A Decade Of...Undrafted NFL Stars Quiz

Quiz Answer Key and Fun Facts

1. 2010 saw Alejandro Villanueva go undrafted. He would later establish himself at the left tackle position for the Pittsburgh Steelers. However, he originally entered the NFL with the Philadelphia Eagles, playing at what position?

Answer: Defensive end

Despite going undrafted in 2010, Villanueva never gave up on his NFL dream. He received a trial with the Cincinnati Bengals but was not offered a deal and went into military service. Two years later, he tried out at tight end for the Chicago Bears but was again rejected. After a final tour in the army, he paid to take part in a regional NFL combine in Georgia in 2014, later signing a contract with the Eagles as a defensive end.

From October 2015, Villanueva established himself as the starting left tackle for the Pittsburgh Steelers. In 2016, he was ranked as the best offensive tackle in the NFL between Week 11 and the AFC Championship Game. He was also named to the 2017 and 2018 Pro Bowls.

2. Despite going undrafted in 2011, cornerback Chris Harris Jr. has established himself as one of the best defensive backs in the NFL in the 2010s. As a result, he was voted by his peers as the 52nd best player in the NFL Top 100 Players of 2016. Which of these players was he ranked ahead of?

Answer: Eric Berry

Harris was ranked 52nd, which also ranked him as the 8th best defensive back in the NFL. He was ranked three spots ahead of Berry, who had spent much of 2015 recovering from Hodgkin's lymphoma. Revis was 24th on the list and fourth amongst DB's. Chancellor was 32nd and sixth for his position. Talib, who alongside Harris helped to establish the "No Fly Zone" with the Denver Broncos, was 34th and 7th on the respective lists.

Between 2011 and 2018, Harris was nominated to four Pro Bowls (2014-16, 2018) and was named both a First Team All-Pro (2016) and Second Team All-Pro (2014, 2015). He also helped Denver to win Super Bowl 50 in the 2015 season.

3. Despite going undrafted in 2012, kicker Justin Tucker has established himself as arguably the NFL's best kicker in the 2010s. In 2013, Tucker kicked a Baltimore Ravens franchise record six field goals in one game, including a 61 yard kick. Against which team did this happen?

Answer: Detroit Lions

The game took place on 16 December 2013, with Tucker's six field goals giving the Ravens an 18-16 win on Monday Night Football. Tucker's 61-yard field goal was also the longest field goal in a domed stadium ever in an NFL game, with Tucker also becoming the first kicker to kick a 20+, 30+, 40+, 50+ and 60+ yard field goal in one game.

Tucker is widely regarded amongst fans and analysts as one of the best NFL kickers of the 2010s. Alongside the aforementioned records he was also the first kicker to land three 50+ yard field goals in one half and became the fastest player to 1,000 points in NFL history in 2019. Based on Tucker's kicking between 2012 and 2019, he is the most accurate kicker in NFL history.

4. Adam Thielen was undrafted in 2013, but this hasn't stopped him from becoming an elite wide receiver in the NFL. 2018 was a great year for Thielen, breaking many of his personal best records. However, which of these records did he fail to break that year?

Answer: Yards per catch

2018 saw Thielen catch 113 balls for 1,373 yards, both personal bests. His previous best had been 91 catches for 1,276 yards in the 2017 season. 2018 saw Thielen truly emerge as a red zone threat, catching nine touchdowns. (He only had 10 touchdown receptions in his entire career before 2018) Thielen's yards per catch in 2018 was 12.2, which was actually the second-lowest of his career up to that point. Thielen had an average of 17.1 yards per catch in 2014, although this was a limited sample size as he only had 8 catches that year.

2017 and 2018 showcased Thielen's ability, going to the Pro Bowl in both years and even becoming a Second Team All-Pro in 2017 alongside the great Julio Jones. With the help of Stefon Diggs, Thielen has formed one half of one of the best one-two punches at the wide receiver position in the NFL.

5. After going undrafted in 2014, Malcolm Butler was signed by the New England Patriots in May 2014. Where did he place on the team's depth chart at the start of the 2014 season?

Answer: Sixth

After signing with the Patriots, Butler had an impressive pre-season and earned himself a place on the team's depth chart, starting at sixth spot. He was behind Darrelle Revis, Alfonzo Dennard, Logan Ryan, Kyle Arrington and Brandon Browner. That year, Butler would go on to make arguably the greatest play in Super Bowl history, intercepting Russell Wilson's pass to win the Patriots Super Bowl XLIX against the Seattle Seahawks.

From 2015, Butler became a starting corner in New England and would win another Super Bowl in the 2016 season, leaving to join the Tennessee Titans in 2018. He was voted to the Pro Bowl in the 2015 season and was named Second Team All-Pro in 2016.

6. La'el Collins was regarded as a top ten prospect in the 2015 NFL Draft but what led to his stock falling?

Answer: A death of a woman he knew

Collins was almost universally seen as a first round pick, with some placing him in the top 10 of their mock drafts. Collins began to drop however when it was revealed that he was due to speak to Louisiana State police days after the draft after the shooting death of a pregnant woman with whom he had previously had a relationship. Collins was never a suspect in the crime, but it didn't stop him from going undrafted.

He was picked up by the Dallas Cowboys, and since 2016 he has helped to establish the Cowboys as one of the best offensive lines in the NFL. He has been a success at both left guard and right tackle for the Cowboys.

7. The newly-relocated Los Angeles Rams picked up Cory Littleton as an undrafted free agent in 2016. Littleton became a starter on defense in 2018, achieving his first career safety that same year. Whose punt did he block to force the safety?

Answer: Bradley Pinion

On 21 October 2018, the Rams faced the San Francisco 49ers. In a 39-10 win for the Rams, Littleton blocked Pinion's punt from the end zone, with the ball going out of the end zone and earning the Rams a safety. (It would have been a touchdown if the Rams had managed to get control of the ball while it was still in the end zone).

Littleton also greatly impressed during the Rams' 2018 postseason run. In the team's three playoff games against the Dallas Cowboys, New Orleans Saints and New England Patriots, Littleton recorded a total of 29 tackles, also intercepting Tom Brady in Super Bowl LIII.

8. After being signed as an undrafted free agent in 2017, Matt Breida has become a reliable player at running back for the San Francisco 49ers. During the 2019 season, Breida recorded the fastest speed for a ball carrier on any play since the beginning of the 2018 season during a game against the Cleveland Browns. What was Breida's maximum speed?

Answer: 22.30 mph

The fastest run occurred during Week 5 of the 2019 season in a 31-3 victory against the Browns. The run was an 83-yard touchdown, the longest run of Breida's career up to that point. The 22.30 mph run was not just the fastest pace for a ball carrier since the beginning of the 2018 season, but also made Breida responsible for two of the three fastest runs in that same time period. (He had also recorded a 22.09 mph run)

While Breida's early years in the NFL have not seen him emerge as a Pro Bowl talent, he has become a reliable runner with 1,279 rushing yards and just two fumbles in his first two seasons in the NFL.

9. Despite going undrafted in 2018, Phillip Lindsay had a fantastic rookie year with the Denver Broncos. Which of these did he achieve in his rookie year?

Answer: 1,000 rushing yards

Lindsay had an encouraging rookie year in Denver, rushing for 1,037 yards and nine touchdowns in 2018. He also had 35 catches for 241 yards and a touchdown. His 1,037 yards in 192 rush attempts was at an average of 5.4 yards per carry.

Lindsay's promising rookie season saw him nominated to the Pro Bowl for the 2018 season, becoming the first undrafted offensive rookie to ever achieve this feat. As a result of his achievements, he was named to the PFWA All-Rookie Team for the 2018 season.

10. Undrafted punter Jamie Gillan signed with the Cleveland Browns in June 2019. In Week 2 of the 2019 season, Gillan was voted AFC Special Teams Player of the Week after a game against the New York Jets. Out of Gillan's six punts that day, how many of them landed inside the Jets' 20 yard line?

Answer: 5

Gillan, who has become known as the "Scottish Hammer", (he was born in Inverness, Scotland in 1997) landed five of his six punts inside the Jets' 20, with a long of 47 yards. His good form continued throughout September 2019, with 11 punts inside the opposition 20 yard line and allowing only 19 return yards on his punts.

As a result, he was named AFC Special Teams Player of the Month for September.

Source: Author TheOracler

This quiz was reviewed by FunTrivia editor gtho4 before going online.
Any errors found in FunTrivia content are routinely corrected through our feedback system.

As we wave goodbye to the 2010s, let's take a look back at the last decade of undrafted NFL talent!

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