The 5 Most Successful Small-School Pass-Catchers in the NFL

Honorable Mentions: Average Career Total NEP

Johnny Knox, Wide Receiver
College: Abilene Christian (D-II)
Drafted: 2009, 5th Round (140th Overall)
Average Career Total NEP: 58.38

Johnny Knox, drafted by the Bears, was one of the more promising late-round and small-school selections in recent years. His three years in the league as Jay Cutler's deep threat target rank Knox as the 13th-best small-schooler by Career Total NEP, and third-best by average annual Career Total NEP. A freak spinal injury in 2011 put a hold on Knox's promising career, however, and he retired due to severe nerve damage in 2013.

Sylvester Morris, Wide Receiver
College: Jackson State (FCS)
Drafted: 2000, 1st Round (21st Overall)
Average Career Total NEP: 50.21

Sylvester Morris is one of two small-schoolers since 2000 to be drafted in the first round of the NFL Draft. He didn't just have promise, therefore; the Kansas City Chiefs seemed assured that he was the real deal. His rookie season saw him bring in 48 receptions for 678 yards, including three touchdowns. Repeated knee injuries sidelined his career, however, and he never played another NFL down after that year. Still, he ranks fifth-best in average annual Career Total NEP.

John Brown, Wide Receiver
College: Pittsburg State University (D-II)
Drafted: 2014, 3rd Round (91st Overall)
Average Career Total NEP: 48.13

He's small. He went to a college that no one had hardly heard of in Kansas. He came out at age 24. Many factors worked against John Brown in the 2014 NFL Draft, but that just meant he would fall to a team that truly wanted and would use him. That happened to be Bruce Arians' pass-happy Cardinals, where Brown is pleased to be the regular slot man. His rookie year saw him rack up 696 yards receiving and five touchdowns; expect even more next year.