Adam Thielen's breakout 2017 has the Vikings headed to the playoffs and Thielen heading to the Pro Bowl.
Welcome to January football. That means the NFL playoffs are upon us.
RELATED: DII players on NFL opening day rosters
DII football is well represented in the 2018 postseason, with 22 former DII standouts looking for Super Bowl glory. There are many former DII football players on practice squads and the injured reserve across the NFL, however, these are the players officially listed on their team's active rosters for the playoffs.
By the numbers:
Roster breakdown:
0 -- Active DII players on the New Orleans Saints current roster. The Saints are the only NFL team rolling into the playoffs with no DII players represented on their active roster. They did however, activate fullback John Kuhn (Shippensburg) off of the injured reserve and could add him to the active roster before the playoffs start.
1 -- Linebacker in the postseason.
2 -- Big pieces the Los Angeles Rams had to place on the IR over the past few weeks. Pro Bowl kicker Greg Zuerlein (Missouri Western State) and Matt Longacre (Northwest Missouri State), who was third on the team with 5.5 sacks, will both miss the postseason. Reserve DB Marqui Christian (Midwestern State) also hit the IR after Week 12.
D2 UDFA Practice Squad Second-most sacks for #LARams@Hyundai Player Spotlight: Matt Longacre pic.twitter.com/cxgoSLemHc
— Los Angeles Rams (@RamsNFL) November 24, 2017
2 -- Defensive backs in the postseason.
3 -- DII players voted to the Pro Bowl. The Vikings Adam Thielen (Minnesota State), Tyreek Hill (West Alabama) and Rams Greg Zuerlein were invited to attend.
3 -- Wide receivers, running backs, and tight ends each in the postseason.
3 -- The most active DII players on anyone roster. The Jacksonville Jaguars, Minnesota Vikings, Buffalo Bills and Carolina Panthers lead the way.
3 -- West Alabama players in the postseason, the most from any one school. Minnesota State, and West Texas A&M both send two players apiece.
5 -- DII defensive and offensive linemen represented in the postseason, the most of any position.
10 -- DII players in the NFC.
12 -- DII players in the AFC.
AFC
| Name | Position | Team |
|---|---|---|
| Buffalo Bills | ||
| Deon Lacey | LB | West Alabama |
| Khari Lee | TE | Bowie State |
| Cedric Thornton | DT | Southern Arkansas |
| Jacksonville Jaguars | ||
| Keelan Cole | WR | Kentucky Wesleyan |
| Chris Ivory | RB | Tiffin |
| Chris Reed | OL | Minnesota State |
| Kansas City Chiefs | ||
| Tyreek Hill | WR | West Alabama |
| Ron Parker | DB | Newberry |
| New England Patriots | ||
| Malcolm Butler | CB | West Alabama |
| Pittsburgh Steelers | ||
| Matt Feiler | OT | Bloomsburg |
| Tennessee Titans | ||
| Phillip Supernaw | TE | Ouachita Baptist |
| Delanie Walker | TE | Central Missouri |
NFC
| Name | Position | Team |
|---|---|---|
| Atlanta Falcons | ||
| Ryan Schraeder | T | Valdosta State |
| Carolina Panthers | ||
| Alex Armah | RB | West Georgia |
| Zach Moore | DE | Concordia-St. Paul |
| Amini Silatolu | OG | Midwestern State |
| Los Angeles Rams | ||
| Morgan Fox | DE | Colorado State-Pueblo |
| Ethan Westbrooks | DL | West Texas A&M |
| Minnesota Vikings | ||
| Joe Berger | C | Michigan Tech |
| C.J. Ham | FB | Augustana (SD) |
| Adam Thielan | WR | Minnesota State |
| Philadelphia Eagles | ||
| Bryan Braman | DE | West Texas A&M |
