50 greatest college football players this century, ranked

• Chuck Bednarik Award (2010)
• Jim Thorpe Award (2010)
• Consensus All-American (2010)
• First-team All-SEC (2010)

Of all the great defensive backs to come out of LSU, especially in the last 15 years, Patrick Peterson is second to none.

Peterson came into LSU as one of the most highly rated players in the country and immediately made an impact, playing in all 13 games as a freshman. By the time he was a sophomore, he was inserted into the starting lineup and quickly became one of the best corners in the SEC compiling 52 tackles and a pair of interceptions, one of which he returned for a touchdown.

By the time he was a junior in 2010, Peterson was the best cover corner in not just the conference, but all of college football. With 42 tackles and four interceptions as well as a pair of punt return touchdowns, he was awarded the Chuck Bednarik and Thorpe Awards and was named a consensus first-team All-American.

During his career at LSU, Peterson matched up with players like Julio Jones, AJ Green and Percy Harvin and limited numerous future NFL players to half or a quarter of their typical production. Following his junior season, Peterson entered the NFL Draft where he was taken fifth overall by the Cardinals.

Bonus Stats: In 2010, Peterson led the SEC in punt return yards (418), yards per punt return (16.1), punt return touchdowns (2), and yard per kick return (29.1).