 1,100-yard-plus rushing season for Aaron Jones (UTEP)? Tackling machines such as Bobby Wagner (Utah State) and Kevin Byard (Middle Tennessee) anchor the defense, along with sack machine Pro Bowler Trey Hendrickson (Florida Atlantic).
This starting lineup is a perfect blend of aged wisdom and hungry youth, like a refined wine and a newly formulated high-octane, caffeine-loaded energy drink line that'll knock your socks off. Four first-year players on the list made the NFL All-Rookie team last year and will be expected to only improve on that effort — yet out of the 26 players listed below, only three of them were first-round draft picks. Clearly, NFL teams were a tad bit tentative, with three of the offensive/defensive players — Andrew Wylie (Kansas City), Teair Tart (FIU) and Tashaun Gipson (Wyoming) — going undrafted altogether. None of the four special teams' standouts were drafted at all.
So let's take a look at who would make up this team. I think we all know that this group could easily make up a playoff-caliber franchise, if only one team could snag them all now. Isn't it fun to think about?
Note: Pro Bowl linebacker Bobby Wagner played last year with the Los Angeles Rams for one season but is back with the Seattle Seahawks, where he began his career.
The 2023 All-NFL Group of Five Team
Photo by Thearon W. Henderson/Getty Images
Based on 2022 stats/accolades
NFL'S ALL-G5 PRODUCT OFFENSIVE TEAM
| POS | PLAYER | NFL TEAM | SCHOOLS | 2022 STATISTICS |
| QB | Josh Allen | BUFFALO | Wyoming | 4,283 pass yds, 35 TDs |
| OL | Andrew Wylie | KANSAS CITY | East. Mich. | Started all 17 games |
| OL | Joel Bitonio (*, $) | CLEVELAND | Nevada | First Team All-Pro |
| OL | Robert Hunt | MIAMI | Louisiana | Started all 17 games |
| OL | Tyler Smith (&) | DALLAS | Tulsa | All-Rookie team, 17 starts |
| OL | Dion Dawkins ($) | BUFFALO | Temple | Pro Bowler |
| TE | Tyler Higbee | L.A. RAMS | West. Ky. | 72 catches, 620 yds |
| RB | Aaron Jones | GREEN BAY | UTEP | 1,121 rush yds, 2 TDs |
| WR | Davante Adams (*, $) | LAS VEGAS | Fresno St. | 1,516 rec. yds, 14 TDs |
| WR | Diontae Johnson | PITTSBURGH | Toledo | 86 catches, 882 yds |
| WR | Zay Jones | JACKSONVILLE | East Carolina | 823 rec yds, 5 TDs |
NFL'S ALL-G5 PRODUCT DEFENSIVE TEAM
| POS | PLAYER | NFL TEAM | SCHOOLS | 2022 STATISTICS |
| DE | DeMarcus Lawrence | DALLAS | Boise St. | 87 tackles, 6 sacks |
| DE | Trey Hendrickson ($) | CINCINNATI | FAU | 42 tackles, 8 sacks |
| DT | Larry Ogunjobi | PITTSBURGH | Charlotte | 48 tackles, 7 TFLs |
| DT | Teair Tart | TENNESSEE | FIU | 34 tackles, 6 PDs |
| LB | Demario Davis | NEW ORLEANS | Arkansas St. | 165 tackles, 6.5 sacks |
| LB | Haason Reddick (*) | PHILADELPHIA | Temple | 63 tackles, 16 sacks |
| LB | Bobby Wagner (*, $) | SEATTLE | Utah St. | 199 tackles, 6 sacks, 2 INTs |
| CB | L'Jarius Sneed | KANSAS CITY | La. Tech | 108 tackles, 3 INTs |
| S | Tashaun Gipson | SAN FRANCISCO | Wyoming | 79 tackles, 5 INTs |
| S | Kevin Byard ($) | TENNESSEE | Middle Tenn. | 147 tackles, 5 INTs |
| CB | Tariq Woolen (&) | SEATTLE | UTSA | 63 tackles, 6 INTs |
NFL'S ALL-G5 PRODUCT SPECIAL TEAMS
| POS | PLAYER | NFL TEAM | SCHOOLS | 2022 STATISTICS |
| K | Younghoe Koo | ATLANTA | Ga. Southern | 32 FGs, long 54 |
| LS | Patrick Scales | CHICAGO | Utah St. | |
| P | Ryan Stonehouse (&) | TENNESSEE | Colorado St. | 53.1 yds per punt |
| ST | Jeremy Reaves (*) | WASHINGTON | So. Alabama | 17 ST tackles |
*- All-Pro First or Second team selection
$- Pro Bowl selection for NFC or AFC
&- All Rookie team
