Oregon’s Most Successful NFL Draft Pick Players

[FishDuck Article]

The Draft is one of the most important moments in the entire NFL calendar, as it allows teams the chance to scoop up some of the best talent from schools across the US. The next NFL Draft is only a few months away, taking place between the 28th and 30th of April, and there are plenty of prospects who look ...

 

Read the full article here...

[Duckdude]

What about a guy named “Justin Herbert”?

[McDuck]

At first I thought the list was only modern era alumni until I saw Russ Francis.  What about Pro Football Hall of Famers Gary Zimmerman, Dan Fouts, 'Marvelous' Mel Renfro, and some guy named Dave Wilcox?  The Dutchman Norm Van Brocklin is a bit of ancient history.

 

Any history buff writers out there?  Jester just did a nice post about Len Casanova, how about a short weekly article profiling one of the Oregon greats, must have played prior to 1980?  How many remember George Shaw was the #1 pick in 1955 by the Baltimore Colts?  Broke his leg and was replaced by his backup Johnny Unitas, who had been cut the year before by the Steelers.

[PittDuck]

Patrick Chung didn’t make the list?  Really?  All decade team for the Pats from 2010 to 2020, with 3 Super Bowl rings?

[PittDuck]

As McDuck mentioned, Dan Fouts and Gary Zimmerman didn’t do to bad in the league either.  I seem to remember Bobby Moore doing pretty well too.

 

Maybe the title should have been “A Few of Oregon’s Most Successful NFL Draft Pick Players.”

 

 I need my coffee, I woke up grouchy.  Apologies to all…

Edited January 8, 2022 by PittDuck

[woundedknees]

Russ Francis was a physical freak... 6'6"/240 as a hs senior. Walked into Pleasant Hill HS following his senior year at Kailua HS, in Hawaii. He was a wrestler, in Hawaii,  but played basketball    in his only year at PHHS, averaging something like 18 ppg. 

 

In the spring of 1971, he went out for track, another new sport... Dude did a little of everything... shot put, discus, sprints (ran a hand timed 100 yard dash in 9.5 on a dirt track in Philomath). He tried long jump in practice a couple times. The only measurement I remember was over 21'.

 

Oh, yeah... Russ had never seen a javelin prior to that year. 

We had all seen RF chuck both a football and a baseball a ridiculous distance by this point.

 

The coach had been a javelin thrower in college, and talked him into trying it.

The first time Francis touched the spear, one of the guys challenged him to throw it across the parking lot, on the way to the field.

 

It didn't make it far, snapping the tip off in the parking lot, maybe 60' away.

Within a little over a month, Francis broke the national HS record in the discipline, with a throw of 259' 9", a record that stood for something like 17 years. 

Sheesh!

[Haywarduck]

A little under appreciated was Kiko Alonso. He was awarded the Defensive Rookie of the Year after being drafted in the second round. 

 

While injuries and controversies followed Kiko, he was an incredibly important part of the Ducks and had a decent NFL career. 

 

He was definitely part of the low star Oregon recruits who were the bedrock of the Chip Kelly program.  

[WiseKwacker]

On 1/8/2022 at 6:59 AM, woundedknees said:

Russ Francis was a physical freak... 6'6"/240 as a hs senior. Walked into Pleasant Hill HS following his senior year at Kailua HS, in Hawaii. He was a wrestler, in Hawaii,  but played basketball    in his only year at PHHS, averaging something like 18 ppg. 

In the spring of 1971, he went out for track, another new sport... Dude did a little of everything... shot put, discus, sprints (ran a hand timed 100 yard dash in 9.5 on a dirt track in Philomath). He tried long jump in practice a couple times. The only measurement I remember was over 21'.

Oh, yeah... Russ had never seen a javelin prior to that year. 

We had all seen RF chuck both a football and a baseball a ridiculous distance by this point.

The coach had been a javilin thrower in college, and talked him into trying it.

The first time Francis touched the spear, one of the guys challenged him to trow it across the parking lot, on the way to the field.

It didn't make it far, snapping the tip off in the parking lot, maybe 60' away.

Within a little over a month, Francis broke the national HS record in the discipline, with a throw of 259' 9", a record that stood for something like 17 years. 

Sheesh!

Great trip down memory lane, WK. I was at U of O during the Russ Francis years. The guy was truly an athletic freak--in a good way. Surprised you didn't mention the thing that always come to my mind when Francis' name comes up: when Howard Cosell dubbed him "All World" on a Monday Night Football telecast. As was his wont, Cosell beat that moniker like a drum, and it stuck.

 

Oh, yeah. Francis' dad was Gentleman Ed Francis, a pro wrestling legend.

[McDuck]

Didn't Francis "transfer" to Oregon State for his senior year?  As he would be required to sit out a year he exhausted his eligibility and could enter the draft.

[Buzby]

I'd suggest Chris Miller should be on this list, but not near the top.  Anyone who can start for 10 seasons in the NFL should be on a list like this. Same for Anthony Newman.

[WiseKwacker]

Two guys I recall fondly are Bob Berry and Chris Miller, who played for the Ducks about 20 years apart. Berry had a really solid career as a Duck under Len Casanova, and was named a 1st team All-American as a senior. As a pro, he was one of those guys--kind of like Dan Fouts later on--who was always gonna get beat out for playing time, but didn't. He hung around for 11 years, including three years as a full-time starter for the Falcons. Not a HOF guy by any means, but a real solid NFL career.

 

Miller's career has some parallels to Justin Herbert's in my opinion. Both were Sheldon High School products. Both were excellent all-around athletes who were not highly recruited out of high school. Miller played on some mediocre Duck teams in the mid-80s, but he was a 1st round draft pick of the Falcons in '87. The Falcons were not very good for most of his seven seasons there, but he made the Pro Bowl in '91 as he led them to a first-round playoff victory. He retired after 10 seasons due to concussions. 

 

I think both of these guys are too often overlooked as guys with solid NFL careers.

[Just Ducky]

Love going down memory lane.

My top 10 favs 

Mel Renfro 10 pro bowls 2 Super Bowls.

Dan Fouts 6 pro bowls 

Bobby Moore 4 pro bowls

Russ Francis 3 pro bowls 1 Super Bowl

Dave Wilcox 7 pro bowls

Norm Vanbroklin 9 pro bowls 2 nfl championship rings

Haloti Ngata 5 pro bowls 1 Super Bowl

Marcus Mariota 

Johnathan Stuart 1 pro bowl

last but not least.

Dennis Dixon 2 Super Bowls sitting the bench. If not for his injuries probably wins the Heisman and a national champioship.

Lots of great players have gone to Oregon and there will be more.

If Herbert stays healthy he could become the best pro of them all.

 

gos

[Just Ducky]

My gosh I forgot A J Feeley. He rode more pine in both college and the pros than anyone that was drafted that I can think of. Seems like he played for ever. Probably made a lot of money in the process.

[MaiTaiDuck]

On 1/8/2022 at 2:05 AM, FishDuck Article said:

The Draft is one of the most important moments in the entire NFL calendar, as it allows teams the chance to scoop up some of the best talent from schools across the US. The next NFL Draft is only a few months away, taking place between the 28th and 30th of April, and there are plenty of prospects who look ...

 

Read the full article here...

Charles I agree with McKinley being a first round pick as he will and should flourish at the NFL level. Kayvon though I just have a hard time rooting him on because of how he played at the end of the season and not playing in the Alamo game. This is how this stuff needs to work out going forward is it doesn't let players out of performing on the field regardless and the only way is if your injured and you can't play. Lets all remember they are getting paid and this guys already a millionaire. If I were Detroit I would take Hutchinson because he's a home grown and never stops playing.

 

To me he's just going to have a career like all top BIG 10 D lineman and lets be honest he did way more against better competition than did Thibodeaux.

[Charles Fischer]

'Fess-Up Time:

 

I published the article with my name by mistake; it should have been under the "OregonReigns" label that I use on occasion when I get a guest article.  I've changed it to that, but when I received this as a guest post--I looked on it as giving me a break from my two articles a week for one day. 

 

When I saw that he left out Patrick Chung, Gary Zimmerman, etc....I rolled my eyes.  Sheesh.  But I did not have the time to research and write more to the article, and I apologize to you all for that.

 

Since I figured it was a Saturday article, (which is usually lightly read) I thought it may not be too bad, but I knew that I would get busted for leaving out so many big names in Oregon history.  Certainly Norm Van Brocklin should have been on it too.

 

I apologize, but do salute you all for pulling out all the great names and taking us down memory lane.  That was fun.

 

Norm Van Brocklin

[1Ducker1]

What about Fred Quillan?

2 time SBC-2 time Pro bowler

Center for the 49ers

[Annie]

On 1/8/2022 at 10:06 AM, Just Ducky said:

My gosh I forgot A J Feeley. He rode more pine in both college and the pros than anyone that was drafted that I can think of. Seems like he played for ever. Probably made a lot of money in the process.

And along that line, let us not forget Kellen Clemens.

[Jon Joseph]

Thanks OR. A respectable list but nowhere close to the #s annually being sent to the NFL by the SEC and the B1G.

 

2 things most important to recruits: Can you get me to the NFL? Can you get me to the Playoff?  (And today with impunity, how much are going to pay me?)

 

Hats off to the guys you listed and the other Ducks players who have performed well in the NFL.

Edited January 8, 2022 by Jon Joseph

[PittDuck]

On 1/8/2022 at 10:32 AM, Charles Fischer said:

'Fess-Up Time:

 

No need to apologize Charles, over-all, it was a great article for generating comments!  It generated some great posts reminding us of some great Ducks who did well in the NFL.  Thanks for posting it.
 

I’ve had my coffee and feel much less grouchy!  Can ya tell?

[woundedknees]

On 1/8/2022 at 8:47 AM, WiseKwacker said:

Great trip down memory lane, WK. I was at U of O during the Russ Francis years. The guy was truly an athletic freak--in a good way. Surprised you didn't mention the thing that always come to my mind when Francis' name comes up: when Howard Cosell dubbed him "All World" on a Monday Night Football telecast. As was his wont, Cosell beat that moniker like a drum, and it stuck.

 

Oh, yeah. Francis' dad was Gentleman Ed Francis, a pro wrestling legend.

 

Most of what I posted was while we were classmates in HS. The first day, he walked in with his older brother (Bill?), who looked enough like him, most of the school thought they were twins.

His brother was supposed to wrestle for the DUCKS, but had participated in a pro-am tag team match with Gentleman Ed prior to enrolling at Oregon. The NCAA declared him ineligible due to that, and he never got it reversed.

 

Three or four Francis brothers lived in a small house on Rattlesnake Road.

Their mother was Poly, FWIW.

[David Marsh]

LaGarret Blount... I know at Oregon he had that whole punch a Bronco in the head deal which is probably what he is best remembered for as a Duck... But he has a few super bowl rings to his name. 

 

The biggest problem with articles is that they have a limit of length due to readability. Realistically this should be a five.. or ten part series. 

 

Go Ducks!

[Charles Fischer]

On 1/8/2022 at 12:46 PM, David Marsh said:

LeGarrette Blount... I know at Oregon he had that whole punch a Bronco in the head deal which is probably what he is best remembered for as a Duck... But he has a few super bowl rings to his name. 

 

The biggest problem with articles is that they have a limit of length due to readability. Realistically this should be a five.. or ten part series. 

 

Yep. It could be broken down into segments of time that would align with five at a time, with a ton more information given to make it more fun.

[Jon Joseph]

On 1/8/2022 at 3:46 PM, David Marsh said:

LaGarret Blount... I know at Oregon he had that whole punch a Bronco in the head deal which is probably what he is best remembered for as a Duck... But he has a few super bowl rings to his name. 

 

The biggest problem with articles is that they have a limit of length due to readability. Realistically this should be a five.. or ten part series. 

 

Go Ducks!

 

Best tackle Made in Ducks history? Scott Frost stopping LaGarrett from entering the Boise stands?

[Just Ducky]

On 1/8/2022 at 12:46 PM, David Marsh said:

LaGarret Blount... I know at Oregon he had that whole punch a Bronco in the head deal which is probably what he is best remembered for as a Duck... But he has a few super bowl rings to his name. 

 

The biggest problem with articles is that they have a limit of length due to readability. Realistically this should be a five.. or ten part series. 

 

Go Ducks!

Reminded me of Colt Lyerla for some reason. Couldn’t stay out of trouble.

 

I thought he was going to be a hall of fame tight end in the NFL. Had all kinds of talent when he was at Oregon. So sad.

[PittDuck]

On 1/8/2022 at 1:56 PM, Just Ducky said:

Reminded me of Colt Lyerla for some reason. Couldn’t stay out of trouble.

 

I thought he was going to be a hall of fame tight end in the NFL. Had all kinds of talent when he was at Oregon. So sad.

I did too JT, his first couple of years, he was tearing it up.  I was hoping he could come out of it as a Packer, but he just couldn’t seem to make the right choices.

 

Another one I thought would go places was Thomas Tyner.  I loved seeing the post of his epic cut the other day!

[30Duck]

On 1/8/2022 at 3:27 PM, PittDuck said:

 

Another one I thought would go places was Thomas Tyner.  

 

Tyner was amazing. He had, size and speed. But, from what I read, he didn't bleed football. It's hard for us to imagine. But I know we all have family and friends who could not care less about the Ducks, sports in general. 

[Just Ducky]

On 1/8/2022 at 3:27 PM, PittDuck said:

I did too JT, his first couple of years, he was tearing it up.  I was hoping he could come out of it as a Packer, but he just couldn’t seem to make the right choices.

 

Another one I thought would go places was Thomas Tyner.  I loved seeing the post of his epic cut the other day!

Forgot about Tyner.  He was a beast in high school. He had a total of 749 yards and 10 touchdowns in one game, I repeat one game, which is a career for most. 

 

Kind of of a disappointment as a Duck.