Fansided

25 best NFL players of all time from the SEC

By John Buhler

Feb 7, 2016; Santa Clara, CA, USA; Denver Broncos quarterback Peyton Manning (18) warms up before Super Bowl 50 against the Carolina Panthers at Levi's Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Matthew Emmons-USA TODAY Sports
Feb 7, 2016; Santa Clara, CA, USA; Denver Broncos quarterback Peyton Manning (18) warms up before Super Bowl 50 against the Carolina Panthers at Levi's Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Matthew Emmons-USA TODAY Sports /
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DENVER, CO – OCTOBER 13: Cornerback Champ Bailey #24 of the Denver Broncos plays defense against the Jacksonville Jaguars at Sports Authority Field at Mile High on October 13, 2013 in Denver, Colorado. The Broncos defeated the Jaguars 35-19. (Photo by Doug Pensinger/Getty Images)
DENVER, CO – OCTOBER 13: Cornerback Champ Bailey #24 of the Denver Broncos plays defense against the Jacksonville Jaguars at Sports Authority Field at Mile High on October 13, 2013 in Denver, Colorado. The Broncos defeated the Jaguars 35-19. (Photo by Doug Pensinger/Getty Images) /
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Champ Bailey

Cornerback, Georgia Bulldogs

The players on this list just keep on getting greater. Georgia has had a ton of elite players over the years, but its best pro player only retired a few years ago. That guy is cornerback Champ Bailey, who starred in the 2000s for the Washington Redskins and the Denver Broncos.

Bailey made 12 Pro Bowls and garnered six All-Pro first-team selections. In 215 career NFL games, Bailey had 812 career tackles, 96 assists, 174 passes defended and 52 interceptions. Few defensive backs had the ball skills and the cover ability of Bailey.

He broke into the league as the No. 7 overall pick by the Redskins in the 1999 NFL Draft after being an All-American the year before in Athens. He would spend his first five NFL seasons in the nation’s capital before being traded for running back Clinton Portis in 2004 to the Broncos.

Bailey would play his final 10 NFL seasons in Denver, playing his last NFL game in Super Bowl XLVIII. Not since Deion Sanders played in the NFC in the 1990s has the NFL had a cornerback this dynamic. Bailey and Charles Woodson stood alone as the best cornerbacks in football during their heyday.

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