The 2011 NFL Draft was the last time that a Nebraska Cornhusker was drafted in the first round. In total 34 Cornhuskers have gone in the first round of the draft, dating back to Sam Francis, Lloyd Cardwell, and Les McDonald in 1937. That’s a list that Matt Rhule would like to see grow as he attempts to restore the football program to its former glory.
Nebraska has had great college players who were highly sought-after by NFL teams, and quite a few under-the-radar stars who were underestimated and took the NFL by surprise. Both have made this list of the greatest NFL careers by Nebraska Cornhuskers.
In total, five Nebraska players have made the NFL Hall of Fame, though two do not make this list. Guy Chamberlin and William Roy “Link” Lyman both entered the league before the first NFL draft and before any meaningful stats were kept. Chamberlain had a prolific career as a player-coach, and Lyman was a revolutionary defensive lineman who won championships with Chamberlin and introduced the constant shifting by defensive players prior to the snap.
There is no real way to compare those two players to the rest on the list, so they found their way into the honorable mentions category, but I’m sure a bust in Canton is a fair consolation prize.
Three others on this list eventually joined Chamberlin and Lyman, immortalized in northeast Ohio. However, we’ll start with a player who only had a Hall of Fame-caliber start to his career.
Nebraska: 1971-73
NFL: 1974-87
Teams: Baltimore Colts, Dallas Cowboys
Accomplishments: 3x Pro Bowl, 1x All-Pro
Dutton’s first two years on the field in Lincoln, he was a part of back-to-back national championships. Then as a senior in 1973, he was All-Big 8 and an All-American. The Baltimore Colts drafted Dutton at No. 5 overall in 1974 and got the best production out of the 6-foot-7 defensive lineman.
Baltimore played Dutton as a pass-rushing defensive end and in his second year, he led the league with 17.0 sacks finishing second to Mel Blount in Defensive Player of the Year voting. After three Pro Bowls in five seasons in Baltimore, Dutton held out to start the 1979 season to argue the league’s option clause in contracts. So, the Colts traded him to Dallas.
Dutton’s production was already on a decline and in Dallas he found himself moved to defensive tackle and amidst a logjam of talent on the defensive front. He never recorded more than five sacks in a season again but was a key piece of great defenses.
Nebraska: 2010-11
NFL: 2012-current
Teams: Tampa Bay Buccaneers
Accomplishments: Super Bowl LV Champion, 1x Pro Bowl, 1x All-Pro
In his two seasons at Nebraska after a brief JUCO career, David dominated at inside linebacker. He was a multi-time All-American and was drafted in the second round of the 2012 NFL draft by the Tampa Bay Buccaneers.
David has spent his entire career as one of the most underrated defensive players in the NFL. He finally got his shine in Tampa’s 2021 Super Bowl run as the leader of Todd Bowles’ great defense. David was a first-team All-Pro in his second season and has been named second-team All-Pro twice since. He has nine seasons with over 100 tackles and is nearing 1,500 tackles for his career.
Nebraska: 1995-97
NFL: 1998-2009
Teams: Seattle Seahawks, Green Bay Packers, Houston Texans
Accomplishments: 4x Pro Bowl, 2001 second-team All-Pro
Ahman Green may have not ended his career in Canton, but he is a member of the Green Bay Packers Hall of Fame. Green was drafted by the Seahawks in the third round of the 1998 draft but was buried behind entrenched starter Ricky Watters.
Green was traded to Green Bay after two seasons and it was a perfect fit. In 1999, his second NFL season, Green ran for 120 total yards on the Seahawks, then in 2000, he put up 1,175 rushing yards, 1,750 scrimmage yards, and 13 touchdowns for the Packers.
In his eight seasons in Green Bay, he made four Pro Bowls, and his best season was 2003 when he racked up 2,250 scrimmage yards, 1,883 rushing and 367 receiving, and scored 20 touchdowns.
Nebraska: 1980-83
NFL: 1984-2000
Teams: New England Patriots, Miami Dolphins, Philadelphia Eagles, Washington Football Team
Accomplishments: 5x Pro Bowl, 2x second-team All-Pro
Ahman Green’s best NFL season was certainly more dominant than Fryar’s, but Fryar edges him out with longevity. Fryar was the first overall draft pick in 1984 and as a rookie only caught 11 passes for 164 yards.
In Year 2, Fryar made 39 grabs for 670 yards and returned two punts for touchdowns. He made his first Pro Bowl and New England made the Super Bowl, but was no match for the ’85 Bears.
Fryar finished his career with 12,785 receiving yards and 84 touchdowns. That is over 7,000 more receiving yards than the next closest Cornhusker and 67 more touchdown catches. He put together five 1,000-yard seasons, and four of those came in his 30s, catching passes from Dan Marino in Miami.
Nebraska: 1984-87
NFL: 1988-2000
Teams: Kansas City Chiefs, Denver Broncos, San Diego Chargers
Accomplishments: 2x Super Bowl Champ, 6x Pro Bowl, 1x All-Pro, 1990s All-Decade team
Before the 1988 NFL Draft, the Chiefs showed their cards a bit too early regarding Smith and were forced to trade up from three to two to select him out of Nebraska. Smith made five straight pro bowls from 1991-95, and another in 1997. In 1993, he led the NFL with 15.0 sacks.
His individual success came with KC, but when he went to Denver, he help the Broncos get over the hump and win two Super Bowls.
Nebraska: 2006-09
NFL: 2010-22
Teams: Detroit Lions, Miami Dolphins, Los Angeles Rams, Tampa Bay Buccaneers, Philadelphia Eagles
Accomplishments: Super Bowl LV Champion, 2010 Defensive Rookie of the Year, 5x Pro Bowl, 3x All-Pro, 2010s All-Decade team
Suh didn’t win the Heisman Trophy at Nebraska, but it is hard to argue there was a player better in the country. He finished fourth in Heisman voting as a defensive lineman in 2009 and was selected second overall by the Detroit Lions in 2010. In his final season at Nebraska, he had 20.5 sacks.
In the NFL he had 10 sacks as a rookie, but never reached double-digits again. He became more known as a fearsome run defender, tallying 21 tackles for loss in 2014, his third first-team All-Pro season.
Suh has been a controversial and at times dirty player, but later in his career he brought a much-needed edge to the Tampa Bay Buccaneer’s defense and won Super Bowl LV with fellow Cornhusker Lavonte David. He is yet to officially retire.
Nebraska: 1959-61
NFL: 1962-78
Teams: Minnesota Vikings
Accomplishments: Hall of Fame, 6x Pro Bowl, 5x All-Pro, 1969 NFL Champion
After a great career at Nebraska, Tingelhoff was not drafted into the NFL but did sign with the Vikings as an undrafted free agent. To say that was a smart move would be a wild understatement.
In the signing, the Vikings got their starting center for the next 17 years, and a Hall of Fame one at that. Tingelhoff was a great pass blocker for Fran Tarkenton and helped Minnesota win 10 division titles in an 11-year run. He also played in four Super Bowls.
Nebraska: 1989-92
NFL: 1993-2006
Teams: Kansas City Chiefs
Accomplishments: Hall of Fame, 12-straight Pro Bowls, 2x All-Pro, 2000s All-Decade team, 2003 Walter Payton Man of the Year
The 1992 Outland Trophy winner was selected in the third round of the 1993 NFL draft by the Kansas City Chiefs. He entered the first game of the 1993 season to replace the injured Dave Szott, started in Week 2, and for every game the rest of his 14-year career.
Shields made 12 straight Pro Bowls from 1995-2006 and was either first or second-team All-Pro seven times.
Nebraska: 1961-63
NFL: 1964-73
Teams: Philadelphia Eagles, Los Angeles Rams, Oakland Raiders
Accomplishments: Hall of Fame, 6x Pro Bowl, 5x All-Pro, 1960s All-Decade team
Before we had Bob the Builder, Nebraska had Bob “The Boomer” Brown. Brown played both linebacker and offensive guard for the Cornhuskers and was the program’s first black All-American. He was inducted into the College Football Hall of Fame in 1993 and the NFL Hall of Fame in 2004.
Brown was taken with the No. 2 overall pick by the Eagles in the 1964 NFL draft and chose Philly over the Denver Broncos of the AFL. Brown suffered a knee injury in 1967 that would nag him his entire career, but didn’t slow him down much.
Brown was either first or second-team All-Pro in each of his first seven seasons and again in his ninth. He was named the NFL Offensive Lineman of the Year three times in his career.
Nebraska: 1979-82
NFL: 1983-93
Teams: San Francisco 49ers, Los Angeles Raiders, Minnesota Vikings
Accomplishments: 3x Super Bowl Champ, 1988 Offensive Player of the Year, 1980’s All-Decade team, 4x Pro Bowl, 1x All-Pro,
Roger Craig is not a Hall of Famer, but he is a three-time Super Bowl Champion and an integral part of the 49ers dynasty throughout the 1980s. Craig was one piece of a loaded backfield at Nebraska and in his senior season was forced to play fullback with Mike Rozier at tailback.
Therefore, Craig was under the radar entering the NFL, and the 49ers jumped on him in the second round. What was not known about Craig was his receiving ability. He is second only to Irving Fryar in receiving yards in the NFL among former Nebraska players.
Craig helped the 49ers win three Super Bowls and began his career with seven straight seasons of over 1,000 scrimmage yards. In 1988 he led the NFL in scrimmage yards with 2,036, 30-shy of his single-season career best, with 1,502 rushing and 534 receiving. He was named the NFL’s Offensive Player of the Year, a first-team All-Pro, and was third in NFL MVP voting to Randall Cunningham and Boomer Esiason.