Pat Fischer may have been a great player at Nebraska, but standing at 5’ 9” made NFL scouts feel that he was too small to play in the NFL. He fell to the 17thRound in the 1961 Draft, where the St. Louis Cardinals took the Cornerback.
In the 2003 NFL Draft, the Washington Redskins coveted an elite Offensive Lineman, which was precisely what they obtained in their Third Overall Pick, with Chris Samuels of Alabama.
A late round draft pick by the Washington Redskins from Loyola Marymount in 1951, Gene Brito would play on both sides of the ball in his first two seasons. The End was certainly solid in his role, but by 1953, Brito was focused on the Left Defensive End position and was chosen for his first Pro Bowl.
Gary Clark was so good at James Madison that he would later become the first football player to have his number retired. That being said, Clark did not begin his professional career in the NFL, as it was the Jacksonville Bulls of the USFL, which would become his first landing spot.