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The discourse surrounding the 30th pick in the NFL Draft reveals a tapestry of historical significance interwoven with the complexities of player selection. I embarked on a thorough examination of this particular slot, engaging in a dialogue with my esteemed colleague, Ed Cleese, who elucidated the nuances and notable statistics associated with pick number 30. Over the span of 90 years, the prevalence of defensive backs selected at this juncture stands out, with a staggering 10% of choices culminating in this position. This discourse is not merely an exploration of numbers; it transcends into a narrative that encapsulates the fortunes and misfortunes of players who have donned the mantle of the 30th pick. We traverse the annals of time, highlighting both the forgettable selections and the heavy hitters that have emerged from this position, culminating in a rich discussion about the implications of these choices on franchises and their legacies. In our conversation, Ed delineates various players, illustrating how the landscape of the NFL Draft has evolved. The analysis extends to the cases of Keith Browner and Andre Johnson, whose stories serve as reminders of the unpredictability inherent in drafting decisions. Browner, a defensive lineman whose career was marred by legal troubles, stands juxtaposed with Johnson, an offensive tackle who, despite being a first-round selection, failed to leave a mark on the field. This juxtaposition underscores the dichotomy of success and failure that haunts the draft, reminding us that the selection process is fraught with risk, and often, the most promising prospects may falter under the weight of expectation. Ultimately, our dialogue culminates in an affirmation of the extraordinary talents that have emerged from the 30th pick, particularly emphasizing the illustrious career of TJ Watt, a player whose prowess on the field has not only redefined expectations but has also solidified his place among the legends of the game. We find ourselves eagerly anticipating the upcoming draft, poised to witness the next chapter unfold in the storied history of the NFL, as we reflect on the past and look forward to the future of football.

Mentioned in this episode:

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Being I'm the 30th pick, I'm good

enough for the Thursday night ceremony, but it's late and I'm ready for bed. All right.

And as we promised, we are coming on every single day leading up to that to talk about the draft picks and the history of the NFL draft. We promise you no mock drafts and no speculating where your team's going to pick. We're going to tell you the history of what happened.

And Ed Kleese joins me once again as we talk about pick number 30. Ed, welcome back to the Pig Pen.

Thanks for having me again, Darin.

Yeah. And pick number 30 is a very interesting pick. It is. The most popular position selected over the last 90 years has been defensive back.

That's been done nine times. So 10% of the time a defensive back has been chosen in this slot selection of the NFL draft.

Gotcha. Gotcha.

Yeah. So we have some very interesting things going on. What is your take on pick 30?

All four Browner brothers played in the NFL, which, which is really. I don't know if there's been another family that's done that. I'm not sure.

Probably not. Since the Nesser brothers playing for Columbia.

And Keith had some trouble in Tampa, he wound up out of the league. I think he got into some sort of legal issues as well. He got into a dispute with the Bucks. So he was.

Again, when you're this far down in the draft, it's difficult to call anybody a bust. But Keith Browner would probably be in that conversation.

I believe this was the last pick of the first round that year. Washington traded up into the first round to draft offensive tackle from Penn State, Andre Johnson.

Here's something interesting and I don't know if we can say this about any other first round pick ever. I don't know. Andre Johnson never played it down for the Redskins and was not hurt, so that is how bad of a pick it was.

He, he, he basically couldn't make the team his rookie year and so they didn't really have him on the roster. They had him on like some reserve or whatever it was.

Then he didn't play one play and I think it was either the year or two later he wound up on the Lions. He did appear in three games. I don't know if that means he actually got on the field or not, but he was like, I guess active. So.

And then he was out, then his career was over. So he never really ever played football and it wasn't due to injury. That is pretty amazing for a first round pick.

Yeah, it surely sure is, but I think that's the very definition of a bust, you know?

Yes.

I mean, because usually like we all know the, you know, if you draft somebody high enough, they're going to get a second chance, someone's going to take a chance on them because I'm like, oh, he's a first round pick. Well, you know, we bring him in for free and see what happens.

And like with him, I don't know if he just didn't want to play football or what the deal was, but I do remember the whispers from almost like the minute camp started was this is not, this ain't happening with this guy. That's kind of what was going on. So, so yeah, there were some, there are some other names like Joseph Adai, the running back was taken here.

Ross Verba, a pretty good offensive lineman for the packers in this spot and a good, a very, a nice tight end for the Steelers, of course was Heath Miller.

Yeah, yeah, I can hear the call

he, yeah, Heath Miller was taken there, but none of those guys made my top five.

Wow. Okay. All right, so who did you have in your top five?

Number five. And then again, the back end was kind of tough. A lot of these guys were, had pretty good careers and were kind of all the same to me.

He had four seasons with 10 or more sacks, which is pretty impressive. And he was first team all pro at the end of his career with Seattle. So that's kind of strange.

But one thing that kind of stood out to me is in the history of the Atlanta Falcons, I can't think of very many defensive players at all that stick out. Like, if you said, hey, name five awesome defensive players for the Falcons, I kind of have to rack my brain.

But, like, Patrick Kearney does come to mind. Like, I immediately think of him. So that's clearly a very good pick at number 30 if you're getting a player of his caliber.

Yeah. Okay. So I'm surprised that he's down that low. So who do you have above him?

And that was a good decade for.

For Tennessee. They were.

They were a good team. They made the playoffs a bunch. He did make the all pro team one time and. But this was. This is probably why I remember him and why he stuck out.

Darren. He missed three games total in that decade.

Wow. At a linebacker where you're getting hit constantly, right? Really good, Good sign.

So he's just one of those guys, Darren, that every time you watch the Titans game and they were on a decent amount because they were playing in fairly. Keith Bullock. Keith Bullock. Keith Bullock. He's always on the field.

He may not be making an impact of, like, a Ray Lewis or somebody like that, but he's a really good player. And, boy, you're going to throw a party if you draft a player that good at number 30.

Yeah, most definitely. I think any team would love to have a linebacker that caliber coming out of the draft that late in the draft.

All right, so who do you have above Bullock?

I love the fact that he played all 14 seasons in Indianapolis. He had a little bit the re. He's not in Canton yet, and he may or may not get there. He had a slow start to his career.

He didn't catch 80 passes in a season until his fifth season, and then he kind of exploded from there. I think what people take away from him maybe a little bit is the fact that because he played with Peyton and.

And because he was always the second best receiver on his team behind Marvin Harrison, that maybe Some people pigeonhole him a little bit as he caught a lot of the crumbs from the Colts. But I remember him as a dynamic, dominant player that did a lot of damage on his own, and I really. I almost had him at number two.

I think he's probably a guy that should get a yellow jacket, a gold jacket.

Yeah, I think he'll get one here pretty soon. I mean, Harrison got in, Peyton's in. I think he's going to get in there also.

What I like about his career is he was drafted by the Eagles, he made the Pro bowl with the Eagles, he made the Pro bowl with the Saints, and then he was good in Oakland at the end of his career as well. So a little bit different because he bounced. A lot of these guys on this list haven't bounced around much. Eric Allen did what.

Another thing I liked is in his last three seasons in the NFL, he played all 16 games those three seasons. So at the end of his career, he was still a very durable, very good player. I also like this. He had eight career touchdowns. He had four in one year.

And I think by the time he retired, he was always considered one of the best in the position as he was playing. And I think by the time he retired, he was in that. No doubt he's going to the hall of Fame and he's there.

Yeah, I definitely agree with you, but I'm surprised. Okay, now, so who do you have that's above the hall of Famer?

So I can't.

I really don't want to be doing this and making you puff your chest out, because my number one pick on the 31st pick was a current Pittsburgh Steeler defensive lineman that I think is going to go to the hall of Fame, Cam Hayward.

I think he's in the hall of Fame if he retired right now. So I don't think he has anything. I don't think he has any more boxes to check. I think he's there right now.

He could do whatever he wants the rest of his career and he's in, he said five years with 13 or more sacks, which is wild. And then he's had nine interceptions and 14 fumble recoveries. What I love about TJ Watt is that he is not a one trick pony.

He's not just a great edge rusher, pass rusher. He is a great player that happens to be an edge rusher and easy hall of Famer. He's going to be there back to back Steelers number one.

I love it, love to hear it. I'm glad this is a Steeler podcast you're joining here. So no, those are some really solid picks.

I, I figured I knew the answer to that one too, but I was going to make you, you bring it out to me a little bit there. There was a, some more famous Steelers that were drafted here and also came from my favorite college, Notre Dame.

If you remember back to your early Steelers history, Terry Hanratty, Terry Bradshaw, Joe Gilliam all started in that first super bowl season and really Chuck Noel didn't make a decision who his starter was and Bradshaw ended up getting the nod after some, some happenings there.

Well, and really he, he also, you know, he was was it 60 Minutes that did the Violent World of Sam Huff? It was one of the first inside looks at football and sort of the price that a lot of the guys pay to get there.

And you know, along with NFL films, I think those were the types of things that started to really ingrained the NFL with the American public. He was one of the first, one of the first to give a little bit of a behind the scenes look.

And not only did he end his career with Washington, but he wound up in the booth. Darren, Frank, Sonny and Sam.

Yeah, definitely a great name and great broadcaster like you said. Definitely people remember him for, for many things.

So what was that when you were watching that draft, Darren? What was that like when old Vic was taken?

It was in black and white so it was hard to see, you know, Mel Kuiper, that was his first draft,

I think found out he was drafted by Pony Express, that's for sure.

But the drafts back then were before Christmas, so.

Oh wow.

So they're during the season still being played many times before the championship game. So imagine being in the front office, then your team's in the playoffs or I guess not the price, but in a championship.

And you're also trying to figure out who you're going to pick for your 17 rounds of the draft.

I guess that takes us down to our draft stat of the day and this is one that you're going to enjoy and I'm going to enjoy because both of our favorite colleges are tied for something. They are the only two schools to produce the top pick in consecutive NBA and NFL drafts.

Can I guess the next one?

Yeah, I think this is very recent, so go ahead. I'll let you do that.

This would be Sam Bradford and Blake Griffin.

That's correct. All right. Correct. So just a little bit of a trivia for you bringing some basketball fans into this one too.

Boomer Center.

And that takes us to. Oh, I didn't discuss our top colleges drafted at number 30. There was a tie.

Miami of Florida and Ohio State each had three taken at that selection and the most popular position was also a tie. That's running backs 12 different times and offensive tackles a dozen times.

So good chance maybe one of those will be picked up an upcoming draft here too. So good stats there. So, Ed, unless you have anything further to go, I think I'm going to say our adieu for today.

And don't worry, we'll be back tomorrow to talk about pick number 29 as we approach closer to the NFL draft. Ed, thanks for joining us today.

We'll see you tomorrow.

That's all the football history we have today, folks. Join us back tomorrow for more of your football history.

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