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.
Want more sports news? Sign up for the Sports Omelette to get all our analysis on Denver’s teams.
Want more Broncos news? Sign up for the Broncos Insider to get all our NFL analysis.