Joe Montana was the 82nd pick of the 1979 NFL Draft. He went on to win four Super Bowls (and three Super Bowl MVPs), be named MVP twice and First Team All-Pro three times, play in eight Pro Bowls and have his No. 16 jersey retired by the San Francisco 49ers. Not bad for a third-round pick.
Montana’s story isn’t unique, in fact 25 players in total have gone from a third-round pick to the NFL Hall of Fame. (Note: we’re defining third-round picks by today’s standard, which in a 32-team league would mean picks 65-96. We aren’t including third-round compensatory selections).
Among the 25 players who were selected between picks 65 and 96 are legends of the early years of the NFL. Green Bay’s Tony Canadeo, Green Bay/Philadelphia star Jim Ringo, and Detroit’s Jack Christiansen were all picked in what would be today’s third round.
The list also includes stars from after the NFL-AFL merger, like Montana, Pittsburgh’s John Stallworth and others.
Finally, a few more contemporary names — like Curtis Martin, Jason Taylor and Terrell Owens — are making their way into the Hall of Fame, too.
Here’s all the Hall of Famers who were selected between picks 65 and 96, what would be today’s third round (without compensatory picks):
