First-Round NFL Draft Picks a Rarity for Indiana, Now 26 Years and Counting
BLOOMINGTON, Ind. — The first round of the 2020 NFL Draft takes place on Thursday, and there won't be any Indiana players drafted in that round, which will continue a dubious streak.
It will now be 26 years since a Hoosier was drafted in the first round. The last one to go that high was former wide receiver Thomas Lewis, who was drafted by the New York Giants with the 24th overall pick in 1994.
If 26 years sounds familiar, it's because we've mentioned that number often during the past year. When Indiana's football team won eight games in 2019, it was the first time since 1993 that the Hoosiers had reached that total.
That lack on high end, first-round talent coincides with the lack of victories, of course. And with Indiana's lack on history in football, it's really clear when looking at first-round picks. Since the NFL-AFL merger in 1970 — a whopping 50 years ago already — Indiana has had only five first-round picks ever.
The list is short — and fairly dubious, to be honest. None of the first-round picks from Indiana ever had an all-star kind of career.
Here are the five first-round picks since the merger.
1994 — Thomas Lewis, WR, New York Giants
Lewis was taken with the 24th overall pick in 1994, and he played four seasons in the NFL, all with the Giants, but didn't have much of an impact. He really had only one good year, his third in 1996, when he had 53 receptions for 694 yards and four touchdowns.
1992 — Vaughn Dunbar, RB, New Orleans Saints
Dunbar was the 21st overall pick in 1992 and he had a nice first season with the Saints. He gained 565 yards that season and played in all 16 games, starting eight. He also caught nine passes. He missed all of the 1993 season and was really never the same after that.
During his next three years with the Saints, he only had three carries and they shipped him off to the Jacksonville Jaguars, where he played in 14 games and gained 361 yards in mostly a back-up role.
Dunbar did amazing things at Indiana. He rushed for 3,029 yards, 25 touchdowns and 4,041 all-purpose yards in two seasons for the Hoosiers. He finished second in the country in rushing (1,805 yards) and in all-purpose yards (2,330 yards) in 1991. He was a unanimous All-America pick and finished sixth in the Heisman Trophy voting.
Vaughn Dunbar was the first-round pick of the New Orleans Saints in 1992. (Photo courtesy New Orleans Saints.)
1988 — Eric Moore, OT, New York Giants
Eric Moore was taken with the 10th overall pick by the Giants, and he played for them for six years. He stuck around for two more years, playing in Miami, Cleveland and Cincinnati before retiring.
The highlight of Moore's career was winning Super Bowl XXV with the Giants in January of 1991. The Giants beat the Buffalo Bills that year in Tampa, led by backup quarterback Jeff Hostettler, who is shown below while Moore blocks for him,
Eric Moore won a Super Bowl with the New York Giants in 1991. (Sports Illustrated)
1985 — Kevin Allen OT, Philadephia Eagles
Kevin Allen, drafted ninth overall, played only one season for the Eagles and is considered one of the biggest draft busts in NFL history. He played poorly from the start and Eagles coach Buddy Ryan couldn't stand him.
Prior to camp his second year, he tested positive for cocaine and was immediately cut by the Eagles. Soon thereafter, he was arrested with a teammate and convicted of rape. He spent nearly three years in jail. He later bounced around some minor leagues in football, but never played again in the NFL.
Kevin Allen is considered one of the biggest draft busts in NFL history.
1974 — Carl Barzilauskus, DT, New York Jets
Carl Barzilauskus was one of the ultimate tough guys at Indiana — he played his entire senior year with a broken foot — and all that hard work paid off when he was made the sixth overall pick by the Jets in the 1974 draft. He played well in the strike-shortened season and was named the NFL Rookie Defensive Lineman of the Year.
Barzilauskus played four seasons with the Jets and then was traded to the Green Bay Packers, where he played for two seasons. He owned orthopedic physical therapy practices, and now Barzilauskas is retired. He and his wife, Cathi, make still live in Bloomington.
Carl Barzilauskus probably had the best career of Indiana's first-round picks since the merger.
Pre-merger first round picks from Indiana
- Doug Crusan, Miami Dolphins (1968): Before the NFL and AFL formally merged in 1970, they had one common draft for three years and Indiana's Doug Crusan was the last pick in the first-round in 1968. He had a solid NFL career, starting at tackle for the undefeated 1972 Dolphins, the NFL's only unbeaten team ever. He played in two other Super Bowls, as well. He was a captain on Indiana's 1967 Rose Bowl team, and was actively involved in the NFL Players Association for years after retiring as a player.
Doug Crusan was the starting tackle on Miami's undefeated team in 1972.
- Randy Beisler, Philadephia Eagles (1966): Beisler was the fourth overall pick in 1966 by the Eagles. He played 10 years in the NFL with the Eagles, San Francisco 49ers and Kansas City Chiefs.
- Tom Nowatzke, Detroit Lions (1965): Nowatzke was the 11th overall pick. He played five seasons with the Lions and then three with the Baltimore Colts. He played in Super Bowl V with the Colts.
- Marv Woodson, Baltimore Colts (1964): Woodson was the No. 8 overall pick of the Colts and played for them for five seasons. He played one more in 1969 with the New Orleans Saints.
- Billy Hillenbrand, New York Giants (1944): Hillenbrand was the No. 6 overall pick, served in World War II before returning to play football in the AAFC. He played 41 games in the NFL for the Baltimore Colts.
- Corbett Davis, Cleveland Rams (1938): Davis was the first overall pick that year, and played with Cleveland until 1942, when he enlisted and fought in World War II. He was injured in the war, and never played football again.
