Playing his college ball at the University of North Texas, Abner Haynes elected to stay in his home state, and he would sign with the Dallas Texans of the AFL as opposed to the Pittsburgh Steelers who chose him in the 5th Round in 1960.  Haynes was the first breakout star of the new league winning their inaugural Rushing Title…

The New Orleans Saints offense has been good for so long, it is forgotten that when they were able to put decent teams together in the early ’90s, it was on the strength of their defense.  Pat Swilling was a big part of those squads.

Drafted 8th overall by the San Diego Chargers in 1986, Leslie O'Neal made an immediate impact in the NFL by winning the Defensive Rookie of the Year and accumulating 12.5 Sacks.  He would suffer a knee injury that would take him out of football for a year and a half, but by 1989 he was ready to come back, and…

A seven-time Pro Bowler who spent the majority of his career with the New England Patriots, Logan Mankins fought his way from being an undersized Offensive Lineman to a First Round Draft Pick to a First Team All-Pro Selection.  The former Fresno State Bulldog did not win the Super Bowl with New England but helped to protect Tom Brady to…

In the 1980s, the Dallas Cowboys had a slew of excellent defensive players, so cracking the main roster as an undrafted Free Agent was not too likely, though that is exactly what Everson Walls did in 1981. 

Retiring from the National Football League early so that he could devote more time to his humanitarian efforts, Anquan Boldin would secure seven seasons where he had four digits in Receiving Yards.  Boldin was an explosive force on the gridiron, making an immediate impact in his rookie year finishing third in both Receptions and Receiving Yards. 

A lot of people talk about “Playstation” numbers whereby offensive stars put up offensive numbers that don’t seem realistic.  John Hadl was putting up those types of numbers when Quarterbacks generally were more conservative and decades before the Madden craze took over.On three separate occasions, John Hadl eclipsed 3,000 yards passing.  This is expected out of many Quarterbacks now, but…

For so long the AFL was considered the ugly stepchild of Football.  This officially changed when the Jets won Super Bowl III, and many people reevaluated their position on American Football League talent.  One such person was Dave Grayson who was a pick machine.

A beast at Temple University, Francis Joseph "Bucko" Kilroy may not have been drafted but his hometown Philadelphia Eagles knew there was something special there and he made the team; albeit in a combined effort as in 1943 the Eagles merged with the Pittsburgh Steelers due to the depletion of talent due to World War II. 

Joe Fortunato played his entire career with the Chicago Bears, the team that drafted him in the 7th Round in 1952. 

In the early 1970s, the Miami Dolphins were one of the best teams ever, and they were loaded with talent, but one of their stars, Dick Anderson, seems to have been forgotten.  Let's try to rectify that.

As the second draft pick of 1969, George Kunz had the fortune of playing for Notre Dame (when that mattered) and winning a National Championship there.  He did not have the same luck when he was selected by the Atlanta Falcons.

It is hard not to consider Clay Matthews Jr. as part of football royalty. How can you not? 

Selected in the 2nd Round out of the University of Arkansas in 1938, Jim Benton would go onto be one of the first great receivers in the history of the Rams franchise.  Benton led the NFL in Yards per Reception as a rookie and was named to the Pro Bowl in his second season.  He took 1941 off and returned…