Ralph Neely was drafted by the Houston Oilers of the American Football League and the Baltimore Colts of the NFL, and he secretly agreed to play for the Oilers (it was kept secret so he could play for the University of Oklahoma in the Gator Bowl). 

Neely was ready to be an Oiler, but the Colts traded his rights to the Dallas Cowboys, a team he would rather play for, and "Big D" would land the Offensive Tackle.

The AFL was clearly the place for Neely, as he would play there from 1965 to 1977, which was his entire professional NFL career.  He was at his best in the late '60s, when he was a First Team All-Pro three years in a row (1966-68) and earned All-Decade Team honors.  The tackle helped them win two Super Bowls (VI & XII).  His career seemed to be tailor-made for Dallas.

There was a time when a case could be made that Wilber Marshall was the best Linebacker in football.  In 1985, he was a member of the most dominant team of the decade, the Super Bowl XX Champion Chicago Bears.  The year after, he was a First Team All-Pro, led the league in Approximate Value (23), and was a Pro Bowler for the first time.  Marshall was overshadowed by some of his teammates (William Perry & Richard Dent), but those in the know saw Marshall as one of the most versatile outside linebackers in the NFL.

Marshall would later join the Washington Redskins, and he was a significant cog in their dominant defense.  Winning Super Bowl XXVI, Marshall was a First Team All-Pro the season after and was the NFC Defensive Player of the Year.  He finished his career with a season in Houston, Arizona, and the New York Jets. 

The winner of the 1957 Heisman Trophy at Texas A&M, John David Crow, would be drafted 2^nd overall by the Chicago Cardinals and would blossom into one of the most versatile offensive players of his era.  Used at Halfback, Fullback, and Tight End over his pro career, he played half of his career with the Chicago (later St. Louis) Cardinals and the San Francisco 49ers, but he was never blessed with a loaded group around him, as most of his teams were not particularly good.  Crow was, however, very good, and he adapted effortlessly to his team's offensive needs.  A four-time Pro Bowl Selection, Crow scored 74 Touchdowns, splitting them between rushing and 35 from the air.  He would have 8,662 Yards from Scrimmage over his career, which is a great number for the 1960s, a decade in which he was named to the 1950’s All-Decade Team.

You don't expect an eighth-round pick to become one of the best at his position in his first four seasons, but Larry Brown, the afterthought from Kansas State, did exactly that.  The new Washington Redskins Head Coach, Vince Lombardi, pegged Brown to become the starting Running Back, and he blossomed after Lombardi noticed that he was hearing-impaired in one year, and he was permitted to get an audio device in his helmet to listen to his Quarterback's signals.  It worked, as Brown went to the Pro Bowl as a rookie and for the next three seasons, including two First Team All-Pro selections.  He had an excellent 1970, winning the Rushing Title, but in 1972 he led the league in Yards From Scrimmage and Approximate Value and won the MVP, Bert Bell Award, and Offensive Player of the Year.  More importantly, that year for the Redskins, he would take them to the Super Bowl in a loss to the Miami Dolphins.

Brown would become beset with injuries, but he would play his entire career with Washington and would accumulate 8,360 Yards From Scrimmage with 55 Touchdowns.