Could the Best College Football Team Beat the Worst NFL Team?

[PleaseBlitz]

This came up in the NCAA Football Thread.  Could the Best College Football Team Beat the Worst NFL Team?

 

In that thread, the most obvious candidates would be the 0-16 2017 Cleveland Browns versus some recent Alabama team (but feel free to use others).  

 

Here are 2 takes, including my own.  

 

@Dont Taze Me Bro

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I have always hated this question/debate.  It wouldn't be close.  Just look at the starters for each side alone.  You have 22 players that are legitimately starting at the highest level of their sport versus 22 college players, where even if 12 got drafted (like last year), only half would be starters in the NFL.  

 

Just to entertain the idea, that means it would be 22 NFL starters versus 6 future NFL starters, 6 2nd or 3rd string prospects and 10 college players that are not good enough to play in the NFL at all.  This is being generous towards Alabama from the numbers I suggested.  Not to mention, we are talking about the team on the field for AL right now, so those lower classmen buried on the depth chart being an NFL prospect in 2020 or 2021 doesn't matter.

 

Another point is 22 professional athletes all have pro experience, none of the AL players have that.  It wouldn't even be close. 

 

@PleaseBlitz

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Of the 22 starters on the 2017 Brown's, how many would start for the majority or even any other teams?  Probably not many.  I think it's kind of circular logic to just say that all of the starters on the Browns are legitimately NFL starters, because they are that by virtue of being on the Browns.  For example, the Browns QB, DeShone Kizer, is not an NFL starter anymore, one year later.  The Browns leading receiver among WRs was Ricardo Louis.  He had 357 yards receiving.  He has not caught a ball yet this year and I doubt he would start for any other team.   Josh Gordon was technically on the team, but was not eligible to play.  

 

How many legit NFL stars are on that Browns team?  Answer:  One.  Joe Thomas who was on the downswing of his career, only played half the season and retired at the end of the year.  Their best defensive player was rookie (at the time) Myles Garrett, who is a very solid player. 

 

Meantime, just about every year Alabama has 3 or 4 or 5 guys in each class that go on to become stars or at least really really good players.  For example, the 2010 Alabama team had, as seniors, Julio Jones, Marcell Dareus, and Mark Ingram (all Pro Bowlers) and juniors Dee Milliner, Chance Warmack, and Eddie Lacy (also a Pro Bowler at one point before he got fat).  The underclassman who all played included CJ Mosley, Haha Clinton Dix, Amari Cooper and Landon Collins (all future Pro Bowlers) and TJ Yeldon and Dont'a Hightower.  All told, those 4 years produced 30 NFL draft picks, including 13 first rounders.  

 

That's 8 future pro bowlers including 2 guys, Julio and Dareus, that would dominate anyone on the 2017 Browns.  The 2017 Browns had zero pro bowlers (they had 2 alternates, Joe Schobert and Joel Bitonio, not exactly household names).  Sure, the Bama players aren't fully-formed players in college, but they are pretty close.  And at any age, would you rather have Julio Jones or Ricardo Louis?  Would you rather have Marcell Dareus as a college senior or Myles Garrett one year after being a college senior?  

 

[Bozo the kKklown]

The answer is hell no.

 

Physical maturity is the best reason why. 

 

The 2010 Crimson Tide would not beat the 2017 Browns.

 

That doesn't include experience, talent, etc.

[TD_washingtonredskins]

No. 

 

/thread

[Springfield]

**** no.

 

[Kilmer17]

I think this years Alabama team could give a few NFL teams a decent game.  But overall, no.

[PleaseBlitz]

6 minutes ago, BenningRoadSkin said:

The answer is hell no.

 

Physical maturity is the best reason why. 

 

The 2010 Crimson Tide would not beat the 2017 Browns.

 

That doesn't include experience, talent, etc.

 

What talent?

[TradeTheBeal!]

Absolutely not.

[PleaseBlitz]

So far, a lot of knee jerk reactions, no actual reasoning.  

[Renegade7]

That Alabama team had how many NFL players?  Even though the 2017 Browns were bad, ALL of them were NFL players.  NFL teams have a roster full of individuals who all at one point or the other were dominant at another level.  Browns don't have enough elite players to beat the best NFL teams.  You would essentially be taking a 4th preseason game roster with some rookie draft picks and putting up against an NFL team playing their starters the whole game.

 

Besides from what I've seen from Alabama, their strength is their defense, no doubt in my mind they get shutout against even the 0-16 Browns team you were talking about .  too many players with speed, that's difference between what you can get away with in college and what you can't get away with in NFL.

[ixcuincle]

They used to hold a game like this in the 60's and 70's. The pros won nearly every game. 

 

Edit: It was the SB Champs against a bunch of college stars. Wonder how different it would be if the worst team played the best team. Can't imagine there'd be much different, the NFL team would still win. "Men against boys." 

[PleaseBlitz]

2 minutes ago, Renegade7 said:

That Alabama team had his many NFL players? 

 

30 that got drafted.  Not sure how many were signed as UDFA, probably a few. 

 

2 minutes ago, Renegade7 said:

 

Even though the Browns were bad, ALL if them were NFL players. 

 

Yea, they were good enough to make the worst team in history and thus are, by definition, NFL players.  

 

2 minutes ago, Renegade7 said:

 

NFL teams have a roster fukk if individuals who all at one point one the other were dominant at another level.

 

I'll note that not a single person has named a single actual Brown to support their argument. 

 

2 minutes ago, Renegade7 said:

 

  Browns don't have enough elite players to beat the best NFL teams.  You would essentially be taking a 4th preseason game roster with some rookie draft picks and putting up against an NFL team playing their starters the whole game.

 

If my team's 4th preseason game roster included Julio Jones and Marcel Dareus among 13 first rounders that'd be a pretty solid team (whom no Browns would start for). 

 

2 minutes ago, Renegade7 said:

 

Besides from what I've seen from Alabama, their strength is their defense, no doubt in my mind they get shutout against even the 0-16 Browns team you were talking about .  too many players with speed, that's difference between what you can get away with in college and what you can't get away with in NFL.

 

Which players with speed, specifically?

 

[Renegade7]

9 minutes ago, PleaseBlitz said:

 

30 that got drafted.  Not sure how many were signed as UDFA, probably a few. 

 

 

Which specific season are yiu talking about that 30 Alabama players got drafted?  You mention specific nfl team that can be beaten, which specific college team could beat them?

 

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Yea, they were good enough to make the worst team in history and thus are, by definition, NFL players.  

 

NFL teams are made up of plenty players that dominated college but couldn't do **** in the pros.  Saying they are bad NFL players doesn't make up for the number if average or never gonna make its that populate college rosters.

 

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I'll note that not a single person has named a single actual Brown to support their argument. 

 

Because you ain't need to, this isn't a start versus star argument.  It's a scheme and team speed argument, something most college teams can't compete with, they never have to deal with that from every player they go up against.

 

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If my team's 4th preseason game roster included Julio Jones and Marcel Dareus among 13 first rounders that'd be a pretty solid team (whom no Browns would start for). 

 

What single college team had 13 first rounders? If you take all the best college players and made a squad you'd be making an all-rookie NFL team, not a best college team.

 

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Which players with speed, specifically?

 

 

All of them.  If you took the average speed of an NFL and compared it to the average speed of any College team, it would not be close. That's the first thing any rookie talks about, and a lot of rookies never handle it, how do you think a team full of rookies that would never make an NFL roster would do.

 

Also, from a preparation and scheming standpoint, NFL team all day.

[Bozo the kKklown]

3 minutes ago, PleaseBlitz said:

 

What talent?

The talent that made an nfl roster.

 

Three quarterbacks that were starters on FBS teams for instance while Alabama had one starter that made an FBS team. (McCaron became one)

 

I think only 6 players from that team were in NFL rosters in 2011. If you count 2012, it’s 12 players. If you want to add 2013 then you have 23 players who made the NFL.

 

That includes Alabama players who were on rosters but did not play an NFL game. (Six players)

 

The Browns had 47 players who made the NFL.

[Renegade7]

To piggyback on @BenningRoadSkin, if any single Alabama roster top to bottomisthat much better then 2017 Browns team, why aren't there a slew of Alabama players on the Browns?  Alabama players that cant make other rosters should be able to beat out the players on the Browns, it should be the Cleveland Crimson Tide, but its not.

[Mr. Sinister]

Didn't realize this thread was here. I'll just repost my thoughts from the other thread

 

17 minutes ago, Mr. Sinister said:

I'm not sure Alabama would cross  mid field against any NFL team. Gotta understand the significance of the jump between hs/college/pros, and competitive programs at that.

 

It's always cool, in jest, but I'm always reminded of Trent Williams, one of the greatest freaks of nature I've ever seen, even in college. Couldn't even get out of his stance in time against Rak his first few practices, who was/is an above average pass rusher, not a freak by any means (this after they played each other in college and probably held their own against each other, until Rak made the jump). Then Trent adjusted, and owned Demarcus Ware on SNF opening weekend.

 

Now I'm sure you could get a skill position guy every once in awhile, who would automatically be good in the NFL,  it to me, that's rare, and as far as it goes. You're talking 18-22 year olds, some 3-4 star athletes against THE VERY BEST OF THE BEST, fully grown men, with NFL coaching. Making the NFL is hard. Plenty of legendary college players never amounted to anything whatsoever. Extrapolating that to an entire college football team, even one like this Alabama team? They would not score a point, I guarantee you, and inside the trenches would be the biggest discrepancy, in strength, speed, technique, and motor.

 

[PleaseBlitz]

Just now, Renegade7 said:

 

Which specific season are yiu talking about that 30 Alabama players got drafted?  You mention specific nfl team that can be beaten, which specific college team could beat them?

 

2011 Alabama.  But probably others too.  

 

Just now, Renegade7 said:

 

 

NFL teams are made up of plenty players that dominated college but couldn't do **** in the pros.  Saying they are bad NFL players doesn't make up for the number if average or never gonna make its that populate college rosters.

 

What I'm saying is that a team full of bad NFL players, with no legit Pro Bowlers, could get beaten by a college team with a dozen future Pro Bowlers, because the talent of that dozen would make up for weaknesses elsewhere.  When I say "future Pro Bowlers" that means they are guys that dominated in college, and then went to the NFL and dominated there too.  

 

Just now, Renegade7 said:

 

 

Because you ain't need to, this isn't a start versus star argument.  It's a scheme and team speed argument, something most college teams can't compete with, they never have to deal with that from every player they go up against.

 

My argument is that Alabama football has enough team speed to beat the 2017 Cleveland Browns, given that they sent at least 30 guys to the NFL.  Scheme is an interesting argument.  Can you specifically name anyone on the Browns that is significantly faster than his counterpart at Alabama?  People keep acting like that Browns team was an average NFL team with average talent.  They weren't.  

 

Just now, Renegade7 said:

 

 

What single college team had 13 first rounders? If you take all the best college players and made a squad you'd be making an all-rookie NFL team, not a best college team.

 

2011 Alabama had 13 first rounders on it.  They weren't all seniors at the same time.  

 

Just now, Renegade7 said:

 

 

All of them.  If you took the average speed of an NFL and compared it to the average speed of any College team, it would not be close. That's the first thing any rookie talks about, and a lot of rookies never handle it, how do you think a team full of rookies that would never make an NFL roster would do.

 

Again, we are not talking about the average NFL team versus an average college team.  We are talking about a historically bad NFL team versus a historically talented college team.  

 

Just now, Renegade7 said:

 

Also, from a preparation and scheming standpoint, NFL team all day.

 

This would be significant advantage for sure.  Again, the Brown's didn't seem to have NFL-average preparation or scheming, and their QB and best defensive player were both rookies.  

[Renegade7]

Lol, take the worst NFL team imaginable and give them Kahlial Mack right now and see how any college team does with that.  Mascots vs little kids bad.

[PleaseBlitz]

10 minutes ago, BenningRoadSkin said:

The talent that made an nfl roster.

 

Why is everyone so scared to name players?

 

10 minutes ago, BenningRoadSkin said:

 

Three quarterbacks that were starters on FBS teams for instance while Alabama had one starter that made an FBS team. (McCaron became one)

 

  You're right.  The fact that Cody Kessler was on the Brown's roster resolves this discussion. 

 

10 minutes ago, BenningRoadSkin said:

 

I think only 6 players from that team were in NFL rosters in 2011. If you count 2012, it’s 12 players. If you want to add 2013 then you have 23 players who made the NFL.

 

That includes Alabama players who were on rosters but did not play an NFL game. (Six players)

 

The Browns had 47 players who made the NFL.

 

You should read my first post again.  College teams have four class years of players (actually five because of redshirting). 

[Major Harris]

39 minutes ago, PleaseBlitz said:

So far, a lot of knee jerk reactions, no actual reasoning.  

 

 

there's not much reasoning to be had. 

 

yes, the browns suck, but they're nfl players.  every one of them.  and they're more physically mature.  i'm surprised to see you debating the other side of this, almost feels like a troll attempt.

[PleaseBlitz]

1 minute ago, Major Harris said:

 

 

there's not much reasoning to be had. 

 

yes, the browns suck, but they're nfl players.  every one of them.  and they're more physically mature.  i'm surprised to see you debating the other side of this, almost feels like a troll attempt.

 

Again, it's a circular argument to simply say that players on the Browns are NFL players.  Again, not a single person has named a single Brown in making any argument about how good they are or how much more physically mature they are than an Alabama guy, even while still in college.  Again, Alabama has multiple future pro bowlers on every squad, the Brown's have zero.  

[Major Harris]

3 minutes ago, PleaseBlitz said:

 

Again, it's a circular argument to simply say that players on the Browns are NFL players.  Again, not a single person has named a single Brown in making any argument about how good they are or how much more physically mature they are than an Alabama guy, even while still in college.  Again, Alabama has multiple future pro bowlers on every squad, the Brown's have zero.  

 

 

I don't know what to say, you're right, I can't name names, it doesn't make your stance any less absurd.

 

Could the best middle school team beat the worst high school team?

 

Could the best high school team beat the worst college team?

 

 

[Dont Taze Me Bro]

1 hour ago, PleaseBlitz said:

 

Of the 22 starters on the 2017 Brown's, how many would start for the majority or even any other teams?  Probably not many.  I think it's kind of circular logic to just say that all of the starters on the Browns are legitimately NFL starters, because they are that by virtue of being on the Browns.  For example, the Browns QB, DeShone Kizer, is not an NFL starter anymore, one year later.  The Browns leading receiver among WRs was Ricardo Louis.  He had 357 yards receiving.  He has not caught a ball yet this year and I doubt he would start for any other team.   Josh Gordon was technically on the team, but was not eligible to play.  

 

How many legit NFL stars are on that Browns team?  Answer:  One.  Joe Thomas who was on the downswing of his career, only played half the season and retired at the end of the year.  Their best defensive player was rookie (at the time) Myles Garrett, who is a very solid player. 

 

Meantime, just about every year Alabama has 3 or 4 or 5 guys in each class that go on to become stars or at least really really good players.  For example, the 2010 Alabama team had, as seniors, Julio Jones, Marcell Dareus, and Mark Ingram (all Pro Bowlers) and juniors Dee Milliner, Chance Warmack, and Eddie Lacy (also a Pro Bowler at one point before he got fat).  The underclassman who all played included CJ Mosley, Haha Clinton Dix, Amari Cooper and Landon Collins (all future Pro Bowlers) and TJ Yeldon and Dont'a Hightower.  All told, those 4 years produced 30 NFL draft picks, including 13 first rounders.  

 

That's 8 future pro bowlers including 2 guys, Julio and Dareus, that would dominate anyone on the 2017 Browns.  The 2017 Browns had zero pro bowlers (they had 2 alternates, Joe Schobert and Joel Bitonio, not exactly household names).  Sure, the Bama players aren't fully-formed players in college, but they are pretty close.  And at any age, would you rather have Julio Jones or Ricardo Louis?  Would you rather have Marcell Dareus as a college senior or Myles Garrett one year after being a college senior?  

 

Edit:  I'll start a thread. 

 

Thanks for starting this thread.  While I really don't like having this discussion, mainly because I believe it's about as close to 100% lopsided in the NFL team's favor as it gets, but I do like to entertain the argument of those that believe a college team could win or even make it a close game.   

 

With that said, another key point to consider is we are talking about the two teams playing each other, right now.  So lets say they follow the path of the 2018 draft in 2019.  That means that four Bama players would be future first round picks and lets give them the benefit of the doubt that they will be day 1 starters in the NFL and not turn out to be busts or 2nd/3rd string depth. 

 

The rest of the players drafted would be 8, all of which were drafted in the third round or lower (3rd - 1, 4th - 2, 5th - 1, 6th - 2 and 7th -2), outside of the punter taken in the 5th, I believe the rest of them are back-up players.  

 

The rest of the under classmen on the team, sure a lot of them may get drafted in the first round and be immediate impact players on NFL teams, but "right now" they are inexperienced players that have not fully developed to compete against even the worst starters in the NFL.  As @Mr. Sinister pointed out in the other thread, we are talking 18-22 year olds playing against grown men, NFL coached/trained/etc. with experience along with the speed of the game having a huge gap between the college and pro levels.  Which is one of the things you hear rookies talk about all the time, how much faster it is and them having to adjust.  

 

Playing right now, there are no adjustments, they would be tossed to the wolves.  They would be the sacrificial lamb to the slaughter.  I didn't post this in the other thread, but I agree with Sin, I doubt Bama would even score any points.  For them to be in a position for a FG or TD, I think it would take some insanely crazy apocalyptic size mistakes involving multiple players all at the same time on one play (e.g. the entire defense line and backs all slip and fall simultaneously and their fastest WR was able to go uncovered).  

 

Edit:  Lets not forget that the Browns play some of the top teams in the NFL every year to and put up points and compete.  They play the Steelers twice and even last year, only lost both of those games by 3 points and 4 points, and the Steelers were a 13-3 team loaded with the best RB in the NFL along with one of the best WR in the game.  Even this year, with another horrible team, they tied the Steelers, granted it was played in a monsoon. 

[PleaseBlitz]

1 minute ago, Major Harris said:

 

 

I don't know what to say, you're right, I can't name names, it doesn't make your stance any less absurd.

 

Sure it does.  If you are saying one team has more talent than the other, you should be able to identify that talent.  But it's all just knee jerk reactions, nobody seems to be able to point to the talent on that Brown's team that is better than, say, Julio Jones in his last year in college.  It's because there isn't any. 

 

1 minute ago, Major Harris said:

 

Could the best middle school team beat the worst high school team?

 

Could the best high school team beat the worst college team?

 

 

 

No idea, I don't watch middle school or high school football.  

[Bozo the kKklown]

14 minutes ago, PleaseBlitz said:

You should read my first post again.  College teams have four class years of players (actually five because of redshirting). 

So by your reasoning, a college freshman who eventually made the NFL was the finished article as a freshman and good enough to make the league?

 

In fact that is the entire issue with your premise. Julio Jones of 2011 at Alabama is a worse player than Julio Jones of 2013 with the Falcons. 

 

Not to mention that 40 (I have now included 2014 players) is still not enough to be a full NFL roster. And only three were offensive linemen.

[PleaseBlitz]

5 minutes ago, BenningRoadSkin said:

So by your reasoning, a college freshman who eventually made the NFL was the finished article as a freshman and good enough to make the league?

 

By my reasoning, a redshirt college freshman (who eventually becomes a pro-bowler like CJ Mosley, Haha Clinton Dix, Amari Cooper and Landon Collins) is probably good enough to make the league as a redshirt freshman, yes. 

 

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In fact that is the entire issue with your premise. Julio Jones of 2011 at Alabama is a worse player than Julio Jones of 2013 with the Falcons. 

 

On absolutely.  But we aren't comparing 2011 Julio with 2013 Julio.  We are comparing 2011 Julio with any-year Ricardo Louis.  Again, I'll take 2011 Julio.  

 

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Not to mention that 40 (I have now included 2014 players) is still not enough to be a full NFL roster. And only three were offensive linemen.

 

It's enough to play one game.