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The Best Notre Dame Football Player Taken In Each Round of the NFL Draft

By Connor McJunkin

9 JAN 1994: TIM BROWN OF THE LOS ANGELES RAIDERS WITH HELMET ALOFT LEAVES THE FIELD AFTER THE RAIDERS DEFEATED THE DENVER BRONCOS 42-24. Mandatory Credit: Al Bello/ALLSPORT
9 JAN 1994: TIM BROWN OF THE LOS ANGELES RAIDERS WITH HELMET ALOFT LEAVES THE FIELD AFTER THE RAIDERS DEFEATED THE DENVER BRONCOS 42-24. Mandatory Credit: Al Bello/ALLSPORT /
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22 Jan 1984: Quarterback Joe Theismann #7 of the Washington Redskins keeps moving during Super Bowl XVIII against the Los Angeles Raiders at Tampa Stadium in Tampa, Florida.The Raiders won the game 38-9. Mandatory Credit: Allsport /Allsport
22 Jan 1984: Quarterback Joe Theismann #7 of the Washington Redskins keeps moving during Super Bowl XVIII against the Los Angeles Raiders at Tampa Stadium in Tampa, Florida.The Raiders won the game 38-9. Mandatory Credit: Allsport /Allsport /

Round 4: The Other Joe 

I guess Notre Dame is pretty good at producing successful mid-round quarterbacks. Joe Theismann was a fourth round pick in the 1971 NFL Draft, being taken 99th overall by the Miami Dolphins. After negotiations with the Dolphins fell through, Theismann signed with the Toronto Argonauts of the Canadian Football League where he played until 1974.

In 1974, the Washington Redskins traded their 1976 first round pick to the Dolphins for the rights of Theismann, where he would wouldn’t start a game until the 1976 season.

Theismann’s career was a flash in the pan and relatively short-lived. He didn’t become a full time starter until 1978, with the height of his career being the 1982 and 1983 seasons. In 1982, he led Washington to their first Super Bowl in 40 years, defeating, ironically, the Dolphins in Super Bowl XVII.

The following season, he led Washington back to the Super Bowl while also being named the league’s MVP, the NFL Offensive Player of the Year, and making his first and only First Team All-Pro selection.

Unfortunately, Theismann’s career was cut short due to insufficient bone growth suffered from a compound fracture at the hands of Hall of Fame linebacker Lawrence Taylor during a Monday Night Football game in 1985.

Final career stats:

  • Passing Yards: 25,206
  • Passing Touchdowns: 160
  • Completion Percentage: 56.7%
  • Passer Rating: 77.2
  • Rushing Yards: 1,815
  • Rushing Touchdowns: 17
  • Fun Fact: In 1985, Theismann punted for the only time of his career vs the Chicago Bears. It went one yard.

Theismann finished his career with numerous Washington team records and was inducted into the team’s Ring of Honor.

Honorable Mention: Raghib “Rocket” Ismail – Selected by the Los Angeles Raiders with the 100th pick in the 1991 draft, Ismail would go on to have an up and down career with the Raiders, Carolina Panthers, and Dallas Cowboys. One of the most explosive players in college football history, the “Rocket” failed to return a single punt or kickoff for a touchdown during his nine year career. He retired with 363 receptions, 5,295 yards, 28 touchdowns, and 2,334 kick return yards. 

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