Best Undrafted NFL Players of All Time

The most talented football players don't always get their names called at the NFL draft.

Best Undrafted NFL Players of All Time

Antonio Gates went undrafted out of Kent State in 2003.

The NFL draft can be an overrated exercise.

The cream rises to the top, no matter how convoluted and complex the road, and the league has a way of weeding out those who aren’t talented or hardworking enough to be there.

First-round picks sometimes are busts. Later-round picks (ahem, Tom Brady) can be the greatest of all time. There also are players who never get drafted but go on to amazing, even Hall of Fame, careers.

These are those guys. The diamonds deep in the rough. The greatest NFL players who weren’t drafted.

25. Michael Bennett

Position: Defensive end

Hometown: Independence, Louisiana

High school: Alief Taylor High School (Houston, Texas)

College: Texas A&M

Rookie year: 2009

NFL career: 10 years (2009-present)

Teams: Seattle Seahawks, Tampa Bay Buccaneers, Philadelphia Eagles, New England Patriots

Super Bowl titles: 1 (2013)

Bottom Line: Michael Bennett

Michael Bennett wasn’t drafted after an inconsistent college career. The Seahawks signed him as a free agent in 2009, then waived him after a few months, and he got picked up by the Buccaneers.

After spending four seasons in Tampa, he returned to Seattle and became one of the most disruptive defensive presences in the NFL. He anchored the Seahawks' defensive line for five seasons, earning three Pro Bowl appearances and helping Seattle win its first championship in Super Bowl XLVIII.

In 2018, the Seahawks traded Bennett to the Eagles, who dealt him to the Patriots a year later. Now, he gets a shot to play for Bill Belichick and add to his 63 career sacks.

24. Jeff Saturday

Position: Center

Hometown: Atlanta, Georgia

High school: Shamrock High School (Decatur, Ga.)

College: North Carolina

Rookie year: 1998

NFL career: 14 years (1999-2012)

Teams: Indianapolis Colts, Green Bay Packers

Super Bowl titles: 1 (2007)

Bottom Line: Jeff Saturday

Jeff Saturday was passed over in the 1998 NFL draft because of his size deficiency. The Ravens signed the 6-foot-2, 295-pound center, but waived him before he ever played a game for Baltimore.

Then he worked at an electrical supply store before finding a home with the Indianapolis Colts and becoming a six-time Pro Bowler and two-time All-Pro as Peyton Manning’s protector.

Saturday was so good he might end up in the Pro Football Hall of Fame one day.

23. London Fletcher

Position: Inside linebacker

Hometown: Cleveland, Ohio

High school: Villa Angela-St. Joseph High School

College: John Carroll

Rookie year: 1998

NFL career: 16 years (1998-2013)

Teams: St. Louis Rams, Buffalo Bills, Washington Redskins

Super Bowl titles: 1(1999)

Bottom Line: London Fletcher

London Fletcher was only 5-foot-10, but after a standout career at John Carroll, a Division III school in Ohio, the linebacker took full advantage of his NFL opportunity with the Rams as an undrafted free agent in 1998.

He was a leader of the Super Bowl champion Rams in 1999 and enjoyed a four-time Pro Bowl career, all with the Washington Redskins.

A two-time All-Pro (2011, 2012), Fletcher hung up his cleats with 1,380 solo tackles, the sixth-most in NFL history.

22. Nate Newton

Position: Guard/tackle

Hometown: Orlando, Florida

High school: Jones High School

College: Florida A&M

Rookie year: 1986

NFL career: 14 years (1986-99)

Teams: Dallas Cowboys, Carolina Panthers

Super Bowl titles: 3 (1992, 1993, 1995)

Bottom Line: Nate Newton

Nate Newton, Frank Cornish — Nate Newton, left, won three Super Bowls with the Cowboys.

Nate Newton was a five-time Pro Bowler and mainstay on one of the NFL's best offensive lines with the Cowboys, who won three championships in the 1990s.

But every NFL team overlooked the All-MEAC right tackle out of college. In fact the Washington Redskins cut Newton when he couldn’t make weight in training camp in 1983.

Jimmy Johnson helped him figure it out in Dallas, and the rest is history.

21. Tony Romo

Position: Quarterback

Hometown: San Diego, California

High school: Burlington High School (Wisconsin)

College: Eastern Illinois

Rookie year: 2003

NFL career: 14 years (2003-16)

Teams: Dallas Cowboys

Super Bowl titles: 0

Bottom Line: Tony Romo

Tony Romo came out of nowhere — he wasn’t even invited to the draft combine in his eligible season out of Eastern Illinois.

The Cowboys signed him in 2003, though he didn't take off as the starter at quarterback until unseating Drew Bledsoe in Week 7 of the 2006 season.

He was a lightning rod, as most Cowboys quarterbacks are, but was selected to four Pro Bowls and guided Dallas to the playoffs four times.

20. Larry Little

Position: Guard

Hometown: Miami, Florida

High school: Booker T. Washington High School

College: Bethune Cookman College

Rookie year: 1967

NFL career: 14 years (1967-80)

Teams: San Diego Chargers, Miami Dolphins

Super Bowl titles: 2 (1971, 1972)

Bottom Line: Larry Little

Larry Little was a fixture for the Miami Dolphins' offensive line, after a trade from the San Diego Chargers changed his career trajectory.

He started every game of the undefeated 1972 team, clearing holes for Larry Csonka, and helped the Dolphins go back-to-back in 1973.

A five-time All-Pro, Little was inducted into the Pro Football Hall of Fame in 1993.

19. Jason Peters

Position: Offensive tackle

Hometown: Bowie, Texas

High school: Queen City High School (Texas)

College: Arkansas

Rookie year: 2004

NFL career: 15 years (2004-present)

Teams: Buffalo Bills, Philadelphia Eagles

Super Bowl titles: 1 (2017)

Bottom Line: Jason Peters

Jason Peters was a 320-pound tight end when he left Arkansas. Scouts drooled at his talent but were conflicted about his potential.

The Buffalo Bills gave him a shot on the offensive line, and he's made nine All-Pro teams as a tackle for Buffalo and Philadelphia.

In 2018, an ESPN panel projected Peters, who's still starting for the Eagles, would make the Hall of Fame after he retires.

18. Wes Welker

Position: Wide receiver

Hometown: Oklahoma City, Oklahoma

High school: Heritage Hall High School (Okla.)

College: Texas Tech

Rookie year: 2004

NFL career: 12 years (2004-15)

Teams: San Diego Chargers, Miami Dolphins, New England Patriots, Denver Broncos, St. Louis Rams

Super Bowl titles: 0

Bottom Line: Wes Welker

Wes Welker became the best slot receiver of his day after going undrafted because of his 5-8, 185-pound frame.

He overcame all size concerns to become Tom Brady’s favorite weapon on the Patriots, leading the NFL in catches in 2007, 2009 and 2011 and helping New England reach the Super Bowl twice in five seasons.

Though Welker never won a ring, he was a five-time Pro Bowl selection and four-time first- or second-team All-Pro.

17. Rod Smith

Position: Wide receiver

Hometown: Texarkana, Arkansas

High school: Texarkana Senior High School

College: Missouri Southern

Rookie year: 1994

NFL career: 12 years (1995-2007)

Teams: Denver Broncos

Super Bowl titles: 2 (1997, 1998)

Bottom Line: Rod Smith

SMITH MADISON — Rod Smith caught 68 touchdowns in his career.

Don't overlook great football players at Division II schools.

At Missouri Southern, Rod Smith broke conference (Mid-America Intercollegiate Athletics Association) and school records before becoming one of the greatest receivers in modern NFL history.

Smith holds 11 Broncos franchise records, including most career catches (849), most career yards (11,389) and most touchdowns (71).

16. Priest Holmes

Position: Running back

Hometown: Fort Smith, Arkansas

High school: John Marshall High School (Leon Valley, Texas)

College: Texas

Rookie year: 1997

NFL career: 11 years (1997-2007)

Teams: Baltimore Ravens, Kansas City Chiefs

Super Bowl titles: 1 (1999)

Bottom Line: Priest Holmes

Priest Holmes' NFL career was like a comet. And for much of that time, he was the most feared running back in football.

Holmes was passed over in a stacked University of Texas backfield but broke out with the Kansas City Chiefs under coach Dick Vermeil.

Holmes is the Chiefs' franchise record holder for touchdowns, led the NFL in rushing in 2001 and was the 2002 NFL Offensive Player of the Year.

15. Marion Motley

Position: Fullback

Hometown: Leesburg, Georgia

High school: Canton McKinley High School (Canton, Ohio)

College: Nevada

Rookie year: 1946

NFL career: 9 years(1946-55)

Teams: Cleveland Browns, Pittsburgh Steelers

Super Bowl titles: 0

Bottom Line: Marion Motley

Marion Motley was teammates with Bill Willis — another undrafted NFL player who became a star — and they co-broke the NFL’s color barrier by breaking in with the Browns together in 1946.

Motley mostly was a fullback, who led the NFL in rushing as a 30-year-old for the champion Browns in 1950.

His 4,712 yards are the sixth-most in Browns history, and he was inducted into the Hall of Fame in 1968.

14. Bill Willis

Position: Defensive tackle

Hometown: Columbus, Ohio

High school: Columbus East High School

College: Ohio State

Rookie year: 1946

NFL career: 8 years (1946-53)

Teams: Cleveland Browns

Super Bowl titles: 0

Bottom Line: Bill Willis

Bill Willis is in both the College and Pro Football Hall of Fames, yet he nearly never had a career with the Cleveland Browns.

An undersized defensive lineman, at 6-foot-2, 213 pounds, he also played at a time when opportunities for black football players were limited.

Willis started as a coach when he tried out for and made the Cleveland Browns at age 24. He ended as a four-time All-Pro and won the NFL championship in 1950.

13. Joe Jacoby

Position: Offensive lineman

Hometown: Louisville, Kentucky

High school: Western High School

College: Louisville

Rookie year: 1981

NFL career: 13 years (1981-93)

Teams: Washington Redskins

Super Bowl titles: 3 (1983, 1988, 1991)

Bottom Line: Joe Jacoby

Joe Jacoby was the linchpin of the legendary Hogs offensive line, playing left tackle for three Super Bowl-winning Redskins teams.

But he went undrafted in the 1981 NFL draft before signing with Washington for training camp.

All he did after that was make four Pro Bowls and the Pro Football Hall of Fame.

12. Willie Wood

Position: Safety

Hometown: Washington, D.C.

High school: Armstrong High School

College: Southern California

Rookie year: 1960

NFL career: 12 years (1960-71)

Teams: Green Bay Packers

Super Bowl titles: 2 (1966, 1967)

Bottom Line: Willie Wood

Willie Wood was an eight-time Pro Bowler, nine-time All-Pro and five-time NFL champion.

Yet shoulder injuries out of USC left him undrafted, and if not for a letter he penned to legendary coach Vince Lombardi, Wood may have never reached the NFL.

Good thing he did. Wood was inducted into the Hall of Fame in 1989.

11. Emmitt Thomas

Position: Cornerback

Hometown: Angleton, Texas

High school: Angleton High School

College: Bishop

Rookie year: 1966

NFL career: 13 years (1966-78)

Teams: Kansas City Chiefs

Super Bowl titles: 1 (1969)

Bottom Line: Emmitt Thomas

Emmitt Thomas went to little-known Bishop College (now defunct), but caught on as an undrafted free agent with the Chiefs.

He went onto a Hall of Fame-playing career with 58 interceptions, a Chiefs franchise record, and five Pro Bowl appearances.

After his playing days, he enjoyed a lengthy career as an NFL coach, winning two Super Bowls on the sidelines with the Washington Redskins in 1987 and 1991. He retired after the 2018 season.

10. Lou Groza

Position: Offensive lineman/kicker

Hometown: Martins Ferry, Ohio

High school: Martins Ferry High School

College: Ohio State

Rookie year: 1946

NFL career: 21 years (1946-67)

Teams: Cleveland Browns

Super Bowl titles: 0

Bottom Line: Lou Groza

Kickers are football players, and Lou Groza was a pioneer in the placekicking field. The 6-foot-3, 240-pound tackle with the "atomic toe" was considered the NFL’s first kicking specialist.

Groza was the secret weapon of four championship teams for the Browns and was named the Sporting News NFL MVP in 1954, the inaugural recipient of the award.

Though he had a strong career at Ohio State, Groza was never drafted after serving in the Army. Now, the award for college football's best kicker is named after him.

9. Adam Vinatieri

Position: Kicker

Hometown: Yankton, South Dakota

High school: Rapid City Central (S.D.)

College: South Dakota State

Rookie year: 1996

NFL career: 23 years (1996-present)

Teams: New England Patriots, Indianapolis Colts

Super Bowl titles: 4 (2001, 2003, 2004, 2006)

Bottom Line: Adam Vinatieri

Adam Vinatieri, like Lou Groza, is a football player, and also might be the greatest kicker of all time.

Vinatieri twice booted the game-winning kick in Super Bowls and has more points than any player in NFL history.

Canton will be calling him when his career ends.

8. John Randle

Position: Defensive tackle/end

Hometown: Mumford, Texas

High school: Hearne High School (Texas)

College: Texas A&M-Kingsville

Rookie year: 1990

NFL career: 14 years (1990-2003)

Teams: Minnesota Vikings, Seattle Seahawks

Super Bowl titles: 0

Bottom Line: John Randle

John Randle was famous for his exotic eye black during his NFL career, but he went undrafted after playing as an undersized (6-foot-1, 244 pounds) defensive lineman at Texas A&M-Kingsville, a Division II school in the Lone Star Conference.

The Vikings took a chance on Randle (whose older brother Ervin Randle had an eight-year NFL career as a linebacker with the Buccaneers and Chiefs from 1985 to 1992), and he didn't disappoint.

Randle put on 50 pounds, made seven Pro Bowls and recorded 137.5 sacks, tied for the ninth-most in NFL history. He was inducted into the Hall of Fame in 2010, his second year on the ballot.

7. Willie Brown

Position: Cornerback

Hometown: Yazoo City, Mississippi

High school: Taylor High School

College: Grambling State

Rookie year: 1963

NFL career: 16 years (1963-78)

Teams: Denver Broncos, Oakland Raiders

Super Bowl titles: 1 (1976)

Bottom Line: Willie Brown

Willie Brown was not a coveted asset coming out of Grambling State. First signed by the Houston Oilers, then cut, Brown got his foot in the NFL door with the Denver Broncos and became a starter in his rookie season.

Traded to the Raiders in 1967, Brown became a legend with the silver and black, becoming a shutdown cornerback long before the term was mainstream.

He finished his career with 54 interceptions, was a four-time Pro Bowler, five-time AFL All-Star and was inducted into the Pro Football Hall of Fame in 1984.

6. Emlen Tunnell

Position: Safety

Hometown: Bryn Mawr, Pennsylvania

High school: Radnor High School (Pa.)

College: Toledo/Iowa

Rookie year: 1948

NFL career: 14 years (1948-61)

Teams: New York Giants, Green Bay Packers

Super Bowl titles: 0

Bottom Line: Emlen Tunnell

Emlen Tunnell served in the Coast Guard in World War II, then finished his college career at Iowa as a 24-year-old.

He signed with the New York Giants, becoming the first black player to suit up there, and became an impact player for New York’s stalwart defense.

He had seven interceptions as a rookie and finished with 79 career picks — the second-most in NFL history — and was the first African-American inducted into the Pro Football Hall of Fame in 1967.

5. James Harrison

Position: Outside linebacker

Hometown: Akron, Ohio

High school: Coventry High School (Ohio)

College: Kent State

Rookie year: 2002

NFL career: 15 years (2002-17)

Teams: Pittsburgh Steelers, Baltimore Ravens, Cincinnati Bengals, New England Patriots

Super Bowl titles: 2 (2006, 2009)

Bottom Line: James Harrison

James Harrison terrorized offenses for his entire NFL career, but he almost didn’t make it to the league at all.

At six feet, 242 pounds, he was deemed too short to play linebacker and too light to play on the defensive line, but proved doubters wrong by making five Pro Bowls, winning two Super Bowls and the 2008 Defensive Player of the Year.

Expect the Pro Football Hall of Fame, just minutes from his hometown of Akron, Ohio, to be calling.

4. Dick 'Night Train' Lane

Dick Lane — Detroit Lions defensive end Dick "Night Train" Lane intercepts a pass against the Baltimore Colts in 1962.

Position: Cornerback/defensive end

Hometown: Austin, Texas

High school: Anderson High School

College: Scottsbluff Junior

Rookie year: 1952

NFL career: 14 years (1952-65)

Teams: Los Angeles Rams, Chicago Cardinals, Detroit Lions

Super Bowl titles: 0

Bottom Line: Dick 'Night Train' Lane

Night Train Lane’s story seems straight out of the movies, with baseball, military service and one year of junior college football coming before his eventual NFL debut with the Los Angeles Rams.

He had an NFL-record 14 interceptions in his first season, as a 25-year-old, and ranks fourth in interceptions in NFL history with 68.

He was inducted into the Pro Football Hall of Fame in 1974.

3. Antonio Gates

Position: Tight end

Hometown: Detroit, Michigan

High school: Detroit Central High School

College: Kent State

Rookie year: 2003

NFL career: 16 years (2003-18)

Teams: San Diego/Los Angeles Chargers

Super Bowl titles: 0

Bottom Line: Antonio Gates

Antonio Gates was recruited to play basketball and football at Michigan State but settled on basketball and transferred to Kent State. Despite a standout career with the Golden Flashes, the 6-foot-4, 255-pounder was too short to have any sort of NBA career, so he trained for football and became one of the greatest tight ends in NFL history.

Gates has the most touchdowns of any tight end in NFL history (116) and was selected for the Pro Bowl eight times.

The Hall of Fame awaits.

2. Warren Moon

Position: Quarterback

Hometown: Los Angeles, California

High school: Hamilton High School

College: Washington

Rookie year: 1984

NFL career: 17 years (1984-2000)

Teams: Houston Oilers, Minnesota Vikings, Seattle Seahawks, Kansas City Chiefs

Super Bowl titles: 0

Bottom Line: Warren Moon

Warren Moon was overlooked in a 12-round NFL draft in 1978, but burst on the scene with the Canadian Football League’s Edmonton Eskimos, where he won five straight CFL titles.

He then caught on with the Houston Oilers and set 37 franchise passing records in 10 seasons.

He was inducted into the Pro Football Hall of Fame in 2006, becoming the first undrafted quarterback to earn that achievement.

1. Kurt Warner

Position: Quarterback

Hometown: Burlington, Iowa

High school: Regis High School (Cedar Rapids, Iowa)

College: Northern Iowa

Rookie year: 1998

NFL career: 12 years (1998-2009)

Teams: St. Louis Rams, New York Giants, Arizona Cardinals

Super Bowl titles: 1 (2000)

Bottom Line: Kurt Warner

Kurt Warner’s story is the stuff of fairytales. From coming out of Northern Iowa to stocking grocery shelves to the Arena Football League to the NFL to Super Bowl MVP, Warner became a star almost overnight.

Warner was one of the finest quarterbacks of his era, playing in three Super Bowls and becoming the first quarterback to throw for 400-plus yards in the NFL's biggest game when he lifted the Rams to a Super Bowl 34 win over the Tennessee Titans.

He was inducted into the Pro Football Hall of Fame in 2017.