CU Buffs quarterbacks in NFL draft
Shedeur Sanders may have slid in the NFL draft relative to expectations — including those of his father, Deion Sanders — but he finally found a home on Saturday. With the Cleveland Browns taking Shedeur 144th in the fifth round of the NFL draft, he become the second-earliest drafted quarterback in program history — three rounds behind Kordell Stewart in 1995. Now, the question is whether or not Shedeur will also become CU’s most successful NFL quarterback. Stewart set the bar with his 11-year career. Here’s a look at each Buffs QB taken in the NFL draft:
| Year | Round-Pick | Player | Team |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1997 | 7-207 | Koy Detmer | Philadelphia |
| Comment: Detmer only started eight games but had long NFL career as Donovan McNabb’s backup, spending nine season in Philly. | |||
| 1995 | 2-60 | Kordell Stewart | Pittsburgh |
| Comment: “Slash” easily CU’s most successful NFL QB with 50-34 record, 14,746 career pass yards, four playoff starts and Pro Bowl nod. | |||
| 1992 | 9-242 | Darian Hagan | San Francisco |
| Comment: CU’s national championship-winning QB was drafted as a wide receiver, but never played in the NFL. | |||
| 1984 | 12-336 | Randy Essington | Oakland |
| Comment: CU’s lone “Mr. Irrelevant” was taken with final pick of ’84 draft but was cut before start of what would’ve been his rookie season. | |||
| 1976 | 7-208 | Dave Williams | Dallas |
| Comment: Like Hagan, Williams wasn’t drafted to play QB. Instead, he bounced around three franchises over five years as a running back (172 carries, 501 yards). | |||
| 1962 | 10-140 | Gale Weidner | Green Bay |
| Comment: Weidner was also drafted by the Broncos in 10th round of AFL draft but never took a snap for either team. | |||
(Click here to view chart in mobile.)
Source: Pro-Football-Reference.com.
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