The first NFL Draft took place in 1936, with the Philadelphia Eagles selecting, ironically enough, the inaugural winner of the Heisman Trophy, University of Chicago halfback Jay Berwanger. He never played professional football, though, opting to take a more secure career path and better money as a sportswriter.
Since then, virtually every imaginable aspect of the NFL has been dramatically advanced. But while there have been revolutionary developments to the telephone, and thankfully, indoor plumbing, the guesswork of the draft itself remains just that, the most unscientific of challenges for the most educated of football men.
No NFL franchise has benefited more from this reality than the Dallas Cowboys, in both the form of late-round success stories and undrafted free agents that made good. In terms of the latter, "America's Team" has signed a plethora of players that eventually earned Pro Bowl status after being bypassed in the NFL Draft, including wide receiver Drew Pearson, defensive backs Cornell Green and Everson Walls, offensive linemen Nate Newton and Mark Tuinei and special teams maven Bill Bates just to name half a dozen.
Of course, this topic has become newsworthy of late because of the play of fourth-year wide receiver Miles Austin, who recently broke the Cowboys single-game record for receiving yards with 250 against Kansas City in Week 5. And by no means is he alone, as the Cowboys continue to pace the competition when it comes to finding those otherwise overlooked by the draft gurus, including quarterback Tony Romo and punter Mat McBriar, each of whom were Pro Bowl selections in 2006.
Other undrafted free agents signed by the Cowboys currently on the roster include wide receiver/special teams extraordinaire Sam Hurd, defensive end Stephen Bowen, offensive lineman Cory Procter, and rookie wideout Kevin Ogletree. Backup quarterback Jon Kitna also went undrafted out of Central Washington before signing with Seattle en route to an NFL career that includes more than 27,000 passing yards and 150 touchdown passes.
Here now is a look at some of the most successful undrafted free agents in league history:
Quarterback
Just this past July, Warren Moon became the first signal caller inducted into the Pro Football Hall of Fame who wasn't selected in the NFL Draft. After winning Rose Bowl MVP honors on New Year's Day 1978-as he led Washington past Michigan, 27-20-some 334 picks came and went on draft day without Moon's name being called. He landed with the Edmonton Eskimos of the Canadian Football League where he won five consecutive Grey Cups and threw for more than 21,000 yards.
He signed with the Houston Oilers in 1984 and finished his illustrious NFL career with nine Pro Bowl nods and nearly 50,000 passing yards.
HONORABLE MENTION: Kurt Warner (the first undrafted free agent quarterback to win a Super Bowl), Jake Delhomme, Jeff Garcia and Romo.
Running Back
In the 50-year history of the Kansas City Chiefs, no one has rushed for more yards than the 6,070 compiled by Priest Holmes. A three-time Pro Bowler and the 2002 NFL Offensive Player of the Year, Holmes broke in with the Baltimore Ravens after being bypassed in the 1997 NFL Draft and won a Super Bowl ring as a backup tailback before signing with the Chiefs. A product of the University of Texas, Holmes retired in November 2007.
At fullback, there is no debate as the Cleveland Browns of the AAFC signed Marion Motley in 1946. Inducted to the Pro Football Hall of Fame in 1968, Motley rushed for nearly 5,000 career yards at a still-standing NFL record 5.7 yards per carry.
HONORABLE MENTION: Tailbacks Willie Parker, Ronnie Coleman, Bernie Parmalee and Cowboys representative Dan Reeves; Fullbacks Joe Perry, Kimble Anders and Amos Marsh, also of the Cowboys.
Wide Receiver
Looking down the list of the league's all-time career leaders in receptions, there are a bevy of first-round picks: Jerry Rice, Marvin Harrison, Tim Brown, Torry Holt, Randy Moss, Irving Fryar and then at No. 15 (through Week 7) there's Denver's old reliable, Rod Smith. A three-time Pro Bowl selection, Smith went undrafted out of Missouri Southern but was able to catch on with the Broncos in 1995. Some 12 seasons later, he hung up the cleats with 849 catches for 11,389 yards.
Of course, numbers aside, many would cast their vote for another three-time Pro Bowler, Drew Pearson. The Cowboys were able to secure his services in 1973 after a solid collegiate career at Tulsa wasn't enough for the undersized receiver to be selected on draft day. However, he impressed Tom Landry and Roger Staubach at training camp and was earning All-Pro honors behind 1,087 yards two seasons thereafter. His 489 career receptions rank second in Cowboys history to only Michael Irvin.
HONORABLE MENTION: Wes Welker, Wayne Chrebet, J.T. Smith and Alfred Jenkins.
Tight End
A practice started by the Cowboys back in the 1960s has been resurrected of late, with collegiate basketball players joining the ranks of NFL tight ends. Tony Gonzalez took this path and is headed for the Pro Football Hall of Fame and undrafted free agent Antonio Gates appears on the same path.
A Pro Bowl selection in each of the last five seasons, Gates has hauled in 51 touchdowns since the start of the 2004 campaign and ranks among the most athletic tight ends in the sport's history. He played hoops at Kent State, not taking a single snap of college football.
HONORABLE MENTION: Paul Coffman and Marcus Pollard.
Offensive Line
In the middle, it's hard to argue against a Pro Football Hall of Famer, that being center Jim Langer. Hailing from South Dakota State, Langer signed with the Dolphins in 1970 and earned five straight All-AFC first-team honors from 1973-77. A six-time Pro Bowler, he also started three Super Bowls.
The guards include another Canton enshrinee who anchored Miami's potent running attack of the 1970s, Larry Little, and former Cowboys' block of granite, Nate Newton. The former came out of Bethune-Cookman and signed with San Diego in 1967, but didn't flourish until a trade to the Dolphins two seasons later. He was a six-time All-Pro and three-time AFC Offensive Lineman of the Year. Newton landed with the Tampa Bay Bandits of the USFL after going undrafted out of Florida A&M in 1984, before earning six Pro Bowl nods with Dallas in the 1990s. He also helped the Cowboys win a trio of Super Bowls.
At tackle, there's Pro Football Hall of Famer Lou Groza, a legendary figure with the Browns from 1946-1967 (he also kicked), and one of the original "Hogs," Joe Jacoby, a four-time Pro Bowler who helped the Redskins win three Super Bowls. Jacoby was also named to the NFL's 1980s All-Decade Team.
HONORABLE MENTION: Jay Hilgenberg, Mark Tuinei, Jeff Saturday, Doug Smith, Kent Hull and Jason Peters.
Defensive Line
A finalist for the Pro Football Hall of Fame this season, defensive end John Randle is already a member of the College Football Hall of Fame for his accomplishments at Texas A&M-Kingsville. Yet, in 1990, there were no takers for Randle's services during NFL Draft weekend. He landed with the Vikings and simply became one of the premier pass-rushers the league has ever witnessed, with 137.5 career sacks. He was a six-time first-team All-Pro selection and is a lock for Canton.
Opposite Randle is three-time Pro Bowler Coy Bacon, who was unofficially credited with 130 career sacks over a 14-year career that ended in 1981.
Three-time Pro Bowler and All-Pro tackle Pat Williams is still earning raves with the Vikings after going undrafted out of Texas A&M in 1997, while Joe Nash barely edges the competition at nose guard.
HONORABLE MENTION: Jim Burt, Greg Kragen, Ken Clarke and Rich Jackson.
Linebacker
The late, great Sam Mills, who passed away at the age of 45 from cancer in 2005, was a five-time Pro Bowler and one of the top middle linebackers of his era. Considered too small, he spent three seasons in the USFL after going undrafted out of Montclair State University in 1983. Mills played with New Orleans and Carolina and is the only member of the Panthers Hall of Honor.
Also a five-time Pro Bowler in the middle was Jessie Tuggle, who spent 14 seasons with the Atlanta Falcons after having been bypassed in the 1987 NFL Draft out of Valdosta State.
While he's still just 31 years young, James Harrison of the Steelers more than warrants inclusion as the reigning NFL Defensive Player of the Year. His 100-yard interception return in last season's Super Bowl shall survive the ages as one of the sport's singular highlights.
Another premier pass-rusher at linebacker was Rufus Porter, a two-time Pro Bowler with the Seahawks who retired with 41 career sacks.
HONORABLE MENTION: Bart Scott, London Fletcher and Antonio Pierce.
Secondary
Since 1950, four undrafted free agents have gone on to Pro Football Hall of Fame careers, so this was the easiest of decisions. They include Dick "Night Train" Lane, Willie Wood, Willie Brown and Emmitt Thomas, who was just enshrined in 2008.
Besides having the best nickname in NFL history, Lane tallied a league record 14 interceptions as a rookie in 1952. He was All-NFL six times. Wood was a quarterback at USC before winning five titles with Vince Lombardi's Green Bay Packers while Brown ranks among the top shutdown corners in league annals with 61 interceptions including the playoffs. Thomas came out of Bishop College in Dallas and was a five-time All-Pro with 58 career regular-season interceptions.
HONORABLE MENTION: Mark Murphy, Everson Walls, Cliff Harris, Cornell Green, Deron Cherry and Donnie Shell.
Special Teams
There are a ton of options here, as teams rarely want to waste a draft pick on a kicker or punter, but the best of the bunch is likely future Pro Football Hall of Fame kicker Adam Vinatieri, who helped the Patriots win a trio of Super Bowls, two of which came on his game-winning kicks. At punter, there's Sean Landeta, a two-time Pro Bowler, while current Cleveland Browns return specialist Josh Cribbs was a Pro Bowl selection in 2007. Former Cowboys Pro Bowler Bill Bates gets the nod on coverage units.
HONORABLE MENTION: Nick Lowery, Darren Bennett, Ron Smith and Larry Izzo.
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