The talent in FCS football is on display as 123 former FCS players made NFL active rosters after the annual preseason cuts. That number is an increase from last year after the 53-man cuts.
There are big names from the FCS throughout NFL rosters, including left tackle Terron Armstead (Miami Dolphins, Arkansas-Pine Bluff), linebacker Darius Leonard (Indianapolis Colts, South Carolina State), quarterbacks Carson Wentz (Washington Football Team, North Dakota State), Jimmy Garoppolo (San Francisco 49ers, Eastern Illinois), Trey Lance (San Francisco 49ers, North Dakota State) and wide receiver Cooper Kupp (Los Angeles Rams, Eastern Washington.
FCS TO NFL: FCS players that made NFL rosters in 2020 | FCS players that made NFL rosters in 2021
FCS NFL players by NFL Team
For the first time in two years, there is an FCS player on every NFL team's 53-man active roster. Among the NFL rosters, the Broncos, Buccaneers, Rams and 49ers lead the league with seven FCS players making each team.
| No. OF FCS Players on Roster | NFL Team |
|---|---|
| 7 | Broncos, Buccaneers, Rams, 49ers |
| 6 | Colts |
| 5 | Bears, Bills, Chargers, Dolphins, Eagles, Falcons, Texans |
| 4 | Cowboys, Jaguars, Patriots, Seahawks, Titans |
| 3 | Cardinals, Chiefs, Giants, Jets, Lions, Packers, Saints, Steelers |
| 2 | Commanders, Panthers, Raiders |
| 1 | Bengals, Browns, Ravens, Vikings |
RANKINGS: Check out the latest FCS rankings
FCS NFL players by college
North Dakota State has the most FCS players on NFL active rosters with 9 players; Delaware, Montana State and South Carolina State follow with 5 players each.
| No. OF FCS Players on NFL Roster | FCS Team |
|---|---|
| 9 | North Dakota State |
| 5 | Delaware, Montana State, South Carolina State |
| 4 | James Madison, Harvard |
| 3 | Central Arkansas, Eastern Washington, Northern Iowa, Old Dominion, Samford, South Dakota State, Southeast Missouri State, Yale |
| 2 | Arkansas-Pine Bluff, Chattanooga, Eastern Illinois, Fordham, Illinois State, Indiana State, Missouri State, Norfolk State, Prairie View A&M, Sam Houston, San Diego, Southern Illinois, Southern Utah, Villanova, Western Illinois, Weber State, William & Mary |
| 1 | Alabama State, Drake, Duquesne, Eastern Kentucky, Florida A&M, Georgia Southern, Holy Cross, Houston Baptist, Idaho State, Jacksonville State, Marist, Montana, Morgan State, Murray State, North Dakota, Northern Colorado, Penn, Princeton, Sacramento State, Sacred Heart, Stetson, Stephen F. Austin, Southern, The Citadel, VCU, Wagner, Western Carolina, Youngstown State |
BIG NAMES: 44 players to know for 44 years of FCS football history
FCS NFL players by FCS conference
The Missouri Valley Football Conference has the most FCS players on NFL active rosters with 27 players; The CAA and Big Sky follow with 19 and 14 players, respectively.
| No. OF FCS Players on NFL Roster | FCS Conference |
|---|---|
| 27 | MVFC |
| 19 | CAA |
| 14 | Big Sky |
| 9 | Ivy |
| 8 | OVC |
| 7 | MEAC, SoCon, SWAC |
| 5 | Southland |
| 4 | Pioneer |
| 3 | NEC, Patriot |
| 2 | WAC |
UPSETS: See every FCS-over-FBS upset
FCS NFL players by position
Defensive back has the most FCS players among positions on NFL active rosters with 20 players; Offensive line and linebacker follow with 20 players each.
| No. OF FCS Players on NFL Roster | Position |
|---|---|
| 24 (10, 6) | Defensive back (CB, S) |
| 20 (7, 3) | Linebacker, Offensive line (OT, OG) |
| 14 (4, 5) | Wide receiver, Defensive line (DE, DT) |
| 12 | Tight end |
| 7 | Running back |
| 6 | Quarterback |
| 5 | Long snapper |
| 1 | Fullback, Kicker, Punter |
AWARDS: Walter Payton Award history | Buck Buchanan Award history | Jerry Rice Award history
FCS NFL players from HBCUs
South Carolina State has the most players on FCS players NFL active rosters with 5 players. See the full breakdown below.
FCS NFL Players from HBCUs
- CB Antonio Hamilton (South Carolina State)
- CB Bobby Price (Norfolk State)
- CB Decobie Durant (South Carolina State)
- DE De'Shaan Dixon (Norfolk State)
- DT Javon Hargrave (South Carolina State)
- LB Darius Leonard (South Carolina State)
- LB Joe Thomas (South Carolina State)
- LB Quinton Bell (Prairie View A&M)
- OL Ja'Tyre Carter (Southern)
- OL Joshua Miles (Morgan State)
- OL Tytus Howard (Alabama State)
- OT Terron Armstead (Arkansas-Pine Bluff)
- P Jamie Gillan (Arkansas-Pine Bluff)
- S Markquese Bell (Florida A&M)
- WR KhaDarel Hodge (Prairie View A&M)
| No. OF FCS Players on NFL Roster | HBCU |
|---|---|
| 5 | South Carolina State |
| 2 | Arkansas-Pine Bluff, Norfolk State, Prairie View A&M |
| 1 | Alabama State, Florida A&M, Morgan State, Southern |
2022 HBCU: Follow everything that happens in the 2022 HBCU football season
2021 FCS NFL draft picks on rosters
Out of the 20 FCS players taken in the 2021 NFL draft, only two didn't make a roster. See the players cut below:
- LB James Houston | Jackson State
- QB Chris Oladokun | South Dakota State
TOP PLAYERS: Top HBCU football players at every position entering 2022
Every FCS player on NFL rosters
The following is the complete list of former FCS players on NFL active rosters as of Aug 30, 2022:
AFC North
Cleveland Browns (1): OG Drew Forbes (Southeast Missouri State)
- RESERVE/INJURED — WR Isaiah Weston (Northern Iowa)
Pittsburgh Steelers (3): LS Christian Kuntz (Duquesne), LB Derrek Tuszka (North Dakota State), S Miles Killebrew (Southern Utah)
Baltimore Ravens (1): TE Nick Boyle (Delaware)
Cincinnati Bengals (2): G Cordell Volson (North Dakota State)
AFC East
New England Patriots (4): WR Kendrick Bourne (Eastern Washington), RB Pierre Strong (South Dakota State), WR Kristian Wilkerson (Southeast Missouri State), OL Cole Strange (Chattanooga)
New York Jets (3): QB Joe Flacco (Delaware), LB Quincy Williams (Murray State), DL John Franklin-Myers (Stephen F. Austin)
- RESERVE/Non-football injury — OL Greg Senat (Wagner)
Buffalo Bills (5): RB Taiwan Jones (Eastern Washington), CB Siran Neal (Jacksonville State), OT Spencer Brown (Northern Iowa), CB Christian Benford (Villanova), CB Taron Johnson (Weber State)
Miami Dolphins (5): RB Chase Edmonds (Fordham), TE Tanner Conner (Idaho State), DB Elijah Campbell (Northern Iowa), OT Terron Armstead (Arkansas-Pine Bluff), DB Keion Crossen (Western Carolina)
- RESERVE/INJURED — FB John Lovett Princeton
MUST-WATCH: The top 12 non-conference games in the 2022 FCS season
AFC South
Jacksonville Jaguars (3): RB James Robinson (Illinois State), DE De'Shaan Dixon (Norfolk State), WR Jamal Agnew (San Diego), LB Foyesade Oluokun (Yale)
Houston Texans (5): OL Tytus Howard (Alabama State), DB Tremon Smith (Central Arkansas), LB Kamu Grugier-Hill (Eastern Illinois), DB Tristin McCollum (Sam Houston), DL Derek Rivers (Youngstown State)
Tennessee Titans (4): LB Dylan Cole (Missouri State), OL Dillon Radunz (North Dakota State), RB Julius Chestnut (Sacred Heart), OL Corey Levin (Chattanooga)
Indianapolis Colts (6): DT Eric Johnson (Missouri State), LB Darius Leonard (South Carolina State), LB E.J. Speed (Tarleton State), Mo Alie-Cox* (VCU), LS Luke Rhodes (William & Mary), DB Rodney Thomas (Yale)
- RESERVE/INJURED — TE Andrew Ogletree (Youngstown State)
AFC West
Las Vegas Raiders (2): DT Bilal Nichols (Delaware), TE Jesper Horsted (Princeton)
- RESERVE/INJURED — LB Tae Davis (Chattanooga)
- RESERVE/INJURED — OT Brandon Parker (North Carolina A&T)
Los Angeles Chargers (5): S Nasir Adderley (Delaware), LB Troy Reeder (Delaware), QB Easton Stick (North Dakota State), WR DeAndre Carter (Sacramento State), TE Donald Parham Jr. (Stetson University)
- RESERVE/INJURED — OT Andrew Trainer (William & Mary)
Kansas City Chiefs (3): RB Jerick McKinnon (Georgia Southern), WR Justin Watson (Penn), DT Khalen Saunders (Western Illinois)
Denver Broncos (7): TE Eric Saubert (Drake), LB Aaron Patrick (Eastern Kentucky), LB Jonas Griffith (Indiana State), LB Alex Singleton (Montana State), OL Billy Turner (North Dakota State), LS Jacob Bobenmoyer (Northern Colorado), WR Montrell Washington (Samford)
- PUP — OL Tom Compton (South Dakota)
FCS-FBS: Here is every FCS vs FBS game scheduled for 2022
NFC East
New York Giants (3): LB Elerson Smith (Northern Iowa), DL Nick Williams (Samford), P Jamie Gillan (Arkansas-Pine Bluff)
Philadelphia Eagles (5): LS Rick Lovato (Old Dominion) CB James Bradberry (Samford), DT Javon Hargrave (South Carolina State), TE Dallas Goedert (South Dakota State), OG Sua Opeta (Weber State)
- RESERVE/INJURED — TE Jaeden Graham (Yale)
Washington Commanders (2): QB Carson Wentz (North Dakota State), Taylor Heinicke (Old Dominion)
Dallas Cowboys (4): S Markquese Bell (Florida A&M), RB Aaron Shampklin (Harvard), OT Matt Waletzko (North Dakota), WR Dennis Houston (Western Illinois)
NFC West
Arizona Cardinals (3): OL Joshua Miles (Morgan State), OL Rashaad Coward (Old Dominion), CB Antonio Hamilton (South Carolina State)
Los Angeles Rams (7): DB Robert Rochell (Central Arkansas), WR Cooper Kupp (Eastern Washington), LB Daniel Hardy (Montana State), WR Lance McCutcheon (Montana State), CB Decobie Durant (South Carolina State), LB Christian Rozeboom (South Dakota State), DT Jonah Williams (Weber State)
San Francisco 49ers (7): DB George Odum (Central Arkansas), QB Jimmy Garoppolo (Eastern Illinois), DE Samson Ebukam (Eastern Washington), OT Nick Zakelj (Fordham), FB Kyle Juszczyk (Harvard), QB Trey Lance (North Dakota State), TE Ross Dwelley (San Diego)
Seattle Seahawks (4): LS Tyler Ott (Harvard), DE Shelby Harris (Illinois State), K Jason Myers (Marist), S Ryan Neal (Southern Illinois)
MOVEMENT: Making sense of FCS conference realignment
NFC North
Chicago Bears (5): LB Caleb Johnson (Houston Baptist), LB Joe Thomas (South Carolina State), OL Ja'Tyre Carter (Southern), OL Braxton Jones (Southern Utah), DB DeAndre Houston-Carson (William & Mary)
- RESERVE/INJURED — OL Dakota Dozier (Furman)
Detroit Lions (3): WR Kalif Raymond (Holy Cross), CB Bobby Price (Norfolk State), LB Chris Board (North Dakota State)
Green Bay Packers (3): TE Robert Tonyan (Indiana State), WR Ishmael Hyman (James Madison), WR Christian Watson (North Dakota State)
Minnesota Vikings (1): TE Ben Ellefson (North Dakota State)
NFC South
Atlanta Falcons (5): S Dean Marlowe (James Madison), LB Troy Andersen (Montana State), LB Quinton Bell (Prairie View A&M), WR KhaDarel Hodge (Prairie View A&M), CB Mike Ford (Southeast Missouri State)
Carolina Panthers (2): S Jeremy Chinn (Southern Illinois), WR Andre Roberts (The Citadel)
- RESERVE/INJURED — LB Julian Stanford (Wagner)
New Orleans Saints (3): OL Lewis Kidd (Montana State), OT Trevor Penning (Northern Iowa), DE Tanoh Kpassagnon (Villanova)
- RESERVE/INJURED — OL Ethan Greenidge (Villanova)
Tampa Bay Buccaneers (7): TE Cameron Brate (Harvard), DL Mike Greene (James Madison), OT Josh Wells (James Madison), OT Dylan Cook (Montana), CB Zyon McCollum (Sam Houston), CB Don Gardner (South Dakota State), TE JJ Howland (Yale)
- RESERVE/INJURED — LB Cam Gill (Wagner)
- RESERVE/INJURED — OG Aaron Stinnie (James Madison)
*-Player participated in DI basketball at an FCS school
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