7 NFL Draft Day Underdog Stories for Campus Recruiters

Every year the National Football League (NFL) stages an event where all 32 NFL teams get a shot at hiring the pool of college players coming out that year. Every year, top corporate, government and other organizations go to universities at the same time to recruit from the same pool of students. While recruiting for sports is unique, it does offer some lessons for other recruiters about finding "diamonds in the rough" among candidates.

Here are 7 NFL underdog draft stories that campus recruiters can learn lessons from.?

1. Tom Brady - 199th pick in 2000 draft - A player that many now consider to be the Greatest of All Time (GOAT) almost didn't get picked by anyone before the Patriots got him in the 6th round. Some of the quarterbacks picked before Brady that year include Spurgeon Wynn, Tee Martin, Chris Redman, and Giovanni Carmazzi. Recruiters over-valued the importance of Brady's poor performance in standardized tests like the 40-yard dash at the NFL combine, the equivalent of job interview standardized tests.?Recruiters under-valued the intangible markers of his competitiveness and winning-mentality on his resume (e.g., member of National Champion Michigan team, set Michigan records for most pass attempts and completions in a season, All-Big Ten honorable mention both seasons and team captain his senior year.)

Lesson for Campus Recruiters: If an applicant has been highly successful at a top school, don't refuse them because their high school SAT score was embarrassingly low. Their demonstrated ability to succeed despite that is even more impressive in many ways.

2. Terrell Davis - 196th pick in 1995 NFL Draft - Sixteen running backs were selected ahead of Davis before the Denver Broncos took him. Davis did not have a dazzling set of college stats or NFL combine test statistics to earn him a higher spot. He also had an injury history. He started his rookie preseason as the sixth-string running back on the Broncos. But the team gave him a chance to get on the field by playing on the kickoff team in the preseason, and he impressed. By the time his first season started, he was the starting running back. In his seven year career, Davis won two NFL championships, an NFL MVP award, and ran for over 2,000 yards in a season. He was inducted into the NFL Hall of Fame in 2017.

Lesson for Campus Recruiters: Selecting a "diamond in the rough" is not enough - you have to give them a chance to shine. Had the Broncos not given Davis a chance to impress by playing on the kickoff team, he may never have been able to leap past the five running backs ahead of him before cuts were made.

3.?Antonio Gates – undrafted in 2003 NFL draft - One of the most successful tight ends ever to play, Gates helped redefine the position as a premier touchdown receiver. Recruiters over-valued the fact that he chose a basketball scholarship from a smaller college (Kent State) over a football scholarship from a bigger school (Michigan State.) Despite choosing to pursue football after college, recruiters took his college choice as a sign he wasn't serious about football. Recruiters under-valued the ability of a highly-talented general athlete to learn a specific football job. Gates didn't get credit for the fact he probably could have been a college football star if he wanted to be since he was good enough to get a scholarship from a powerhouse program like Michigan State. They also discounted the intangible marker of success on his college resume (e.g., he helped get Kent State to the Elite Eight in NCAA tournament as a 10th seed.)

Lesson for Campus Recruiters: If a student from the university's medical school who has aced the GMAT asks if they can come interview for your business job when you are on campus, say yes.

4.?Tony Romo – undrafted in 2003 NFL draft - The former franchise quarterback for Dallas was not drafted by anyone when he came out of college, meaning 200+ players were picked but he wasn't. Recruiters over-valued the fact that he didn't play for a school in the top class of the college ranks. Recruiters under-valued the intangible markers on his resume suggesting he was a special player (e.g., 3x conference Player of the Year, 3x All-American, Walter Payton Award winner for top Division 1AA player, won a conference championship.)

Lesson for Campus Recruiters: If you are recruiting at a prestigious university and an impressive resume and cover letter comes in from a student who is a living legend at the community college around the corner, invite them to the interview. It could be a Tony Romo - or even a Hall of Famer like Kurt Warner.

5.?Wes Welker - un-drafted in 2004 draft – Despite impressive college career statistics, Welker wasn't even invited to the NFL combine to try out for NFL teams. Recruiters over-valued his small stature and his unimpressive speed in the all important standardized test - the 40-yard dash. Recruiters under-valued the success markers on his resume (e.g., All State Player of the Year in high school, tied the college career record for touchdowns returning punts, won the award for best special teams player in college football.) They also didn't value the cross-skill ability he demonstrated by being a talented kicker and punter.?

Lessons for Campus Recruiters: If an applicant doesn't fit the traditional profile of a consultant but has demonstrated an ability to be a winner and "jack-of-all trades" in many valuable roles, figure out some job you can offer so you can see what they can do. ?

6. Shannon Sharpe - 192nd pick in 1990 NFL Draft - Seven other tight ends were drafted ahead of Shannon Sharpe. NFL recruiters discounted his impressive statistics from college because he played for a Division II team. He also fell through the cracks because scouts judged his size to be too small for a tight end and too big for a wide receiver. The Broncos tried to convert Sharpe from his tight end position to a wide receiver. After two mediocre seasons as a wide receiver, the Broncos put him back at his natural tight end spot, where he went on to have a Hall of Fame career.

Lessons for Campus Recruiters - Beware of assuming you can easily transition someone to a new role if they don't "look the part" as the ideal profile you see for their preferred role. Give them a shot at their preferred role before dismissing their chances there.

7.? Antonio Brown – 195th pick in 2010 draft - Brown's prodigious scoring with the Pittsburgh Steelers and other teams made him one of the top players picked in most fantasy football drafts for years. But he almost wasn't picked at all in his draft. Recruiters over-valued his lack of experience playing for a top college team. He had the skills but did not make it to top college teams because of his grades and off-the-field incidents. Recruiters under-valued the fact that he was talented enough at football to earn a scholarship offer from a major program (Florida State.) He played at a smaller school (Central Michigan) because it was a better fit for him to get on track off the football field.??

Lesson for Campus Recruiters: Don't over-penalize candidates for mistakes they may have made years before as teenagers, but don't completely forget them either. Brown succeeded for years in the NFL but the last few years of his career were tarnished by controversies on and off the field and bad relationships with his teams.

Note: All facts sourced from Wikipedia.org. All photos are public domain from WikimediaCommons.org.

About the Author of this Article: Victor Prince is the #1 executive coach for financial services executives. He is also an Amazon Top 20 best-selling leadership author who helps organizations build leadership, strategy, communications, and critical thinking skills.

Copyright 2024 Victor Prince