In part II of our three part series on the topic of the NFL Draft’s 26th overall pick we will drill down in two areas: Did the teams that drafted a player with the No. 26 choose for need or did they opt for the proverbial “best player available”; and secondly were these players busts or did they provide value for the drafting team?
There is area that we would be remiss not to mention – players drafted at No. 26 who ultimately provided value to another team either by trade, release or free agency. Only three such players are from the modern era, starting with 1967 the first year of the NFL- AFL merger.
To place things in better perspective, our focus will be the modern era, the first draft in which the 26th pick was a first rounder. Also to be fair the last two 26’s, Anthony Spencer of the Cowboys in 2007 and Duane Brown last year of Houston are still developing and the jury remains out on those players. Therefore we will not consider them in our analysis.
Since 1967, 32 of the 42 teams holding the No. 26 pick made the playoffs the year before. From 1968 to 1975, 7 Super Bowl Champions were 26th in the draft board line. So, logic would say that for the most part, these teams did not have to draft for need as much other clubs and were taking the best player on their respective draft boards.
My research also found that in some cases teams were able to match up need and the best player available. Of the clubs selecting with the 26th pick since the 1967 draft (excluding the 2 most recent choices mentioned above) 12 teams drafted for need, 20 went for the best player available, and 8 teams were able to match up need with the best player available.
From those 40 choices, 1967-2006, 24 can be labeled bust while 16 players were good selections. Three of the players labeled as busts went on to have solid careers with other teams.
One such player is Dave Foley, offensive tackle selected by the Super Bowl Champion Jets in 1969 who went for the best player that draft. They had a great offensive line without much age. Foley could not get into the starting line up, he was traded to the Bills in 1972 and helped lead OJ Simpson to 2,000 rushing yards in 1973. He played in the Pro Bowl that year and would retire after the 1977 season.
The second of this trio of players Dave Brown, selected by the Super Bowl IX Champion Steelers in 1975, who also went for the best player. He was a very competent defensive back but the Steelers already had depth in the secondary on a great defense. Brown played just special teams in 1975 and was allocated in the 1976 expansion draft. He was selected by the expansion Seattle Seahawks where he would spend 11 seasons intercepting 50 passes. Brown is considered the best cornerback in Seahawks history.
The third player of the three was Jim Harbaugh, drafted for need by the 1987 Bears. Harbaugh threw for 50 TD’s and 56 interceptions before Chicago decided to part with him after 7 seasons. Harbaugh went on to lead an overachieving Colts team to within inches of victory in the 1995 AFC championship game and a Super Bowl appearance.
The Complete Busts at 26
You may be hard pressed to even remember some of these not so household names that fit the qualifications of “bust.” Jim Druckenmiller a quarterback from Virginia Tech selected by the 49ers in 1997 was intended to be the heir apparent to Steve Young. Drunkenmiller played in just six games in his professional career.
Reggie Dupard a running back taken by the Patriots in 1986, supposedly the best player on the board at the time, played in just 37 games for New England. Erik Flowers was supposed to accept the reins from Bruce Smith in Buffalo. The defensive end tallied just 4 sacks in the 31 games he played for them.
Chris Perry, running back from Michigan was Cincinnati’s choice in 2005. Finding it difficult to avoid the injury buy, Perry has scored 4 touchdowns in the 35 games he has worn the Bengals’ stripes. He was drafted to compete with Rudi Johnson. In 1982 the AFC Champion Bengals used no. 26 on Glen Collins, a defensive end who was supposed to the best player available and understudy to veteran DE Ross Browner. He started just 7 games in his 4 seasons with them. Even Hall of Famer Tex Schramm had a bust, with the 26th pick in 1972 he selected running back Bill Thomas, Thomas’ Cowboy career lasted 7 games.
The Baltimore Busts at 26
The Baltimore Colts of the 1970’s made 2 of the worst selections at 26 in modern draft history. As Super Bowl champions in 1970 the Colts selected Leonard Dunlap a defensive back from North Texas State in the 1971 draft. The Colts at the time fielded the best secondary in football. Dunlap was supposed to the best player on the board yet played in only 4 games as a Colt, touching the ball on 10 times, 8 by punt return and one each by kickoff return and fumble recovery.
Yet the bust I remember most was wide receiver Randy Burke in 1977 by the Colts. He was not on anyone’s draft board, but did catch 11 passes in the Senior Bowl. So based on that, the Colts new GM Dick Syzmanski selected him. The Colts had led the NFL in scoring in 1976 with 417 points, had young, talented wide receivers in Roger Carr, Glenn Doughty, and Freddie Scott but made the pick anyway, Burke caught all of 30 passes in the fifty seven games he was a Colt.
The Top 5 at No. 26
(Please note these are in chronological order according to draft class)
Joe DeLamielleure- 1973-1985, Right Guard, Michigan State: played for the Bills and Browns, elected to the Hall of Fame in 2003. DeLamielleure played in six consecutive Pro Bowls and was All Pro six times. He helped lead OJ Simpson to 2,000 rushing yards in 1973 and he played in 185 games. The only Hall of Famer as of now selected at 26.
Kent Hill- 1979-1987, Left Guard, Georgia Tech: played for the Rams and Oilers. Hill was selected by the Rams to replace eventual Hall of Fame guard Tom Mack in 1979. The Rams drafted for need and got the best player on the board that year. Hill played in 5 pro Bowls and blocked for Eric Dickerson on his way to a NFL record 2,105 rushing yards in 1984.
Don Mosebar- 1983-1994, Center, USC: played his entire career for the Los Angeles Raiders. Mosebar was selected as the replacement for veteran Pro Bowl center Dave Dalby, who had replaced Hall of Famer Jim Otto. The Raiders drafted for need and almost received the best player available in Mosebar. Hall of Famers Dan Marino went 27th and Darrell Green went 28th in that ’83 draft. Mosebar played in three Pro Bowls, 173 games, and was the first team All Pro center in 1991.
Dana Stubblefield- 1993-2003, Defensive Tackle, Kansas: played for the 49ers, Redskins, and Raiders. The 49ers 14-2 in 1992 went for the best player on the board and may have got him in the 1993 draft, although some would argue that Michael Strahan who went at 40th in this draft was better. Stubblefield was the 1993 Defensive Rookie of the year and the 1997 Defensive Player of the Year. He played in three Pro Bowls, won Super Bowl XXIX, and recorded 46.5 sacks for San Francisco.
Ray Lewis- 1996- , Linebacker, Miami: has played his entire career in Baltimore. Lewis was the Ravens 2nd first round selection in the 1996 draft. Jonathan Ogden came to Baltimore with the 4th overall pick. The former Browns had obtained the 26th pick in this draft from the 49ers in a 1995 draft day trade. The new Ravens needed players on both sides of the ball so this choice was for need but they also gained the best player available. Lewis is arguably the best linebacker in NFL history. Old-schoolers will still say Dick Butkus or Ray Nitschke but regardless Lewis is a certain Hall of Famer. He has played in 10 Pro Bowls, was Super Bowl XXXV MVP, six time 1st team All Pro, and Defensive Player of the Year in 2000 and 2003.
