We Picked Who? [2] Quiz | NFL Players

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1. In 1976, the first 2-time Heisman Trophy winner entered the NFL draft. At Ohio State he became the first player to lead the Big Ten in rushing 3 years in a row. Despite those feats, he fell to 24th in the draft. Who was this running back, who failed to rush for 3000 career yards in 7 seasons with the Cincinnati Bengals?

Answer: Archie Griffin

The 1976 NFL Draft had 17 rounds and 66 running backs were selected from Chuck Muncie at #3 overall to Nate Beasley at #481 overall. Only 3, Muncie, Washington, and Pruitt made a Pro Bowl, and they were the first three backs taken in the draft. Griffin was actually the 6th running back taken in the draft, also behind Bubba Bean and Lawrence Gaines.

He ran for 625 yards and 3 touchdowns his rookie year in 1976, but did not see the end zone on a rush again until 1980. After he left the NFL in 1982, Griffin played a short stint with the USFL Jacksonville Bulls in 1985.

2. In the 7th round of the 1987 NFL Draft, the Oakland Raiders picked Bo Jackson at #183 overall. At #3 overall, the Houston Oilers did not make such a good pick. This running back lettered four times at Miami, but in the NFL racked up just short of 1200 yards. Who was this player that had a very successful boxing career after retiring from football?

Answer: Alonzo Highsmith

Overall, the 1987 NFL Draft was fairly limited on its number of superstar players. Future Hall of Famer Rod Woodson was taken at #10 by Atlanta, Rich Gannon was #98, Cris Carter was a supplemental 3rd round pick, and of course Bo Jackson taken in the mid-7th round. Alonzo Highsmith highlighted the failed potential of the class, rushing for only 92 yards in the last half of his 6-year NFL career, shortened by injuries.

In 1995, 3 years after he retired from football, Highsmith entered boxing with a win over Marcos Gonzalez.

His first and only loss came to Terry Verners in late 1998, finishing his career with a 27-1-2 record and 23 KOs. Running backs taken after Highsmith include Brent Fullwood, Christian Okoye, Bo Jackson, and Merrill Hoge.

3. Three of the first four picks in the 1989 NFL Draft were elected into the Hall of Fame. The Green Bay Packers picked this "Incredible Bulk" offensive lineman out of Michigan State. A "Sports Illustrated" article quoted the Giants' player personnel director as saying, "he's the best college football player I've ever seen". Who was this man, cut after only 3 years with Green Bay?

Answer: Tony Mandarich

The late-1980s were the prime time for steroids in sports, and observers simply didn't connect the dots when a 315-pound offensive lineman ran a 4.65 40-yard dash. In early 2009, Mandarich admitted to "Sports Illustrated" that not only did he take steroids during college, but he also earned the nickname "The Doctor" by injecting other players.

After he was released by the Packers, he quit using steroids and joined the Indianapolis Colts from 1996-1998. The following players were taken after Mandarich in 1989: Barry Sanders, Derrick Thomas, Deion Sanders, Eric Metcalf, Steve Atwater, Andre Rison, Daryl Johnston, and Mark Schlereth.

4. A beneficiary of the University of Houston's famous "Run & Shoot" offense, this quarterback set several NCAA records. He was taken 6th overall by Cincinnati, looking for the eventual replacement for Boomer Esiason. In 24 starts from 1992-1994, he went 4-20. Who was this player, who only played 6 years in the NFL, 4 with Cincinnati and 2 with Oakland?

Answer: David Klingler

The drafting of David Klingler in 1992 signified to many the beginning of the Cincinnati "Bungles" years, when from 1991-2004 they failed to finish a single season with a winning record. Technically, that trend began the year before Klingler was drafted, but fans were much more willing to accept Boomer Esiason, who led Cincinnati to the Super Bowl in 1988 and the playoffs again in 1990. Perhaps the best quarterback in the draft was picked by Minnesota in the 9th round, eventual Super Bowl champion Brad Johnson. Quarterbacks also chosen after Klingler include Tommy Maddox, Jeff Blake, and Ty Detmer.

5. This Notre Dame alum led the Fighting Irish to a 29-7-1 record under his leadership, including 2 bowl victories. With the #2 pick in the 1993 Draft, Seattle chose him, and things were all downhill from there. After going 20-31 with the Seahawks over 4 years, he played in the 1997, 1999, 2000, and 2003 seasons all for different teams. Who was this quarterback, who only won 4 games after leaving Seattle?

Answer: Rick Mirer

When Rick Mirer left Notre Dame, he held the school record for most passing touchdowns with 41, and when he entered the 1993 NFL Draft, Bill Walsh nicknamed him "the next Joe [Montana]", another Notre Dame alum. Unfortunately, Mirer didn't even live up to former Irish quarterback Steve Beuerlein. After the 1996 season, Seattle traded Mirer to Chicago for a 1st round pick, a definite steal for the Seahawks. In Chicago, his place in history was cemented as "the quarterback in between Dave Krieg and Erik Kramer". Mirer was on the Packers in 1998 though he never saw any playing time, found the field for the Jets in 1999, and a few plays for San Francisco in 2000. He played his last down in Oakland in 2003.

Mark Brunell, Elvis Grbac, and Trent Green were all chosen after Mirer, the earliest being Brunell in the 5th round. All of them made a Pro Bowl.

6. In this running back's junior year at Penn State, he ran for 1539 yards and 23 touchdowns and finished 2nd in the Heisman voting. He entered the 1995 NFL Draft as an underclassman and the Bengals picked him first overall. In his entire NFL career, he ran for 1144 yards and 20 touchdowns. Who was this back, who was plagued by a torn ligament in his knee suffered in his rookie year?

Answer: Ki-Jana Carter

The draft woes of the Cincinnati "Bungles" continued into the 1995 Draft by selecting Kenneth Leonard "Ki-Jana" Carter with the first overall pick. On just his 3rd carry during the preseason his rookie year, Carter tore an anterior cruciate ligament in his left knee. A year later, "Sports Illustrated" wrote, "it seems that an entire franchise's health, not just Carter's, has been restored." Carter would rush for 264 yards in 1996. In 2007, Charles Robinson of "Yahoo! Sports" ranked Carter as the worst #1 pick in the draft since the AFL-NFL merger.

None of the first 9 running backs taken in the 1995 draft made a Pro Bowl, but Curtis Martin was the 10th at #74 overall, making 5 over the course of his career. Travis Jervey, taken at #170 in 5th round, Cory Schlesinger, taken at #192 in the 6th round, also made Pro Bowls, and Terrell Davis, the 3-time Pro Bowler, 2-time Super Bowl champion, and 1997 Super Bowl MVP was taken at #196.

7. Half of the 1st-round picks in 1996 made the Pro Bowl, but this running back out of Nebraska failed to make it to the new millennium. His draft stock rose after leading Nebraska in a rout over Florida for the National Championship, but the St. Louis Rams saw little of the potential. Who was this running back, whose drafting prompted St. Louis to trade Jerome Bettis to Pittsburgh, as they no longer had a need for him?

Answer: Lawrence Phillips

Before the draft, Lawrence Phillips was considered as the best player in the draft, but teams also realized that he had major character issues. That was the biggest reason he fell to the Rams at #6. By late 1997, he had already spent 23 days in jail (during the offseason) and was involved in disputes over playing time with his coaches. St. Louis waived him after 14 games in 1997, and Miami picked him up for the rest of the season.

In 1999, he played sparingly for San Francisco, and then moved on to NFL Europe and the CFL.

In 2002, Phillips won the Grey Cup with the Montreal Alouettes. Running backs taken after Phillips in 1996 include Pro Bowlers Eddie George, Detron Smith, and Stephen Davis.

8. In the 1990s, the Cleveland Browns had only 1 winning season, and with the first pick in the 2000 NFL Draft, they went defensive. This defensive end came into the draft after setting the NCAA career records for sacks (33) and tackles for loss (70). In the NFL, he stacked up only 19 sacks over his 6-year career. Who was this player, who had injury problems in every year of his short career?

Answer: Courtney Brown

Courtney Brown's career started off well in Cleveland, recording 4.5 sacks in both his first 2 years (the 2nd year being only 5 games before injuring his neck). From 2001-2006, Brown was listed as injured for a knee 5 times, left foot or ankle 3 times, arm problems 2 times, and neck problems once.

He had a somewhat successful 2003 season, recording 6 sacks and 29 tackles, but a left foot injury kept him out most of 2004. He was released by Cleveland and picked up by Denver. He had an unproductive 2005 season and injured his knee for the last time in the 2006 preseason. Defensive ends taken after Brown include Shaun Ellis, John Abraham, and Kabeer Gbaja-Biamila, and Adewale Ogunleye was not drafted.

9. At Michigan, this wide receiver caught 152 passes for 2317 yards and 23 touchdowns. Trying to revitalize their passing game, the Chicago Bears drafted him at #8 overall in 2001, and despite the Bears going 13-3 that year, he only had 415 receiving yards for 4 touchdowns. His 5-year NFL career ended with all of his numbers well short of his 3-year college career. Who was this receiver, the first Michigan receiver to have multiple 1000-yard seasons?

Answer: David Terrell

David Terrell came on to a Chicago Bears team that had found a new offense under quarterback Jim Miller, even if it was for only one season. Terrell finished 3rd in receiving yards for the team that year, and peaked at 699 yards in 2004, his last year with Chicago.

In 2005, he appeared in one game for Denver, his last in the NFL. He finished with 128 receptions for 1602 yards and only 9 touchdowns. Wide receivers taken after Terrell include Koren Robinson, Santana Moss, Reggie Wayne, Chad Johnson (later Ochocinco), Chris Chambers, Steve Smith, and T.J. Houshmandzadeh.

10. Character issues have shortened the promising careers of many NFL players, and this cornerback out of West Virginia was a good example. Drafted by Tennessee at #6 in 2005, he only lasted 2 years on the team before he was suspended for the entire 2007 season by the NFL for off-field issues. Who was this player, who attempted a comeback with the Dallas Cowboys in 2008, but was released after the year?

Answer: Adam "Pacman" Jones

Pacman Jones epitomizes how a good prospect can go wrong thanks to off-field issues. Before he was drafted by Tennessee, Jones was put on probation for getting into a fight, and a long contract dispute didn't help matters. He had a very productive 2nd season in 2006, recording 4 interceptions (1 returned for a touchdown), a sack, and starred as a returner by taking back 3 punt returns for touchdowns. Numerous off-field issues made NFL commissioner Roger Goodell suspend Jones for the entire 2007 season. With Dallas in 2008, Jones had a fight with his own bodyguard and was suspended another 4 games. Following the news that Jones was involved in a 2007 shooting at a Las Vegas strip club, Dallas released him. Cornerbacks taken after Jones include but are not limited to (since most might have been better picks): Antrel Rolle, Carlos Rogers, Fabian Washington, Marlin Jackson, Corey Webster, Justin Miller, Kelvin Hayden, Bryant McFadden, and Ellis Hobbs.

Source: Author illiniman14

This quiz was reviewed by FunTrivia editor Nightmare before going online.
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We Picked Who? [2] Trivia Quiz

In the NFL, championships can be won or lost on draft day. This quiz focuses on those busts that helped lose them.

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