In celebration of the NFL Draft, we've asked the members of the Pro Football Hall of Fame to share some of their thoughts and recollections from when they were drafted. Follow a Hall of Famer as he takes a trip down memory lane, and relive draft history.

Yale Lary -- because of his versatility as a defensive back, punter, and kick return man -- was a highly touted prospect for the National Football League in the early 1950s. But, because he played college football in his native state at Texas A&M, Yale barely knew about the league and certainly less about the annual draft.

Yale Lary

"We didn't get much pro ball down here at all," Lary recently recounted for profootballhof.com. "We didn't know much about the draft - didn't really know there was one."

Lary does recall how the pro teams would send brochures and questionnaires to the players. He also remembered, with a laugh, how the seniors would have some fun filling out those questions. It seems that the college players would write down exaggerated heights and weights with extremely fast times in the 100-yard dash!

Yale became a bit more serious when Detroit Lions coach Buddy Parker visited and took him to lunch. The two discussed the possibility of Yary playing with the Lions. 

That opportunity came to fruition when the Lions selected Yary in the third round (34th player overall) of the 1952 NFL Draft. The move paid off as Yale starred as a triple threat for the Lions through 1964. Lary was inducted into the Pro Football Hall of Fame in 1979.

Hall of Famers Taken in the 1952 Draft

Ollie Matson, HB, Chicago Cardinals - 1st Round (3rd overall)

Hugh McElhenny, HB, San Francisco 49ers - 1st round (9th overall)

Frank Gifford, HB-FL, New York Giants - 1st round (11th overall)

Gino Marchetti, DE, New York Yanks - 2nd round (14th overall)

Yale Lary, DB, Detroit Lions - 3rd round (34th overall)