One of the most successful Wide Receivers in the history of Pro Football, Larry Fitzgerald played his entire career with the Arizona Cardinals, where there was no doubt who was the top player in the desert.
Fitzgerald was highly coveted in the 2004 NFL Draft, having dominated in two years at Pittsburgh where he would later have the honor of having his jersey retired. Taken number 3 Overall that year by the Cardinals, Fitzgerald paid immediate dividends as after a solid rookie year, he took the expected step to greatness as a sophomore
In that second season, Fitzgerald had his first 1,000 Yard season, and he would have eight more after. While Fitzgerald never led the NFL in Receiving Yards, he was a two-time leader in Receptions and Receiving Yards, and setting every receiving record worth having in Cardinals history. An 11-time Pro Bowl Selection, Fitzgerald set numerous records, and would have twice as many had it not been for the existence of Jerry Rice. Fitzgerald was the top star in Arizona for years, and a huge reason that the Cards advanced to their first Super Bowl.
Fitzgerald was named to the NFL 100th Anniversary Team, a sure sign that he will enter Canton quickly. At the time of his retirement, Fitzgerald was second all-time in Receiving Yards (17,492) and Receptions (1,432) while being sixth in Receiving Touchdowns (121). As great as he was on the field, Fitzgerald was even held in higher regard off of it, as shown by his 2018 Walter Payton Man of the Year Award.
There is no doubt that Larry Fitzgerald is one of the great ones.
From the University of Pittsburgh, McCoy was phenomenal with the Panthers, winning the Big East Offensive Player of the Year (2008) and parlaying that into a Second Round Pick to the same-state Philadelphia Eagles in 2009.
McCoy played his first six years with the Eagles, four of which would see the Running Back exceed the four-digit mark in Rushing Yards. The “scat back” led the NFL in Rushing Touchdowns (17), Touchdowns (20) in 2011, and in Rushing Yards in 2013 (1,607) and in both of those seasons, McCoy was a First Team All-Pro. McCoy was a phenomenal player for the Eagles, but he was surprisingly traded to the Buffalo Bills in 2015.
McCoy, who went to three Pro Bowls with Philadelphia, did the same with Buffalo. As he got older, his skills eroded, but he provided veteran presence on back-to-back Super Bowls, first with Kansas City (2019) and Tampa Bay (2020).
McCoy was named to the 2010s All-Decade Team and retired with an even 15,000 Yards from Scrimmage and 89 Touchdowns.
One of the more popular Atlanta Falcons of his day, Bill Fralic, was the second overall Draft Pick in 1985 and immediately caught the attention of the Falcons fanbase as an All-Rookie Selection.
The Dallas Cowboys had ideas for Mark Stepnoski when they drafted him in the 3rd Round from the University of Pittsburgh. Dallas converted him from Offensive Guard to Center, a position he had never played before; however, they did not rush him, easing him to the position learning from the incumbent, Tom Rafferty.
Ruben Brown played the majority of his career with the Buffalo Bills, where the 1st Round Pick would be named to the All-Rookie team and followed that up with eight more seasons in Buffalo, all of which would see the Left Guard named to the Pro Bowl.
Marshall Goldberg was a major star at the University of Pittsburgh, and he would ply his trade well for the Chicago Cardinals. Goldberg did it all in the early 1940s, especially in the 1941 season where he rushed for 427 Yards, received passes for 313 Yards and was the top finisher in Kick Return Yards (290), earning him the league lead in All-Purpose Yards (1,236) and a Pro Bowl Selection. He would finish fifth in All-Purpose Yards in 1942.