Low picks have seen high times

Rick Devereux

The New England Patriots chose William Penn University tight end Andy

Stokes with the 255th and final pick in the NFL Draft, making Stokes

the 30th Mr. Irrelevant.

The 6-foot-5, 245-pound Stokes will be treated to a week of

pampering in Southern California by Newport Beach resident and

business man Paul Salata, beginning with an Arrival Party at Newport

Dunes Resort June 20 at 5 p.m., where he will be bombarded with gifts

and proclamations.

While the road to the NFL for a 12th-round draft pick is tough and

uphill, it is, by no means, impossible.

In fact, several Hall of Famers have been drafted in the 12th

round or later.

George Blanda, whose 26-year career was longer than any other NFL

player, was drafted in the 12th round in 1949 by the Chicago Bears.

Nick Buoniconti was a 13th-round pick for then-Boston Patriots, a

member of the American Football League, in 1962. The undersized

linebacker played in three Super Bowls and was a key component to the

Miami Dolphins’ famed “No-Name Defense.”

David “Deacon” Jones, chosen in the 14th round by the Los Angeles

Rams, missed five games during his 14-year career in the NFL. Jones

teamed with Merlin Olsen to give the Rams a Hall of Fame left side of

a defensive side. With Roosevelt Grier and Lamar Lundy, the Rams

defensive line became the “Fearsome Foursome.”

Green Bay chose Bart Starr in the 17th round of the 1956 NFL

Draft. Starr led the Packers to six division, five NFL and the first

two Super Bowl championships.

Possibly the biggest NFL longest, Raymond Berry, was selected in

the 20th round in 1954 by the Baltimore Colts. Berry, who only caught

33 passes in three years at Southern Methodist University, led the

league in receptions three times and finished his 13-year career as

the NFL career leader with 631 receptions for 9,275 yards and 68

touchdowns.