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It’s tough to consider Syracuse a basketball school in this day and age. Besides Portland Trail Blazers forward Jerami Grant, not many SU hoops alumni are balling at the highest level.

But that narrative is flipped on the gridiron. Head coach Fran Brown’s historic 10-win first season made the transition clear: Syracuse is a football school. This year already featured the rise of 2025 NFL Draft prospects Kyle McCord, Oronde Gadsden II, LeQuint Allen Jr. and Fadil Diggs, among others, proving SU boasts a legitimate professional pipeline.

Even long before Brown’s arrival, though, the Orange had a rich NFL lineage. A total of 251 Syracuse alumni have played in the league, with 229 of them hearing their names called on draft day.

Syracuse’s NFL signees of recent years don’t feature Hall of Fame names comparable to Jim Brown and Larry Csonka. Still, the Orange have had 20 players drafted since 2010, and currently have 11 alumni on NFL active rosters. Before SU’s first graduating class under Brown adds to that list this weekend, I looked back at the program’s best recent NFLers.

Here are the top 10 NFL careers from Syracuse football alumni since 2010:

Honorable mentions: Matthew Bergeron, Sterling Hofrichter, Tommy DeVito

(1) Chandler Jones, defensive end, 2012 1st-round pick

This isn’t close. Chandler Jones is the easy choice at No. 1. The ferocious pass rusher played three seasons at SU from 2009-11 before getting drafted 21st overall by the New England Patriots in 2012. Now, after an 11-year career with the Patriots, Arizona Cardinals and Las Vegas Raiders, he’s widely regarded as one of the decade’s best sack artists. Jones’ 112 career sacks rank tied for 26th in NFL history, and is the most among SU alumni. Jones was a four-time Pro Bowl selection, two-time All-Pro and one-time Super Bowl champion. He’s also a member of the Pro Football Hall of Fame’s All-2010s Team.

(2) Zaire Franklin, linebacker, 2018 7th-round pick

The best active NFL player out of Syracuse, Zaire Franklin, is one of the surest tacklers on the planet. A hidden gem in the 2018 NFL Draft, Franklin was selected 235th overall by the Indianapolis Colts. Coming off of his first Pro Bowl season in 2024, though, Franklin proved his pre-draft evaluations wrong. He’s the reigning NFL tackles leader, totaling 173 this past campaign. Franklin set his career-high in tackles with 179 in 2023, a year in which he got snubbed from the Pro Bowl. If he has a lengthy prime, Franklin could eventually be considered for No. 1 on this list.

(3) Andre Cisco, safety, 2021 3rd-round pick

Andre Cisco is one of the more well-established safeties in the NFL today, marked by his one-year, $10 million contract that he signed with the New York Jets in March. After a stellar SU career, the Jacksonville Jaguars took Cisco as a third-rounder in 2021. Cisco grabbed eight interceptions and tallied 154 solo tackles across four seasons in Duval County. His best season came in 2023, when he picked off a career-high four passes in 15 games played.

After a three-year career at Syracuse from 2018-20, 2025 will be Andre Cisco’s fifth NFL season and first with the New York Jets. Max Freund | Daily Orange File Photo

(4) Justin Pugh, offensive lineman, 2013 1st-round pick

Pugh, now retired, is the Orange’s most recent first-round pick. The New York Giants selected the 6-foot-5, 311-pound lineman at 19th overall in 2013. He spent 11 years in the NFL, six with the Giants and five with the Cardinals, racking up 131 starts. Pugh primarily played at left guard throughout his career, though he spent a few seasons at right tackle. He played at least 82% of his teams’ offensive snaps in 10 of 11 campaigns.

(5) Mike Williams, wide receiver, 2010 4th-round pick

The Tampa Bay Buccaneers took a chance on Mike Williams in 2010 after the former Syracuse standout registered over 2,000 receiving yards in college. His NFL career was short, lasting just five years. But Williams was productive. He had 3,089 yards and hauled in 26 touchdowns from 2010-14, including a career-best 996 yards in 2012. As a rookie in 2010, Williams scored 11 touchdowns en route to finishing second in the AP Rookie of the Year race to quarterback Sam Bradford. Williams tragically died in September 2023 at 36 years old.

(6) Riley Dixon, punter, 2016 7th-round pick

Riley Dixon’s come a long way from his famous hurdle against LSU in 2015. The punter remains one of Syracuse’s most prominent NFL-rostered players. Across a nine-year career with the Denver Broncos, New York Giants and the Los Angeles Rams, Dixon hasn’t missed a single game of action, totaling 148 appearances. He averages 45.9 yards per punt, including a career-best 48.4-yard average with the Rams in 2022. This offseason, Dixon signed with the Buccaneers as he gears up for his 10th year in the NFL.

(7) Ifeatu Melifonwu, cornerback, 2021 3rd-round pick

After snaring three interceptions with the Orange from 2018-20, cornerback Ifeatu Melifonwu entered the NFL Draft as a junior. The Detroit Lions snagged him in the third round in 2021, and Melifonwu spent the last four years in the NFC North. He made 53 solo tackles with the Lions and picked off two passes in 2023, helping Detroit win its sixth division title. Melifonwu inked a one-year contract with the Miami Dolphins ahead of the 2025 campaign.

Ifeatu Melifonwu earned Second-team All-ACC honors in 2020 before declaring for the NFL Draft. Max Freund | Daily Orange File Photo

(8) Garrett Williams, cornerback, 2023 3rd-round pick

One of Syracuse’s top players from the Dino Babers era, Garrett Williams went off the board in the third round in 2023 to Arizona. The cornerback’s off to a promising start to his NFL career despite missing eight games as a rookie due to injuries. Williams earned 11 starts on the outside this past season and played in 16 games. He garnered a career-high two interceptions and 40 solo tackles. Under defensive-minded head coach Jonathan Gannon, Williams looks poised to have a bright future ahead of him.

(9) Sean Tucker, running back, 2023 UDFA

The former SU fan favorite Sean Tucker got a shot with Tampa Bay as an undrafted free agent in 2023. He made the active roster as a rookie, playing in 11 games, but accumulated a measly 15 carries for 23 yards. This past campaign, though, Tucker made an impact out of nowhere. The Buccaneers implemented Tucker in their run-heavy offense as he ran for 308 yards and two touchdowns. On Oct. 13, 2024, Tucker rushed for 136 yards, tallied 56 receiving yards and scored a pair of touchdowns — all career-highs — in a win over the New Orleans Saints.

(10) Arthur Jones, defensive end, 2010 5th-round pick

Arthur Jones, older brother of Chandler Jones, put together an under-the-radar NFL career after being picked on day three of the 2010 NFL Draft by the Baltimore Ravens. After not making much noise in his first two seasons, Arthur posted sack totals of 4.5 and 4.0 in 2012 and 2013, respectively. Arthur helped the Ravens to a Super Bowl XLVII victory over the San Francisco 49ers in February 2013. He finished his NFL career with 10 sacks, also spending time with Indianapolis and Washington.

Published on April 24, 2025 at 12:54 am
Contact Cooper at: ccandrew@syr.edu | @cooper_andrews