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Former Oregon Ducks in the NFL

By Adam Sparks, Yahoo! Contributor Network Friday, Sep 16, 2011

The Oregon football team has 26 alums listed on current NFL rosters for the 2011 season.

Of them, 22 are active, three are on practice squads and one is on injured reserve.

Andy McNamara, a sports information director at the university, notes that 18 members of Oregon's 2007 team—which finished 9-4 and was ranked as high as No. 2 in the nation before injuries took their toll—are in the NFL, the highest from any single UO team.

Among the Ducks in position to make big impacts this season are Ed Dickson, who has been promoted to starting tight end for the Baltimore Ravens, and rookie Casey Matthews, who is starting at middle linebacker for the Philadelphia Eagles.

The Ducks might be better-known for their up-tempo offense these days, but Oregon has a number of alums who are starting defensive players in the NFL, few more impressive than Ravens defensive tackle Haloti Ngata.

Three safeties who all played at Oregon at the same time—Jairus Byrd, Patrick Chung and T.J. Ward—are all starting in the secondary this season. Byrd is the No. 1 free safety for the Buffalo Bills; Chung is the No. 1 free safety for the New England Patriots; and Ward is the No. 1 strong safety for the Cleveland Browns.

Here's a full listing of the current NFL Ducks:

Oregon Ducks on 2011 NFL Rosters:

(PS = practice squad; INJ = injured reserve)

Brandon Bair (2007-10), Kansas City Chiefs

LeGarrette Blount (2008-09), Tampa Bay Buccaneers

Jerome Boyd (2005-08), Oakland Raiders

Jairus Byrd (2006-08), Buffalo Bills

Pat Chung (2005-08), New England Patriots

Drew Davis (PS) (2007-10), Atlanta Falcons

Ed Dickson (2006-09), Baltimore Ravens

Dennis Dixon (2004-07), Pittsburgh Steelers

A.J. Feeley (1999-00), St. Louis Rams