NFL DRAFT History Class: From FCS To Best Of The Best

By George Somerville

Around this time of year I turn my attention to the NFL Draft. But unlike the vast majority of interested parties, I’m not looking forward – I’m looking back. Why? Because NFL Draft history is not only fascinating, it also tells us a lot about what is about to happen. 

Which means here we are with another series of History class. So, if y’all are ready, class is in session!

According to drafthistory.com, the top 10 colleges with the greatest number of draft picks range from Notre Dame with 520 picks, to LSU with 359 picks. If you are wondering who the inbetweeners are, the list is USC (516), Ohio State (473), Oklahoma (402), Michigan (387), Alabama (384), Penn State (367), Florida (364) and Nebraska (363). All of these are blue chip behemoths of the college game, suggesting that if you want to succeed in the NFL then you need to play at one of these teams. But while these stats demonstrate quantity, this doesn’t necessarily equate to quality. Although don’t get me wrong, there are many, many great players from these schools who have gone on to become Super Bowl winners or NFL Hall of Famers.

But it turns out that much smaller football programs have a bigger say in the NFL Draft – and a much bigger impact on the league than perhaps first glance might suggest. In fact, Football Subdivision schools have had a significant impact on the longevity of the NFL, endorsing the theory that you don’t have to play in the SEC or Big Ten to make it to the pros. In 2022 such highly talented players as Trevor Penning of Northern Iowa, Christian Watson of North Dakota State, Zyon McCollum of Sam Houston and Bailey Zappe of Western Kentucky (but prior to that Houston Baptist), amongst many others will be drafted from FCS football into the NFL, for what we hope will be long and successful NFL careers.

First Class

All of this made me think about just how much of an impact FCS football has had on the draft. And after frankly not very much background reading, I found out that the impact is HUGE. In fact the more I read, the list just got longer and longer. With each year I studied, the more household names I uncovered. So in this series of History Class I want to pay tribute to those those who made it from the very bottom to the very top.

All of these players you know well. Some are Hall of Famers, some had decorated football careers – including Super Bowl rings. Proving you don’t need to got to South Bend or Los Angeles to make it to the big league.

I can sense that some of you are underwhelmed thus far. FCS I hear you say! Not for us, George – you say. No way an NFL Hall of Famer comes from James Madison or Tennessee-Chattanooga or Alcorn State you say. I hear ya, except with all due respect you are wrong. Turns out there are probably way more than I can write about on these pages or do justice. But to prove my point, let’s start this series with a bang.

So here is our 2022 History class – the FCSers…..

Doug Williams, Grambling State

Image credit: Pete Leabo, Associated Press

Doug Williams was the starting Quarterback at Grambling State for four years, with a record of 36-7 (0.837) during his time with the Tigers. In 1977, his last year at Grambling, Williams had a sensational season leading the entire NCAA in total yards from scrimmage (3,249), passing yards (3,286), touchdown passes (38), and yards per play (8.6). This wonder season would see Williams finish 4th in Heisman voting, with the award eventually being won by Earl Campbell of Texas.

Joe Gibbs, offensive coordinator for the Tampa Bay Buccaneers, had been tracking Williams’ college career and was the only NFL staffer to meet with Williams ahead of the draft. Williams – who had earned his degree at Grambling – had subsequently embarked on his Masters ahead of the draft, and impressed Gibbs with his intelligence. On the back of his impressive scouting report, Gibbs recommended Doug Williams to the Buccaneers as the best quarterback available in the draft. On this recommendation, the Buccaneers selected Doug Williams in the first round with the 17th overall pick, making Doug Williams the first African American quarterback selected in the first round of the draft.

Williams quickly became a favourite with Buccaneers fans with his huge arm and ability to throw the ball deep. The Buccaneers, who were still a relatively young franchise at that time and who had frankly made no impact on the league up until this point, became a play-off team with Williams under center. The franchise was transformed, and Williams would lead them to three play off games in five seasons, including the NFC Championship game in 1979.

However, Williams’ legacy was to be cemented with another franchise. Following a disagreement over salary, Williams left Tampa to join the newly created upstart league, the USFL. Williams was again a huge hit in the league, but in 1986 the USFL was shut down. Looking for a job, Williams’ old coach at Tampa – Joe Gibbs – who had moved to Washington as head coach, convinced Doug Williams to join him in Washington as the backup quarterback.

Doug Williams agreed and  started the 1987 season as backup. But by the time that the play offs had come around, Williams had become the starting quarterback. 

The 1987 season saw Williams take Washington to Super Bowl XXII in San Diego to play against John Elway and the Denver Broncos. Washington won out convincingly 42-10, with Doug Williams completing 18 of 29 passes for 340 yards and four touchdown passes. This performance broke records, being the first time that four touchdowns were thrown in the second quarter of a Superbowl (this performance set the record for most touchdowns thrown in a single half), winning Williams not only a Super Bowl ring but Superbowl XXII MVP. Doug Williams was the first African-American quarterback to both win a Super Bowl and be named its MVP.

Doug Williams, who had a successful coaching career before moving to front office positions in Tampa and Washington, was inducted into the Pro Football Hall of Fame in 2021.

“Sweetness” Walter Payton, Jackson State

Image credit: Vernon Biever, Associated Press

Perhaps the greatest player to ever grace the NFL was unbelievably not recruited by any SEC teams, despite playing high school right under their noses in Columbia, Mississippi. 

Not highly recruited by colleges, Walter Payton played running back at Jackson State University where he set a new school record with 65 rushing touchdowns while rushing for 3,563 yards, averaging 6.1 yards per carry. In Payton’s Junior year he set the school record with 24 rushing touchdowns in a single season. In successive seasons – 1973 and 1974 – Walter Payton was named Black College Player of the Year and was voted All American. While the origins are a little unclear, Payton received his “Sweetness” nickname while at Jackson State.

In 1975 the Chicago Bears selected Walter Payton with the 4th overall pick in the draft. While few could have predicted what was to happen over the next 13 seasons, Walter Payton evolved into the greatest draft pick ever made by the Bears. In fact, Walter Payton would go on to become one of, if not the greatest player in NFL history.

During his time as King of Chicago, Sweetness became the NFL’s all-time leading rusher with 16,726 yards, and propelled his 1985 Bears to legendary status by winning their only Super Bowl Championship – in what is arguably the greatest team in the history of the NFL. 

Over the course of his NFL career – solely with the Bears – Payton had 10 seasons with 1,000 yards or more, 77 games with at least 100 yards and 110 rushing touchdowns. In 1977 agains the Minnesota Vikings, Payton rushed for 275 yards in a single game. In that season Payton rushed for 1,275 yards. The list of accolades Walter Payton won is long and illustrious and I don’t have space to fit them in. But in a taster of his success Walter Payton was voted League MVP in 1977 and 1985, and played in the Pro Bowl 9 times.

Perhaps Payton’s greatest legacy was his personality, the way in which he carried himself as a pro footballer, and his charity work for which the NFL’s Man of the Year award is named after him. 

Walter Payton was inducted into the Pro Football Hall of Fame in 1993.

Jerry Rice, Mississippi Valley State

Image credit: MSVU archives

From the greatest running back the NFL has ever seen, to the greatest wide receiver the NFL has ever known.

The story of Mississippi native Jerry Rice becoming part of college football history during his time at Mississippi Valley State is well documented. But indulge me for a second as it’s a story worth telling.

Rice arrived in Itta Bena, at Mississippi Valley State University to play for the Delta Devils in 1981. Head Coach Archie Cooley – an interesting and  eccentric character – was in the process of developing a no huddle passing offense during an era where the running game still dominated football, and it was seen as a novelty. Cooley’s scheme featured four wide receivers – all lined up on one side of the scrimmage, something the game had never experienced before. I wrote about this fascinating chapter in Mississippi Valley State’s history previously for the Touchdown which you can read here.

Under Cooley, Jerry Rice was paired with quarterback Willie Totten, which clicked quickly and turned into one of the most prolific partnerships that the college game has ever seen. The Satellite Express was born. 

It was in his sophomore year that Jerry “The World” Rice really started to catch the eye, catching 66 passes for 1,133 yards and seven touchdowns.

By Rice’s junior year he had set the game on fire, breaking NCAA records for receptions (102) and receiving yards (1,450) – as well as setting a single-game NCAA record catching 24 receptions against LSU. By his senior year Rice broke his own records for receptions (112) and receiving yards (1,845), and his 27 touchdown receptions was not bettered anywhere in college football. 

To place some perspective on the impact of this Delta Devils team, the 1984 Delta Devils scored 628 total points in eleven games, averaging more than 58 points per game. Jerry Rice put up some incredible single game statistics, including 17 receptions for 294-yards and five receiving touchdowns against Kentucky State. During the game against Kentucky State, Rice caught twelve receptions and scored three touchdowns in a single quarter.

Jerry Rice finished his college career with 301 catches for 4,693 yards and 50 touchdowns. He was inducted into the college football hall of fame in 2006.

Jerry Rice to....Dallas?

After lighting up the college game, it was no great surprise that NFL scouts had Rice firmly in their sights. Both San Francisco and Dallas were reportedly set on choosing Rice with their first round picks. With Dallas having the 17th pick in the 1985 they were in prime position to grab their desired wide receiver.

Except Bill Walsh and the 49ers had different ideas. Despite having Dwight Clarke and Freddie Solomon on the roster, the 49ers traded  their 1st, 2nd and 3rd round picks to the New England Patriots to move up to pick #16, stealing Rice from under Cowboys noses.

In 1985, quarterback Joe Montana was already a dominant force in the NFL, however little did the league know that the greatest partnership in San Francisco 49ers history – and perhaps ever in the NFL – was about to be formed.

The World

Mandatory Image credit: Jed Jacobsohn /Allsport

Of course, the rest they say is history.

Jerry Rice played in the NFL for 20 seasons and leaves a legacy like no other.

Before we get to the many records that Rice holds, lets take a look at the hardware Rice won. Rice played in eight conference championships and four Super Bowls, earning three rings with the 49ers and named the Most Valuable Player of San Francisco’s Super Bowl XXIII win over the Cincinnati Bengals.

Over the course of his 20 years in the NFL Jerry Rice amassed:

  • 1,549 career receptions, 117 ahead of 2nd placed Larry Fitzgerald
  • 22,895 career receiving yards, 5,403 yards ahead of Larry Fitzgerald
  • 197 career touchdown receptions 41 more than Randy Moss
  • 208 total touchdowns (197 receiving, ten rushing, and one fumble recovery), 33 ahead of next placed Emmitt Smith
  • 1,256 career points scored make him the highest-scoring non-kicker in NFL history. 
  • During his 20 year career Jerry Rice averaged 75.6 receiving yards per game.

Jerry Rice was a first ballot Pro Football Hall of Famer in 2010, and in the same year the San Francisco 49ers retired Rice’s #80 jersey.

Randy Moss - Marshall University

Image credit:Al Tielemans, Sports Illustrated

Randy Moss’ induction to the Pro Football Hall of Fame in 2018 was about as far removed from the start of his College football career as possible. The phrase poles apart does not do Moss’ journey justice.

Randy Moss was highly recruited out of his home state West Virginia. Moss dreamed of playing for the Fighting Irish and the feeling was mutual. Then head coach Lou Holtz had earmarked Moss as his top recruit, with Moss signing a letter of intent to play his football in South Bend. The dream was alive.

However, fate was about to deal Moss a cruel card. While still at high school Moss found himself in a fight with a student. Despite Moss arguing he was defending a friend, Moss was arrested and charged with assault – to which he pleaded guilty and was sentenced to a custodial sentence. As a result, Moss was encouraged not to pursue his education at Notre Dame – and committed to Bobby Bowden and Florida State instead.

Moss’ problems with discipline continued. As the signed Notre Dame letter of intent was deemed binding and therefore a transfer by the NCAA, Moss was forced to sit out his first year of eligibility. The terms of his prosecution were such that Moss should serve his 30 day jail sentence after his first year at college. But with him sitting out his first year, Moss chose to serve the sentence earlier. While serving in a work release program Moss tested positive for Marijuana and was subsequently dismissed from the Florida State program and required to serve an additional 60 days in jail for breaching his probation terms.

 

Marshall Thundering Herd

Image credit:AP Photo/Evan Pinkus

With his college career in taters before it had even started, Moss decided to head back home to West Virginia and about an hour from where he grew up to play football at Marshall University. Given Mashall’s FCS status (Division I-AA then), Moss was able to transfer without losing any further eligibility.

The impact Randy Moss made at Marshall was instant and impactful. In 1996, his freshman season, he set the NCAA Division I-AA records for most games with a touchdown catch in a season (14); most consecutive games with a touchdown catch (13), most touchdown passes caught in a season (28) and most receiving yards gained by a freshman in a season (1,709 on 78 catches), a record which still stands. Moss was also the leading kickoff returner in Division I-AA on the season, with 612 total yards and a 34.0-yard average. 

The Marshall Thundering Herd were undefeated in 1996, winning the Division I-AA title – with Moss having four touchdown receptions in the Championship Game. 

1996 would be Marshall’s final season before moving to Division I-A.

Minnesota bound

Image credit: Gene J Puskar, Associated Press

Randy Moss finished his career at Marshall having scored at least one touchdown in all 28 games that he played. He won the Fred Biletnikoff Award as the season’s outstanding receiver regardless of position, and was a finalist for the 1997 Heisman Trophy. Moss finished fourth in voting behind an impressive final trio of Ryan Leaf, Peyton Manning and winner Charles Woodson.

Randy Moss elected to forego his senior year at Marshall to enter the 1998 NFL Draft, with the Minnesota Vikings selecting Randy Moss with the 21st pick.

Moss’ impact on the Vikings was as great as it was with Marshall. Moss transformed the Vikings into an offensive scoring machine. In 1998 the Minnesota Vikings set the NFL single season scoring record with 556 points.

This record was to stand until 2007 when the New England Patriots, with Randy Moss at wide receiver, surpassed the Vikings record.

Randy Moss played seven successful seasons in Minneapolis before being traded to the Oakland Raiders in 2005. It was clear that Moss did not enjoy his time in Oakland – a mix of recurring injuries and the difficulties first year head coach Lane Kiffin had establishing his stamp on the team.

In 2007 Moss was traded to the Patriots. The fit was perfect, as Moss was in awe of Bill Belichik and the Patriots organisation. All of this showed in Moss’ play, recording 98 catches for 1,493 yards – which was the highest yardage total in Patriots franchise history, and the third-highest total number of catches.

On the way to earning his sixth Pro Bowl appearance, Moss scored touchdowns in 13 of 16 games, nine 100-yard games, and six touchdown receptions of 40 or more yards.

Randy Moss loved Boston and Boston loved Moss.

Moss played four seasons in New England, but as hugely successful as the Patriots were during this period in their history, Moss remarkably did not win a Superbowl, despite playing in the season finale twice.

Randy Moss went on to play back in Minnesota, Tennessee and San Francisco before retiring from the game in 2012.

Moss holds a list of NFL records as long as his arm and goes down as one of the greatest wide receivers the NFL has ever seen. He holds two NFL records tied with Jerry Rice.

Interestingly, wide receivers do not have a good track record of becoming first round ballot Hall of Famers. IN fact there are only two – Jerry Rice and Randy Moss.

Mock Draft

george somerville

College football writer

A GLASWEGIAN LIVING IN LONDON, GEORGE IS A COLLEGE FOOTBALL FAN WHO FOLLOWS THE ALABAMA CRIMSON TIDE. HE PROVIDES CFB CONTENT FOR THE TOUCHDOWN AND IS ONE THIRD OF THE COLLEGE CHAPS PODCAST.

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