Cal Football: Golden Bears' All-Time Best NFL Draft Choices by Round

Ashtyn Davis, Jaylinn Hawkins and Evan Weaver are latest Cal players chosen by the NFL

We won’t know for at least a few years whether Ashtyn Davis, Jaylinn Hawkins and Evan Weaver turn out to be good NFL draft picks.

The New York Jets picked Davis in the third round last weekend, the Atlanta Falcons chose Hawkins in the fourth and the Arizona Cardinals selected Weaver in the sixth.

Will they wind up being smart choices?

Davis talks in the video below about the impact he would like to have in his rookie season: 

While waiting to find out how Davis, Hawkins and Weaver fare as pros, we decided to rate the best all-time Cal draft picks, round by round.

At the top, there is a long list of elite options. So we chose the three best picks in both the first and second rounds, along with “honorable mention” choices in each category. Then we identified the best draftee in each round, whenever there was one.

These days the NFL draft takes three days to complete but is only seven rounds in duration. It’s a made-for-TV extravaganza.

The first NFL player draft was held in 1936, and each of the nine teams had nine rounds of picks. But the league offered neither the prestige or the money it now provides, and it wasn't automatic that players drafted would jump of the chance to sign.

Larry Lutz, an All-America tackle, was selected by the Boston Redskins in the sixth round of the '36 draft, but he remained at Cal to serve as an assistant to coach Stub Allison and also played three seasons for the Salinas Iceberg Packers, an independent professional team that played its games on a high school field.

The first Cal player drafted who did play in the NFL was end Perry Schwartz, who went to the Brooklyn Dodgers in the sixth round of the 1938 draft. Schwartz caught 105 passes, including 10 touchdowns, over six seasons in a career that was interrupted for three years by World War II.

The draft greatly expanded in the 1940s, and Cal had players drafted in the 31st round in 1943 and ‘46, when the league had just eight and 10 teams, respectively. Neither player ever appeared in an NFL game.

Here’s a look back at the best Cal players chosen in every round of the NFL draft:

Tony Gonzalez

Photo by Jason Getz, USA Today

FIRST ROUND

LB Les Richter (No. 2 - 1952)

Named to Pro Bowl in all 8 of his NFL seasons; 16 INTs, 29 field goals, 193 points; 1956 All-Pro; traded by Dallas Texans to L.A. Rams for 11 players

TE Tony Gonzalez (No. 13 - 1997)

Most prolific tight end in NFL history: 1,325 career receptions, 15,127 yards, 111 TDs; 6X 1st-team All-Pro, 14X Pro Bowl pick; 2019 Hall of Fame inductee

QB Aaron Rodgers (No. 24 - 2005)

After sliding to No. 24, Rodgers went on to become the 2010 Super Bowl MVP & 2011 NFL MVP, an 8X Pro Bowl pick, 2X 1st-team All-Pro and career NFL passer-rating leader

Also: QB Craig Morton (No. 6 - 1965); QB Steve Bartkowski (No. 1 - 1975); RB Chuck Muncie (No. 3 - 1976); RB Marshawn Lynch (No. 12 - 2007); C Alex Mack (No. 21 -2009).

SECOND ROUND

OG/OT Ed White (No. 39 - 1969)

Cal's team MVP and a first-team All-American as a senior, White played 241 games in 17 seasons and was a 4-time Pro Bowl pick

WR Wesley Walker (No. 33 - 1977)

Played 13 seasons, 438 catches, 19.0 yards per catch, 71 TDs; 2-time Pro Bowl pick; averaged better than 20 yards per catch in 8 different seasons

WR DeSean Jackson (No. 49 - 2008)

In 12 seasons, has 598 career catches, 17.4 yards per catch, 55 TDs plus 4 TDs on punt returns; 3-time Pro Bowl pick

Also: LB Ron Rivera (No. 44 - 1984); OT Mitchell Schwartz (No. 37 - 2012).

Keenan Allen

Photo by Robert Hanashiro, USA Today

THIRD ROUND

WR Keenan Allen (No. 76 - 2013)

Despite injuries, has made 524 catches, 34 TDs in his first 7 seasons; 3-time Pro Bowl pick

FOURTH ROUND

LB Matt Hazeltine (No. 45 - 1955)

Played 15 NFL seasons, 14 of them with the 49ers; 2-time Pro Bowl pick

FIFTH ROUND

LB Hardy Nickerson (No. 122 - 1987)

Five-time Pro Bowl pick, 2X All-Pro; had 1,586 tackles, 12 INTs in 16 seasons

SIXTH ROUND

OT Doug Riesenberg (No. 168 - 1987)

Started 132 games in 10 seasons, including 9 years with the NY Giants

SEVENTH ROUND

RB Justin Forsett (No. 233 - 2008)

Played 11 seasons with 6 teams; rushed for 3,890 yards, 19 TDs

EIGHTH ROUND

PK Jim Breech (No. 206 - 1978)

Played 14 seasons, 13 with Bengals; made 243 FGs, 517 PATs, scored 1,246 points

NINTH ROUND

DE Dallas Hickman (No. 228 - 1975)

Played 91 games in 6 seasons with Washington, Baltimore

Craig Morton

Photo courtesy of Cal Athletics

TENTH ROUND

QB Craig Morton (No. 75 - 1965 AFL draft)

Oakland Raiders took a flyer on Morton, who was an All-American under young Cal assistant coach Bill Walsh. But Morton signed with the NFL’s Dallas Cowboys (who drafted him in the first round) and went on to play in the Super Bowl for both Dallas and Denver.

ELEVENTH ROUND

OT Lee Artoe (No. 97 - 1940)

Played 7 seasons; won NFL titles with Bears in 1941 & ’42; made a 52-yard FG in 1940

TWELFTH ROUND

DB Sam Williams (No. 289 - 1974)

Played 28 games in 3 NFL seasons; had 2 interceptions

THIRTEENTH ROUND

None

Two Cal players drafted here - neither ever played in the NFL

FOURTEENTH ROUND

None

Three Cal players drafted here - none of them played in the NFL

FIFTEENTH ROUND

TE Wayne Stewart (No. 390 - 1969)

Drafted by Jets the year after their win in Super Bowl III; had 19 catches, 1 TD in 5 seasons

SIXTEENTH ROUND

DB/LB Hal Norris (No. 183 - 1955)

Played 13 games in 2 seasons, including 12 as a rookie

SEVENTEENTH ROUND

OG Jim Cullon (No. 214 - 1950)

Played 2 games for the football New York Yankees in 1951

Joe Kapp

Photo courtesy of Cal Athletics

EIGHTEENTH ROUND

QB Joe Kapp (No. 209 - 1959)

All-American who led the Bears to their most recent Rose Bowl appearance played in the CFL through 1966; led 1969 Minnesota Vikings to Super Bowl IV

NINETEENTH ROUND

None

Five Cal players drafted here - none of them played in the NFL

TWENTIETH ROUND

None

No Cal player drafted here

TWENTY-FIRST ROUND

None

No Cal player drafted here

TWENTY-SECOND ROUND

None

No Cal player drafted here

TWENTY-THIRD ROUND

HB Bill Reinhard (No. 237 - 1944)

Played 22 games in 1947 & ‘48; 33 rush yards, 5 catches, an 87-yard punt return for TD, 5 interceptions on defense for the Los Angeles Dons

TWENTY-FOURTH ROUND

None

One Cal player was drafted here - he did not play in the NFL

TWENTY-FIFTH ROUND

None

Two Cal players were drafted here - neither played in the NFL

TWENTY-SIXTH ROUND

OG Rod Franz (No. 339 - 1950)

Cal's only 3-time All-American and later a college Hall of Fame honoree, Franz became a coach for the Bears. But at 6-foot-1, 198 pounds, he never played in the NFL

TWENTY-SEVENTH ROUND

None

No Cal player drafted here

TWENTY-EIGHTH ROUND

None

RB Jerry Drew, who set Cal’s single-game record with 283 yards vs. Washington in 1954, was drafted here but never played in the NFL

TWENTY-NINTH ROUND

DT/K Gerry Perry (No. 349 - 1952)

Played offensive & defensive line & kicker in an 8-year career that spanned 96 games

THIRTIETH ROUND

None

No Cal player drafted here

THIRTY-FIRST ROUND

None

Two Cal players drafted here — neither played in the NFL

Follow Jeff Faraudo of Cal Sports Report on Twitter: @JeffFaraudo

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