The All-Time NFL Undrafteds Team

You build championship teams in April.

That’s where the Indianapolis Colts drafted Peyton Manning with the first overall pick of the 1998 draft, the New York Giants took Lawrence Taylor with the second overall choice of the 1981 draft and the Dallas Cowboys claimed Emmitt Smith with the 17th overall selection of the 1990 draft.

The draft is also where the Baltimore Colts found Gino Marchetti in the second round, the San Francisco 49ers found Joe Montana in the third round, the Oakland Raiders found Cliff Branch in the fourth round, the Pittsburgh Steelers found Mike Webster in the fifth round, the New England Patriots found Tom Brady in the sixth round and the Denver Broncos found Shannon Sharpe in the seventh round.

But greatness isn’t restricted to April. Every once in a while – actually, more often than you’d think – there have been gems uncovered in August at training camp.

That’s when undrafted college free agents get the chance to prove they belong in the NFL. That’s when players from small schools (Emmitt Thomas), players with injuries (Priest Holmes), players changing positions (Brian Waters), players without any college-football experience (Antonio Gates), undersized players (London Fletcher) and players without speed (Everson Walls) can stake their claims on NFL roster spots.

And they do. Every summer.

The history of undrafted free agents is glowing. I’ve compiled a 53-player roster of undrafted free agents – a team that includes 51 Pro Bowlers, 21 Pro Football Hall of Famers, 21 all-decade selections, six members of the NFL’s 100^th anniversary team and five members of the NFL’s 50^th anniversary team.

I’ve built the team as you would an NFL team, starting with three quarterbacks and finishing with a special-teams coverage ace and deep snapper. I’ve also included a five-player practice roster:

Quarterbacks (3)

Kurt Warner (Northern Iowa). Hall of Fame, 2-time NFL MVP (1999, 2001), 4 Pro Bowls, 2-time NFL passing champion (1999, 2001). Warner tok two teams to a total of three Super Bowls – twice with the Rams and once with the Cardinals – and won a Lombardi Trophy with the 1999 Rams.

Warren Moon (Washington). Hall of Fame, 9 Pro Bowls. No. 13 all-time with his 49,325 yards and 16^th all-time in TD passes with 261. Moon went to Pro Bowls with three different teams and also won five Grey Cups with the CFL Edmonton Eskimos.

Tony Romo (Eastern Illinois). 4 Pro Bowls, 2014 NFL passing champion. The all-time passing leader of the Dallas Cowboys. Quarterbacked the Cowboys to three NFC East titles in his nine seasons, posting a 78-49 career starting record.

Halfbacks (3)

Priest Holmes (Texas). 2002 NFL Offensive Player of the Year, 3 Pro Bowls, 2001 NFL rushing champion, 2002 NFL scoring champion. Won a Super Bowl ring with the Baltimore Ravens and set an NFL record (since broken) with 27 touchdowns with the Kansas City Chiefs in 2003. Four 1,000-yard seasons.

Paul Lowe (Oregon State). All-time AFL team, 2 Pro Bowls, 1965 AFL rushing champion. One of only 20 players to play the entire 10 years of the AFL’s existence, winning championship rings with the San Diego Chargers and Kansas City Chiefs. Two 1,000-yard seasons.

Willie Parker (North Carolina). Pro Bowl. Three 1,000-yard seasons and rushed for a 75-yard touchdown in Pittsburgh’s 21-10 Super Bowl victory over Seattle in 2006.

Fullbacks (2)

Marion Motley (Nevada). Hall of Fame, NFL’s 100^th anniversary team, 1940s NFL all-decade team, Pro Bowl, 1950 NFL rushing champion. Won five championship rings – four in the All-America Football Conference and one in the NFL, all with the Cleveland Browns. Averaged 5.7 yards per career carry.

Joe “The Jet” Perry (Compton Junior College). Hall of Fame, NFL’s 50^th anniversary team, 1950s NFL all-decade team, 2 Pro Bowls. 2-time NFL rushing champion (1953-54) with the San Francisco 49ers. Played 16 seasons, rushing 1,929 times for 9.723 yards and 71 touchdowns, averaging 5.0 yards per carry.

Wide receivers (5)

Drew Pearson (Tulsa). Hall of Fame, 1970s NFL all-decade team, 3 Pro Bowls. Led the NFC in catches with 58 in 1976 and led the NFC in receiving yards with 870 in 1977. Caught 48 career touchdown passes for the Dallas Cowboys but his most memorable TD came in the playoffs on the original Hail Mary from Roger Staubach against Minnesota in 1975. Two 1,000-yard seasons.

Wes Welker (Texas Tech). 5 Pro Bowls, 3-time NFL receiving champion (2007-09-11). Five 1,000-yards seasons and five 100-catch seasons. Caught 903 career passes for 9,924 yards and 50 touchdowns. Caught TD passes from Tom Brady at New England and Peyton Manning at Denver.

Lionel Taylor (New Mexico Highlands). 4 Pro Bowls, 5-time AFL receiving champion (1960-61-62-63-65). First player in pro football history with a 100-catch season (Denver Broncos in 1961) and also had four 1,000-yard seasons. 80 career TD receptions in nine-year AFL career.

Rod Smith (Missouri Southern). 3 Pro Bowls. Denver’s all-time leading receiver. Back-to-back 100-ccatch seasons in 2000-01 and also posted eight 1,000-yard seasons. Won two Super Bowls with the Denver Broncos in 1998-99.

Pat Studstill (Houston). 2 Pro Bowls, 1962 NFL punt return champion, 1967 NFL punting champion. The only player in NFL history to lead the league in punting, punt returns and receiving yards, all with the Detroit Lions. He averaged 15.8 yards in punt returns in 1962, 44.5 yards per punt in 1967 and also caught 67 passes for a league-best 1,266 yards in 1966. Studstill punted 560 times in his career, returned 58 punts and 75 kickoffs and also caught 181 passes.

Tight ends (3)

Antonio Gates (Kent State). 2000s NFL all-decade team, 8 Pro Bowls. No. 17 all-time in receiving with 955 catches for the Chargers, also ranking third among tight ends. His receptions went for 11,841 yards and 116 touchdowns. Gates did not play football at Kent State. He played basketball, helping the Golden Flashes reach the Elite Eight as an all-conference (MAC) power forward in 2002. The school has retired his jersey number 44.

Paul Coffman (Kansas State). 3 Pro Bowls. Played 11 seasons, catching 339 passes for 4,340 yards and 42 touchdowns. Scored a career-high 11 touchdowns for the Green Bay Packers in 1983.

Bob Tucker (Bloomsburg). Played 11 seasons and was a second-team all-pro in 1972 for the New York Giants. Caught 422 passes for 5,421 yards and 27 touchdowns.

Tackle (3)

Lou “The Toe” Groza (Ohio State). Hall of Fame, NFL’s 50^th anniversary team, 1950s NFL all-decade team, 9 Pro Bowls. Played 21 seasons, 152 starts, 8 championship rings with the Cleveland Browns. Also the NFL’s 22nd all-time leading scorer with 1,608 kicking points. Thus the nickname, “The Toe.”

Jason Peters (Arkansas). 2010s NFL all-decade team, 9 Pro Bowls. Played 18 seasons, 218 starts, Super Bowl ring with the Philadelphia Eagles.

Joe Jacoby (Louisville). 1980s NFL all-decade team, 4 Pro Bowls. Played 13 seasons, 148 starts, 3 Super Bowl rings with the Washington Redskins.

Guards (3)

Larry Little (Bethune Cookman). Hall of Fame, 1970s NFL all-decade team, 5 Pro Bowls. Played 14 seasons, 155 starts, 2 Super Bowl rings with the Miami Dolphins.

Nate Newton (Florida A&M). 6 Pro Bowls. Played 14 seasons, 180 starts, 3 Super Bowl rings with the Dallas Cowboys.

Brian Waters (North Texas). 6 Pro Bowls. Played 13 seasons, 170 starts.

Centers (2)

Frank Gatski (Marshall). Hall of Fame, Pro Bowl. Played 12 seasons, 124 starts, 4 championship rings — three with the Cleveland Browns and one with the Detroit Lions.

Jim Langer (South Dakota State). Hall of Fame, 6 Pro Bowls. Played 12 seasons, 110 starts, 2 Super Bowl rings with the Miami Dolphins.

Defensive ends (3)

Ed Sprinkle (Navy). Hall of Fame, 1940s NFL all-decade team, 4 Pro Bowls. Played 12 seasons for the Chicago Bears and was called “the greatest pass rusher I’ve ever seen” by his Hall-of-Fame coach George Halas. Championship ring.

Coy Bacon (Jackson State). 3 Pro Bowls. A member of the 100-sack club with 130 ½. Played 14 seasons and hit double figures in sacks eight times, including 21 ½ in 1976 for the Cincinnati Bengals.

Cameron Wake (Penn State). 5 Pro Bowls. Another member of the 100-sack club with 100 ½. Spent his first two seasons in pro football in the CFL, earning Defensive Player of the Year honors with his 16 sacks in 2007, then sacking 23 more quarterbacks in 2008. Wake signed with Miami in 2009 and then spent 11 seasons in the NFL, hitting double figures in sacks five times, including a career-best 15 in 2012.

Defensive tackles (3)

Bill Willis (Ohio State). Hall of Fame, 1940s NFL all-decade team, 4 Pro Bowls. Played eight seasons and won five championship rings with the Cleveland Browns, all in a row – the first four in the All-America Football Conference and the last one in the NFL.

John Randle (Texas A&I). Hall of Fame, NFL’s 100^th anniversary team, 1990s NFL all-decade team, 7 Pro Bowls, 1997 NFL sack champion with the Minnesota Vikings. Played 14 seasons and holds the NFL record for career sacks by a defensive tackle with 137 ½.

Pat Williams (Texas A&M). 3 Pro Bowls. Played 14 seasons for the Buffalo Bills and Minnesota Vikings and made 672 tackles. At 6-3, 317, Williams would be the run-stuff element inside on the all-time undrafteds team.

Outside linebackers (4)

James Harrison (Kent State). 2008 NFL Defensive Player of the Year, 5 Pro Bowls. Played 15 seasons and collected 84 ½ sacks. Harrison returned an interception 100 yards for a touchdown in Pittsburgh’s 27-23 Super Bowl victory over Arizona in 2009. He made 811 career tackles and forced 34 fumbles.

Rufus Porter (Southern). 2 Pro Bowls. Played 10 seasons and went to the Pro Bowl in his first two years for his play on special teams. Porter moved into the starting lineup at linebacker in his third season and gave the Seattle Seahawks a pair of double-digit sack seasons. He started 98 games and collected 41 sacks.

Bob Swenson (California). Pro Bowl. Member of the Denver’s famed “Orange Crush” defense of the 1970s. Played eight seasons with 70 starts and collected 20 career takeaways – 11 interceptions and nine fumble recoveries.

Paris Lenon (Richmond). Played a season in the original XFL with the Memphis Maniax in 2000 and another with the NFL Europe Amsterdam Admirals in 2002. Lenon was cut by four NFL teams before finally making a roster in 2002 with the Green Bay Packers. He wound up playing 12 NFL seasons with 128 starts, collecting 833 tackles, 12 sacks and 12 takeaways.

Middle linebackers (2)

Sam Mills (Montclair State). Hall of Fame, 5 Pro Bowls. Won two championship rings with the USFL Philadelphia Stars in 1984-85. Followed his USFL coach Jim Mora to the New Orleans Saints in 1986 and played 12 NFL seasons, making 1,265 career tackles. He has been enshrined in the Halls of Fame of both the Saints and Carolina Panthers.

London Fletcher (John Carroll), 4 Pro Bowls. Played 16 seasons and never missed a game. Fletcher is one of only five players in NFL history to start 250+ consecutive games and ranks second all-time to Hall-of-Famer Ray Lewis in career tackles with 2,039. He won a Super Bowl ring in his first season as a starter in 1999 with the St. Louis Rams.

Cornerbacks (6)

Dick “Night Train” Lane (Scottsbluff Junior College). Hall of Fame, NFL’s 100^th anniversary team, 1950s NFL all-decade team, 7 Pro Bowls, 2-time NFL interception champion (1952-54). Played 14 seasons and intercepted 14 passes as a rookie with the Los Angeles Rams in 1952. That’s an NFL single-season record that has stood now for 70 years. He ranks fourth all-time with 65 interceptions, which also stand as the NFL record for pure cornerbacks.

Willie Brown (Grambling). Hall of Fame, NFL’s 100^th anniversary team. 2-time NFL all-decade selection (1960s, 1970s), 9 Pro Bowls. Played 16 seasons and intercepted 54 passes, which rank 21^st all-time. Won an AFL title with the Oakland Raiders in 1968 and an NFL title in 1976. He returned an interception 75 yards for a touchdown in that 32-14 Super Bowl victory over the Minnesota Vikings.

Emmitt Thomas (Bishop). Hall of Fame, 5 Pro Bowls, 1969 AFL interception champion, 1974 NFL interception champion. Played 13 seasons and intercepted 58 passes, which rank 13^th all-time. Intercepted an AFL-leading nine passes in 1969 and added four more in the playoffs, helping the Kansas City Chiefs win their first Super Bowl. One of his interceptions came in their Super Bowl victory over the Vikings.

Jack Butler (St. Bonaventure). Hall of Fame, NFL’s 50^th anniversary team, 1950s NFL all-decade team, 1957 NFL interception champion, 5 Pro Bowls. Played nine seasons with the Pittsburgh Steelers and intercepted 52 passes, which rank 26^th all-time. He also recovered 10 fumbles and scored five defensive touchdowns.

Dave Grayson (Oregon). All-time AFL team, 7 Pro Bowls, 1961 AFL kick return champion, 1968 AFL interception champion. Played 10 seasons with the Denver Broncos, Kansas City Chiefs and Oakland Raiders, intercepting 48 passes. His 933 interception return yards in a career rank 16^th all-time, just four yards behind Emmitt Thomas.

Everson Walls (Grambling). 4 Pro Bowls, 3-time NFL interception champion (1981-82-85). Played 13 seasons and intercepted 57 passes, which rank 13^th all-time.  One of two players and the only cornerback ever to lead the NFL in interceptions three times, all with the Dallas Cowboys. Won a Super Bowl ring with the New York Giants in 1990.

Safeties (4)

Emlen Tunnell (Iowa). Hall of Fame, NFL’s 100^th anniversary team, 1950s NFL all-decade team, 9 Pro Bowls. Played 14 seasons and intercepted 79 passes, which rank second all time. Tunnell won championship rings with the New York Giants in 1956 and the Green Bay Packers in 1961. His 1,282 interception return yards rank fifth all time. He also recovered 16 fumbles and scored four touchdowns.

Willie Wood (Southern Cal). Hall of Fame, 8 Pro Bowls, 1962 NFL interception champion, 1964 NFL punt return champion. Played 12 seasons and intercepted 48 passes and recovered 16 fumbles. Wood won five championship rings with Vince Lombardi’s Green Bay Packers. He scored two defensive touchdowns in his career and two more on punt returns.

Cliff Harris (Ouachita Baptist). Hall of Fame, 1970s NFL all-decade team, 6 Pro Bowls. Played 10 seasons for the Dallas Cowboys and went to the Super Bowls in half of them, winning two Lombardi Trophies in the 1970s. Nicknamed “Captain Crash,” Harris intercepted 29 passes and recovered 18 fumbles. Early in his career he also returned kickoffs, averaging 25.7 yards on 66 career returns.

Donnie Shell (South Carolina State). Hall of Fame, 5 Pro Bowls. Played 14 seasons and intercepted 51 passes, which rank 32^nd all-time. Shell also recovered 19 fumbles and won four Super Bowl rings with the 1970s Pittsburgh Steelers.

Kickers (2)

Adam Vinatieri (South Dakota State). NFL’s 100^th anniversary team, 2000s NFL all-decade team, 3 Pro Bowls, 2004 NFL scoring champion. NFL’s all-time leading scorer with 2,673 yards. His career started in NFL Europe with the Amsterdam Admirals in 1996, then Vinatieri went on to play 24 NFL seasons with the New England Patriots and Indianapolis Colts. He won three Super Bowls with the Patriots and a fourth with the Colts. He kicked game-winning field goals in the closing seconds of his first two Super Bowls with the Patriots.

Justin Tucker (Texas). 2010s NFL all-decade team, 5 Pro Bowls. Tucker is currently in his 11^th season with the Baltimore Ravens and has scored 1,463 points. Tucker is the most accurate field-goal kicker in NFL history with 90.9 percent conversion rate and also holds the record for the longest field goal at 66 yards. He won a Super Bowl ring in 2013. Also, 63 percent of his 950 career kickoffs have gone for touchbacks.

Punter (1)

Sean Landeta (Towson). 2-time NFL all-decade selection (1980s, 1990s), 2 Pro Bowls, 1994 NFL punting champion. Won two USFL championships with the Philadelphia Stars and two Super Bowls with the New York Giants. Played 21 seasons and launched 1,401 punts, which rank fourth all time.

Kick returner (1)

Josh Cribbs (Kent State). 2000s NFL all-decade team, 3 Pro Bowls, 2007 NFL kick return champion. The former Kent State quarterback played 10 NFL seasons, returning 648 kicks and punts, fifth all time. Cribbs took eight kickoffs back for scores and three punts, all for the Cleveland Browns. He averaged 26.1 yards per his 426 career kickoff returns and 10.7 yards per his 222 punt returns.

Punt returner (1)

J.T. Smith (North Texas). 2 Pro Bowls, 1980 NFL punt return champion, 1987 NFL receiving champion. Played 11 seasons, establishing himself early in his career with the Kansas City Chiefs as a return specialist and later in his career with the Cardinals as a receiver. Smith averaged better than 10 yards per return in each of his three seasons as KC’s primary punt returner with four touchdowns. He then caught 377 passes in his six seasons with the Cardinals, scoring 27 touchdowns.

Special teamer (1)

Larry Izzo (Rice). 3 Pro Bowls. Played 13 seasons and 200 games. Izzo was listed as a linebacker but earned his pay on fourth downs covering punts and also kickoffs, making an NFL-record 298 special-teams tackles. He collected three Super Bowl rings with the New England Patriots in the 2000 decade and is now the special-teams coach of the Seattle Seahawks.

Long snapper (1)

Don Muhlbach (Texas A&M). 2 Pro Bowls. Played 17 seasons and 260 games. Only one long snapper in NFL history lasted longer – Trey Junkin with 281 career games. Muhlbach spent his entire career with the Detroit Lions, snapping for Pro Bowl kickers Jason Hanson and Matt Prater and Pro Bowl punter Jack Fox.

Practice squad (5)

Guard: Doug Smith (Bowling Green). 6 Pro Bowls. Played 14 seasons and started 160 games for the Los Angeles Rams.

Middle linebacker: Jessie Tuggle (Valdosta State). 5 Pro Bowls. Played 18 seasons and collected 1,805 tackles for the Atlanta Falcons.

Safety: Deron Cherry (Rutgers). 1980s NFL all-decade team, 6 Pro Bowls. Played 11 seasons and intercepted 50 passes for the Kansas City Chiefs.

Punter: Jeff Feagles (Miami-F). 2 Pro Bowls. Played 22 seasons with five teams and punted an NFL-record 1,713 times.

Special teamer: Bill Bates (Tennessee). Pro Bowl. Played 15 seasons, all with the Dallas Cowboys, winning three Super Bowl rings. Franchise-record 216 special-teams tackles.