Week 1 of the NFL featured 47 former Stanford, Cal and San Jose State players. To put this into perspective, consider that players from these three schools could almost make up a 53-man NFL team of their own (though there would probably be too much overlap in positions to actually allow this to happen).
There are 15 former Stanford Cardinals in the league right now. The most notable on that list may be everybody's favorite big-man running back Toby Gerhart. The four-year running back set a Stanford school record with 1,871 rushing yards and a Pac-10 conference record with 28 touchdowns in 2009. He finished second that year in the Heisman Trophy voting behind former Alabama and current New Orleans Saints running back Mark Ingram.
The Cleveland Browns have the most former Cardinals of any NFL team on their squad with three players: full back Owen Marecic, tight end Evan Moore and tight end Alex Smith. Cleveland holds claim to 20% of the Stanford player pool right now.
Meanwhile, there are 28 former Cal Golden Bears in the NFL (third-most in the Pac-12 behind USC and Oregon). The list includes cornerback Nnamdi Asomugha, tight end Tony Gonzalez, wide receiver DeSean Jackson and quarterback Aaron Rodgers. All four players play for potential Super Bowl contenders this season (Asomugha and Jackson for the Philadelphia Eagles, Gonzlaez for the Atlanta Falcons and Rodgers for the Green Bay Packers).
The Seattle Seahawks have the most Golden Bears of any team in the NFL. Running back Justin Forsett, running back Marshawn Lynch and defensive tackle Brandon Mebane all currently play for the Seahawks.
San Jose State has four Spartans in the NFL. Wide receiver Rashied Davis plays for the Detroit Lions, wide receiver James Jones plays for the Green Bay Packers, safety Dwight Lowery plays for the Jacksonville Jaguars and cornerback Chris Owens plays for the Atlanta Falcons.
Jones is probably the most well-known of the bunch. The speedy wide receiver helped Green Bay win a championship last season, recording 679 yards and five touchdowns during the regular season and chipping in another 50 yards in the Packers' 31-25 Super Bowl win over the Pittsburgh Steelers.
Overall, 47 players from the Southern California core of Stanford, Cal and San Jose State play in the NFL. The three schools have already produced a decent amount of talent on the professional level, and there will surely by more college players on their way up in the next few years. Just ask Stanford quarterback Andrew Luck.