The NFL Draft is coming up on Thursday, April 29th in Cleveland as Notre Dame hopes to add 1 or 2 more players to its tally of 1st round picks throughout the program’s long history. Heading into this month, the Fighting Irish have 69* picks in the 1st round trailing only Ohio State (84) and USC (82) with Alabama (68) zooming up the historical charts during the Saban era and poised to pass Notre Dame this year.

To celebrate, we are ranking the careers of every 1st round pick to come out of Notre Dame. Today, we start with the players who didn’t do as much in the NFL as they would’ve liked.

#69 QB Angelo Bertelli
Boston Yanks
1944
1st Overall

Even though he was still an active duty Marine, the Boston Yanks nevertheless picked Bertelli with the No. 1 overall pick in the 1944 Draft. Upon returning to the United States in 1946, Bertelli would opt instead to play for the Los Angeles Dons and Chicago Rockets of the All-America Football Conference before retiring due to knee injuries.

#68 RB Bill Shakespeare
Pittsburgh Steelers
1936
3rd Overall

Shakespeare was the first-ever 1st round pick from Notre Dame, the first-ever pick for Pittsburgh (then called the Pirates) in the first-ever NFL Draft. Foregoing the meager pay of the early NFL, he went to work for the Cincinnati Rubber Company, eventually rising to President in 1960, while working his entire career with the corporation.

#67 RB Creighton Miller
Brooklyn Tigers
1944
3rd Overall

Miller never suited up in the NFL due to high blood pressure and would eventually turn to a legal career in Cleveland where he’d later help found the NFL Player’s Association. He was the legal counsel for the NFLPA until 1968 when the union was formerly recognized by the NFL.

#66 RB Joe Heap
New York Giants
1955
8th Overall

The multi-faceted Heap played just 1 season in New York barely making an impact, left to serve in the Air Force for 3 years, then came back home to work for Shell Oil for 30 years.

#65 OG Paul Seiler
New York Jets
1967
12th Overall

Injuries crushed Seiler’s professional football career. He barely played as a rookie following a knee injury then left for the Army in 1968. He came back to the Jets in 1969, played very little, and was eventually released. Seiler stuck it out for 3 more seasons with the Raiders as a backup before retiring.

#64 QB Frank Dancewicz
Boston Yanks
1946
1st Overall

This career never really took off despite being the top pick in the 1946 draft. Dancewicz hung around with the Yanks for 3 seasons making just 2 starts while throwing 12 touchdowns and 29 interceptions on 238 career attempts. He’d retire after the 1948 campaign.

#63 DE Kevin Hardy
New Orleans Saints
1968
7th Overall

In just the second season of Saints football, Hardy’s rights were sent to San Francisco by commissioner Pete Rozelle due to New Orleans signing 49ers receiver Dave Parks and receiving compensation. Hardy struggled with injuries at Notre Dame, missed all of 1969 with a knee injury and would play just 4 seasons in the NFL for 3 separate teams.

#62 FB Neil Worden
Philadelphia Eagles
1954
9th Overall

Worden played his rookie season with the Eagles accumulating only 128 yards on 58 attempts then entered the U.S. Army for 2 years. When he returned to Philadelphia for 1957 he gained only 133 yards on 42 carries. He wouldn’t play in 1958, then spent one year in the CFL before retiring for good.

#61 WR Jim Seymour
Los Angeles Rams
1969
10th Overall

A nasty hamstring injury suffered during a senior all-star game ended up derailing Seymour’s career. He was traded to Chicago before his rookie season scoring 4 touchdowns on just 6 receptions but was never the same graceful player he flashed at Notre Dame. After only 21 catches through 3 seasons with the Bears, he would retire.

#60 QB George Izo
St. Louis Cardinals
1960
2nd Overall

Why even wear a facemask at this point, really. 

Izo was picked by the Chicago Cardinals 1 month before they moved to St. Louis and won the starting job in week 3 but it didn’t last due to a knee injury. He’d finish his career playing 7 total seasons for 4 different teams making only 6 career starts and throwing for 1,791 yards, 12 touchdowns, and an amazing 32 interceptions.

#59 RB Emil Sitko
Los Angeles Rams
1946
10th Overall

Sitko was drafted by the Rams while he was in the military and would sign and play just 1 season with the 49ers after leaving Notre Dame before moving to the Chicago Cardinals for 2 more years. In his brief career, Sitko gained 636 yards on 163 carries with 2 touchdowns but retired after the 1952 season.

#58 QB Bob Williams
Chicago Bears
1951
2nd Overall

Williams signed the customary 3-year rookie deal with the Bears where he’d play for 1951 and 1952 before entering the military during the Korean War. He’d return to the Bears for the 1955 season but only ended up making 7 starts over his career with 10 touchdowns and 12 interceptions before entering a career in banking.

#57 QB Brady Quinn
Cleveland Browns
2007
22nd Overall

Highlights is a strong word. 

Quinn held out until mid-August after being drafted and didn’t start a game during his rookie season in Cleveland. He’d have a rocky 2 more years with the Browns winning only 3 games out of 9 starts before being traded to Denver where he played in no games over 2 seasons. Quinn’s career ended in 2012 with the Chiefs after winning 1 game from 8 starts. Through a 6-year career, Quinn totaled 3,043 passing yards with 12 touchdowns and 17 interceptions.

#56 QB Ralph Guglielmi
Washington Redskins
1955
4th Overall

Guglielmi started 3 games as a rookie, winning each of them, but entered the Air Force for 2 years. When he returned to the Redskins he’d struggle to win the job and when he eventually did the team lost quite often. He’d bounce around 1961-63 with the St. Louis Cardinals, Giants, and Eagles before retiring with a record of 8-16-3 and 4,119 passing yards.

#55 DE John Yonakor
Philadelphia Eagles
1945
9th Overall

Yonakor was a very good pro, however, he decided to sign with the Cleveland Browns of the AAFL instead of with the Eagles who picked him after 2 years in the Marines. He’d play 4 years with the Browns then was traded to the New York Yanks (the same off-season the Browns were absorbed into the NFL) where he stayed for a season, then jumped to Montreal in the CFL, then back to the Redskins before retiring after 1952.

#54 RB Vagas Ferguson
New England Patriots
1980
25th Overall

Ferguson started his entire rookie year and ran for a quality 818 yards (14th best in 1980) but this would be the pinnacle of his pro career. He was nagged by injuries in 1981 being limited to 78 carries then had a falling out with the coaching staff in 1982 before being cut by New England. He’d spend 1983 with Cleveland and Houston and played a year in the CFL before retiring after 1984.

#53 TE Derek Brown
New York Giants
1992
14th Overall

Brown ended up playing in 105 games over a 7-year career but only started 33 games overall while being a major disappointing in New York. Over his 3 years with the Giants he’d catch just 11 passes and then totaled 32 receptions over the next 4 years with the Jaguars, Raiders, and Cardinals. Brown would score just 1 touchdown in his career.

#52 RB Johnny Lattner
Pittsburgh Steelers
1954
7th Overall

Lattner scored 5 touchdowns as a rookie in 1954 and made the Pro Bowl as a special teams return player. However, he joined the Air Force after his first season where he’d suffer a serious knee injury during a game in the military and never played football again.

#51 TE Ken MacAfee
San Francisco 49ers
1978
7th Overall

MacAfee was a starter in his first 2 seasons with the 49ers catching 46 passes for 471 yards with 5 scores. However, San Francisco wanted to move him to guard for his 3rd season and instead MacAfee decided to enter dentistry school, never to play in the NFL again.

#50 DT Steve Niehaus
Seattle Seahawks
1976
2nd Overall

The first-ever draft pick in Seattle Seahawks history, Niehaus started as a rookie in 1976 picking up 9.5 sacks while becoming the NFC Rookie of the Year. But, a terrible shoulder resulted in numerous injuries and he had a hard time being healthy enough to see the field over the next 2 seasons. Seattle traded him to Minnesota in 1979 where Niehaus played for one season before retiring.

#49 OC Jerry Groom
Chicago Cardinals
1951
6th Overall

Groom played his entire 5-year career on some really struggling Cardinals teams, making the Pro Bowl in 1954. After playing in 58 career games, he entered a broadcast career with the Broncos before working for Levi-Strauss for the rest of his life prior to retirement.

#48 QB Rick Mirer
Seattle Seahawks
1993
2nd Overall

He had more than a cup of coffee, to be fair. 

Mirer made the All-Rookie team in 1993 but was largely running for his life suffering a league-worst 47 sacks. He’d continue to start for the Seahawks for another 2.5 seasons but could never break through as a quality starter. Over his final 4 seasons in the NFL, Mirer played for the Bears, Jets, 49ers, and hung around the league long enough to start 8 games for the Raiders in 2003. For his career, he finished with 11,969 passing yards, 50 touchdowns, 76 interceptions, and only 22 wins as a starter.

#47 OT Luke Petitgout
New York Giants
1999
19th Overall

Petitgout was a very good pro from the outset being thrust into the Giants starting lineup as a rookie and playing 113 games in New York. He would break his leg during the 2006 season and would be released that off-season only to watch the Giants win the Super Bowl in 2007. Petitgout played just 4 games with Tampa Bay in 2007 before retiring for good.

#46 TE Irv Smith
New Orleans Saints
1993
20th Overall

A solid pro from his rookie season, Smith had a nice 7-year career even if it was unspectacular. He’d spend his first 5 seasons with the Saints where he caught 134 passes before finishing his career with a season each for the 49ers and Browns. In total, Smith caught 183 passes for 1,788 yards, and 15 touchdowns.

#45 DT Jerry Tillery
Los Angeles Chargers
2019
28th Overall

Tillery wasn’t able to make a big impact as a rookie coming off shoulder surgery after leaving Notre Dame. However, he made a sizable jump in 2020 with 30 tackles and 3 sacks. Most in Los Angeles expect him to make an even bigger jump during his 3rd year and we anticipate he will be much higher in these rankings once he’s done playing football.

#44 OG Tom Regner
Houston Oilers
1967
23rd Overall

Regner was a quality guard for the Oilers for 3 seasons in the AFL and then over his final 3 seasons with the team in the NFL. He was injured for most of the 1970-71 seasons and ultimately retired following the ’72 season after knee operations left him unable to compete.

#43 OC Frank Szymanski
Detroit Lions
1945
6th Overall

Considered a solid dependable center, Szymanski played 3 seasons for the Lions before moving on to Philadelphia where he’d win the NFL Championship in 1948. He’d finish his career with the Chicago Bears in 1949 before moving into a law practice.

#42 S Clarence Ellis
Atlanta Falcons
1972
15th Overall

Old-timey football cards are cool. 

Ellis was a solid starter for Atlanta picking off 8 passes in 41 games for the club. He asked for a trade but had knee surgery and bounced around a few different teams through 1976 without playing a game until being forced to retire.

#41 LB Bob Crable
New York Jets
1982
23rd Overall

Crable was a dependable linebacker for the Jets for a while starting 43 games across 6 seasons. However, he suffered a non-contact ACL injury in 1984 and a similar injury to his other knee ahead of the 1988 season. He’d spend the season on IR and eventually retire for good.

#40 WR Michael Floyd
Arizona Cardinals
2012
13th Overall

Floyd has felt like more of a bust than he really showed in his brief career. He spent nearly 5 full seasons with Arizona before being sent to New England while spending 2017 with Minnesota and 2018 with Washington. He never really came close to fulfilling his promise as a No. 1 receiver and alcohol and legal troubles have prevented him from continuing his pro career. In 102 games, Floyd caught 266 passes for 3,959 yards and 25 touchdowns.

*nice