NFL expansion drafts have existed for many years. Through this strange trade, Hall of Famers, Pro Bowlers, and eventually regular starters have developed. These are the greatest players to emerge from an expansion draft, ranging from the Cowboys’ 1960 campaign to the Texans’ 2002 debut.
Minnesota Vikings’ Grady Alderman
Larger names have been selected for expansion drafts, but finding a better choice in terms of productivity is challenging. When the Vikings first started playing in 1961, they selected Alderman, a 1960 Lions draft pick, and slotted him in as the left tackle on their first offensive schemes led by Fran Tarkenton. Over the course of his 15-year career, Alderman started 177 games and made it to six Pro Bowls in the 1960s. The 245-pound blocker, who spent several years playing opposite Hall of Fame right tackle Ron Yary, survived long enough to reunite with Tarkenton following his return in 1972 through trade, and he started two of the four Super Bowls the Vikes made under Bud Grant.
Steve Beuerlein, Jaguars of Jacksonville
The Jaguars were able to secure the top overall pick and the Panthers were able to secure the first choice in the actual draft in the most recent NFL expansion draft with two clubs, which took place in 1995. After a coin flip that favored Carolina, Jacksonville won the lower-profile match, and Beuerlein was selected first by the AFC startup. Drafted in 1987, Beuerlein was a former starter for the Raiders, Cardinals, and Jaguars. He earned a ring as Troy Aikman’s backup, but the best quarterback in Jaguars history swiftly eclipsed him. Beuerlein was redirected by Mark Brunell’s rise to the Panthers, where he took Kerry Collins’ spot following the latter’s early-career off-field troubles. In 1999, Beuerlein had the most throwing yards in the NFL.
Seattle Seahawks player Lyle Blackwood
Blackwood, a 1973 ninth-round pick by the Broncos, joined the Seahawks in the 1976 expansion draft. The youthful safety eventually made it onto the first Seahawks NFC roster, but they were swiftly moved to the AFC in 1977. He would never play for the Seahawks again. The gifted player had early-career alcoholism issues, which is why the Seahawks dealt Blackwood to the Colts in 1977. Although Blackwood was only utilized as a backup, in 1977, as a Colt, he led the league in interceptions (10). Using that mid-career upsurge, Blackwood went on to play in nine more NFL seasons, the last few of which he spent with the Dolphins as part of the “Bruise Brothers” safety duo, which also included younger brother Glenn. Two Super Bowls were started by the Blackwoods.
Boselli, Tony; Houston Texans
Boselli was a consistent All-Pro during one of the best eras at left tackle in football history. Boselli was named to the first team of the All-Pro team in his third, fourth, and fifth seasons, while Walter Jones, Jonathan Ogden, and Orlando Pace were only starting out. The team’s greatest run of all time—four straight postseason berths—was made possible by the 1995 first-round selection of the Jaguars. The USC graduate had already suffered an ACL tear in 1999 and was dealing with a shoulder injury that would end his career when the Texans selected him in the first round of the 2002 expansion draft. Following his collapse in 2001, Boselli had numerous surgeries. The future Hall of Famer never put on a Texans uniform.
Mel Branch of the Dolphins
From the beginning of the Dallas Texans/Kansas City Chiefs club, Branch was an All-AFL performer, preceding the entrance of Bobby Bell, Willie Lanier, and Buck Buchanan. With ten sacks in 1960, the 1960 11th-round choice led the AFL and played a major role in the league-winning 1962 squad. Branch joined the Dolphins in 1966 in the AFL’s first expansion draft, despite having an eight-sack 1965 with the Chiefs. The defensive end did not let up, finishing his nine-year career played only in the new league with 20.5 sacks in his final two seasons (1967–68).
The Seattle Seahawks’ Dave Brown
Brown is ranked 10th all-time in interceptions; he is fourth among cornerbacks and a lengthy player for the Seahawks. In 1975, the Steelers selected the ballhawk in the first round as a safety. Brown was exposed by Pittsburgh in the expansion draft since they had Mike Wagner and Glen Edwards as starters on their roster, along with future Hall of Famer Donnie Shell as a reserve, making them maybe the strongest defensive core in NFL history. With a team headed for the playoffs, Brown was productive well into his early 30s after the Seahawks shifted him to cornerback in 1977. Despite only making it to one Pro Bowl, Brown set a franchise record with 50 interceptions while playing for the Seahawks from 1977 to 1986, including a two-pick-six in a game in 1984. He then ended his career with the Packers.
Carolina Panthers’ Mark Carrier
Carrier, the Buccaneers’ all-time top receiver before Mike Evans arrived, did not go off the board (to the Panthers) until Round 16 of the 1995 expansion draft. Before joining Vinny Testaverde in 1993 to sign with Bill Belichick’s Browns, the 1987 Bucs third-round pick, who was competing for Mark Carrier dominance with the Pro Bowl Bears safety, spent six seasons on poor Tampa teams. Carrier only managed 452 receiving yards in 16 games in 1994, though. This brought him to Carolina, where he immediately made a comeback, racking up 1,002 yards in 1995. Carrier played his final four seasons as a starter for the Panthers, who made an incredible run to the NFC championship game in 1996.
Howard Griffith and Bob Christian, both of the Carolina Panthers
Many NFL clubs do not have a fullback on their roster these days; the Panthers used two of their expansion choices on fullbacks in 1995. Not only did Christian and Griffith stay with the team for the entire season, but three years later they were the starting wide receivers for Super Bowl XXXIII. Christian was a 1991 Falcons 12th-round selection who spent three seasons (1992–1994) with the Bears. In the ninth round in 1991, Griffith was selected by the Colts. For Jerome Bettis’ first two seasons, Griffith played fullback for the Rams. Christian re-signed with the Falcons in 1997 after missing the 1996 year. Griffith was a key player for the Broncos that season, and he was Terrell Davis’ primary blocker in consecutive Super Bowl-winning campaigns.
Dallas Cowboys’ Frank Clarke
Arriving slightly ahead of schedule, Clarke was a 215-pound wide receiver who could stretch the field. A career was launched when the Cowboys selected the former Browns pass catcher in the 1960 expansion draft. Not much of a player in Cleveland, Clarke quickly rose to the top of Dallas’ receiving group. With a career-high 1,043 yards in 1962, the 1956 fifth-round pick led the NFL in receiving yardage from 1961 to 1964. Four years ahead of Bob Hayes, Clarke topped the NFL in yards per reception in 1961 and 1962 (22.4 and 22.2) alongside teammates Eddie LeBaron and Don Meredith. Despite playing until 1967, Hayes’ arrival and the 1964 trade for Hall of Famer Tommy McDonald caused Clarke’s role to diminish by the mid-1960s.
Mark Cotney of the Tampa Bay Bucs
The Oilers gave up on Cotney after only one season, but the 1975 draft pick went on to establish himself as a key member of Buccaneers defenses that improved the team during its formative years. Selected by the Bucs and Seahawks in a 1976 expansion draft, Cotney spent nine seasons in Tampa. The hard-hitting safety got his start on the 1979 Bucs squad, which shocked everyone by making it to the NFC championship game while fielding the nation’s top defense. Cotney did intercept 17 passes, though not nearly to the Pro Bowl caliber (plus one in the 1982 playoffs). Among safeties in Buccaneer history, he has made 92 starts, tied with just John Lynch.
The New Orleans Saints’ Bill Curry
Curry started at center for the Pack’s 1966 Super Bowl-winning squad, but the future college head coach chose to join the Saints in 1967. A month later, though, the Saints traded for their new acquisition. Curry and a pick that would later be selected as the number one pick in 1968 (Bubba Smith) were traded by New Orleans for Colts backup quarterback Gary Cuozzo in March 1967. Cuozzo was previously undrafted but yet forced several clubs to pay hefty sums of money for him. After that, Curry started at center for the Colts’ first two Super Bowl-bound teams, including the club that won the championship in 1970. After just one season with New Orleans, Cuozzo was traded to Minnesota.
Mike Curtis, Seahawks of Seattle
After spending 11 years in Baltimore, Curtis was a four-time Pro Bowl player and started with Curry for the Colts’ first two Super Bowl teams. Curtis was a good middle linebacker for a number of seasons, but he had a falling out with the Colts general manager Joe Thomas after the Colts and Rams’ owners traded teams in 1972. Curtis was also selected in the expansion draft before his 33rd season. For the original Seahawks squad, Curtis started 14 games and preserved the team’s first victory (against the expansion Buccaneers) by blocking a field goal. But at the end of the season, Curtis was dismissed by the Seahawks; he spent his final two years with Washington.
Aaron Glenn, Texas Rangers
By releasing Glenn and fellow starting cornerback Marcus Coleman in the 2002 expansion draft, the Jets were able to free up more than $13 million in cap space. A 1994 first-round pick and two-time Jets Pro Bowler, Glenn was subject to a $8 million cap in 2002. Despite this, the Texans added a quality cornerback in Glenn Glenn, who in his debut Houston season intercepted five passes for 181 return yards and two touchdowns. Glenn was also selected for the Pro Bowl a third time. Glenn, a native of the Houston region and future NFL defensive coordinator, played for the Texans in his early 30s. Glenn extended his career to 15 seasons in other locations after spending three years in Houston.
Paul Hornung, Saints of New Orleans
At the 1967 expansion draft, Hornung was already a Packers legend with Hall of Fame credentials, even though Bill Curry was still a rookie center. After Super Bowl I, Green Bay parted ways with fullback Jim Taylor and running back Hornung. Before dealing Taylor to the Saints, the Packers let Hornung go and turned to younger backs Donny Anderson and Jim Grabowski. In New Orleans, the pair did not turn around. The 31-year-old Hornung was unable to resume playing due to a neck ailment. Shortly after, the former Heisman Trophy winner announced his retirement; Taylor spent one season as a Saint.Desmond Howard, Jaguars of Jacksonville
It was impossible for Howard to live up to the expectations in Washington before he became a Super Bowl hero. In order to acquire Howard, the explosive Michigan wide receiver/returner who won the 1991 Heisman Trophy, Washington traded up from No. 6 to No. 4 after deceiving the Chargers in the 1991 draft by obtaining a first-round pick for second- and fifth-round picks. In his first two seasons, Howard did not have much of an offensive effect; in 1994, he had 727 receiving yards, but Washington exposed him in the 1995 expansion draft. Howard only spent one season with the Jaguars. He was signed by the Packers in 1996 as a free agent. Howard has one of the greatest seasons of any return man in NFL history while he was active until 2002.
The New Orleans Saints’ Billy Kilmer
In a 1962 auto accident, Kilmer had a career-threatening injury that put his 49ers career on hold. In the 1967 expansion draft, San Francisco eventually revealed its backup quarterback. Kilmer’s career took a new lease on life when the Saints started him in 1967–1970. By 1971, the Saints had cleared the path for their next quarterback by sending Kilmer to George Allen’s contending team for a small sum of money, thereby allowing Archie Manning’s predecessor to end up in Washington. After Kilmer took over, Washington made it to the 1971 postseason and Super Bowl VII, where the NFC champions were favored over the undefeated Dolphins. Kilmer was a member of a QB room that eventually featured Joe Theismann and Sonny Jurgensen. He played there until 1978.
Dave Kocourek, Dolphins player
Players that are trending downward are staples of the expansion draft; the Dolphins did the same in 1966 when they selected Kocourek. Even though Kocourek struggled in his first years in Florida after moving from San Diego, he deserves to be included since he was the pinnacle of Sid Gillman’s inventive offensive. Early in his Bolts career, Kocourek switched from wide receiver to tight end, and he went on to be named to the All-AFL team four times. During one of those seasons, the Chargers won an AFL title. He had more over 1,000 receiving yards in 1961. Kocourek caught seven catches for 123 yards in the Chargers’ 1961 AFL title game, their last game before Lance Alworth arrived. The 6-foot-5 player concluded his career with two Raiders seasons following one year with the Dolphins.
Raleigh Panthers’ Greg Kragen
Although he did not stay long enough with the Broncos to witness John Elway’s last season like Tyrone Braxton and Steve Atwater did, Kragen was an important member of the Denver teams that made it to the 1980 Super Bowls. Kragen was a starter for the Broncos for 116 games, but he signed with the Chiefs in 1994. The defensive tackle was selected by the Panthers in the 1995 expansion draft. Kragen still had petrol left in the tank at 33. Kragen was a full-time starter for three years for the Panthers, who quickly put together a top-notch defense. In the 16-game era, the ’96 Panthers allowed just 13.6 points per game, a top-25 number. Kragen forced four turnovers in the Panthers’ surprising NFC title game run.
The New Orleans Saints’ Jake Kupp
Jake, the grandfather of Cooper Kupp, participated in one of the most bizarre deals in NFL history. After spending time with Dallas and Washington, Kupp was moved to the Falcons during the 1967 season and selected as an expansion pick by the Saints. Due to an odd quirk in Kupp’s two-year Saints deal at the time, New Orleans was able to effectively loan the rookie guard to Atlanta and then have him return in 1968. After returning to New Orleans, Kupp started 96 games between 1968 and 1975. Kupp, one of the guards with the longest tenure in team history, qualified for the 1969 Pro Bowl despite the Saints’ difficulties. He spent the final five seasons of his career blocking Archie Manning.
Jeremy Lewis of the Houston Texans
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