College Basketball's Longstanding Impact on Opening Round of NFL Draft

Historically, the first 15 NFL drafts from 1936 through 1950 had a former college basketball regular selected among the top 10 picks. Four of the top six choices and five of the top 11 in the 1957 draft were ex-college hoopsters. To our knowledge, none of them featured the excess baggage of Jameis "Crab Legs" Winston, who is also a versatile athlete but in baseball.

Back in 1963 when men were men before all of the draft-day crying/kissing and diversity sensitivity training (#BringBackOurMen), five of the top 22 picks, including four from schools that have always been or subsequently became members of the Big Ten Conference, were in the same category. Following is an alphabetical list of NFL first-round draft choices who played varsity college basketball for a current NCAA Division I university:

First-Round Choice Pos. College Selected in Draft By NFL Pick Overall
Neill Armstrong OE-DB Oklahoma A&M Philadelphia Eagles 8th in 1947
Doug Atkins DE Tennessee Cleveland Browns 11th in 1953
Terry Baker QB-RB Oregon State Los Angeles Rams 1st in 1963
Sammy Baugh QB Texas Christian Boston Redskins 6th in 1937
*Hub Bechtol E Texas Tech/Texas Pittsburgh Steelers 5th in 1947
Johnny Bright RB Drake Philadelphia Eagles 5th in 1952
Jim Brown RB Syracuse Cleveland Browns 6th in 1957
Ray Buivid QB Marquette Chicago Cardinals 3rd in 1937
Bob Carey WR Michigan State Los Angeles Rams 13th in 1952
Fred Carr LB Texas Western Green Bay Packers 5th in 1968
Shante Carver DE Arizona State Dallas Cowboys 23rd in 1994
Lynn Chandnois HB Michigan State Pittsburgh Steelers 8th in 1950
George Connor OL-DT-LB Notre Dame New York Giants 5th in 1946
Olie Cordill HB Rice Cleveland Browns 5th in 1940
Ernie Davis HB Syracuse Washington Redskins 1st in 1962
Glenn Davis HB Army Detroit Lions 2nd in 1947
Len Dawson QB Purdue Pittsburgh Steelers 5th in 1957
Mike Ditka TE Pittsburgh Chicago Bears 5th in 1961
Rickey Dudley TE Ohio State Oakland Raiders 9th in 1996
Ray Evans TB-DB Kansas Chicago Bears 9th in 1944
James Francis LB Baylor Cincinnati Bengals 12th in 1990
Reuben Gant TE Oklahoma State Buffalo Bills 18th in 1974
Tony Gonzalez TE California Kansas City Chiefs 13th in 1996
Otto Graham QB Northwestern Detroit Lions 4th in 1944
Harry "Bud" Grant E Minnesota Philadelphia Eagles 14th in 1950
Bob Griese QB Purdue Miami Dolphins 4th in 1967
Kevin Hardy DL Notre Dame New Orleans Saints 7th in 1968
Tom Harmon HB-DB Michigan Chicago Bears 1st in 1941
Todd Heap TE Arizona State Baltimore Ravens 31st in 2001
King Hill QB Rice Chicago Cardinals 1st as bonus pick in 1958
Elroy "Crazy Legs" Hirsch OE Michigan Cleveland Rams 5th in 1945
DeAndre Hopkins WR Clemson Houston Texans 27th in 2013
Paul Hornung RB Notre Dame Green Bay Packers 1st as bonus pick in 1957
Jack Jenkins FB-LB Vanderbilt Washington Redskins 10th in 1943
Ed "Too Tall" Jones DL Tennessee State Dallas Cowboys 1st in 1974
Matt Jones E Arkansas Jacksonville Jaquars 21st in 2005
Billy Kilmer QB UCLA San Francisco 49ers 11th in 1961
Ron Kramer WR Michigan Green Bay Packers 4th in 1957
Johnny Lattner HB Notre Dame Pittsburgh Steelers 7th in 1954
Bobby Layne QB Texas Chicago Bears 3rd in 1948
Ronnie Lott DB Southern California San Francisco 49ers 8th in 1981
Johnny Lujack QB Notre Dame Chicago Bears 4th in 1946
Don Lund FB-LB Michigan Chicago Bears 7th in 1945
Bob MacLeod B Dartmouth Brooklyn Dodgers 5th in 1939
Jim McDonald B Ohio State Philadelphia Eagles 2nd in 1938
Banks McFadden HB Clemson Brooklyn Dodgers 3rd in 1940
Rich McGeorge TE Elon Green Bay Packers 16th in 1970
Donovan McNabb QB Syracuse Philadelphia Eagles 2nd in 1999
R.W. McQuarters CB Oklahoma State San Francisco 49ers 28th in 1998
Leonard Mitchell DE Houston Philadelphia Eagles 27th in 1981
Mack Mitchell DE Houston Cleveland Browns 5th in 1975
Julius Peppers DE North Carolina Carolina Panthers 2nd in 2002
Pat Richter TE Wisconsin Washington Redskins 7th in 1962
Andre Rison WR Michigan State Indianapolis Colts 22nd in 1989
Jack Robbins QB Arkansas Chicago Cardinals 5th in 1938
Reggie Rogers DL Washington Detroit Lions 7th in 1987
Art Schlichter QB Ohio State Baltimore Colts 4th in 1982
Del Shofner E Baylor Los Angeles Rams 11th in 1957
Norm Snead QB Wake Forest Washington Redskins 2nd in 1961
Joe Stydahar T West Virginia Chicago Bears 6th in 1936
Doak Walker HB-DB Southern Methodist New York Bulldogs 3rd in 1949
Byron "Whizzer" White B Colorado Pittsburgh Steelers 4th in 1938
Alfred Williams DE Colorado Cincinnati Bengals 18th in 1991
Jack Wilson HB Baylor Cleveland Browns 2nd in 1942
Kendall Wright WR Baylor Tennessee Titans 20th in 2012

*Bechtol played in the AAFC, where he was a second-round pick (9th overall).