New York Jets cornerback Sauce Gardner (1) signs an autograph for a fan before the game, Thursday, October 31, 2024, in East Rutherford. Kevin R. Wexler-NorthJersey.com / USA TODAY NETWORK via Imagn Images

Look: Cincinnati Bearcats Among Best Schools at Developing NFL Draft Talent This Decade

Originally posted on Cincinnati Bearcats on SI
By Russell Heltman | Last updated Jun 11, 2025 12:00 PM ET

The Bearcats football program under Luke Fickell and Scott Satterfield has done a stellar job developing players for the NFL Draft this decade.

Pick Six Previews released their player development metric for the 2024 cycle and Cincinnati checked in at No. 1 above schools like Illinois, Pittsburgh, Kansas State, and Missouri.

UC has done a stellar job of taking lowly ranked players out of high school and turning them into NFL talents. Check out the full list of draft picks from 2021-24 below:

Last look at my Player Development metric for the 2024 cycle -- 2025 numbers coming today

NFL Draft production ahead of expectation from raw recruiting ranks

1 Cincinnati
2 Illinois
3 Pittsburgh
4 Kansas State
5 Missouri
6 Kentucky
7 Iowa
8 Michigan
9 Penn State
10 BYU
— Pick Six Previews (@PickSixPreviews) June 11, 2025