The Red River Shootout is this weekend and it pits the #5 Texas Longhorns against the #1 Oklahoma Sooners. This rivalry is the best in the Big 12 and amongst the best in all of college football and has a history of featuring a ton of NFL talent but who has had the best of it recently? Let's take a look at the current pros for both teams.Overall NFLers: Texas 36 vs. Oklahoma 19
To me it's almost shocking that the Sooners only have 19 players currently active in the NFL that really is a weak amount for a team that has been elite for years now. Meanwhile Texas with 36 is solid and about the average for elite programs in America. Edge: Texas
Potential Hall of Famers: Texas 0 vs. Oklahoma 2
If you look at all 32 of the Texas players currently in the NFL you will find several familiar names and several pro bowlers but no one that sticks out as a potential member of the Hall of Fame. Ricky Williams would have had a chance if he loved football more than pot. Meanwhile if you look at the Sooner NFLers you can make a serious case for two players, Tommie Harris and Adrian Peterson. Both are young and certainly not automatic by any stretch, but both are arguably the best player at their position currently. Harris is 25 years old and already has 3 Pro Bowl appearances in 4 seasons and Peterson set rookie records while making the Pro Bowl last year. You could also make the case for former Oklahoma safety Roy Williams and his 5 pro bowls, but he seems to get in despite being overrated thanks to the massive Cowboy fan vote. Edge: Oklahoma
Pro Bowlers: Texas 6 vs. Oklahoma 4 Outside of the 3 Perennial Pro Bowlers, the Sooners only have one more Pro Bowl recipient in Jammal Brown the offensive tackle for the Saints. The Longhorns have Leonard Davis (1), Shaun Rogers (2), Nathan Vasher (1), Ricky Williams (1), Roy Williams (1), and Vince Young (1). Rogers and Ricky arguably have the most talent but have shat away what should have been more pro bowl trips thanks to pot or laziness. The Longhorns still have the edge on quantity of Pro Bowls despite lost opportunities. Edge: Texas
So Which Program Is the Better NFL Churner
The elite players belong to the Sooners but that's it. The Sooners have yet to produce an NFL Quarterback (Sam Bradford will be the first) while the Longhorns currently have two on rosters with Chris Simms and Vince Young. The Sooners haven't produced an elite wideout while the Longhorns have Roy Williams. In the end, the Longhorns just have a ton more quantity than the Sooners while also producing comparable quality given that they have more Pro Bowlers.
Winner: Texas Longhorns
All Rosters Taken from ESPN's List of College Players in the Pros
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