10 best University of Alabama alumni in NFL history

10 best Alabama alumni in NFL history

Green Bay Packers Hall of Fame quarterback Bart Starr (15) looks downfield during Super Bowl I, a 35-10 victory over the Kansas City Chiefs on January 15, 1967, at the Los Angeles Memorial Coliseum in Los Angeles, California. (Photo by James Flores/Getty Images) /

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CLEVELAND, OH – CIRCA 1988: Tight End Ozzie Newsome #82 of the Cleveland Browns gets dragged down from behind by Kevin McArthur #57 of the New York Jets during an NFL football game circa 1988 at Cleveland Municipal Stadium in Cleveland, Ohio. Newsome played for the Browns from 1978-90. (Photo by Focus on Sport/Getty Images) /

7. Ozzie Newsome

The football careers of Mike Ditka and Ozzie Newsome are somewhat similar, besides the fact that both are Pro Football Hall of Fame tight ends. These days, Ditka may be more remembered for his head coaching days and more specifically his stint with the Chicago Bears. There was the franchise’s last Super Bowl champion (XX). That 1985 team often comes up in the discussion of the NFL’s greatest teams.

After leaving the game, the 13-year pro with the Brown made his name as a talent evaluator and general manager. Some say he could one day be a Hall of Famer as a contributor. He followed the franchise to Baltimore when they became the Ravens and that franchise owns a pair of Super Bowl championships.

Newsome’s last draft in Baltimore came in 2018 when he notably moved back into the first round and selected quarterback Lamar Jackson with the final pick that evening.

Newsome the player was a true star. A first-round pick in 1978, he started 191-of-198 games. He finished with 662 catches, good for 7,980 yards and 47 scores, earning Pro Bowl honors three times and All-Pro accolades in 1984. He was part of six playoff teams with the Browns.

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