Blast From The Past Development Listing
?= On the fence
↑= On the fence about moving them up
↓= On the fence about moving them down
Quarterbacks
SF Alex Smith, 22 yrs, Star
ARI Kurt Warner, 35 yrs, Superstar
SEA Matt Hasselbeck, 31 yrs, Star
LAC Philip Rivers, 25 yrs, Superstar
CIN Carson Palmer, 27 yrs, Star
BAL Steve McNair, 33 yrs, Star
PIT Ben Roethlisberger, 24 yrs, Superstar X-Factor (Brick Wall)
GB Brett Favre, 37 yrs, Superstar X-Factor (Bazooka)
GB Aaron Rodgers, 23 yrs, Superstar X-Factor (Gambler)
NYG Eli Manning, 25 yrs, Star
PHI Donovan McNabb, 30 yrs, Superstar
DAL Drew Bledsoe, 34 yrs, Star
DAL Tony Romo, 26 yrs, Star
NE Tom Brady, 29 yrs, Superstar X-Factor (Pro Reads)
NO Drew Brees, 27 yrs, Superstar X-Factor (Fearless)
ATL Michael Vick, 26 yrs, Superstar X-Factor (First One Free)
TEN Vince Young, 23 yrs, Star ? ↓
IND Peyton Manning, 30 yrs, Superstar X-Factor (Pro Reads)
Runningbacks
SF Frank Gore, 23 yrs, Superstar X-Factor (Wrecking Ball)
ARI Edgerrin James, 28 yrs, Superstar ? ↓
LAR Steven Jackson, 23 yrs, Superstar
LAR Marshall Faulk, 32 yrs, Star
SEA Shaun Alexander, 29 yrs, Superstar
KC Larry Johnson, 27 yrs, Star
LAC Michael Turner, 24 yrs, Star
LAC Darren Sproles, 23 yrs, Star
LAC LaDanian Tomlinson, 27 yrs, Superstar X-Factor (First One Free)
BAL Jamal Lewis, 27 yrs, Superstar
GB Ahmad Green, 29 yrs, Star
NYG Tiki Barber, 31 yrs, Superstar
PHI Brian Westbrook, 27 yrs, Star
WAS Clinton Portis, 25 yrs, Star
NYJ Curtis Martin, 33 yrs, Star
NE Corey Dillon, 32 yrs, Star
BUF Willis McGahee, 25 yrs, Star
CAR DeAngelo Williams, 23 yrs, Star
ATL Warrick Dunn, 31 yrs, Star
JAX Fred Taylor, 30 yrs, Star
JAX Maurice Jones-Drew, 21 yrs, Superstar
Fullbacks
SEA Mack Strong, 35 yrs, Star
LAC Lorenzo Neal, 36 yrs, Superstar
TB Mike Alstott, 33 yrs, Star
Wide Receivers
ARI Larry Fitzgerald, 23 yrs, Superstar X-Factor (Max Security)
ARI Anquan Boldin, 26 yrs, Superstar
LAR Torry Holt, 30 yrs, Superstar X-Factor (Rac ‘Em Up)
LAR Isaac Bruce, 34 yrs, Superstar
DEN Rod Smith, 36 yrs, Star
DEN Brandon Marshall, 22 yrs, Superstar
OAK Randy Moss, 29 yrs, Superstar X-Factor (Double Me)
LAC Vincent Jackson, 23 yrs, Star
CIN Chad Johnson, 28 yrs, Superstar X-Factor (Rac ‘Em Up)
BAL Derrick Mason, 32 yrs, Star
PIT Hines Ward, 30 yrs, Superstar ? ↑
GB Donald Driver, 31 yrs, Star
GB Greg Jennings, 23 yrs, Star
NYG Plaxico Burress, 29 yrs, Star
WAS Santana Moss, 27 yrs, Star
DAL Terrell Owens, 33 yrs, Superstar X-Factor (Double Me)
MIA Wes Welker, 25 yrs, Superstar
NE Deion Branch, 27 yrs, Star
TB Joey Galloway, 35 yrs, Star
NO Joe Horn, 34 yrs, Star
ATL Roddy White, 25 yrs, Superstar
HOU Andre Johnson, 25 yrs, Superstar X-Factor (Double Me)
IND Marvin Harrison, 34 yrs, Superstar X-Factor (Rac ‘Em Up)
IND Reggie Wayne, 28 yrs, Superstar
Tight Ends
SF Vernon Davis, 22 yrs, Star ? ↑
SF Delaine Walker, 22 yrs, Star
KC Tony Gonzalez, 30 yrs, Superstar X-Factor (Max Security)
LAC Antonio Gates, 26 yrs, Superstar X-Factor (Max Security)
BAL Todd Heap, 26 yrs, Star
PIT Heath Miller, 24 yrs, Star
NYG Jeremy Shockey, 26 yrs, Superstar ? ↓
WAS Chris Cooley, 24 yrs, Star
DAL Jason Witten, 24 yrs, Superstar X-Factor (Max Security)
ATL Alge Crumpler, 29 yrs, Star
HOU Owen Daniels, 24 yrs, Star
IND Dallas Clark, 27 yrs, Star
Tackles
ARI Leonard Davis, 28 yrs, Star
LAR Orlando Pace, 31 yrs, Superstar
SEA Walter Jones, 32 yrs, Superstar
KC Willie Roaf, 36 yrs, Superstar
CIN Andrew Whitworth, 25 yrs, Superstar
CIN Willie Anderson, 31 yrs, Superstar
BAL Jonathan Ogden, 32 yrs, Superstar
GB Chad Clifton, 30 yrs, Star
PHI Tra Thomas, 32 yrs, Star
WAS Chris Samuels, 29 yrs, Superstar
DAL Flozell Adams, 29 yrs, Superstar
NYJ D’Brickshaw Ferguson, 23 yrs, Star
NE Matt Light, 28 yrs, Superstar
BUF Jason Peters, 24 yrs, Superstar
NO Jammal Brown, 25 yrs, Star
CAR Jordan Gross, 26 yrs, Star
TEN Michael Roos, 24 yrs, Star
IND Tarik Glenn, 30 yrs, Star
Guards
SF Larry Allen, 35 yrs, Superstar
LAR Richie Incognito, 23 yrs, Star
KC Will Shields, 35 yrs, Superstar
KC Brian Waters, 29 yrs, Superstar
LAC Kris Dielman, 25 yrs, Star
PIT Alan Faneca, 30 yrs, Superstar
DET Damien Woody, 29 yrs, Star
CHI Ruben Brown, 34 yrs, Star
MIN Steve Hutchinson, 29 yrs, Superstar
NYG Chris Snee, 24 yrs, Star
PHI Shawn Andrews, 24 yrs, Star
DAL Marco Rivera, 34 yrs, Star
NE Logan Mankins, 24 yrs, Superstar
TB Davin Joseph, 23 yrs, Star
NO Jahri Evans, 23 yrs, Superstar
CAR Evan Mathis, 25 yrs, Star
Centers
SF Jeremy Newberry, 30 yrs, Star
DEN Chris Myers, 25 yrs, Star
DEN Tom Nalen, 35 yrs, Star
CLE LeCharles Bentley, 27 yrs, Star
PIT Jeff Hartings, 34 yrs, Star
CHI Olin Kreutz, 29 yrs, Superstar
MIN Matt Birk, 30 yrs, Star
NYG Shaun O’hara, 29 yrs, Star
DAL Andre Gurode, 28 yrs, Star
NYJ Nick Mangold, 22 yrs, Superstar
NE Dan Koppen, 27 yrs, Star
TEN Kevin Mawae, 35 yrs, Superstar
IND Jeff Saturday, 31 yrs, Superstar
Edge
SF Bryant Young, 34 yrs, Star
ARI Bertrand Berry, 31 yrs, Star
LAR Leonard Little, 32 yrs, Star
SEA Julian Peterson, 28 yrs, Superstar
KC Jared Allen, 24 yrs, Superstar X-Factor (Unstoppable Force)
KC Tamba Hali, 23 yrs, Superstar
DEN Elvis Dumervil, 22 yrs, Superstar
OAK Derrick Burgess, 28 yrs, Star
LAC Shaun Phillips, 25 yrs, Star
BAL Terrell Suggs, 24 yrs, Superstar X-Factor (Unstoppable Force)
BAL Adalius Thomas, 29 yrs, Star
CLE Willie McGinest, 35 yrs, Star
PIT James Harrison, 28 yrs, Superstar
PIT Joey Porter, 29 yrs, Superstar
GB Aaron Kampman, 27 yrs, Star
GB Kabeer Gbaja-Biamilia, 29 yrs, Star
NYG Michael Strahan, 35 yrs, Superstar X-Factor (Fearmonger)
NYG Justin Tuck, 23 yrs, Star
NYG Osi Umenyiora, 25 yrs, Superstar
PHI Jeveon Kearse, 30 yrs, Star
PHI Trent Cole, 24 yrs, Star
DAL DeMarcus Ware, 24 yrs, Superstar X-Factor (Unstoppable Force)
NYJ Shaun Ellis, 29 yrs, Star
MIA Jason Taylor, 32 yrs, Superstar X-Factor (Unstoppable Force)
MIA Kevin Carter, 33 yrs, Star
BUF Aaron Schobel, 29 yrs, Star
TB Simeon Rice, 32 yrs, Superstar
NO Will Smith, 25 yrs, Star
CAR Julius Peppers, 26 yrs, Superstar X-Factor (Unstoppable Force)
ATL John Abraham, 28 yrs, Superstar X-Factor (Unstoppable Force)
ATL Patrick Kerney, 30 yrs, Superstar ? ↓
TEN Kyle Vanden Bosch, 28 yrs, Star
HOU Jason Babin, 26 yrs, Star
HOU Mario Williams, 21 yrs, Superstar
IND Dwight Freeney, 26 yrs, Superstar X-Factor (Unstoppable Force)
IND Robert Mathis, 25 yrs, Superstar ? ↑
Defensive Tackles
ARI Darnell Dockett, 25 yrs, Star
LAR La’Roi Glover, 32 yrs, Superstar
OAK Warren Sapp, 34 yrs, Superstar
LAC Jamal Williams, 30 yrs, Superstar
CIN Justin Smith, 27 yrs, Superstar
CIN Sam Adams, 33 yrs, Star
BAL Haloti Ngata, 22 yrs, Superstar
CLE Ted Washington, 38 yrs, Star
PIT Casey Hampton, 29 yrs, Star
DET Shaun Rogers, 26 yrs, Star
CHI Tommie Harris, 23 yrs, Star
MIN Pat Williams, 34 yrs, Star
MIN Kevin Williams, 26 yrs, Superstar X-Factor (Run Stuffer)
NE Richard Seymour, 27 yrs, Superstar X-Factor (Run Stuffer)
NE Vince Wilfork, 25 yrs, Superstar
BUF Kyle Williams, 23 yrs, Superstar
CAR Kris Jenkins, 27 yrs, Superstar
ATL Roderick Coleman, 30 yrs, Star
TEN Albert Haynesworth, 25 yrs, Star
TEN Randy Starks, 23 yrs, Star
JAX John Henderson, 27 yrs, Star
JAX Marcus Stroud, 28 yrs, Star
Linebackers
ARI Karlos Dansby, 25 yrs, Star
LAR Dexter Coakley, 34 yrs, Star ? ↓
SEA Lofa Tatupu, 24 yrs, Superstar ? ↓
KC Derrick Johnson, 24 yrs, Superstar
DEN Al Wilson, 29 yrs, Superstar ? ↓
BAL Bart Scott, 26 yrs, Star
BAL Ray Lewis, 31 yrs, Superstar X-Factor (Reinforcement)
CLE D’Qwell Jackson, 23 yrs, Star
PIT James Farrior, 31 yrs Star
CHI Brian Urlacher, 28 yrs, Superstar X-Factor (Run Stuffer)
CHI Lance Briggs, 26 yrs, Superstar
MIN Chad Greenway, 23 yrs, Star
NYG Lavar Arrington, 28 yrs, Star
PHI Jeremiah Trotter, 29 yrs, Superstar ? ↓
NYJ Jonathan Vilma, 24 yrs, Star
MIA Zack Thomas, 33 yrs, Superstar X-Factor (Run Stuffer)
NE Mike Vrabel, 31 yrs, Star
NE Tedy Bruschi, 33 yrs, Star
BUF Takeo Spikes, 30 yrs, Star
BUF London Fletcher, 31 yrs, Superstar
TB Derrick Brooks, 33 yrs, Superstar X-Factor (Run Stuffer)
CAR Thomas Davis, 23 yrs, Superstar
ATL Keith Brooking, 31 yrs, Star
HOU DeMeco Ryans, 22 yrs, Star
Corners
ARI Antrell Rolle, 24 yrs, Star
KC Patrick Surtain, 30 yrs, Star
DEN Champ Bailey, 28 yrs, Superstar X-Factor (Shutdown)
OAK Nnamdi Asomugha, 25 yrs, Superstar
LAC Antonio Cromartie, 22 yrs, Superstar
CIN Deltha O’Neal, 29 yrs, Star
CIN Johnathan Joseph, 22 yrs, Star
BAL Chris McAlister, 29 yrs, Superstar
BAL Samari Rolle, 30 yrs, Star
PIT Ike Taylor, 26 yrs, Star
DET Dre’ Bly, 29 yrs, Star
CHI Charles Tillman, 25 yrs, Star
MIN Antoine Winfield, 29 yrs, Star
GB Charles Woodson, 30 yrs, Superstar X-Factor (Zone Hawk)
GB Al Harris, 32 yrs, Star
NYG Sam Madison, 32 yrs, Superstar
PHI Lito Shepard, 25 yrs, Star
DAL Terrence Newman, 28 yrs, Star
NE Asante Samuel, 25 yrs, Superstar
BUF Nate Clements, 27 yrs, Star
TB Ronde Barber, 31 yrs, Superstar X-Factor (Shutdown)
ATL DeAngelo Hall, 23 yrs, Star
TEN Adam Jones, 23 yrs, Star
JAX Rashean Mathis, 26 yrs, Star
Safeties
SF Mike Adams, 25 yrs, Star
ARI Adrian Wilson, 27 yrs, Superstar
DEN John Lynch, 35 yrs, Superstar X-Factor (Reinforcement) ? ↓
BAL Ed Reed, 28 yrs, Superstar X-Factor (Zone Hawk)
PIT Troy Polamalu, 25 yrs, Superstar X-Factor (Reinforcement)
MIN Darren Sharper, 31 yrs, Superstar
GB Nick Collins, 23 yrs, Star
PHI Brian Dawkins, 33 yrs, Superstar X-Factor (Reinforcement)
WAS Sean Taylor, 23 yrs, Superstar X-Factor (Reinforcement)
DAL Roy Williams, 26 yrs, Superstar
NE Rodney Harrison, 34 yrs, Star ? ↑
BUF Donte Whitner, 21 yrs, Star
NO Roman Harper, 24 yrs, Star
ATL Lawyer Milloy, 32 yrs, Star
IND Bob Sanders, 25 yrs, Superstar
Kickers
ARI Neil Rackers, 30 yrs, Star
OAK Sebastian Janikowski, 28 yrs, Star
LAC Nate Kaeding, 24 yrs, Star
BAL Matt Stover, 38 yrs, Star
CLE Phil Dawson, 31 yrs, Star
CHI Robbie Gould, 24 yrs, Star
PHI David Akers, 32 yrs, Superstar
DAL Mike Vanderjakt, 36 yrs, Star
NE Stephen Gostkowski, 22 yrs, Star
TB Matt Bryant, 31 yrs, Star
Punters
SF Andy Lee, 24 yrs, Superstar
KC Dustin Colquitt, 24 yrs, Star
OAK Shane Lechler, 30 yrs, Superstar
DAL Mat McBriar, 27 yrs, Star
BUF Brian Mooreman, 30 yrs, Superstar
1 note
·
View note
You can make a dang good NFL all-star team from non-FBS alums
Some NFL legends have taken the path from unheralded recruit to small-school prospect to big-league stardom.
Being a five-star recruit won’t guarantee you a spot in the NFL, but it certainly makes it a little easier to get there. Playing for a powerhouse Power 5 program can turn you into a household name and inundate scouts with plenty of opportunities to study your game. A blue-chip pedigree can also help teams overlook a lackluster college career in hopes of banking on the unknown quantity of untapped potential.
But NFL rosters don’t solely consist of can’t-miss high school stars. Some of the league’s best players were under-appreciated teenagers who never earned the adoration of scouts or collegiate assistant coaches. There are several standouts who played their college ball in front of small or disinterested crowds before overcoming the odds and earning a spot in the pros. In fact, you could probably put together a pretty good all-star team filled with them.
Let’s do that. Let’s say you had to make a team of all the best NFL players who were enrolled from non-FBS colleges from 1978 onward — the year the NCAA split Division I into I-A and I-AA distinctions that would later become the FBS and FCS, respectively. How would it look? How many Hall of Famers would you find?
It turns out, a whole bunch. I padded out the depth chart with a handful of backups for the especially solid positions — settling with 22 players wasn’t an option thanks to the level of talent the NCAA’s lower levels have pumped into the league.
Here’s that slightly unbalanced but totally stacked roster of non-FBS programs.
QB: Kurt Warner, Northern Iowa
Phil Simms, Morehead State
Warner’s Hall of Fame career was built on his ability to revive both the Rams and Cardinals en route to Super Bowl appearances at each stop. That journey began in Cedar Falls, Iowa, as a single-year starter for Northern Iowa, weaved through various low-level feeder leagues like the NFL Europe and Arena Football League, and eventually landed in St. Louis as a lottery ticket backup. This crooked path to greatness put him ahead of a host of other celebrated names among the least-lauded high school passers.
Simms gets tabbed for backup duty after a pair of NFL championships in a Giants career that seems downright quaint when stacked up against the high-powered offenses of the 2010s. Only seven times had passers ever thrown for 4,000+ yards in a season when he pulled off that feat (along with Neil Lomax and Dan Marino) in 1984. As of 2019, it’s been done 175 times.
Check out the list of also-rans:
Ken Anderson, Augustana
Steve McNair, Alcorn State
Tony Romo, Eastern Illinois
Rich Gannon, Delaware
Joe Flacco, Delaware (after starting at Pittsburgh)
Ron Jaworski, Youngstown State
Ken O’Brien, Cal-Davis
And that doesn’t even count 2019 starters like Jimmy Garoppolo or Carson Wentz. Good QBs can come from anywhere.
WR: Jerry Rice, Mississippi Valley State
Terrell Owens, Tennessee-Chattanooga
Andre Reed, Kutztown
Rice is the greatest NFL player to come out of the now-FCS, then I-AA after the 1978 split. One of the few receivers even in his orbit statistically is Owens, who managed to be a longtime game-changer both on and off the field. Reed, the third Hall of Famer in the bunch, was a force in the early 90s and part of the Bills’ fearsome offensive Cerberus alongside Jim Kelly and Thurman Thomas.
There are even a couple of stellar backups available. Jackson State’s Jimmy Smith had nine seasons in which he had more than 1,000 receiving yards, but he was largely underrated as he toiled away for the Jacksonville Jaguars. Alcorn State’s Donald Driver rose up from the seventh round of the 1999 NFL Draft to account for more than 10,000 receiving yards for the Packers.
RB: Terrell Davis, Long Beach State (kinda)
Brian Westbrook, Villanova
David Johnson, Northern Iowa
Tailback is one of the thinner positions culled from these ranks, but if we cheat a little we can still find a Hall of Fame veteran. Davis started his college career at Long Beach State, then wound up at Georgia after the school discontinued its football program. Otherwise, you’re looking at the ultra-versatile Westbrook to hold down the top spot on the depth chart.
Behind him is a useful receiving threat who can also churn out yardage on the ground, though Johnson’s spot on the team is dependent on proving he’s more than just a one-season wonder after failing to follow up on his breakout 2016 in Arizona.
FB: Larry Centers, Stephen F. Austin
Centers, who played from 1990 to 2003, was ahead of his time as a pass-catching dynamo out of the backfield who could also pick up blitzes in a pinch. If he came to the NFL two decades later, he’d be a perennial Pro Bowler. Instead, he only went three times, which is still pretty good.
TE: Shannon Sharpe, Savannah State
Ben Coates, Livingstone
Two of the top pass catchers of the 90s each make the team, just in case we end up throwing a lot of 22-formation sets into the mix.
Sharpe, who spends his days in retirement waking up early to battle a purposefully contrarian Vandy grad, was the decade’s most dominant tight end — an athletic specimen who stretched defenses and chipped blockers despite suboptimal size. Coates was often the best thing about a woeful Patriots’ offense, serving as Drew Bledsoe’s No. 1 target in a pass-happy offense.
OL: Nate Newton, G/T, Florida A&M
Matt Birk, C, Harvard
Tom Newberry, G/C, UW-La Crosse
Jahri Evans, T, Bloomsburg
Larry Allen, G, Sonoma State
Adam Timmerman, G, South Dakota State
Tunch Ilkin, G/C/T, Indiana State
Protecting Warner and clearing a path for Westbrook is a heady brew of Hall of Famers and sturdy pros who range from the FCS to Division III. The headliner is Allen, who made six All-Pro teams while anchoring the Cowboys’ offensive line for 12 seasons and was athletic enough at 325 pounds to stop pick-sixes in progress. Behind him are a combination of players who can hold down multiple positions at an all-star level.
DE: Howie Long, Villanova
Richard Dent, Tennessee State
Michael Strahan, Texas Southern
Jared Allen, Idaho State
There’s an embarrassment of riches when it comes to smaller-school pass rushers. I went four deep and still had to exclude Mark Gastineau (attended East Central University after Arizona State) and Lyle Alzado, whose alma mater — Yankton College — no longer exists.
Instead, you’ve got three Hall of Famers and Allen, who will likely join them once he’s eligible. Between them they’ve got 499 career sacks and the chops to completely terrorize opposing quarterbacks.
DT: John Randle, Texas A&M-Kingsville
Clyde Simmons, Western Carolina
Pat Williams, Northeastern Oklahoma A&M College
That pass-rushing punch only gets stronger with Randle leading things on the inside; the undersized tackle had nine seasons with 10+ sacks in his Hall of Fame career. He’s bolstered by an out-of-position Simmons, who moved inside late in his career but is best known for a 19-sack breakout season as an Eagles defensive end back in 1992.
If it’s thickness you crave, you can throw Williams into the lineup; the 317-pounder was a blocker-absorbing vacuum up front in 14 years as a pro.
LB: Karl Mecklenburg, Augustana
Sam Mills, Montclair State
London Fletcher, John Carroll
Greg Lloyd, Fort Valley State
MORE BEEF. This lineup provides two run-stopping tackling machines in the middle and some extra power at the edge in Mecklenburg and Lloyd. The outside guys combined for more than 120 sacks, while Mills and Fletcher have nearly 3,300 career tackles between them.
And if you don’t like those guys, you could always sub in Bart Scott, Jessie Tuggle, Charles Haley, Mike Merriweather, Bryan Cox, or Jeremiah Trotter.
CB: Everson Walls, Grambling State
Albert Lewis, Grambling State
Aeneas Williams, Southern
Darrell Green, Texas A&M-Kingsville
Cornerback is stocked with players who were very good for very long, including a pair of Eddie Robinson-coached bookends in Walls and Lewis, who have eight Pro Bowl selections together. They’re stuck in a rotational role behind Williams and Green, however — two Hall of Famers who played for a combined 34 seasons.
S: Eugene Robinson, Colgate
Tyrone Braxton, North Dakota State
Rodney Harrison, Western Illinois
There’s a lot of range and some big hits from our center fielders in this lineup. Robinson gave the league 16 solid years. Braxton was a versatile defensive back who could line up at either corner or safety and played a major role as Denver crashed through to glory in the late 90s. Harrison brought the lumber over a borderline Hall of Fame career with the Chargers and Patriots.
K: Adam Vinatieri, South Dakota State
Still going at age 46. Few kickers are surefire Hall of Famers, but Vinatieri’s one of them. He’s kicked 582 field goals so far in his career — most in league history and 141 more than the next closest active kicker. His 56 postseason field goals are the most the NFL’s ever seen by a double-digit margin.
P: Sean Landeta, Towson
A pretty good punter! Landeta stuck in the NFL for 21 seasons and was a three-time first team All-Pro. Like Simms, he won two Super Bowl rings with the Giants.
What if we had to make a starting 22 based on only active players? I’ve got some ideas there, too.
QB: Carson Wentz, North Dakota State
RB: David Johnson, Northern Iowa
Jerick McKinnon, Georgia Southern
Tarik Cohen, North Carolina A&T
FB: Kyle Juszczyk, Harvard
WR: Cooper Kupp, Eastern Washington
Adam Thielen, Minnesota State
Tyrell Williams, Western Oregon
TE: Delanie Walker, Central Missouri State
Dallas Goedert, South Dakota State
OL: Terron Armstead, Arkansas-Pine Bluff
J.C. Tretter, Cornell
Julie’n Davenport, Bucknell
Ryan Jensen, Colorado State-Pueblo
Laurent Duvernay-Tardif, McGill (Canada)
and, for depth, free agents Jermon Bushrod from Towson and Brandon Fusco from Slippery Rock
DE: Akiem Hicks, Regina (playing a bit out of position)
Matt Judon, Grand Valley State
Derek Rivers, Youngstown State
DT: Damon Harrison, William Penn
Javon Hargrave, South Carolina State
Brandon Williams, Missouri Southern
LB: Darius Leonard, South Carolina State
Patrick Onwuasor, Portland State
Samson Ebukam, Eastern Washington
Todd Davis, Sacramento State
CB: Malcolm Butler, West Alabama
Trumaine Johnson, Montana
Josh Norman, Coastal Carolina
Robert Alford, SE Louisiana
S: Jeff Heath, Saginaw Valley State
Antoine Bethea, Howard
K: Adam Vinatieri, South Dakota State
P: Jordan Berry, Eastern Kentucky
You can find elite players from the NCAA’s smaller schools at every position in the league. Most of them can even be picked up on Day 3 of the NFL Draft or later. If you’re looking for underdogs just waiting for the opportunity to make good on Sundays, you can start looking toward the gridiron’s non-FBS programs on Saturdays first.
0 notes