From Purdue, Cris Dishman did not play much as a starter in his first two years after being drafted in the Fifth Round in 1988, but the Cornerback became a starter on the left side in 1990, where he became one of the better Defensive Backs in franchise history.

Dishman had a spectacular campaign in 1991, where he had six picks and was a Pro Bowl and First Team All-Pro.  Analytically, Dishman had a 16 in Approximate Value, one of the best in franchise history for a Defensive Back.  Dishman continued to run the Secondary for Houston for years until he joined Washington as a Free Agent in 1997.

He recorded 31 Interceptions for Houston.

They called the 1971 Draft the "Year of the Quarterback," as the first three picks were Jim Plunkett, Archie Manning, and Dan Pastorini, that last of which was taken by Houston.

The Oilers of the early 70s were not the Oilers of the early 60s, and Pastorini did not have many talents around him.  During his rookie season, he became the starter but only had six wins in his first three years and threw far more Interceptions than Touchdowns.  It got better as the decade progresses, and he went to the Pro Bowl in 1975, and while his Interceptions were still high, he found ways to win. 

In 1978, Pastorini had his best year, throwing for a career-high 2,473 Yards and engineering a league-leading six Game Winning Drives.  1979 better in terms of team success, as Pastorini and the Oilers made it to the AFC Championship Game, and looked to have won it, had not a Touchdown Pass to Mike Renfro been called incomplete.  That turned out to be Pastorini’s swansong with Houston.

Pastorini was traded to Oakland for future Hall of Fame inductee Ken Stabler, though he was injured early in the season, and Plunkett, who was taken first in his draft class, took over and would lead them to a Super Bowl win.  

As an Oiler, Pastorini threw for 16,864 Yards with a TD-INT ratio of 96-139.

There are a lot of “What ifs?” in sports, but in terms of the Houston Oilers/Tennessee Titans, Al Jamison might have been the first but still the most appropriate.

Undrafted out of Colgate, "The Assassin," as he was known for his punishing play, signed with the Oilers, winning the starting Left Tackle job as a rookie.  Jamison was phenomenal, earning First Team All-Pro honors while helping Houston win the inaugural AFL Title.  The Oilers won it again in 1961, with Jamison even better, securing a second First Team All-Pro nod.  This was the last title for Houston in the AFL, but not the last First Team All-Pro for Jamison, as he did it again in his third year.

A severe back problem rendered 1962 his last season, and he never played football again, thus ending what began as a Hall of Fame worthy career.

From USC, Clay Matthews Jr. was the son of a four-year NFL vet, Clay Matthews Sr., and the brother of Bruce Matthews, who would enter the Pro Football Hall of Fame.  Clay Jr. did not make it to Canton, but many in Cleveland feel that he should have.

Matthews Jr. was taken in the First Round in 1978, and in his sophomore year, he was a starter at Outside Linebacker.  Leading the NFL in Tackles four times, the former Trojan was also a four-time Pro Bowler and had eight seasons where he cracked the 100-Tackle mark.  An expert run-stuffer, Matthews Jr. was a durable figure who played for Cleveland from 1978 to 1993, playing in 232 Games.  

He left Cleveland for Atlanta, where he played three more seasons before retiring at age 40.  As a Brown, Matthews Jr. would have 62.0 Sacks and 1,420 Tackles, and in 2019, he was inducted into the Browns' Ring of Honor.