“Why we win consistently is because we develop players,” said head coach Mark Farley earlier this month at UNI Football’s Media Day.

A simple statement that holds true and also makes Panther Nation incredibly proud. Not only do Panther fans enjoy seeing these student athletes succeed in college, but everyone loves to see them get the chance to compete at the next level and prove themselves.

Kurt Warner will forever be known for putting UNI football on map. Warner is considered one of the greatest undrafted free agents of all time as he went on to win two NFL MVPs and a Super Bowl MVP award in Super Bowl XXXIV.

He showed that great NFL players can come from smaller schools and make a huge impact. This last year David Johnson once again brought this to our attention with his phenomenal rookie season.

Xavier Williams of the Arizona Cardinals and L.J. Fort of the Pittsburg Steelers are also some alums representing Panther Nation as they battle for playing time here in the preseason. Fort is coming off a good second preseason game with four solo tackles and one hit on the quarterback. Both Fort and Williams have a lot to give to their respective teams.

Now, during the upcoming NFL season we have a couple more Panther Alumni to keep our eye on. Deiondre Hall was drafted in fourth round of the 2016 NFL Draft by the Chicago Bears, and they have very high hopes for him.

The Bears say they see a bright future for the young, confident cornerback. They really like his wingspan and competitiveness. With the team dealing with some secondary injuries there is a possibility Hall could see the field early in his rookie season.

Hall made five tackles and had back-to-back pass deflections in his first preseason game, showing right-off-the-bat that he can make plays. He also got his first interception over the weekend in the Bear’s third preseason game.

The Bear’s division rival, the Green Bay Packers, snagged themselves a member from last year’s Panther secondary. The Packers signed Makinton Dorleant to bring even more speed to their defense.

Dorleant battled with a hamstring injury, causing him to miss a week of camp, but he healed up enough to play the Packer’s second preseason game where he recorded two solo tackles. Unfortunately, he suffered a non-contact injury in his last preseason appearance which limited his time on the field.

There are currently seven former UNI Panthers in the NFL and we can expect this trend to continue. The constant success the UNI football program has been achieving comes from coaches developing these players, and the players working extremely hard.

UNI is proving to everyone that they can produce great pro talents year after year. Be sure to keep an eye out for our former Panthers as the NFL regular season draws closer.