Lowest Draft Picks to Make the Pro Football Hall of Fame
By Evan Chronis | April 15, 2020 | Pro Football Hall of Fame
It’s NFL Draft season and teams around the league are obsessing over their draft boards to see which players could be the ones that define their franchise for years to come.
While most stars are born out of the first couple rounds of the draft, several dynamic players in the game today were diamonds in the rough, working against poor draft grades or analytics and becoming stars at the next level.
But what about those that rise out of the late rounds of the NFL Draft to not only become stars... but Hall of Famers?
The Pro Football Hall of Fame isn't an exclusive club for high draft picks. In fact, the current busts inside the walls of Canton are proof that draft position doesn't matter, but rather it's the hard work and production at the next level that will help cement names into the history books.
With a new collection of college stars looking to make their name in the pros, we're looking back at the best underdog stories to come out of the NFL Draft -- the low draft picks who went against all odds to craft a Hall of Fame career.
For this list, only players who were drafted at pick No.180 or higher have been included.
Willie Davis
Selected No.181 in 1956 NFL Draft
Position: DE
Drafted By: Cleveland Browns
- 2-Time Super Bowl Champion
- 5-Time Pro Bowl Selection
- 5-Time First-Team All-Pro
- 1960s NFL All-Decade Team
Rayfield Wright
Selected No.182 in 1967 NFL Draft
Position: T
Drafted By: Dallas Cowboys
- 2-Time Super Bowl Champion
- 6-Time Pro Bowl Selection
- 3-Time First-Team All-Pro
- 1970s NFL All-Decade Team
David "Deacon" Jones
Selected No.186 in 1961 NFL Draft
Position: DE
Drafted By: Los Angeles Rams
- 8-Time Pro Bowl Selection
- 5-Time First-Team All-Pro
- 2-Time NFL Defensive Player of the Year
- 1960s NFL All-Decade Team
Shannon Sharpe
Selected No. 192 in 1990 NFL Draft
Position: TE
Drafted By: Denver Broncos
- 3-Time Super Bowl Champion
- 8-Time Pro Bowl Selection
- 4-Time First-Team All-Pro
- 1990s NFL All-Decade Team
Bart Starr
Selected No.200 in 1956 NFL Draft
Position: QB
Drafted By: Green Bay Packers
- 2-Time Super Bowl Champion
- 2-Time Super Bowl MVP
- 4-Time Pro Bowl Selection
- 1966 First-Team All-Pro
- 1966 NFL MVP
- 1960s NFL All-Decade Team
Richard Dent
Selected No.203 in 1983 NFL Draft
Position: DE
Drafted By: Chicago Bears
- 2-Time Super Bowl Champion
- Super Bowl MVP
- 4-Time Pro Bowl Selection
- 4-Time First-Team All-Pro
Ken Houston
Selected No.214 in 1967 NFL Draft
Position: S
Drafted By: Houston Oilers
- 12-Time Pro Bowl Selection
- 2-Time First-Team All-Pro
- 1970s NFL All-Decade Team
Andy Robustelli
Selected No.228 in 1951 NFL Draft
Position: DE
Drafted By: Los Angeles Rams
- 7-Time Pro Bowl Selection
- 6-Time First-Team All-Pro
Raymond Berry
Selected No.232 in 1954 NFL Draft
Position: SE
Drafted By: Baltimore Colts
- 6-Time Pro Bowl Selection
- 4-Time First-Team All-Pro
- 1950s NFL All-Decade Team
Chris Hanburger
Selected No.245 in 1965 NFL Draft
Position: LB
Drafted By: Washington Redskins
- 9-Time Pro Bowl Selection
- 5-Time First-Team All-Pro
Roosevelt Brown
Selected No.321 in 1953 NFL Draft
Position: T
Drafted By: New York Giants
- 9-Time Pro Bowl Selection
- 6-Time First-Team All-Pro
- 1950s NFL All-Decade Team
Interested in Attending 2020 Enshrinement Week?
While the Pro Football Class of 2020 doesn't have any NFL Draft underdogs (the lowest pick was Isaac Bruce at No.33!), it still will be a historic week in Canton when the class is enshrined.
Join HOF Experiences for a 2020 Enshrinement Week Powered by Johnson Controls with an Official Ticket Package. Click below to see full package offerings:
