This NFL puzzle ran on Aug 23, 2026. The task was to connect Leonard Little to Muhammad Wilkerson with a chain of real players. The objective: “Your chain must include a Mississippi State alum.” Par was 3 links.
Leonard Little (LB) played in the NFL from 1998 to 2009. A one-team career, spent with the Los Angeles Rams (1998 to 2009). College: Tennessee and Coffeyville CC. As the Start of the chain, a household name like this gives you a lot of teammates to branch from, which makes it a friendly place to begin.
Muhammad Wilkerson (DE) played in the NFL from 2011 to 2018. Career stops: the New York Jets (2011 to 2017) and the Green Bay Packers (2018). College: Temple. As the Finish of the chain, a household name like this gives you a lot of teammates to branch from, which makes it a friendly place to begin.
Leonard Little and Muhammad Wilkerson do not share a team or a college, so there is no direct link. You need at least one connector in between, and the objective decides which ones are allowed to count.
This was a college objective. The chain has to pass through a player from the named school at some point, not necessarily as a link to the Start or Finish. Of the 17,973 players in the pool, 164 satisfy it. The best known are Dak Prescott (QB, 2016 to 2026), Fletcher Cox (DT, 2012 to 2023), Darius Slay (CB, 2013 to 2025), Montez Sweat (LB, 2019 to 2026), Preston Smith (OLB, 2015 to 2025), and Eric Moulds (WR, 1996 to 2007).
8 of those players share a team or college with Leonard Little, and 22 share one with Muhammad Wilkerson. The Start is the tighter side, so working forward from Leonard Little narrows the options fastest.
One shortest chain found by searching the full player pool, preferring the best known names at every step:
Many other chains work. Scoring rewards lower-profile connectors, so the best-known route is rarely the highest scoring one.
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