A player must obviously be talented if he hopes to make the leap from college football, even at its highest level in the SEC, to the professional ranks of the NFL.

But why is it that so many NFL stars are more accomplished in the pros than they ever were in college? Perhaps it’s better coaching, or a better conditioning program capable of molding athletes into perfect physical specimens. Perhaps it’s having the time to focus all one’s attention on football, or perhaps it’s just motivation that comes with a seven-figure paycheck.

Whatever the reason, it’s not uncommon for NFL players to out-perform the college careers that got them into the league in the first place. With that in mind, here are 10 current NFL stars from SEC schools who are better pros than they were student-athletes.

Geno Atkins: When Geno Atkins was named an All-SEC honoree after his first year at the University of Georgia, he seemed like a can’t-miss prospect who would terrorize opposing offensive lines for a decade. But when he failed to repeat his All-SEC honor in either of his last two years at Georgia, then fell to the fourth round of the 2010 NFL draft, it appeared he had peaked as a rookie for the Bulldogs. That couldn’t be further from the truth. Upon joining the Cincinnati Bengals, Atkins has been a three-time Pro Bowler and two-time All-Pro in five NFL seasons, logging 32 sacks in that time for a vaunted Bengals’ defense.

Michael Bennett: Bennett is one of four undrafted players to crack this list, although when he played at Texas A&M the Aggies were still members of the Big 12, not the SEC. Nevertheless, he’s blown his collegiate career out of the water during his six seasons in the NFL. In that time, Bennett has logged more than 30 sacks and six forced fumbles, and although he’s never been invited to the Pro Bowl, he has appeared in two Super Bowls, serving as one of the primary contributors on the Seahawks’ 2013 championship team.

Chris Clemons: It’s hard enough for an undrafted player to even make an opening-day roster, but it’s even harder for an undrafted player to last in the NFL for 10 years. But that’s exactly what Clemons has done since going undrafted in 2003. He’s now played 12 NFL seasons, logged 66 sacks, 17 forced fumbles and played for Seattle’s Super Bowl championship team in 2013 along the same defensive line as Bennett. Clemons isn’t a star in the NFL, but he’s as established as one can be in the league, all more than a decade removed from an unheralded entrance into the pro ranks.

Jared Cook: After playing for legendary coach Steve Spurrier in his early years as the coach at South Carolina, Cook moved on to the NFL as a third-round pick in 2009 despite never earning any accolades or all-conference honors at the college level. Nevertheless, in six NFL seasons he’s amassed an average of 39 catches and 504 yards per year with 16 total touchdowns in that time for the Tennessee Titans and the St. Louis Rams. Cook is no star like Jimmy Graham or Rob Gronkowski, but he’s productive, consistent and dangerous with the ball in his hands, something few ever said about him during his college days.

Arian Foster: In four years at Tennessee, Foster posted only one 1,000-yard season and never averaged better than 4.9 yards per carry. After entering the NFL as an undrafted free agent, Foster promptly took the league by storm. In six NFL seasons he’s a four-time Pro Bowler and a three-time All-Pro who has led the league in rushing once and in touchdowns twice. He’s posted four 1,000-yard seasons all in the last five years (the one year without 1,000 yards was an injury-plagued season in 2013), and he now holds virtually every Houston Texans rushing record since the franchise was formed in 2002.

Greg Hardy: This article is focused on play on the field and not the quality of a man off it. With that in mind, it’s tough to deny that Hardy was a decent collegiate who blossomed into a mega-star in the NFL before his off-the-field issues got in the way. He was a second- and third-team All-American in back-to-back seasons at Ole Miss, but still fell to the sixth round of the 2010 draft. In five years with the Carolina Panthers he set franchise records for sacks in a game (4) and in a season (15) on his way to Pro Bowl and All-Pro honors. With 34 career sacks and more than 200 career tackles, Hardy is a monster along the defensive line who has the ability to single-handedly dominate a game, that is, when he’s not serving a suspension.

Jason Peters: Joining Clemons as undrafted free agents who went on to stick in the NFL for more than a decade, Peters went undrafted out of Arkansas but didn’t waste much time working his way into the starting lineup of the Buffalo Bills. In five years in Buffalo Peters developed into one of the most dominant left tackles in all of football, earning his first two Pro Bowl invites and second-team All-Pro honors his last two years with the Bills. He then moved on to the Philadelphia Eagles, where he’s been to five Pro Bowls and earned four All-Pro honors in six years’ time. It’s safe to say that constitutes a better career than Peters’ four years at Arkansas, which featured one second-team All-SEC honor his senior year.

Jacob Tamme: No, Tamme has not been one of the NFL’s dominant receiving tight ends during his pro career, and yes, he’s benefitted from playing with Peyton Manning for much of that career. Still, the homegrown Kentucky talent who caught more than 50 balls his senior year playing with NFL prospect Andre Woodson has established himself as one of the NFL’s most consistent tight ends, using his skills as a blocker and pass-catcher to expand his role in whatever offense to which he belongs. He’s only caught 178 passes in seven NFL seasons, but he’s played in two Super Bowls and has made almost every one of those catches count, be it to score a touchdown (Tamme has scored 10 in his career), pick up a first down or just ignite a rally.

Mike Wallace: As a student-athlete at Ole Miss in the mid-2000s, Wallace never amassed 40 catches or 800 yards in any single season before entering the NFL as a third-round pick in 2009. He went to Pittsburgh and teamed up with future Hall of Famer Ben Roethlisberger, and together the two burned opposing defenses thanks to Roethlisberger’s powerful arm and Wallace’s immaculate speed. Wallace is now known as one of the league’s most dangerous deep threats and as one of its quickest receivers, resulting in Rookie of the Year and later Pro Bowl honors. He’s scored 47 touchdowns in six NFL seasons, and his 19.4 yards per catch in 2009 led the league among all receivers who qualified.

Jason Witten: It feels like Witten, a third-round pick in 2003, has been in the NFL since the days or Aikman-Smith-Irvin, but it’s actually only been 12 seasons, all with the Dallas Cowboys. In that time he’s emerged as one of the most decorated tight ends in NFL history and one of the greatest players in the illustrious history of the Cowboys. He’s an 11-time Pro Bowler, a six-time All-Pro, a Walter Payton Man of the Year award winner, an Ed Block Courage Trophy winner, and the NFL’s record holder for catches in a game (18) and in a season (110) by a tight end. He’s the Cowboys franchise leader in career receptions, he’s amassed more than 10,000 yards during his 12-year career, and he’s second in league history in catches and yards by a tight end, trailing only the legendary Tony Gonzalez. To keep that kind of company after a relatively quiet career in Knoxville makes him a no-brainer to round out this list.