Alex Brown is UF's all-time career sacks leader with 33. (File photo)
Late Bloomers: Gators Who Excelled as Late-round picks
Wednesday, April 26, 2017 | Football
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With the NFL Draft set to start Thursday, a look at former UF players who carved out successful careers despite being overlooked in the early rounds.
By: Mike Huguenin, Special to FloridaGators.com
GAINESVILLE, Fla. -- We're on the cusp of the NFL Draft, and if you're a football fan, you likely are in "get the draft over with already" mode. The run-up to the draft has been lengthened, and even the most ardent draftnik has to be tired of all the hoopla surrounding the annual event.
Much of the pre-draft focus is on who's going where in the first round. But hard-core fans, not to mention NFL coaches and personnel executives, will tell you that mid- and late-round choices are just as important when building depth. Yes, there are a lot of misses in the later rounds, but teams often can find jewels, as well.
Numerous Pro Football Hall of Famers, such as George Blanda (12th round), Raymond Berry (20th), Richard Dent (8th), Deacon Jones (14th) and Bart Starr (17th) were taken relatively late in the draft.
To that end, we're going to look at 10 ex-Gators who enjoyed long and/or extremely productive NFL careers despite being taken in the fourth round or later in the draft. The draft has been a seven-round affair since 1994. But as recently as 1992, it was 12 rounds, and it was 32 rounds for part of the 1940s.
The players are listed alphabetically:
*****
DE Alex Brown
Draft spot: 4th round (No. 104 overall) by Chicago in 2002 The buzz: Brown starred in high school at Jasper Hamilton County and is Florida's career sacks leader with 33. He had a school-record 13 as a senior in 2001. But that trait didn't impress NFL teams all that much in 2002 (things would be different today). Brown was a part-time starter as a rookie with the Bears, then was a full-time starter in seven of his eight remaining NFL seasons. He ended his career in 2010 with 45.5 career sacks; 43.5 of those were with the Bears (he played one season for New Orleans), and that total ranks fourth in franchise history. Brown also had 17 forced fumbles and five interceptions in his career.
*****
G Cooper Carlisle Cooper Carlisle played 13 seasons in the NFL. Draft spot: 4th round (No. 112 overall) by Denver in 2000 The buzz: Carlisle, from McComb (Miss.) High, redshirted as a freshman at UF in 1995, then was a part-time starter at left tackle in '96 and '97. He moved to guard in '98 and was a two-year starter there. He earned All-SEC honors as a senior. Carlisle also was a four-time member of the SEC Academic Honor Roll. His NFL career got off to a slow start, as he made just six starts in his first five seasons for the Broncos. But he then started every game in the eight remaining seasons of his career, with the final six seasons coming with Oakland. He retired following the 2012 season having played in 190 games, starting 133, in his 13 seasons.
*****
K/P Don Chandler/P Bobby Joe Green
Draft spot: Chandler 5th round (No. 57 overall) by the New York Giants in 1956; Green 9th round (No. 102 overall) by San Francisco in 1959 The buzz: These were two of the premier specialists in the NFL in the 1960s. Chandler was strictly a punter for his first six NFL seasons before adding kicking duties for the final six seasons of his career. He was Green Bay's kicker in the first two Super Bowls. Chandler made the Pro Bowl in 1967, which was his final season. Bobby Joe Green
Green, meanwhile, punted for 14 NFL seasons, with Pittsburgh (two years) and Chicago. He averaged 42.6 yards for his career and made the Pro Bowl in 1970. He retired after the 1973 season. Both were Oklahoma natives: Chandler from Tulsa and Green from Bartlesville. Chandler transferred from Bacone (Okla.), an NAIA school, for the final two years of his college career. Green, who also was on Florida's track team, was a junior-college transfer from Northeastern Oklahoma A&M. Chandler died at age 76 in 2011 in Tulsa; Green died at age 57 of a heart attack in Gainesville in 1993. (An aside: Green was in the same draft class with the 49ers as future Nebraska coach Tom Osborne and future Detroit Lions coach Monte Clark).
*****
DT Brad Culpepper
Draft spot: 10th round (No. 264 overall) by Minnesota in 1992 The buzz: Culpepper starred at Tallahassee Leon, but he was from a Gator family – his dad and uncle played football for UF and his grandfather also was a UF alum. He redshirted as a freshman in 1987 for medical reasons, was a key reserve in '88, then moved into the starting lineup for the next three seasons. Culpepper was undersized (6-2, 250), but exceptionally quick and possessed the proverbial "good motor." His lack of size was a big negative when it pertained to the NFL, but he made the Vikings' roster as a rookie and was a backup in 1992 and '93.
Brad Culpepper teamed with Warren Sapp in Tampa to form one of the best 1-2 interior line combos in the NFL.
His career took off, though, when he signed as a free agent with Tampa Bay following the '93 season. He became a starter with the Bucs, and when Warren Sapp arrived in '95, he and Culpepper formed a destructive inside duo – Culpepper because of his quickness and Sapp because of his strength and quickness. From 1997-99, Culpepper totaled 23.5 sacks and Sapp 30, huge numbers for an interior line duo. Culpepper finished his career with Chicago in 2000, and now is a lawyer (and a contestant on CBS' "Survivor.").
*****
LB Andra Davis
Draft spot: 5th round (No. 141 overall) by Cleveland in 2002 The buzz: Davis, from Live Oak (Fla.) Suwannee, redshirted as a true freshman in 1997, then was a reserve in '98, when Florida's three starting linebackers were Johnny Rutledge, Mike Peterson and Jevon Kearse. He became the starting middle linebacker in '99, then suffered a severe knee injury in the season opener in 2000 and missed the rest of the season. He returned in 2001 and earned All-SEC honors and some All-America acclaim. Davis was a reserve as a rookie with the Browns, then was the Browns' starting middle 'backer for the next six seasons. He started for Denver in 2009, then was a reserve in his final two seasons with Buffalo. Davis had three seasons of 100-plus tackles, including 149 in 2005.
*****
OT Dan Fike
Draft spot: 10th round (No. 274 overall) by the New York Jets in 1983
The buzz: Fike starred at Pensacola Pine Forest before signing with the Gators as a defensive lineman in 1979. He played extensively as a true freshman defensive tackle, including making four starts, on a team that went 0-10-1, then was moved to left tackle during spring drills in 1980. Fike was a three-year starter at left tackle for the Gators and earned some All-SEC acclaim after his senior season. While he was drafted by the Jets, he never saw action in either '83 or '84 with New York. Fike signed with Cleveland as a free agent following the 1984 season, then became a full-time starter for seven of the next eight seasons. He started at guard on five consecutive playoff teams for the Browns (1985-89); he moved to right tackle in 1991 and was a two-year starter there for Cleveland. He played in three games for Pittsburgh in 1993 before retiring. Not bad for a guy Cleveland signed off the scrap heap.
*****
LB David Little David Little was a force for the Steelers.
Draft spot: 7th round (No. 183 overall) by Pittsburgh in 1981 The buzz: Little, from Miami Jackson, was the younger brother of Hall of Fame offensive lineman Larry Little. He enjoyed a great deal of success in high school in both football and basketball; he was the starting point guard on two Jackson teams that won state titles. He focused entirely on football at UF and was an absolute tackle machine; he still holds the school record for career tackles with 475. Little was a three-year starter and made at least 100 tackles in each of his final three seasons with the Gators, with a high of 161 as a senior in 1980; he was a first-team All-SEC pick that season, and earned some All-America acclaim. Little was both physical against the run and nimble enough to be effective in pass coverage. He didn't get much time playing behind Jack Lambert in his first three seasons in Pittsburgh, but when Lambert suffered a toe injury early in the '84 season, Little was ready. He was so ready that he stayed in the starting lineup through the 1992 season, when he retired. Little led the Steelers in tackles five times in six seasons from '84 through '89, then made the Pro Bowl in 1990. He died in 2005 at the age of 46 in a weightlifting accident at his home in Miami.
*****
C Jeff Mitchell
Draft spot: 5th round (No. 134 overall) by Baltimore in 1997
The buzz: Mitchell was a standout defensive lineman at Clearwater Countryside and signed with the Gators in 1992, which might be the best recruiting class in UF history; among the other recruits that year were James Bates, Reggie Green, Anthone Lott, Jason Odom, Lawrence Wright, Donnie Young and Danny Wuerffel. Mitchell redshirted as a true freshman guard, then was a key reserve in '93 before starting at guard in '94. He moved to center during fall drills in '95 and started there in '95 and '96 until he suffered a broken ankle late in the season against Georgia. The ankle negatively impacted his draft status, and he fell to the fifth round. He didn't play at all as a rookie in 1997, then became a full-time starter in 1998. He started at center for the Ravens in 1999 and 2000, winning a Super Bowl ring in '00, then signed as a free agent with Carolina following that season. He then started for five seasons with the Panthers – including a Super Bowl appearance after the 2003 season – before retiring. He played in 119 NFL games and started 118 of them.
*****
CB Bernie Parrish
Draft spot: 9th round (No. 108 overall) by Cleveland in 1958 The buzz: Parrish starred in baseball and football at Gainesville P.K. Yonge before signing with the Gators, where he starred in both sports. He was better in baseball at UF and was the Gators' first All-American in that sport, as a second baseman. He was a two-way halfback on the football team, but skipped his senior season of football because he signed a baseball deal with Cincinnati – for $90,000, an exorbitant amount at the time – after his junior year at UF.
Nevertheless, he was drafted in 1958 by Cleveland and ended up signing with the Browns a year later. Parrish became an immediate starter at corner for Cleveland, and over the next seven seasons, he missed just one game. He made the Pro Bowl in 1960 and '63 and was a second-team All-NFL selection in '64, when he helped the Browns win the NFL title. Parrish had 29 interceptions with the Browns, returning them for 557 yards (19.2 per return) and three touchdowns. He played in one AFL game, with Houston, in 1966 before his career ended. Parrish became a vocal member of the NFL Players Association while the Browns and was vice president of the union for a time. Parrish later wrote a book critical of the league entitled "They Call It a Game," which became a best-seller in 1971.
*****
DB John Symank
Draft spot: 23rd round (No. 268 overall) by Green Bay in 1957 John SymankThe buzz: A native of Caldwell, Texas, which is about 30 miles from Texas A&M's campus, Symank first attended a junior college that no longer exists (Arlington State Junior College now is the University of Texas-Arlington). He played both ways at halfback for the Gators in 1955 and '56, sharing time with the likes of Parrish, Jackie Simpson and Joe Brodsky. While an effective runner, Symank was better defensively, which showed in the NFL. As a rookie in '57, Symank surprisingly made the Packers' roster – then set the NFL single-season record for interceptions by a rookie with nine. Symank played six more seasons and had just 10 more interceptions. Nevertheless, he was a key player for the Packers, and no less an authority than Vince Lombardi fell in love with Symank's game. "He is serious and intense, and in a game he would just as soon break your leg as not," Lombardi wrote in his book "Run to Daylight." "He has made it in this league because he gets a great deal more out of himself than his ability and size justify. … John gets the maximum out of himself in every game." Symank spent the first six seasons of his career with Green Bay, playing on two NFL championship teams, then played his final season with St. Louis. After his playing career ended, Symank moved directly into coaching. He was an assistant at Tulane in 1964 and at Virginia in 1965 before becoming an assistant with the NFL's Atlanta Falcons from 1966-68. He was head coach at Northern Arizona in 1969 and '70, then at Texas-Arlington from 1971-73. Symank was hired as an assistant with the New York Giants by Bill Arnsparger in '74. He also was an assistant with the Baltimore Colts before again working with Arnsparger at LSU from 1984-86. He was an assistant AD at LSU from 1987-97. Symank died of cancer in 2002 at the age of 66.
Mike Huguenin is the managing editor for gridironnow.com, an SEC-centric website.
The buzz: Fike starred at Pensacola Pine Forest before signing with the Gators as a defensive lineman in 1979. He played extensively as a true freshman defensive tackle, including making four starts, on a team that went 0-10-1, then was moved to left tackle during spring drills in 1980. Fike was a three-year starter at left tackle for the Gators and earned some All-SEC acclaim after his senior season. While he was drafted by the Jets, he never saw action in either '83 or '84 with New York. Fike signed with Cleveland as a free agent following the 1984 season, then became a full-time starter for seven of the next eight seasons. He started at guard on five consecutive playoff teams for the Browns (1985-89); he moved to right tackle in 1991 and was a two-year starter there for Cleveland. He played in three games for Pittsburgh in 1993 before retiring. Not bad for a guy Cleveland signed off the scrap heap.
Nevertheless, he was drafted in 1958 by Cleveland and ended up signing with the Browns a year later. Parrish became an immediate starter at corner for Cleveland, and over the next seven seasons, he missed just one game. He made the Pro Bowl in 1960 and '63 and was a second-team All-NFL selection in '64, when he helped the Browns win the NFL title. Parrish had 29 interceptions with the Browns, returning them for 557 yards (19.2 per return) and three touchdowns. He played in one AFL game, with Houston, in 1966 before his career ended. Parrish became a vocal member of the NFL Players Association while the Browns and was vice president of the union for a time. Parrish later wrote a book critical of the league entitled "They Call It a Game," which became a best-seller in 1971.
