20 college football players who should be highly paid in 2017

PASADENA, CA - JANUARY 02: Quarterback Sam Darnold No. 14 of the USC Trojans looks to pass the ball against the Penn State Nittany Lions during the 2017 Rose Bowl Game presented by Northwestern Mutual at the Rose Bowl on January 2, 2017 in Pasadena, California. (Photo by Sean M. Haffey/Getty Images) /

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TALLAHASSEE, FL – OCTOBER 29: Florida State DB Tavarus McFadden (4) lines up across from Clemson wide receiver Deon Cain (8) during an NCAA football game between the Florida State Seminoles and the Clemson Tigers on October 29, 2016, at Bobby Bowden Field at Doak Campbell Stadium in Tallahassee, FL. (Photo by Logan Stanford/Icon Sportswire via Getty Images) /

17. Tarvarus McFadden, CB, Florida State

While somewhat overshadowed by the Derwin James hype machine in the Florida State secondary, McFadden deserves plenty of credit as one of the most productive cornerbacks in the country.

McFadden arrived in Tallahassee as a consensus five-star recruit and top three cornerback prospect in the class of 2015. The Seminoles used McFadden sparingly as a freshman, but he did get seven games worth of valuable experience, recording four tackles and one kickoff return for 26 yards.

Florida State recorded just eight interceptions over the course of 2015, a mark that needed to improve dramatically. McFadden was given the starting cornerback job as a true sophomore last season and quickly proved the recruiting hype was worth it, piling up eight picks himself to tie for the most in the nation, along with 19 tackles and six pass defenses.

Those numbers didn’t come against lesser competition either, as McFadden intercepted the likes of Lamar Jackson, Deshaun Watson and Chad Kelly. At 6-foot-2, 198 pounds with the speed to cover even the nation’s best wide receivers down the field, McFadden is the prototypical type of cornerback athlete teams across football are looking for.

The Seminoles would hypothetically have a lot of people to pay on defense, but McFadden is a key reason why they arguably have the best unit in the nation heading into 2017. McFadden’s size and length are reminiscent of Richard Sherman, giving him a similar annual salary number of around $11 million.

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