Ball State Cardinals' highest NFL draft picks since 1970

While most colleges and universities field a football team as part of its general athletics program, there are some for which football is more than merely a sport—it's akin almost to a religion. Devotion to the team and its colors is as important to that school's culture as a religious icon is to a believer. These programs actively scout and recruit notable high school players, and are in turn rigorously applied to by matriculating seniors eager to make a name for themselves at the collegiate level.

Among the most notable college football empires are Notre Dame, the universities of Alabama, Michigan, Texas, Nebraska, and Oklahoma, Penn State, Ohio State—the list goes on and on.

But for every touchstone football school, there is an outlier that has produced some of the most successful and cherished players in the game. Think Jackson State, which gave us "Sweetness" himself, Hall of Fame running back Walter Payton. Or Mississippi Valley State, which yielded 3-time Super Bowl champion and #1 Player in NFL History, as voted by the NFL Network, '49ers wide receiver Jerry Rice.

Each year, the college draft serves as a source of renewal to professional football and a testament to the quality of college programs nationwide. With the 2022 NFL draft set to take place April 28-30 in Las Vegas, Stacker compiled a list of the highest NFL draft picks from the Ball State Cardinals using data from Pro Football Reference. Ties were broken by the most recent year drafted.

#18. Don Burchfield (TE)
- Draft pick: Round 13, #314 overall in 1971
- Drafted by: New Orleans Saints
- Years as a starter in NFL: 0

#17. Art Stringer (LB)
- Draft pick: Round 9, #256 overall in 1976
- Drafted by: Houston Texans
- Years as a starter in NFL: 2 (0 Pro Bowls)

#16. Rush Brown (DT)
- Draft pick: Round 10, #255 overall in 1980
- Drafted by: St. Louis Rams
- Years as a starter in NFL: 3 (0 Pro Bowls)

#15. Keith McKenzie (DE)
- Draft pick: Round 7, #252 overall in 1996
- Drafted by: Green Bay Packers
- Years as a starter in NFL: 2 (0 Pro Bowls)

#14. Blaine Bishop (DB)
- Draft pick: Round 8, #214 overall in 1993
- Drafted by: Houston Texans
- Years as a starter in NFL: 8 (4 Pro Bowls)

#13. Reggie Hodges (P)
- Draft pick: Round 6, #210 overall in 2005
- Drafted by: St. Louis Rams
- Years as a starter in NFL: 0

#12. Keith Wenning (QB)
- Draft pick: Round 6, #194 overall in 2014
- Drafted by: Baltimore Ravens
- Years as a starter in NFL: 0

#11. Dante Ridgeway (WR)
- Draft pick: Round 6, #192 overall in 2005
- Drafted by: St. Louis Rams
- Years as a starter in NFL: 0

#10. Nate Davis (QB)
- Draft pick: Round 5, #171 overall in 2009
- Drafted by: San Francisco 49ers
- Years as a starter in NFL: 0

#9. Ken Kremer (NT)
- Draft pick: Round 7, #167 overall in 1979
- Drafted by: Kansas City Chiefs
- Years as a starter in NFL: 1 (0 Pro Bowls)

#8. Jonathan Newsome (LB)
- Draft pick: Round 5, #166 overall in 2014
- Drafted by: Indianapolis Colts
- Years as a starter in NFL: 0

#7. Danny Pinter (G)
- Draft pick: Round 5, #149 overall in 2020
- Drafted by: Indianapolis Colts
- Years as a starter in NFL: 0

#6. Cory Gilliard (DB)
- Draft pick: Round 4, #124 overall in 1997
- Drafted by: Denver Broncos
- Years as a starter in NFL: 0

#5. Terry Schmidt (DB)
- Draft pick: Round 5, #121 overall in 1974
- Drafted by: New Orleans Saints
- Years as a starter in NFL: 7 (0 Pro Bowls)

#4. Brad Maynard (P)
- Draft pick: Round 3, #95 overall in 1997
- Drafted by: NY Giants
- Years as a starter in NFL: 0

#3. Maurice Harvey (DB)
- Draft pick: Round 4, #86 overall in 1978
- Drafted by: Oakland Raiders
- Years as a starter in NFL: 2 (0 Pro Bowls)

#2. Robert Brewster (T)
- Draft pick: Round 3, #75 overall in 2009
- Drafted by: Dallas Cowboys
- Years as a starter in NFL: 0

#1. Shafer Suggs (DB)
- Draft pick: Round 2, #33 overall in 1976
- Drafted by: NY Jets
- Years as a starter in NFL: 4 (0 Pro Bowls)