Paul Warfield was a National Champion at Ohio State in 1961, an All-American in 1963, and would stay in the state as a professional football player when the Cleveland Browns used the 11th Overall Pick to select the End.
Warfield joined an already potent Cleveland offense, led by Jim Brown. He was immediately plugged into the scheme, accumulating 920 Yards as a rookie and helping Cleveland win the NFL Championship. The Browns returned to the Title Game in 1965, though he missed nearly the entire season due to a broken collarbone.
He returned healthy in 1966 and was back to his old self, earning Pro Bowls in 1968 and 1969. He would lead the NFL in Rushing Touchdowns in 1968 (12) and had ten the year after. Warfield was an upper-tier Receiver, but the Browns inexplicably thought he was nearing the end, and they dealt him to Miami for only a Third Round pick in return. Warfield got even better and would win two Super Bowls with the Dolphins. After one year with the Miami Southmen of the World Football League, he returned to the Browns in 1976, playing two more years before retiring.
Warfield caught 271 passes for 5,210 Yards and 52 Touchdowns with Cleveland and was inducted into the Pro Football Hall of Fame in 1983. He would later receive another prestigious accolade when he was named to the NFL 100thAnniversary Team. Warfield was also inducted to the Browns Ring of Honor as part of the first group in 2010.
A National Champion at Michigan in 1947, Len Ford signed with the Los Angeles Dons of the AAFC, but the Dons were not one of the teams that would be absorbed into the NFL when the two leagues merged after the 1949 Season. The Cleveland Browns took Ford in the Dispersal Draft, who was one of the teams that the NFL did take and who won all four AAFC Titles.
Ford, who was more of a two-way End in L.A., was predominantly used on defense in Cleveland, and he aided the Browns in their 1950 NFL Championship Team. Ford become one of the best Defensive Ends in the game, and he was chosen for four straight First Team All-Pros and Pro Bowls (1951-54) and would later be named to the 1950's All-Decade Team. He was also integral in Cleveland's 1954 and 1955 NFL Championships.
He played with the Browns until 1957 when he was traded to Green Bay, where he played one final year.
Ford was inducted into the Pro Football Hall of Fame in 1976 and was an inaugural member of the Browns Ring of Honor in 2010.
After six years with the Dallas Cowboys, Mark Stepnoski joined the Houston Oilers. Notably, the Center brought a three-year streak of Pro Bowls with him, and he continued that in Houston, earning that accolade in 1995 and 1996, giving him five in total.
As the team relocated to Tennessee, Stepnoski’s Pro Bowl days were behind him, but Stepnoski was still a top Center. He played two more years for the now-named Titans and would rejoin the Cowboys for the 2000 Season.
Stepnoski started all 61 of his Games for Houston/Tennessee.
From Auburn, Al Del Greco had a mediocre start in the NFL, four years with Green Bay, and four more with the St. Louis/Phoenix Cardinals. When he joined Houston (eventually Tennessee) in 1991, Del Greco was thought of more as a band-aid. As it turned out, he became "Automatic Al."
Del Greco never made the Pro Bowl, but there were seasons where he belonged in the conversation. With the Oilers/Titans, Del Greco never had a season where his Field Goal Percentage went below 76%, and he was in the top ten five times. Del Greco led the NFL in Field Goals Made in 1998 (36) and was in the top ten six other years.
A member of the AFC Championship Team that made it to the Super Bowl (Del Greco made his lone FG attempt), he is currently the all-time franchise leader in Field Goals (246), Extra Points (322) and Points Scored (1,060).