The best players chosen in an NFL expansion draft

NFL expansion drafts have been going on for decades. Hall of Famers, Pro Bowlers, and eventual regular starters have emerged via this obscure transaction. From the Cowboys' 1960 effort to the Texans' debut in 2002, here are the best players to come out of an expansion draft.

Grady Alderman, Minnesota Vikings (1 of 27)

Bigger names have been chosen in expansion drafts, but regarding production, it is difficult to land a better option. Launching in 1961, the Vikings chose Alderman -- a 1960 Lions draftee -- and immediately plugged him in as the left tackle on their first batch of Fran Tarkenton-quarterbacked offenses. Alderman journeyed to six Pro Bowls in the 1960s and started 177 games in a 15-year career. The 245-pound blocker, who played opposite Hall of Fame right tackle Ron Yary for several years, lasted long enough to team with Tarkenton again upon his 1972 return via trade and started in two of the Vikes' four Super Bowl appearances under Bud Grant.

Steve Beuerlein, Jacksonville Jaguars (2 of 27)

The most recent NFL expansion draft to feature two teams, 1995's offering gave the Jaguars the first overall pick here and the Panthers the first choice in the actual draft. A coin toss going in Carolina's favor led to Jacksonville leading off the lower-profile event, and Beuerlein became the AFC startup's first choice. A 1987 draftee and ex-Raiders and Cardinals starter who collected a ring as Troy Aikman's backup, Beuerlein found himself quickly supplanted by the greatest QB in Jaguars history. Mark Brunell's ascent redirected Beuerlein to the Panthers, where he replaced Kerry Collins after the latter's early-career off-field struggles. Beuerlein led the NFL in passing yards in 1999.

Lyle Blackwood, Seattle Seahawks (3 of 27)

A ninth-round Broncos draftee in 1973, Blackwood became a Seahawk via the 1976 expansion draft. The young safety ended up playing on the initial Seahawks NFC team, before they were quickly shuttled to the AFC in 1977, but never again. With early-career struggles with alcohol plaguing the talented player, the Seahawks traded Blackwood to the Colts in 1977. They had only used Blackwood as a backup, but as a Colt in 1977, he led the league with 10 INTs. Blackwood parlayed that midcareer surge into nine more NFL seasons, the last several coming as part of the Dolphins' "Bruise Brothers" safety tandem alongside younger brother Glenn. The Blackwoods started in two Super Bowls.

Tony Boselli, Houston Texans (4 of 27)

During one of the left tackle position's premier eras, Boselli was a perennial All-Pro. As Walter Jones, Jonathan Ogden and Orlando Pace were getting started, Boselli earned first-team All-Pro honors in his third, fourth and fifth seasons. The 1995 first-round Jaguars pick helped the team to its best stretch ever, a run of four straight playoff berths. By the time Texans drafted him with their first expansion pick in 2002, the USC alum had torn an ACL (1999) and was battling what turned into a career-ending shoulder injury. Boselli went down in 2001 and underwent many surgeries. The eventual Hall of Famer never suited up for a Texans game.

Mel Branch, Miami Dolphins (5 of 27)

Predating the arrivals of Bobby Bell, Willie Lanier and Buck Buchanan, Branch was an All-AFL performer from the start of the Dallas Texans/Kansas City Chiefs franchise. The 1960 11th-round pick led the AFL with 10 sacks in 1960 and was a key contributor on the league-winning 1962 team. Even after an eight-sack 1965 with the Chiefs, Branch became a Dolphin via the AFL's first expansion draft in 1966. The defensive end did not slow down, recording 20.5 sacks over his final two seasons (1967-68) to wrap up a nine-year career spent exclusively in the upstart league.

Dave Brown, Seattle Seahawks (6 of 27)

Brown sits 10th on the all-time interceptions list; among cornerbacks, the longtime Seahawks starter is fourth. The ballhawk was a Steelers first-round pick in 1975, as a safety. With Pittsburgh rostering starters Mike Wagner and Glen Edwards and having future Hall of Famer Donnie Shell as a backup, as part of maybe the best defensive nucleus in NFL history, they exposed Brown in the expansion draft. The Seahawks moved Brown to CB in 1977, and he remained effective into his early 30s on playoff-bound teams. Though only a one-time Pro Bowler, Brown snared a franchise-record 50 INTs as a Seahawk -- including a two-pick-six 1984 game -- from 1977-86 before finishing his career as a Packer.

Mark Carrier, Carolina Panthers (7 of 27)

It took until Round 16 for Carrier -- the Buccaneers' all-time leading receiver until Mike Evans came along -- to go off the board (to the Panthers) in the 1995 expansion draft. Vying for Mark Carrier supremacy with the Pro Bowl Bears safety, the 1987 Bucs third-rounder spent six seasons on bad Tampa teams before joining Vinny Testaverde in signing with Bill Belichick's Browns in 1993. In '94, however, Carrier totaled just 452 receiving yards in 16 games. This led him to Carolina, and an immediate bounce-back effort (1,002 yards in 1995) ensued. Carrier started for the Panthers' 1996 team that stunningly trekked to the NFC championship game and played his final four seasons with the team.

Bob Christian and Howard Griffith, Carolina Panthers (8 of 27)

A chunk of NFL teams do not roster a fullback today; in 1995, the Panthers used two of their expansion picks on the position. Both not only ended up staying on the team throughout the season, but Christian and Griffith ended up as the Super Bowl XXXIII starting FBs three years later. A 1991 Falcons 12th-round pick, Christian played three seasons for the Bears from 1992-94. The Colts took Griffith in the 1991 ninth round; he operated as a Rams fullback during Jerome Bettis' first two seasons. Christian missed the 1996 season and signed back with the Falcons in '97. The Broncos made Griffith a priority that year , and he served as Terrell Davis' lead blocker in back-to-back Super Bowl-winning seasons.

Frank Clarke, Dallas Cowboys (9 of 27)

Emerging a bit ahead of his time, Clarke was a field-stretching wide receiver at 215 pounds. The Cowboys choosing the ex-Browns pass catcher in the 1960 expansion draft ignited a career. Not used much in Cleveland, Clarke became Dallas' top receiver immediately. The 1956 fifth-rounder led the NFL in receiving yardage from 1961-64, totaling a career-high 1,043 in '62. Teaming with Eddie LeBaron and Don Meredith, Clarke -- who arrived four years before Bob Hayes -- led the NFL with 22.4 and 22.2 yards per catch in 1961 and '62. Hayes' arrival and a 1964 trade for Hall of Famer Tommy McDonald led to a reduced Clarke role by the mid-1960s, though he played until 1967.

Mark Cotney, Tampa Bay Buccaneers (10 of 27)

After one season, the Oilers gave up on Cotney, but the 1975 draftee became a cornerstone defender on Buccaneers defenses that elevated the franchise in its early years. Chosen in a 1976 expansion draft involving the Bucs and Seahawks, Cotney played nine years in Tampa. The hard-hitting safety started on the 1979 Bucs team (with a No. 1-ranked defense) that stunned most by reaching the NFC championship game. Falling short of the Pro Bowl level, Cotney did intercept 17 passes (and one in the 1982 playoffs). His 92 starts as a Buccaneer are second only to John Lynch among safeties in team history.

Bill Curry, New Orleans Saints (11 of 27)

The Saints brought Curry over from the Packers in 1967, despite the future college head coach starting at center for the Pack's 1966 Super Bowl-winning team. But the Saints used their new asset in a trade a month later. New Orleans included Curry in the March 1967 trade -- one that also included a pick that became 1968's top choice (Bubba Smith) -- for Colts backup QB Gary Cuozzo, a former undrafted player who nevertheless prompted multiple teams to fork over big trade hauls. Curry then became the starting center for the Colts' first two Super Bowl-bound teams, including the 1970 champion squad. Cuozzo was out of New Orleans after one season, being dealt to Minnesota.

Mike Curtis, Seattle Seahawks (12 of 27)

Joining Curry as a key starter for the Colts' first two Super Bowl teams, Curtis was a four-time Pro Bowler during his 11-year Baltimore stay. A quality middle linebacker for several seasons, Curtis conflicted with polarizing Colts GM Joe Thomas -- after the Colts and Rams' owners swapped franchises in 1972 -- and was exposed in the expansion draft ahead of his age-33 season. Curtis started 14 games for the inaugural Seahawks edition, blocking a field goal to preserve the team's first win (over the expansion Buccaneers). The Seahawks, however, waived Curtis at season's end; he finished his career with two years in Washington.

Aaron Glenn, Houston Texans (13 of 27)

The Jets used the 2002 expansion draft to clear cap space, moving Glenn and fellow starting cornerback Marcus Coleman to free up more than $13 million in room. Glenn, a two-time Jets Pro Bowler who arrived as a 1994 first-rounder, was tied to an $8M cap number in 2002. The Texans still acquired a cornerback in his prime, seeing Glenn intercept five passes (which turned into 181 return yards and two TDs) and earn a third Pro Bowl nod in his first Houston season. The future NFL defensive coordinator, a Houston-area native, Glenn spent his early 30s with the Texans. After three Houston years, Glenn stretched his career to 15 seasons in other cities.

Paul Hornung, New Orleans Saints (14 of 27)

While Bill Curry was a young center at the time of the 1967 expansion draft, Hornung had already produced Hall of Fame credentials as a Packers legend. Green Bay moved on from both pillars of its longtime backfield -- Hornung and fullback Jim Taylor -- after Super Bowl I. Moving to younger backs Donny Anderson and Jim Grabowski, the Packers let Hornung go months before trading Taylor to the Saints. The duo did not reform in New Orleans. A neck injury prevented Hornung, then 31, from playing again. The former Heisman winner retired soon after; Taylor played one Saints season before walking away.

Desmond Howard, Jacksonville Jaguars (15 of 27)

Before Howard became a Super Bowl hero, he could not live up to expectations in Washington. After swindling the Chargers during the 1991 draft by acquiring a first-round pick for second- and fifth-rounders, Washington traded up from No. 6 to No. 4 for Howard, the electric Michigan wide receiver/returner who claimed the 1991 Heisman trophy. Howard barely made an impact on offense in his first two years; despite 727 receiving yards in 1994, Washington exposed him in the '95 expansion draft. Howard's Jaguars stay was brief, lasting one season. By 1996, the Packers scooped him up as a free agent . Howard, who played until 2002, delivered one of the best seasons by a return man in NFL history.

Billy Kilmer, New Orleans Saints (16 of 27)

Kilmer suffered a career-threatening injury in a 1962 car accident , sidetracking his 49ers career. Eventually, San Francisco exposed its backup QB in the 1967 expansion draft. The Saints reignited Kilmer's career, using him as their starter from 1967-70. Archie Manning's predecessor ended up in Washington by 1971, with the Saints clearing the runway for their next QB by shipping Kilmer to George Allen's contending team for a modest haul. Kilmer stepped in and piloted Washington to the 1971 playoffs and Super Bowl VII, where the NFC champs were favored against the unbeaten Dolphins. Part of a QB room that eventually included Sonny Jurgensen and Joe Theismann, Kilmer played until 1978.

Dave Kocourek, Miami Dolphins (17 of 27)

Players on downward trajectories are expansion-draft mainstays; that took place when the Dolphins nabbed Kocourek in 1966. While Kocourek did not have any good years after relocating from San Diego to Florida, he warrants inclusion here due to the apex of Sid Gillman's innovative offense. Converted from wide receiver to tight end early in his Bolts run, Kocourek finished as a four-time All-AFL performer. One of those years produced a Chargers AFL title. In 1961, he topped 1,000 receiving yards. In the Chargers' final game before Lance Alworth's arrival -- the 1961 AFL title game -- Kocourek caught seven passes for 123 yards. After one Dolphins slate, the 6-foot-5 performer finished his career with two Raiders seasons.

Greg Kragen, Carolina Panthers (18 of 27)

While not joining Tyrone Braxton and Steve Atwater by lasting long enough with the Broncos to enjoy John Elway's final chapter, Kragen was a key piece for the Denver teams that voyaged to Super Bowls in the 1980s. Kragen started 116 games with the Broncos, but after signing with the Chiefs in 1994, the defensive tackle became a Panther via the '95 expansion draft. Then 33, Kragen still had fuel in the tank. Quickly assembling a high-level defense, the Panthers used Kragen as a full-time starter for three years. The '96 Panthers allowed just 13.6 points per game -- a top-25 mark in the 16-game era -- and Kragen forced four fumbles en route to Carolina's shocking NFC title game bid.

Jake Kupp, New Orleans Saints (19 of 27)

Cooper Kupp's grandfather, Jake, was part of one of the stranger transactions in NFL history. Becoming a Saints expansion draftee in 1967 (after time with Dallas and Washington), Kupp was traded to the Falcons during the season. An unusual wrinkle in Kupp's two-year Saints contract at the time allowed New Orleans to effectively loan the young guard to Atlanta and bring him back in 1968. Once back in New Orleans, Kupp started 96 games from 1968-75. One of the longest-tenured guards in team history, Kupp made the 1969 Pro Bowl despite the Saints' struggles. He ended his career blocking for Archie Manning for five seasons.

Jermaine Lewis, Houston Texans (20 of 27)

The 2002 expansion draft featured teams exposing five players apiece. The Ravens left two Super Bowl XXXV core performers available; one of them was Lewis, an ace return man. An original Raven, Lewis earned All-Pro acclaim in 1998 and 2001. In between, the 5-foot-7 specialist returned a kickoff for a touchdown in Super Bowl XXXV. His punt return score was the Ravens' only TD in a blowout divisional-round loss to the Steelers; soon after, he became a Texan in the draft. Lewis only spent one season in Houston, however; the talented returner finished his nine-year career with two Jaguars slates.

Hugh McElhenny, Minnesota Vikings (21 of 27)

Due to McElhenny's San Francisco greatness, no 49er can wear No. 39. The team did not protect the future Hall of Famer in 1961 expansion draft, however. The elusive running back spent nine seasons with the 49ers, being part of the team's "Million Dollar Backfield" of the mid-1950s. A five-time Pro Bowler as a 49er, McElhenny showed he had juice left by adding a sixth as a Viking. The 33-year-old back led Minnesota in rushing in its inaugural season, totaling 853 scrimmage yards and six TDs; two of those came against the 49ers. "The King" played two Vikings seasons, before single-year stints with the Giants and Lions to close his career.

Tim McKyer, Carolina Panthers (22 of 27)

Living up to his "Frequent Flyer" Chris Berman nickname, McKyer played for seven NFL teams during his 12-year career. Flashing tremendous talent, the former 49ers 1986 third-round pick also wore out his welcome a few times. McKyer intercepted seven passes for the 1988 49ers, collecting another ring a year later with San Francisco, and added six as Deion Sanders' CB mate with the 1991 Falcons. By 1995, the Steelers left McKyer available in the expansion draft. The Panthers added him in Round 6 and deployed him as a starter. At 32, McKyer intercepted three passes and returned one for a score. His nomadic career continued, however, finishing with another Atlanta stop and a third ring with the '97 Broncos.

Jamie Sharper, Houston Texans (23 of 27)

The Ravens rolled out one of this century's best linebacking trios . Although Sharper was the clear No. 3 in a group that included Ray Lewis and Peter Boulware, he was a central role player for the 2000 Ravens' menacing defense. He racked up 108 tackles and a career-high six sacks with the '01 team, but Baltimore left the 1997 second-rounder unprotected in the 2002 expansion draft. The Texans pounced and turned Sharper loose. Leading the Texans in tackles for three seasons, Sharper paced the NFL with 166 stops in 2003. The off-ball 'backer also accumulated 11.5 sacks, six forced fumbles, and 32 TFLs in his three Houston years.

Mike Tilleman, New Orleans Saints (24 of 27)

Tilleman began his career alongside Alan Page, Carl Eller and other Purple People Eaters, but the Vikings left the 1965 draftee unprotected. What turned into an interesting Saints expansion draft included Tilleman, who proceeded to play 10 more NFL seasons. Four of those came in New Orleans, which turned to the 6-foot-7, 272-pound D-tackle in its early years. Tilleman's better statistical showings came in Houston, where he totaled 19 sacks from 1971-72. Both the Saints and Oilers fetched big trade hauls for Tilleman, a 137-game starter; this included a first-round pick going from Atlanta to Houston in 1973.

Pat Toomay, Tampa Bay Buccaneers (25 of 27)

Toomay's career included only a one-year stopover with arguably the worst team in NFL history -- the 1976 Buccaneers -- but it lands him here. Tampa Bay used an expansion choice on Toomay, pairing him with future Hall of Famer Lee Roy Selmon up front. The D-lineman made a name for himself as a Cowboys starter before Ed "Too Tall" Jones' arrival. Toomay tallied 31.5 sacks as a Cowboy but was dealt to the Bills ahead of Jones' second season. The 1970 Dallas draftee did collect a Super Bowl ring and later led the AFC with 14.5 sacks as a Raider in 1977. He of two 10-plus-sack seasons, Toomay later wrote two books -- one about his NFL career .

Jerry Tubbs, Dallas Cowboys (26 of 27)

The rare 20-something top-10 pick exposed in an expansion draft, Tubbs wound up on the Cowboys' 1960 draft list at just 25. The 1957 Chicago Cardinals pickup was left unprotected by the 49ers, who acquired him after the Cards bailed on their first-rounder midseason in 1958. After starting for the 1959 49ers, Tubbs became useful as an immediate starter in Dallas. The productive player joined fellow ex-Chicago (Bears) top-10 linebacker draftee Chuck Howley as long-term second-level cogs. Tubbs was a prolific tackler who earned Pro Bowl honors in 1962. Over an 11-year career, Tubbs intercepted 17 passes from his MLB post.

Dave Whitsell, New Orleans Saints (27 of 27)

This many Saints representatives is a bit odd, given their history. But Whitsell, like Hornung, excelled on much better teams before being a 1967 expansion draftee. Like Kupp and Tilleman, Whitsell also helped the Saints upon being brought in. Intercepting six passes as a starter for an underappreciated 1963 Bears defense, which allowed an NFL-best 10.3 points per game en route to an NFL title, Whitsell nearly doubled his career INT total in three Saints seasons. The 1958 Lions draftee intercepted an NFL-high 10 passes as a Saint in 1967, earning All-Pro honors, and added six more in '68. Nineteen of Whitsell's 46 career INTs came as a Saint; that remains fifth in team history.