Rough draft

What would the National Football League be like if there were no trades or free agent transactions?  The only way a team could stockpile players on their roster would be through the annual player draft. That would mean that Johnny Unitas, Peyton Manning, and John Elway would all be in the mix of a present-day debate as to who was the greatest Colts passer in NFL history.  Elway was drafted number one overall by the Colts in the 1983 draft but was soon traded to the Denver Broncos.

How about the Cleveland Browns? Although they were one of the more dominant teams in the NFL in the 1950s and 1960s, how much better would they have been if they had three more Hall of Famers on their roster? Yes, the Browns gave up on three future greats that have bronze busts in Canton – Doug Atkins, Willie Davis, and Dick LeBeau. All three of them were sent packing by Cleveland early in their careers. Atkins and Davis were traded but LeBeau was released.

Luckily for the Browns, however, the greatest quarterback in their franchise history did not play with the team that drafted him. Otto Graham was selected by the Detroit Lions in the 1st round of the 1944 draft.  But, he didn’t join the Lions rather signed with the Browns in the rival All-America Football Conference in 1946. Graham led the Browns to 10 championship game appearances in 10 years.

Quarterbacks and the Lions just didn’t seem to mix in the late-1940s. The team also drafted Y.A. Tittle in the 1948 NFL Draft.  Tittle opted to sign with the Baltimore Colts of the AAFC.  The Lions finally got their quarterback when they traded for Bobby Layne in 1950.

Class of 2011 inductee Les Richter was drafted by the New York Yanks in the first round of 1952 draft. Two days later the franchise folded and his rights went to the Dallas Texans. He went on to be a part of one of the largest trades in NFL history when he was shipped to the Los Angeles Rams for 11 players. Richter is now the third player drafted by the Yanks (Mike McCormack and Gino Marchetti are the others) to be inducted into the Hall of Fame. I wonder how great that team would have been had it not folded.

Most of the players in the Pro Football Hall of Fame stuck with the team that drafted them.  There are a few surprises, however, when looking at a list of Hall of Famers and the teams that drafted them.  It is particularly interesting to see the number of players who were drafted by multiple teams, most notably during the 1960s when the NFL and the American Football League were battling for players. The Denver Broncos were the biggest losers in that category. They lost out on five players – Dick Butkus, Bob Hayes, Bob Brown, Merlin Olsen, and Paul Krause – who were eventually enshrined in Canton. No doubt that Broncos fans would not have had to wait 18 seasons until the team’s first playoff appearance had Denver landed that impressive bunch.

Hall of Famers drafted by Team

Arizona Cardinals
Charley Trippi - 1st Round (1st overall), 1945
(Also drafted as special selection in 1947 AAFC draft by New York Yankees.)
Ollie Matson - 1st Round (3rd overall), 1952
Larry Wilson - 7th Round (74th overall), 1960
(Also drafted in 1960 AFL Draft by the Buffalo Bills.)
Jackie Smith - 10th Round (129th overall), 1963
Roger Wehrli - 1st Round (19th overall), 1969
Dan Dierdorf - 2nd Round (43rd overall), 1974

Atlanta Falcons
Deion Sanders – 1st Round (5th overall), 1989

Baltimore Colts (AAFC)
Art Donovan - Selected in 3rd Round of special selection draft, 1950.
(A year later, after Colts disbanded, he was selected by Cleveland Browns in 4th round (50th overall) but was traded to New York Yanks before the 1951 season began. Also selected in 22nd round (204th overall) of 1947 NFL draft by the New York Giants and in the 17th round (131st over-all) in the 1949 AAFC draft by the Buffalo Bills)

Boston Yanks
Doak Walker - 1st Round (3rd overall), 1949
(Also drafted in 5th round (35th overall) of 1963 AFL draft by the New York Titans.)

Brooklyn Dodgers
Clarence “Ace” Parker - 2nd Round (13th overall), 1937
Frank “Bruiser” Kinard - 3rd Round (18th overall), 1938

Brooklyn Tigers
Arnie Weinmeister - 17th Round (166th overall), 1945

Buffalo Bills
Billy Shaw - 2nd Round of 1961 AFL Draft
(Also selected in the 14th round - 184th overall - of 1961 NFL Draft by the Dallas Cowboys.)
O.J. Simpson - 1st Round (1st overall),  1969
Joe DeLamielleure - 1st Round (26th overall), 1973
Jim Kelly- 1st Round (14th overall), 1983
Bruce Smith - 1st Round (1st overall), 1985
Thurman Thomas - 2nd Round (40th overall), 1988

Chicago Bears
Joe Stydahar - 1st Round (6th overall), 1936
Dan Fortmann - 9th Round (78th overall), 1936
Sid Luckman - 1st Round (2nd overall), 1939
Clyde “Bulldog” Turner - 1st Round (7th overall), 1940
Bobby Layne - 1st Round (3rd overall), 1948
(Also selected in 1st round - 2nd overall - of 1948 AAFC Draft by Baltimore Colts.)
George Blanda - 12th Round (119th overall), 1949
(Also drafted in 2nd round - 9th overall - of 1949 AAFC Draft by the Chicago Hornets.)
Bill George - 2nd Round (23rd overall), 1951
Stan Jones - 5th Round (54th overall), 1953
Mike Ditka - 1st Round (5th overall), 1961
(Also drafted in 1st round of 1961 AFL Draft by the Houston Oilers.)
Dick Butkus - 1st Round (3rd overall), 1965
(Also drafted in 2nd round of 1965 AFL Draft by the Denver Broncos.)
Gale Sayers - 1st Round (4th overall), 1965
(Also drafted in 1st round of 1965 AFL Draft by the Kansas City Chiefs.)
Walter Payton - 1st Round (4th overall), 1975
Dan Hampton - 1st Round (4th overall), 1979
Mike Singletary - 2nd Round (38th overall), 1981
Richard Dent – 8th Round (203rd overall), 1983

Cincinnati
Anthony Muñoz - 1st Round (3rd overall), 1980

Cleveland Browns
Doug Atkins - 1st Round (11th overall), 1953
Willie Davis - 15th Round (181st overall), 1956
Jim Brown - 1st Round (6th overall), 1957
Henry Jordan - 5th Round (52nd overall), 1957
Gene Hickerson - 7th Round (78th overall), 1957
Bobby Mitchell - 7th Round (84th overall), 1958
Dick LeBeau - 5th Round (58th overall), 1959
Paul Warfield - 1st Round (11th overall), 1964
(Also drafted in 4th round - 28th overall - of 1964 AFL Draft by the Buffalo Bills.)
Leroy Kelly - 8th Round (110th overall), 1964
Ozzie Newsome - 1st Round (23rd overall), 1978

Dallas Cowboys
Bob Lilly - 1st Round (13th overall), 1961
(Also drafted in 2nd round of 1961 AFL Draft by the Dallas Texans.)
Mel Renfro - 2nd Round (17th overall), 1964
(Also drafted in 10th round - 79th overall - of 1964 AFL Draft by the Oakland Raiders.)
Bob Hayes - 7th Round (88th overall), 1964
(Also drafted as future choice in 14th round - 105th overall – of 1964 AFL Draft by Denver Broncos.)
Roger Staubach - 10th Round (129th overall), 1964
(Also drafted as a future selection in 16th round - 122nd overall - of 1964 AFL Draft by the Kansas City Chiefs.)
Rayfield Wright - 7th Round (182nd overall), 1967
Randy White - 1st Round (2nd overall), 1975
Tony Dorsett - 1st Round (2nd overall), 1977
Michael Irvin- 1st Round (11th overall), 1988
Troy Aikman - 1st Round (1st overall), 1989
Emmitt Smith - 1st Round (17th overall), 1990

Denver Broncos
Floyd Little - 1st Round (6th overall), 1967
Shannon Sharpe – 7th Round (192 overall), 1990

Detroit Lions
Alex Wojciechowicz - 1st Round (6th overall), 1938
Otto Graham - 1st Round (4th overall), 1944
Y.A. Tittle - 1st Round (6th overall), 1948
Lou Creekmur - Selected in the second round of a special draft, 1950
(Originally drafted in 1948 by the Philadelphia Eagles in 26th round (243rd overall) and the AAFC’s Los Angeles Dons in 28th round - 197th overall. He opted to complete his college eligibility.)
Jack Christiansen - 6th Round (69th overall), 1951
Yale Lary - 3rd Round (34th overall), 1952
Joe Schmidt - 7th Round (85th overall), 1953
Lem Barney - 2nd Round (34th overall), 1967
Charlie Sanders - 3rd Round (74th overall), 1968
Barry Sanders - 1st Round (3rd overall), 1989

Green Bay Packers
Tony Canadeo - 9th Round (77th overall), 1941
Jim Ringo - 7th Round (79th overall), 1953
Forrest Gregg - 2nd Round (20th overall), 1956
Bart Starr - 17th Round (200th overall), 1956
Paul Hornung - 1st Round (1st overall), 1957
Jim Taylor - 2nd Round (15th overall), 1958
Ray Nitschke - 3rd Round (36th overall), 1958
Herb Adderley - 1st Round (12th overall), 1961
(Also drafted in 2nd round of 1961 AFL Draft by the New York Titans.)
James Lofton - 1st Round (6th overall), 1978

Indianapolis Colts
Raymond Berry - 20th Round (232nd overall), 1954
Lenny Moore - 1st Round (9th overall), 1956
Jim Parker - 1st Round (8th overall), 1957
John Mackey - 2nd Round (19th overall), 1963
Ted Hendricks- 2nd Round (33rd overall), 1969
John Elway - 1st Round (1st overall), 1983
Marshall Faulk – 1st Round (2nd overall), 1994

Kansas City Chiefs               
Buck Buchanan - 1st Round (1st overall) 1963 AFL Draft
(Also drafted in 19th round - 265th overall - of 1963 NFL Draft by the New York Giants.)
Bobby Bell - 7th Round (56th overall) 1963 AFL Draft
(Also drafted in 2nd round - 16th overall - of 1963 NFL Draft by the Minnesota Vikings.)
Jan Stenerud - 3rd Round of the 1966 AFL Red Shirt Draft
Willie Lanier - 2nd Round (50th overall), 1967
Derrick Thomas - 1st Round (4th overall), 1989

Los Angeles Don (AAFC)
Len Ford - 3rd Round (14th overall), 1948

Miami Dolphins
Bob Griese - 1st Round (4th overall), 1967
Larry Csonka - 1st Round (8th overall), 1968
Dwight Stephenson - 2nd Round (48th overall), 1980
Dan Marino - 1st Round (27th overall), 1983

Minnesota Vikings
Fran Tarkenton - 3rd Round (29th overall), 1961
(Also drafted in 5th round of 1961 AFL Draft by the Boston Patriots.)
Carl Eller - 1st Round (6th overall), 1964
(Also drafted in 1st round – 5th overall – of the 1964 AFL Draft by Buffalo Bills.)
Alan Page - 1st Round (15th overall), 1967
Ron Yary - 1st Round (1st overall), 1968
Randall McDaniel - 1st Round (19th overall), 1988

New England Patriots
Ron Mix - 1st Round of 1960 AFL Draft
(Also drafted in 1st round of 1960 NFL Draft - 10th overall - by the Baltimore Colts.)
Nick Buoniconti - 13th Round (102nd overall), 1963 AFL Draft
John Hannah - 1st Round (4th overall), 1973
Mike Haynes - 1st Round (5th overall), 1976
Andre Tippett - 2nd Round (41st overall), 1982

New Orleans Saints
Rickey Jackson - 2nd Round (51st overall), 1981

New York Giants
“Tuffy” Leemans - 2nd Round (18th overall), 1936
George Connor - 1st Round (5th overall), 1946
(Also selected in 15th round (145th overall) of 1945 draft by Pittsburgh Steelers. The NFL ruled the pick to be ineligible and thus voided the selection.)
Frank Gifford - 1st Round (11th overall), 1952
Roosevelt Brown - 27th Round (321st overall), 1953
Sam Huff - 3rd Round (30th overall), 1956
Don Maynard - 9th Round (109th overall), 1957
Harry Carson - 4th Round (105th overall), 1976
Lawrence Taylor - 1st Round (2nd overall), 1981
Gary Zimmerman - 1st Round (3rd overall) in 1984 supplemental draft

New York Jets
Joe Namath - 1st Round of the 1965 AFL Draft
(Also selected in 1st round - 12th overall - of 1965 NFL Draft by the St. Louis Cardinals.)
John Riggins - 1st Round (6th overall), 1971

New York Yanks
Mike McCormack - 3rd Round (34th overall), 1951
Les Richter – 1st Round (2nd overall), 1952
Gino Marchetti - 2nd Round (14th overall), 1952

Oakland Raiders  
Jim Otto - 1960 AFL Draft
Lance Alworth - 2nd Round (9th overall) 1962 AFL Draft
(Also drafted in 1st round - 8th overall - of 1962 NFL Draft by the San Francisco 49ers.)
Fred Biletnikoff - 2nd Round of the 1965 AFL Draft
(Also drafted in 3rd round - 39th overall - of 1965 NFL Draft by the Detroit Lions.)
Gene Upshaw - 1st Round (17th overall), 1967
Art Shell - 3rd Round (80th overall), 1968
Dave Casper - 2nd Round (44th overall), 1974
Howie Long - 2nd Round (48th overall), 1981
Marcus Allen - 1st Round (10th overall), 1982

Philadelphia Eagles
George McAfee - 1st Round (2nd overall), 1940
Steve Van Buren - 1st Round (5th overall), 1944
Pete Pihos - 5th Round (41st overall), 1945
Chuck Bednarik - 1st Round (1st overall), 1949
(Also drafted in 1st round of 1949 AAFC secret draft by the Brooklyn Dodgers.)
Tommy McDonald - 3rd Round (31st overall), 1957
Sonny Jurgensen, QB, Duke - 4th Round (43rd overall), 1957
Bob Brown - 1st Round (2nd overall), 1964
(Also drafted in 1st round – 1st overall – of the 1964 AFL Draft by Denver Broncos.)
Reggie White - 1st Round (4th overall) in 1984 supplemental draft

Pittsburgh Steelers
Bill Dudley - 1st Round (1st overall), 1942
Ernie Stautner - 2nd Round (22nd overall), 1950
(Also selected in 1st round of 1949 secret two-round AAFC draft by the San Francisco 49ers.)
John Henry Johnson - 2nd Round (18th overall), 1953
Johnny Unitas - 9th Round (102nd overall), 1955
Len Dawson - 1st Round (5th overall), 1957
Joe Greene - 1st Round (4th overall), 1969
Terry Bradshaw - 1st Round (1st overall), 1970
Mel Blount - 3rd Round (53rd overall), 1970
Jack Ham - 2nd Round (34th overall), 1971
Franco Harris - 1st Round (13th overall), 1972
Lynn Swann - 1st Round (21st overall), 1974
Jack Lambert - 2nd Round (46th overall), 1974
John Stallworth - 4th Round (82nd overall), 1974
Mike Webster - 5th Round (125th overall) , 1974
Rod Woodson - 1st Round (10th overall), 1987

St. Louis Rams
Bob Waterfield  - 5th Round (42nd overall), 1944
Elroy Hirsch - 1st Round (5th overall), 1945
Tom Fears - 11th Round (103rd overall), 1945
Dante Lavelli - 12th Round (103rd overall), 1947
Norm Van Brocklin - 4th Round (37th overall), 1949
(Also drafted in 11th round - 78th overall - in 1949 AAFC Draft by the Chicago Hornets.)
Andy Robustelli - 19th Round (228th overall), 1951
David “Deacon” Jones - 14th Round (186th overall), 1961
Merlin Olsen - 1st Round (3rd overall), 1962
(Also drafted in 1st round - 2nd overall - of 1962 AFL Draft by the Denver Broncos.)
Tom Mack - 1st Round (2nd overall), 1966
Jack Youngblood - 1st Round (20th overall), 1971
Jackie Slater - 3rd Round (86th overall), 1976
Eric Dickerson - 1st Round (2nd overall), 1983

San Diego
Dan Fouts - 3rd Round (84th overall), 1973
Fred Dean - 2nd Round (33rd overall), 1975
Kellen Winslow - 1st Round (13th overall), 1979

San Francisco 49ers
Leo Nomellini - 1st Round (11th overall), 1950
Hugh McElhenny - 1st Round (9th overall), 1952
Bob St. Clair - 3rd Round (32nd overall), 1953
Jimmy Johnson - 1st Round (6th overall), 1961
(Also drafted in 4th round of 1961 AFL Draft by the Los Angeles Chargers.)
Dave Wilcox - 3rd Round (29th overall), 1964
(Also drafted in 6th round - 46th overall - of 1964 AFL Draft by Houston Oilers.)
Joe Montana - 3rd Round (82nd overall), 1979
Ronnie Lott - 1st Round (8th overall), 1981
Jerry Rice - 1st Round (16th overall), 1985

Tampa Bay Buccaneers
Lee Roy Selmon - 1st Round (1st overall), 1976
Steve Young - 1st Round (1st overall) in 1984 supplemental draft

Tennessee Titans
Ken Houston - 9th Round (214th overall), 1967
Elvin Bethea - 3rd Round (77th overall), 1968
Charlie Joiner - 4th Round (93rd overall), 1969
Steve Largent - 4th Round (117th overall), 1976
Earl Campbell - 1st Round (1st overall), 1978
Mike Munchak - 1st Round (8th overall), 1982
Bruce Matthews - 1st Round (9th overall), 1983

Washington Redskins
Wayne Millner - 8th Round (65th overall), 1936
Sammy Baugh - 1st Round (6th overall), 1937
Charley Taylor - 1st Round (3rd overall), 1964
(Also drafted in 2nd round - 9th overall - of 1964 AFL Draft by the Houston Oilers.)
Paul Krause - 2nd Round (18th overall), 1964
(Also drafted in 12th round - 89th overall - of 1964 AFL Draft by the Denver Broncos.)
Chris Hanburger – 18th Round (245th overall), 1965
Art Monk - 1st Round (18th overall), 1980
Russ Grimm - 3rd Round (69th overall), 1981
Darrell Green - 1st Round (28th overall), 1983