Commentary

Second Round: Two Jacks, all kings

Steelers Ham and Lambert join Singletary, Hendricks among second-round great LBs

Originally Published: April 15, 2010
By Sheldon Spencer | ESPN.com

Jack Ham & Jack LambertUS PresswireA pair of Steelers second-round picks, linebackers Jack Ham (1971) and Jack Lambert (1974), anchor a stellar defense.
The NFL draft's second rounds have produced great linebackers in abundance. Consider some of the players who were among the many "also considered" for ESPN.com's second-round draft all-stars.

The quartet of Willie Lanier (1967, Kansas City Chiefs), Bill George (1951, Chicago Bears), Rickey Jackson (1981, New Orleans Saints) and Andre Tippett (1982, New England Patriots) would be a solid first team for any round. Each is a member of the Pro Football Hall of Fame (Jackson entering with the rest of the Class of 2010 this summer).

Round-by-Round All-Stars

ESPN.com this week unveils the best of the NFL draft, round by round. The series breakdown:

Our starting quartet of Jack Ham (1971, Pittsburgh Steelers), Jack Lambert (1974, Steelers), Ted Hendricks (1969, Baltimore Colts) and Mike Singletary (1981, Chicago Bears) have bronzed busts too. The group also has plenty of championships to its credit, with Ham and Lambert providing four Super Bowl rings apiece thanks to their run with the dominant Steelers of the 1970s and early '80s.

Ham, Lambert, Hendricks and Singletary were second-round selections, but each established himself as top-flight talent early.

Former Penn State star Ham intercepted three passes in a preseason game his rookie season to clinch a starting job. In 1972, he had seven interceptions on his way to 32 in his career. He was elected to eight straight Pro Bowls.

Lambert emerged from Kent State of the Mid-American Conference to become the NFL's Defensive Rookie of the Year. He eventually broke Ham's record with nine straight Pro Bowl selections.

Eleven other defensive prospects were taken in the 1969 NFL-AFL draft before the Colts snagged Hendricks, a 6-foot-7, 215-pound defensive end from Miami (Fla.). Hendricks became a Colts starting linebacker by Game 7 of his rookie season and helped pace the franchise to its first Super Bowl victory in his second year. He would later collect three more rings with the Oakland Raiders.

Like Hendricks, former Baylor star Singletary became a starter by the seventh game of his rookie season -- despite Bears defensive coordinator Buddy Ryan's disdain for rookies. By his third game as a starter, Singletary earned a game ball for a 10-tackle performance. For 11 consecutive seasons, he ranked either first or second on the Bears in tackles.

Oddly enough, the Bears landed Singletary by trading up two slots in the 1981 draft with the San Francisco 49ers -- the team Singletary coaches today.

Second Round Offense All-Stars

Here are the best offensive players selected in the second round in NFL regular draft history. Pro Football Hall of Fame members are in bold face. Guards and tackles were not selected position specific.

Position Player Year College Signed By Comment Among others considered
QB Ken Stabler 1968 Alabama Raiders "Snake" won a SB and earned four PB citations during his tenure with Raiders and still reigns as team's career leader in passing yards Drew Brees (2001, Chargers), Randall Cunningham (1985, Eagles), Boomer Esiason (1984, Bengals)
RB Thurman Thomas 1988 Oklahoma State Bills In 12 years in Buffalo, Thomas led the NFL in scrimmage yards a record four consecutive seasons and was 1991 MVP; paced four consecutive SB appearances Tuffy Leemans (1936, Giants), Tiki Barber (1997, Giants), Maurice Jones-Drew (2006, Jaguars)
RB Jim Taylor 1958 LSU Packers HOFer won four NFL championships with Packers, rushed for at least 1,000 yards in five consecutive seasons Corey Dillon (1997, Bengals), Ricky Watters (1991, 49ers), Roger Craig (1983, 49ers)
WR Anquan Boldin 2003 Florida State Cardinals Caught 586 passes for 7,520 yards in seven seasons, helped Arizona to one SB appearance before March 2010 trade to Ravens Wesley Walker (1977, Jets)
WR Isaac Bruce 1994 Memphis Rams In 14 seasons with Rams, Bruce amassed the bulk of his HOF-worthy numbers and helped lead franchise to two SB appearances and one title Henry Ellard (1983, Rams)
TE John Mackey 1963 Syracuse Colts All-Pro TE for three straight seasons, Mackey paced Colts to two SB appearances, catching a 75-yard TD pass in a title-game victory Dave Casper (1974, Raiders)
C Dwight Stephenson 1980 Alabama Dolphins HOFer was elected to five consecutive PBs, played in two SBs, three AFC title games in eight seasons before career ended by knee injury Dermontti Dawson (1988, Steelers)
G Larry Allen 1994 Sonoma State (Calif.) Cowboys Had 10 PB trips with Dallas from 1994-2005, tied for second most in Cowboys history, and one SB ring Dick Stanfel (1952, Lions)
G Randy Cross 1976 UCLA 49ers A center at start of 13-year career, Cross won three PB citations at guard and four SB rings Ed White (1969, Vikings), Steve Wisniewski (1989, Raiders)
T Lou Creekmur 1950 William & Mary Lions HOFer was a star of three Lions' title teams in the 1950s, made eight PBs Dan Dierdorf (1971, Cardinals), Flozell Adams (1998, Cowboys)
T Forrest Gregg 1956 SMU Packers Vince Lombardi called Gregg "the best player I ever coached." Gregg won six NFL titles as a player Matt Light (2001, Patriots), Dick Schafrath (1959, Browns)

Second-Round Defense All-Stars

Here are some of the best defensive players selected in the second round in NFL regular draft history. Pro Football Hall of Fame members are in bold face. To honor the popularity of the 3-4 defense, we picked four linebackers. Corners, safeties and linebackers were not selected position specific.

Position Player Year College Signed By Comment Among others considered
DE Michael Strahan 1993 Texas Southern Giants Appeared in 2 SBs, recorded 141½ career sacks, won one SB ring Gino Marchetti (1952, Colts/Texans), Fred Dean (1975, Chargers)
DE Howie Long 1981 Villanova Raiders HOFer played in one SB, won one ring, had 84½ sacks officially, was selected to eight PBs Mark Gastineau (1979, Jets), Leonard Marshall (1983, Giants)
DT Ernie Stautner 1950 Boston College Steelers HOFer played in nine PBs in 14 seasons with Steelers, recovered 23 fumbles and had three career safeties Kris Jenkins (2001, Panthers)
DT Bob Baumhower 1977 Alabama Dolphins In nine years with the Dolphins, Baumhower played in two SBs and was selected to five PBs Michael Dean Perry (1988, Browns)
LB Jack Ham 1971 Penn State Steelers In 12 Steelers seasons, HOFer earned six PB citations, four SB rings Willie Lanier (1967, Chiefs)
LB Jack Lambert 1974 Kent State Steelers In 11 Steelers seasons, Lambert earned nine PB citations, four SB rings Bill George (1951, Bears)
LB Ted Hendricks 1969 Miami (Fla.) Colts In five seasons with Colts, HOFer won a ring, three PB citations Rickey Jackson (1981, Saints)
LB Mike Singletary 1981 Baylor Bears The fulcrum of the 1980s Bears defense, Singletary earned 10 PB citations and a SB ring Andre Tippett (1982, Patriots)
CB Lem Barney 1967 Lions Jackson State In 11 Lions seasons, Barney was selected to play in seven PBs; had 56 INTs, scored 11 TDs and served as team's punter for two seasons Eric Allen (1988, Eagles), Sam Madison (1997, Dolphins)
CB Mel Renfro 1964 Cowboys Oregon Made 10 PBs and played in four SBs, started in three Nate Odomes (1987, Bills)
S Darren Woodson 1992 Arizona State Cowboys Five-time PBer won three SBs in 12 seasons with Cowboys Brian Dawkins (1996, Eagles), Darren Sharper (1997, Packers)
S Leroy Butler 1990 Florida State Packers A four-time PBer who helped lead two Packers teams to SBs, claiming one title Lawyer Milloy (1996, Patriots), Nolan Cromwell (1977, Rams)
Sheldon Spencer is an NFL editor at ESPN.com. Thanks to ESPN's Stats & Information crew for their researching efforts, as well as Pro-Football-Reference.com and the Pro Football Hall Of Fame's Web site.

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