My son asked who is the best football player of all time from Mississippi State in the NFL?
- Thread starter dawgstudent
- Start date
All time is Walter Payton , and Jerry Rice is in the conversation.
oops, you said Mississippi State, I just read Mississippi, sorry.
Cox has the larger body of work but I think Chris Jones is and will be recognized as the greater player.
oops, you said Mississippi State, I just read Mississippi, sorry.
Cox has the larger body of work but I think Chris Jones is and will be recognized as the greater player.
What years did they graduate from State?
Right now it's Fletcher Cox. If Chris Jones's career continues on this trajectory they will both be HOF all time defensive linemen. And I think Jeff Simmons will be at that level in a few years too.
Who are the other candidates?…
DD Lewis
Kent Hull
Eric Moulds
I’d say yeah, prob so, on Fletch.
Fletcher has the best career of an active player, Chris Jones is currently the best player & the answer probably changes to Jeffery Simmons in a couple of years.
Yes but Chris Jones and Jeffrey Simmons aren’t far behind.
My mind has been wondering in Dak Thinkin' but I understand what y'all are saying in that while Dak's been a great NFL QB, he's not dominated that position to the degree these Defensive STATE Stars have done and continue to do. However one must remember there's a lot more DL's out there than QB's. QB's are Rare and Elite Athletes that most football experts say are most often the most important players you'll have on your teams.
Last edited:
If you're talking about best at a particular position vs the best at that position in the NFL in that era, then yeah, one of these current crop of D players is it.
If you want simply the best football player, it's Dak all day long. QB is so much harder to play and takes so much more well rounded football knowledge and ability.
If you want simply the best football player, it's Dak all day long. QB is so much harder to play and takes so much more well rounded football knowledge and ability.
Come on now. Fletcher and Chris Jones are likely Hall of Famers. Dak is just a very good quarterback.
There's a reason Dak makes 40ish million a year and they don't. It's because he is more valued.
Ever notice how in lower levels of football, the best football player who's not lineman size usually ends up at QB.
There’s a difference between more valued and best. Quarterbacks make the most money, full stop. Doesn’t mean they’re the best players on the team.
ETA: Kirk Cousins made $35MM this season. Fletcher made $14MM. Who is the better player?
I would throw big play slay out there, always on an island with the best opposing receiver and 5 pro bowls
I thought I made it pretty clear that I was looking at the players differently in my first post.
Many of our NFL D players are better at there position vs the league than Dak is, but Dak has the most football knowledge and skill overall, and it's not close for me.
Kirk Cousins is a more valuable football player than Cox. He's more important to his team than Cox is to the Eagles.
Is that not pretty obvious?
Don Smith is the only MSU player to score in the Super Bowl. Interestingly, that was the only TD Smith scored in his entire career.
I’d say it was Kent Hull until Fletcher Cox, but I’m going to echo some of the others here and say Chris Jones and maybe Jeff Simmons overtake him by the time their careers are done.
I'd say at this point it is still Kent Hull and it's not close. But whoever wins today's Super Bowl between Cox and Jones will help their respective causes --- especially if they can get some key stops and reek havoc in the opposing teams backfield.
That said, I agree with what others have said about Simmons. He may have the highest ceiling and he is damn fun to watch. He needs some bigger games and bigger wins on his resume.
That said, I agree with what others have said about Simmons. He may have the highest ceiling and he is damn fun to watch. He needs some bigger games and bigger wins on his resume.
Exactly. Jeff Simmons is the best player I ever saw at MSU. Dak is the most important. If a QB played at the level Jeff Simmons did they would have won the Heisman.
There's a reason QBs win Heisman Trophys as the Most Outstanding Player...
And DTs do not.
Moulds? There's a debate among Bills fans if he or Andre Reed were the best Blls receivers ever. Everybody thinks if Moulds had better QBs, he would have been a shoo-in for the HOF.
Based on statistics, Cox, Jones, and Simmons are tough to compare due to the teams they play on. Cox and Simmons are averaging 43-44 tackles per season. Jones is averaging 34 tackle per season. Sack average per season is Cox 5.9, Jones 9.3, Simmons 5.25. Cox has really never missed more than 3 games in a season. Jones has dealt with injury and Simmons has also.
Also if you account for Jones playing for a higher scoring team so likely playing more passing downs than run downs where Cox and Simmons would be the opposite. (Speculating off memory)
If all three of their careers have similar longevity, the numbers will likely be similar between categories for 2 of the three. If any 18 year DT prospect were promised to have their same career path, they’d be idiots to not sign up.
Also if you account for Jones playing for a higher scoring team so likely playing more passing downs than run downs where Cox and Simmons would be the opposite. (Speculating off memory)
If all three of their careers have similar longevity, the numbers will likely be similar between categories for 2 of the three. If any 18 year DT prospect were promised to have their same career path, they’d be idiots to not sign up.
Y’all sleeping on Logan Cooke.
If drafting a team of State players only, Dak would have to be the first pick because he’s the only State qb in the NFL, otherwise he wouldn’t be my #1.
You could just about build an all pro defense with State players.
Heard plenty of old timers (including Bear Bryant) say similar things about DD Lewis as a college player.
Jones
Eagles completely eliminated his presence…and in doing so, stacked a double on him all night…and in doing so, allowed that guy who sells Tactical Military Welding Glasses, to ultimately have his career game.
Eagles completely eliminated his presence…and in doing so, stacked a double on him all night…and in doing so, allowed that guy who sells Tactical Military Welding Glasses, to ultimately have his career game.
Attachments
-
32E99DB4-98BA-4E41-A2B9-052639841FB3.jpeg
To be determined
I look at present time measurements upon this decision…which wasn’t easy….and give a small % of the matrix value to project….
upon review, it’s Slay………………………………………
Zzzzzzzz for you who argue……
COx
Soon to be passed by Chris Jones
…….
……
Dak…….
Zzzzzz
Simmons
How can anyone argue against Slay?
He’s been top 5 at his position for his entire (healthy, playable) career
Cox is on his way to HOF
As is Jones
But IMO, Slay is already there, right?
