With the No. 7 pick in the 2010 NFL Draft, the Cleveland Browns selected Florida Gators cornerback Joe Haden. With the No. 4 pick in the 2011 NFL Draft, the Cincinnati Bengals selected Georgia Bulldog wide receiver A.J. Green. The two aren't linked just because they both played on SEC teams, oh no, they have a much deeper connection.
Click the jump to see what it is.
Many of you may not know this but Green's ancestry stems from an ancient fraternity of warriors sworn to uphold the law, known as the Jedi. Haden, on the other hand, comes from a long line of warriors who fight for power, often clashing with the Jedi.. they are known as the Sith. So you see, Green and Haden are destined to fight each other, probably for the fate of the human race.
Are you buying this? No? Okay, here's the real story.
Green and Haden, while in college, were as good as they come at their positions and they played each other twice. Florida beat Georgia both times and both times Haden and Green went head to head on most plays.
In their first meeting in 2008, the Gators won 49-10. Green caught five passes for 91 yards. It should be noted that Haden not only kept Green out of the end zone, but he intercepted a pass thrown by Matthew Stafford in that game and returned it for a touchdown.
It's safe to say that Haden won the day.
In their second meeting in 2009, the result wasn't much different. The Gators still won in a 41-17 blowout, and Green still wasn't much of a factor. In fact, he was almost a zero factor. He was held to 50 yards on five receptions and was kept out of the end zone the entire game. Of course it should be noted that Green was working with a new quarterback in 2009.
It's safe to say that Haden won their second meeting as well.
In reality, it doesn't really matter what these guys did in college. What does matter is that I'm sure that they remember each other as one of the best, if not the best, opposition they faced in the 2008-2009 seasons, and I'm sure they're thinking about facing each other on Sept. 11 on opening day.
It should be fun to watch Green look for some redemption when he faces Haden in the NFL.
And it would be really cool if one was a Jedi and the other was a Sith. Oh well.