It’s been a decade since former Glades Central standout Santonio Holmes was taken in the first round of the NFL Draft by the Pittsburgh Steelers
Glades Central graduate Santonio Holmes, shown during a 2001 game, was ranked by USA Today as the best player to be drafted with the No. 25 overall pick. (Post file photo)
But Holmes’ selection is back in the news on the eve of the 2016 NFL Draft, courtesy of USA Today.
In its Ultimate NFL Draft first round, USA Today selects what it considers the greatest NFL players that have come from picks 1-32.
Holmes, who caught 389 passes for 6,030 yards and 36 touchdowns during his nine-year NFL career – he’s now a free agent – was chosen as the best player at pick No. 25.
He keeps some very good company, with players by the name of John Elway (No. 1), Walter Payton (No. 4), Joe Namath (No. 12) and Dan Marino (No. 27) on the list.
For what it’s worth, the 1983 Draft produced four players on this list, including Elway, Marino, Bruce Matthews (No. 9) and Darrell Green (No. 28).
Five others played their college football in Florida, among them Deion Sanders (No. 5, Florida State); Emmitt Smith (No. 17, Florida); Jack Youngblood (No. 20, Florida); Ed Reed (No. 24, Miami); and Ray Lewis (No. 26, Miami).
Here’s the complete list:
No. 1: John Elway, QB, Stanford (drafted by Baltimore Colts in 1983)
No. 2: Lawrence Taylor, OLB, North Carolina (drafted by New York Giants in 1981)
No. 3: Barry Sanders, RB, Oklahoma State (drafted by Detroit Lions in 1989)
No. 4: Walter Payton, RB, Jackson State (drafted by Chicago Bears in 1975)
No. 5: Deion Sanders, CB, Florida State (drafted by Atlanta Falcons in 1989)
No. 6: Jim Brown, RB, Syracuse (drafted by Cleveland Browns in 1957)
No. 7: Adrian Peterson, RB, Oklahoma (drafted by Minnesota Vikings in 2007)
No. 8: Ronnie Lott, S, USC (drafted by San Francisco 49ers in 1981)
No. 9: Bruce Matthews, OL, USC (drafted by Houston Oilers in 1983)
No. 10: Rod Woodson, CB, Purdue (drafted by Pittsburgh Steelers in 1987)
No. 11: J.J. Watt, DE, Wisconsin (drafted by Houston Texans in 2011)
No. 12: Joe Namath, QB, Alabama (drafted by St. Louis Cardinals in 1965)
No. 13: Tony Gonzalez, TE, California (drafted by Kansas City Chiefs in 1997)
No. 14: Darrelle Revis, CB, Pittsburgh (drafted by New York Jets in 2007)
No. 15: Alan Page, DT, Notre Dame (drafted by Minnesota Vikings in 1967)
No. 16: Jerry Rice, WR, Mississippi Valley State (drafted by San Francisco 49ers in 1985)
No. 17: Emmitt Smith, RB, Florida (drafted by Dallas Cowboys in 1990)
No. 18: Paul Krause, S, Iowa (drafted by Washington Redskins in 1984)
No. 19: John Mackey, TE, Syracuse (drafted by Baltimore Colts in 1963)
No. 20: Jack Youngblood, DE, Florida (drafted by Los Angeles Rams in 1971)
No. 21: Randy Moss, WR, Marshall (drafted by Minnesota Vikings in 1998)
No. 22: Demaryius Thomas, WR, Georgia Tech (drafted by Denver Broncos in 2010)
No. 23: Ray Guy, P, Southern Mississippi (drafted by Oakland Raiders in 1973)
No. 24: Ed Reed, S, Miami (drafted by Baltimore Ravens in 2002)
No. 25: Santonio Holmes, WR, Ohio State (drafted by Pittsburgh Steelers in 2006)
No. 26: Ray Lewis, LB, Miami (drafted by Baltimore Ravens in 1996)
No. 27: Dan Marino, QB, Pittsburgh (drafted by Miami Dolphins in 1983)
No. 28: Darrell Green, CB, Texas A&M-Kingsville (drafted by Washington Redskins in 1983)
No. 29: Fran Tarkenton, QB, Georgia (drafted by Minnesota Vikings in 1961)
No. 30: Sam Huff, LB, West Virginia (drafted by New York Giants in 1956)
No. 31: Curley Culp, DT, Arizona State (drafted by Denver Broncos in 1968)
No. 32: Drew Brees, QB, Purdue (drafted by San Diego Chargers in 2001)
