36 best undrafted players since 1936 (1 Viewer)

[Chase Stuart]

Thought some of you would be interested in this: http://www.pro-football-reference.com/blog/?p=6151

It's officially draft season in the NFL, and much of the next 45 days in NFL circles will focus on the 2010 draft. But over the next couple of days I want to look at some of the best players in football history who never heard their names called on draft day. Ever since February 8th, 1936, when Jay Berwanger was selected with the first overall pick, there have been draft snubs. Ray Nolting may have been the biggest snub of the initial NFL draft, as the former Cincinnati Bearcat went on to make two Pro Bowls in his eight-year career as a two-way halfback.

Who are my best 36 undrafted players since 1936? Ask 20 people, and you'll get twenty different lists. I tried to come up with a good group of players to provide a good cross-section of NFL history and across every position. Today, the first eighteen, in alphabetical order:

http://www.pro-football-reference.com/blog/?p=6151

 

[mulliganman]

No offense but where is Kurt Warner on that list? He's got to be at the top of the list in my opinion.

Thought some of you would be interested in this: http://www.pro-football-reference.com/blog/?p=6151

It's officially draft season in the NFL, and much of the next 45 days in NFL circles will focus on the 2010 draft. But over the next couple of days I want to look at some of the best players in football history who never heard their names called on draft day. Ever since February 8th, 1936, when Jay Berwanger was selected with the first overall pick, there have been draft snubs. Ray Nolting may have been the biggest snub of the initial NFL draft, as the former Cincinnati Bearcat went on to make two Pro Bowls in his eight-year career as a two-way halfback.

Who are my best 36 undrafted players since 1936? Ask 20 people, and you'll get twenty different lists. I tried to come up with a good group of players to provide a good cross-section of NFL history and across every position. Today, the first eighteen, in alphabetical order:

http://www.pro-football-reference.com/blog/?p=6151

 

[Chase Stuart]

Warner makes my list, just not today... I've listed the players alphabetically and posted the first half today.

 

[mulliganman]

Warner makes my list, just not today... I've listed the players alphabetically and posted the first half today.

I see. I got a little confused because it said the first eighteen today. I thought it was intended to be a numeric ranking.

 

[KoolKat]

Rod Smith

My bad, first half.

 

[Chase Stuart]

Rod SmithMy bad, first half.

Yeah, Smith is on tomorrow's list. I'll edit the OP.I listed the players alphabetically because the point of this wasn't to rank the players but to get a glimpse into the lives and careers of these 36 players. All of them have interesting stories that led to them being undrafted, whether it was due to racism, coming from poverty, military service, being labeled too short/small/slow, suffering a serious injury or just that teams questioned their production at a low level of competition. All of these guys were dismissed for one of those reasons, and all of them went on to being elite players at their position (or at least very good for a very long time).

 

[spOOfy]

Cool stuff. An interesting topic that could be expanded even further for NFL history buffs.

 

[Matt Waldman]

Great stuff. Glad Tombstone is on the list.

 

[Chase Stuart]

Great stuff. Glad Tombstone is on the list.

Tombstone certainly deserved a spot. He's a good example of how the AFL's color-blindness enabled them to catch up on the NFL.

 

[fissure man]

Romo, see you tomorrow.

 

[Sweet Love]

What I found most interesting is the guys who were pre-1960s (will halt before the merger word) and the ones after. We think of Priest Holmes and Rod Smith as absolute Gods who beat all the odds (and they did) and we look at the Lanes and Grozas and just realize that eventhought the league was much smaller back then the resources they had for scouting were just putrid.

 

[Chase Stuart]

Romo, see you tomorrow.

I thought about it, but if Jeff Garcia and Dave Krieg couldn't make the cut, I didn't think Romo was deserving. I decided three QBs out of 36 was enough. But I could definitely see the argument for Romo.

 

[Iwannabeacowboybaby!]

Romo, see you tomorrow.

I thought about it, but if Jeff Garcia and Dave Krieg couldn't make the cut, I didn't think Romo was deserving. I decided three QBs out of 36 was enough. But I could definitely see the argument for Romo.

I can see not putting him on the list, his resume is currently incomplete.

 

[KellysHeroes]

Didn't know James Harrison was undrafted... good stuff

 

[Chase Stuart]

Didn't know James Harrison was undrafted... good stuff

With Harrison, Gates, Cribbs and Edelman, Kent State is quite the modern force when it comes to UDFAs.

 

[ditka...mike ditka]

I am assuming Pierre Thomas didnt make the list you are releasing tomorrow, but I am wondering what he has to do in the next few years to make it?

 

[Chase Stuart]

I am assuming Pierre Thomas didnt make the list you are releasing tomorrow, but I am wondering what he has to do in the next few years to make it?

A whole lot more; Willie Parker is ahead of him for now. The only RBs on my lists are Holmes and Joe Perry, who have much more accomplished careers.

 

[drizzt88]

As a Steelers fan I'm hoping to see Donnie Shell's name on there tomorrow.

 

[CrossEyed]

As a Steelers fan I'm hoping to see Donnie Shell's name on there tomorrow.

 

[Chase Stuart]

Second half posted:

http://www.pro-football-reference.com/blog/?p=6153

 

[fissure man]

Romo, see you tomorrow.

I thought about it, but if Jeff Garcia and Dave Krieg couldn't make the cut, I didn't think Romo was deserving. I decided three QBs out of 36 was enough. But I could definitely see the argument for Romo.

Obviously Romo has a ways to go, but I don't think you will find many people who would take either of those guys over Romo, and I was a big Garcia fan.

Just for arguments sake, Josh Cribbs is a little bit of a stretch. Not because he doesn't p;osess a world of talent, but because he's a little wet behind the ears.

 

[Psychopav]

Good topic. Black dot for later.

Thanks!

 

[CanadianNFLJunkie]

Cribbs? Really?? So if he retired today he would be a shoe-in to the HOF???

 

[BassNBrew]

Cribbs???

 

[Chase Stuart]

Romo, see you tomorrow.

I thought about it, but if Jeff Garcia and Dave Krieg couldn't make the cut, I didn't think Romo was deserving. I decided three QBs out of 36 was enough. But I could definitely see the argument for Romo.

Obviously Romo has a ways to go, but I don't think you will find many people who would take either of those guys over Romo, and I was a big Garcia fan.

Just for arguments sake, Josh Cribbs is a little bit of a stretch. Not because he doesn't p;osess a world of talent, but because he's a little wet behind the ears.

I'm as big a Romo fan as you'll find. So i could understand putting him on there.As far as Cribbs goes, he's obviously not better/more valuable than Romo. My goal wasn't to come up with an all-encompassing ranking system of the best undrafted players; rather, I wanted to get a good cross-section across eras and positions. The actual writing/summaries of the players was far more interesting to me than the ranking of them. I put in James Harrison, Cribbs and Welker at the end because I thought modern players were a little underrepresented, and Cribbs got the nod because I figured one exclusive special teams guy should be on there. (I also considered Bill Bates.) I do think, FWIW, that Cribbs is on his way to being considered the greatest returner of all-time. If he wasn't playing in Cleveland, I think he'd be a lot more popular.

 

[Chase Stuart]

Cribbs? Really?? So if he retired today he would be a shoe-in to the HOF???

Of course not. If it helps you, think of the list as the best 30 undrafted players and then some other notable draft snubs.

 

[Chargers86]

No Antonio Gates?

 

[Chase Stuart]

No Antonio Gates?

Gates was one day 1.First half: http://www.pro-football-reference.com/blog/?p=6151

Second half: http://www.pro-football-reference.com/blog/?p=6153

 

[Chargers86]

No Antonio Gates?

Gates was one day 1.First half: http://www.pro-football-reference.com/blog/?p=6151

Second half: http://www.pro-football-reference.com/blog/?p=6153

Okay got it. Thanks.

 

[CanadianNFLJunkie]

Cribbs? Really?? So if he retired today he would be a shoe-in to the HOF???

Of course not. If it helps you, think of the list as the best 30 undrafted players and then some other notable draft snubs.

Even then I wouldn't add him to that list. Even Romo would be in there ahead of Cribbs and I don't think Romo should be in that group, YET.

 

[Chase Stuart]

Cribbs? Really?? So if he retired today he would be a shoe-in to the HOF???

Of course not. If it helps you, think of the list as the best 30 undrafted players and then some other notable draft snubs.

Even then I wouldn't add him to that list. Even Romo would be in there ahead of Cribbs and I don't think Romo should be in that group, YET.

Okay. Hope you find something interesting in the post. If not, sorry.

 

[Kev4029]

Second half posted:

http://www.pro-football-reference.com/blog/?p=6153

As a Broncos fan, I found the Rod Smith writeup very interesting. I had never heard the reason for his fall from the draft, is there a video of that hit anywhere?

 

[Chase Stuart]

Second half posted:

http://www.pro-football-reference.com/blog/?p=6153

As a Broncos fan, I found the Rod Smith writeup very interesting. I had never heard the reason for his fall from the draft, is there a video of that hit anywhere?

Thanks. I tried to find video but was unsuccessful; I doubt it's available online anywhere (a D2 came from almost 20 years ago) but you never know.

 

[Riffraff]

Excellent write up.

 

[drizzt88]

Donnie Shell - Shell was born in Whitmire, South Carolina. Instead of heading to Columbia, he went to South Carolina State, an HBCU that played (and still plays) in the Mid-Eastern Athletic Conference. Shell starred at both linebacker and defensive back for the Division II school, and as a senior he was named to the AP All-America team and received All-MEAC honors. At 5'11, 190, Shell was considered too small to be an NFL strong safety; when the 1974 draft came around, Pittsburgh took Lynn Swann, Jack Lambert, John Stallworth and Mike Webster, but not Shell. No one drafted Shell, of course, but Pittsburgh did bring him in for a tryout and Shell made the team. He was a reserve on the championship teams of '74 and '75, and then started at strong safety for the next eleven years. He won two more Super Bowls, was named to five Pro Bowls, was a three time first-team AP All-Pro, and was the first strong safety to intercept 50 passes in his career. During his eleven years as a starter, he was perhaps the best safety in the league, and he overcame any notion that he was too small to play safety in the NFL. Perhaps his defining moment came in 1978, when he knocked Earl Campbell so hard that the running back broke a rib and had to leave the game. Shell was a finalist for the HOF in 2002.

YEAH!! Way to go Chase. Nice list!

 

[Native]

Love the mention of all the old time players who went undrafted: Bill Willis, Len Ford, Willie Wood, Emlen Tunnel.

It would be interesting if you could field an entire team of undrafted players

 

[Kev4029]

Second half posted:

http://www.pro-football-reference.com/blog/?p=6153

As a Broncos fan, I found the Rod Smith writeup very interesting. I had never heard the reason for his fall from the draft, is there a video of that hit anywhere?

Thanks. I tried to find video but was unsuccessful; I doubt it's available online anywhere (a D2 came from almost 20 years ago) but you never know.

I figured as much, thanks anyway. The entire article was a fantastic read.

 

[Chase Stuart]

Love the mention of all the old time players who went undrafted: Bill Willis, Len Ford, Willie Wood, Emlen Tunnel.It would be interesting if you could field an entire team of undrafted players

In an attempt to get as many of the 36 guys on the list...QB: Kurt WarnerRB: Priest HolmesFB: Joe PerryWR: Drew PearsonWR: Rod SmithTE: Antonio GatesLT: Lou GrozaLG: Nate NewtonC: Jim OttoRG: Larry LittleRT: Joe JacobyDE: Tombstone JacksonDT: John RandleDT: Bill WillisDE: Len FordOLB: James HarrisonMLB: Sam MillsOLB: Marion MotleyCB: Night Train LaneS: Emlen TunnelS: Willie WoodCB: Willie BrownK: Jan StenerudP: Deron CherryKR: Josh CribbsPR: Wes WelkerMissing the cut: centers Frank Gatski, Jeff Saturday, Jay Hilgenberg, Jim Langer and Mick Tingelhoff; defensive backs Cornell Green, Emmitt Thomas and Donnie Shell; quarterbacks Warren Moon and Jim Hart. Tons of good undrafted centers in NFL history (Kent Hull just missed the cut on my original list).