Top 50 Cal Pros: No. 23 -- Nnamdi Asomugha, Hot Corner on Defense

We are counting down Cal’s top 50 athletes based on their careers as post-collegiate professionals. Their performance as Golden Bears is not factored into the rankings.

23. NNAMDI ASOMUGHA

Years at Cal: 1999 to 2002

Sport: Football 

Pro teams: Oakland Raiders, Philadelphia Eagles, San Francisco 49ers

Age: 43

Hometown: Lafayette, Louisiana

Why we ranked him here: Taken with the 31st pick in the first round of the 2003 NFL draft by the Oakland Raiders, Asomugha was immediately plugged in at cornerback. He played 11 NFL seasons, first eight with the Raiders before two with the Eagles and one with the 49ers. Asomugha was a three-time Pro Bowl pick, a first-team AP All-Pro in 2008 and 2010, and a second-team choice in 2006 and 2009. He signed a three-year, $45.3 million contract with the Raiders in 2009, making him the highest-paid defensive back in NFL history, although the third year of the deal was voided. He had 15 career interceptions, including eight with the Raiders in 2006, along with 79 career passes defended and 408 tackles. If the numbers don't seem high, there's a reason. “He turned into what they call that shut-down corner,” Pro Football Hall of Fame defensive back Charles Woodson said. “People just decided going into the game they weren’t going to throw at him. That’s a testament to his hard work.” Over his final four seasons with the Raiders, Asomugha had just 136 passes thrown to receivers he was covering, and he allowed just two touchdowns in 60 games. In 2010, Asomugha was presented with the 44th annual Byron “Whizzer” White NFL Man of the Year,  the NFL Players Association’s highest honor. Asomugha signed a five-year, $60 million free-agent contact with the Eagles in 2011, reportedly outbidding the Dallas Cowboys and New York Jets. Asomugha spent just two years in Philadelphia before the Eagles released him. He played three games with the 49ers in 2013 before being waived.