Find out who are the 10 best Colorado-born football players to make it in the NFL.
Tailback Phillip Lindsay and offensive lineman Dalton Risner are centerpieces on the Broncos roster, and the Panthers’ Christian Mccaffrey recently signed the richest deal for a running back in NFL history. The professional rise of those three homegrown athletes raises the question: Who are the greatest NFL players to come out of Colorado? Here’s a Top 10 ranking from The Denver Post. To qualify for this list, a player must have been born in the state and played high school football here as well. Thus, Fairview High grad and potential Hall of Famer Tony Boselli isn’t listed. (With position, birthplace, years in NFL)
10. Gary Knafelc
TE | Pueblo | 1954-63
A two-time Super Bowl champion, Knafelc is in Green Bay’s Hall of Fame. A tight end, the Pueblo Central High School and CU product made several iconic catches in Packers history — including the winning touchdown reception in the first game at Lambeau Field — and was also known for his blocking in additional stints with the Cardinals and 49ers.
9. Mark Mullaney
DE | Denver | 1975-86
A member of the CSU Hall of Fame, Mullaney starred at defensive end in Minnesota, where he was part of the “Purple People Eaters” defense and played in Super Bowl XI. The NFL did not begin recording sacks until 1982, so his career stats remain a mystery. In his final five seasons, however, the George Washington High graduate accumulated 13 1/2 sacks.
8. Byron White
TB/HB | Fort Collins | 1938-41
An All-american halfback at CU, “Whizzer” had a short but distinguished career in the NFL. The future U.S. Supreme Court justice led the league in rushing in 1938 and 1940 to earn two All-pro nods and finished his career with 1,622 total yards and 12 touchdowns.
7. Luther Elliss
DT/DE | Mancos | 1995-2004
The Mancos High and Utah grad racked up 331 tackles and 29 sacks in his career and earned consecutive Pro Bowl nods in Detroit in 1999 and 2000 as a defensive lineman. He finished his career with one season in Denver.
6. Nate Solder
OL | Denver | 2011-present
The future CU Buffs star first made a name for himself as a tight end for Buena Vista High. A linchpin of Tom Brady’s offensive line during two Super Bowl title runs in New England, the reliable, gritty and heady left tackle has started all 16 games in a season five times in his career, including the last three seasons.
5. Aaron Smith
DE | Colorado Springs | 1999-2011
A Northern Colorado and Sierra High grad, Smith won a pair of Super Bowl championships with the Pittsburgh Steelers. Lining up on the defensive line, he piled up 481 tackles and 44 sacks during a lengthy career that saw him make double-digit starts for nine consecutive seasons from 2000-08.
4. Christian Mccaffrey
RB | Castle Rock | 2017-present
The Valor Christian product may be the most electric high school player the state has ever seen. After nearly winning the Heisman Trophy at Stanford, Mccaffrey was selected eighth overall by the Carolina Panthers in the 2017 draft and has amassed 5,443 yards from scrimmage and 39 touchdowns in three seasons. In 2019, he became the third player in NFL history to record 1,000 yards rushing and 1,000 yards receiving in the same year. If Mccaffrey stays healthy, Canton isn’t out of the question. He is the son of former Broncos tight end Ed Mccaffrey. His older brother Max played football at Duke, and then in the NFL. His younger brother, Dylan, is a quarterback at Michigan and his youngest brother, Luke, is a quarterback at Nebraska.
3. Vincent Jackson
WR | Colorado Springs | 2005-16
An overlooked recruit out of Widefield High, Jackson turned down an opportunity to attend Columbia University of the Ivy League so he could play football and basketball for Northern Colorado. After setting UNC records in receptions, receiving yards, kick return yards, punt return yards and receiving touchdowns, the San Diego Chargers selected him with the 61st overall pick in the 2005 draft. The wideout accumulated 540 receptions for 9,080 yards and 57 touchdowns over a 12-year career split between the Chargers and Tampa Bay Buccaneers. He led the NFL with a 19.2 yards-percatch average in 2012 — one of three seasons that ended with a Pro Bowl selection.
2. Calais Campbell
DE | Denver | 2008-present
One of Denver South’s finest, Campbell was recruited by the Miami Hurricanes out of high school and racked up 39 tackles for loss over three seasons before being selected 50th overall by the Arizona Cardinals in 2008. A five-time Pro Bowler and an All-pro selection in 2017, the 33-year-old has recorded 696 tackles and 88 sacks in a career that’s now approaching its 13th season. He reached the Super Bowl in his first year with Arizona and has played in three conference championship games — most recently in 2017 with Jacksonville. With Campbell headed to Baltimore this offseason, more postseason success may well be on the way.
1. Dutch Clark
RB | Fowler | 1931-38
The only native Coloradan in the Pro Football Hall of Fame, the “Flying Dutchman” was part of Canton’s inaugural class in 1963. Clark played at Pueblo Central and Colorado College before joining the Portsmouth Spartans in 1931. Three years later, he began a fiveyear run with the Detroit Lions that saw him rack up four of his six All-pro nods and win an NFL championship in 1935.