While Texas A&M has its fair share of players in the NFL, so does Nevada. Here are the main players from the Wolf Pack at the next level.
Colin Kaepernick
The former Nevada quarterback from 2007-2010 has called San Francisco his home for the last four seasons. Kaepernick has had an up-and-down NFL career so far. He was picked 36th overall in the second round of the 2011 NFL draft. The dual-threat quarterback waited one year behind former 49ers quarterback Alex Smith to get his chance to start, and flourished when given the opportunity. Kaepernick holds the record for the most post-season rushing yards by a quarterback with 181 in a win against the Green Bay Packers in 2012. He took the 49ers to Super Bowl XLVII that year, but lost to the Ravens 34-31. The following season, he led the 49ers to a 12-4 record as a starter and to the NFC Championship where they fell short to the Seattle Seahawks 23-17. Last season, Kaepernick endured his worst season in the NFL going 8-8 and missing the playoffs. At Nevada, Kaepernick was named the WAC Offensive Player of the Year twice in 2008 and 2010. Kaepernick’s two most memorable games as a member of the Wolf Pack were in 2007 when, as a redshirt freshman, he took on Boise State and narrowly lost 69-67 in four overtimes. The other was a 34-31 victory over the Broncos and quarterback Kellen Moore in 2010 when Boise State was undefeated and on a 24-game win streak.
Virgil Green
The current Denver Broncos backup tight end played for Nevada from 2008-2010. In his senior season at Nevada, Green made 35 receptions for 515 yards and five touchdowns. His performances earned him first-team All-Western Athletic Conference honors. Green was the top performer in the broad jump and vertical jump at the 2011 NFL combine. He was picked in the seventh round with the 204th pick by the Denver Broncos. He is an AFC Champion and a member of the Broncos team that lost the 2013 Super Bowl to the Seattle Seahawks. On March 10, 2015 Green resigned with Denver on a three year $8.4 million dollar deal.
Duke Williams
The strong safety for the Bills just began his third season in the NFL. Buffalo picked Williams as the 105th overall in the fourth round of the 2013 NFL Draft. He saw action in all 16 games his rookie season, but didn’t begin to see significant minutes on the field until his second season where made 59 total tackles, started four games and made one forced fumble. At Nevada, the safety played from 2009-2012 where he was named Second-team All-WAC in 2011 and Second-team All-MWC in 2012.
Rishard Matthews
Rishard Matthews is in his fourth season as a wide receiver for the Miami Dolphins. He is teammates with former Aggie quarterback Ryan Tannehill. In 2013, Matthews was one of four wide receivers that made the Dolphins’ final 53 man roster. He played in all 16 games that year and made 41 receptions for 448 yards and averaged 10.9 yards per catch while finding the end zone twice. Miami selected Matthews in the seventh round of the 2012 NFL Draft with the 227th pick. At Nevada, Matthews was teammates with Colin Kaepernick and made 147 catches for 2,243 and 13 touchdowns in his two years (2010-2011) with the Wolf Pack. In 2011 he was named second-team all-WAC.
