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Five active NFL stars who were not drafted
#3 - K Justin Tucker
Now it's true that many NFL kickers aren't drafted, but there aren't many kickers like Justin Tucker. Tucker was undrafted coming out of the University of Texas in 2012 and was picked up by the Baltimore Ravens to compete for a starting role, which he achieved before the season had begun.
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Tucker has consistently been one of the top kickers in the NFL ever since, making 326 of the 358 field goals in his career, making him the most accurate kicker in NFL history with 91.1% accuracy.
He will go down as one of the greats, and his crowning moment thus far came in 2021, when he kicked a 66-yard game-winning field goal for the Ravens against the Detroit Lions, leaving the entire footballing world stunned by the achievement.
#2 - WR Adam Thielen
Adam Thielen came out of Minnesota State in 2013 but didn't even receive an invite to the NFL Combine and then went undrafted. The Minnesota Vikings picked him up, and as a Vikings fan, he didn't let this opportunity pass him by.
Thielen mainly saw action as a special-teamer during his early years with the Vikings but fulfilled his potential as a top receiver in 2016, where he ended the year with 967 yards and five touchdowns. He would top this number for the next two seasons, finishing the 2017 season with 1,276 yards and 2018 with 1,373 yards.
Thielen would tie an NFL record during that 2018 season, tying Pro Football Hall of Famer Calvin Johnson's record of eight consecutive 100+ yard receiving games.
So far in his career, Thielen has made it to two Pro Bowls and has caught 49 touchdowns for 5,966 yards - not bad for someone who wasn't drafted!
#1 - RB Austin Ekeler
Austin Ekeler went undrafted out of Western Colorado in 2017 and was picked up by the Los Angeles Chargers on a three-year $1.66 million contract. Ekeler would be behind starter Melvin Gordon in the depth chart, but that didn't stop him from scoring a 35-yard touchdown on his first-ever carry in the NFL in a Week 4 game against the Philadelphia Eagles.
Ekeler's big break came in 2019 when Gordon held out to start the season due to contract disputes, and even when he returned, Ekeler's presence on the Chargers' offense was felt. He might have only rushed for 557 yards, but his 993 receiving yards made people sit up and notice.
Since then, Gordon has been moved on, and the Chargers backfield now goes through Ekeler, who had career highs in rushing yards (911) and rushing touchdowns (12) in 2021. He continues to be a dual-threat in the passing game, too, with 647 receiving yards and eight receiving touchdowns last year.
