Ranking Top FSU Football Alumni in NFL History: No. 7
By Jason Parker
FSU football has sent hundreds of players to the NFL over the years – here’s another look at one of the ten best to play in the pro game.
This weekend, another class of talented former FSU Seminoles made their way to the National Football League when their respective teams drafted them. It was just another time when it was great to be associated with Florida State – a program that has sent hundreds of the best players to the next level since the first player was picked in 1951.
The list of former Noles who have excelled in the pro game is a who’s who of not just the best to come from FSU football, but some of the best to EVER play in the NFL. However, the question then becomes this: who were the best 10 players in NFL history who spent their college time in Tallahassee?
It may have been one of the hardest list we have ever had to come up with – dozens of former All-Pros, Pro Bowlers and even Super Bowl Champions didn’t make the cut. That’s how talented FSU’s crop of former players is. We also looked at the length of a career and what they did over that time – so while players like Jameis Winston, Devonta Freeman and Jalen Ramsey could make this list in another decade, they have to wait their turn.
Without further delay, here’s the latest installment of the top players in NFL history from Florida State.
Florida State Seminoles Football
No. 7 – Anquan Boldin, Wide Receiver (Arizona Cardinals, Baltimore Ravens, San Francisco 49ers, Detroit Lions 2003-Present)
Formerly one of the top prep quarterbacks in Florida history, Boldin switched to wide receiver when he arrived at FSU and quickly realized that it was a smart business decision (also being a solid emergency quarterback in the 2003 Sugar Bowl) when the Cardinals drafted him in the second round of that year’s draft.
Once in the desert, Boldin quickly became one of the most reliable receivers in the game, being named Rookie of the Year and the first of three Pro Bowls in his first season. Even with the arrival of Larry Fitzgerald in 2005, Boldin still had five seasons over 1,000 yards receiving during his seven years with the Cardinals – along with a career high 11 touchdowns in the 2008 season where Arizona made it to the Super Bowl.
After being traded to Baltimore, he spent three seasons with the Ravens where his numbers went down slightly, but he was a key force in helping the team win the Super Bowl during the 2012 season. He became the playmaker in San Francisco for three years before spending last season in Detroit. Boldin has been a valuable member of each community he has played in, doing charitable work in all cities and in his hometown of Pahokee while being named the NFL’s Man of The Year in 2015.