The Miami football teams of the early 2000s assembled the greatest talent in the history of college football. Miami won the 2001 National Championship and finished second following the 2000 and 2002 seasons. In spite of that, safety Ed Reed was the only Hurricane named one “college football’s 16 best players since 2000.”
The 2001 Miami football team produced 38 NFL Draft picks and 17 first-round picks. No team in the history of college football can match that much talent. It was surprising that no other Hurricanes were named to the list. The most prominent emission was Sean Taylor who was a backup to Reed in 2001.
Reed led the Miami defense in 2000 and 2002 during the first 22 games of a 34 game winning streak through the 2003 Fiesta Bowl. Reed was legendary for coming up with timely plays. The most legendary was stripping Miami defensive lineman Matt Walters following an interception and returning it for a touchdown.
The intuitive play cliched a 19-7 Miami victory over Boston College and kept the undefeated season alive. Reed was part of a dominant defense that featured three first-round picks in the 2002 NFL Draft. Cornerbacks Philip Buchanon and Mike Rumph and Reed were all 2002 NFL first-round picks.
"12. ED REED, S, MIAMICollege stats (1998-2001): 21 interceptions, 4 defensive TDsBaiting quarterbacks into throws in his direction was Ed Reed’s specialty at Miami and man, did he take advantage. Not only was Reed known for his hard-hitting mentality, but the former All-American and national champion with the Hurricanes had wide receiver-like abilities at his safety post and was a game-changer from centerfield.Few players in this list were as impactful as Reed at the NFL level, where he was a five-time All-Pro and made the league’s 100th Anniversary All-Time Team. Reed is one of Miami’s best players in program history and helped bring ‘The U’ back to naround tional prominence during his tenure."
Other first round picks on the 2001 Miami defense included defensive linemen Jerome McDougal, William Joseph and Vince Wilfork, Taylor and linebackers Jonathan Vilma and D.J. Williams. Few units can match nine first round picks. Twenty years later the 2001 Miami football team is still regarded as the best ever.
That does not include the first picks that came from the offense on the Miami football team. Reed was a ball hawk on defense that had exceptional return skills following an interception. In the NFL, Reed eventually won a Superbowl with the Baltimore Ravens and was a 2019 Pro Football Hall of Fame inductee.