Mississippi State football: 5 best players of the Dan Mullen era

Dan Mullen will go down as one of the greatest coaches in Mississippi State football history, and these five players were among his best.

Sure, there’s a new regime underway in Starkville, but when you talk about Mississippi State football, the Dan Mullen years leap quickly to mind. Mullen is second only to the legendary Jackie Sherrill in overall wins as well as total games coached, and nobody had more postseason success than Mullen.

Bulldog fans are hopeful that a new and even more successful time in the program is coming under new head coach Mike Leach, but looking back at the years Mullen coached, there were a number of names that fans will hang on to forever.

If you had to pick the best five players from 2009-2017, it wouldn’t be an easy task. But there are some standouts who definitely make the cut.

These Mississippi State football players made Dan Mullen look great

Years on team: 2007-2010
Awards: First Team All-SEC (2010)

While not one of the skill position players, it’s safe to say that some of the best of the best during the Dan Mullen era wouldn’t have been as successful without the solid play of Derek Sherrod on the offensive line. Mullen didn’t recruit this crafty offensive tackle, but you can be sure he’s glad his predecessor did.

Sherrod was playing at a high level as a true freshman and was named as a starter at left tackle by his sophomore year. He helped anchor some of the best offensive lines the school has ever seen, and in his senior year, he was a key to helping Anthony Dixon run his way to a single-season school rushing record.

He finished his career as a First Team All-SEC player and was taken by the Green Bay Packers with the No. 32 pick in the first round of the 2011 NFL Draft.