'I don't know who No. 3 is, but holy s---': Every NFL team's biggest training camp riser of all time
Get the Sports newsletter
Daily sports — scores, transfers, the storylines from the leagues you actually follow. Free.
- Terrell Davis impressed Broncos evaluators with a thunderous hit on kickoff coverage during a 1995 preseason game in Tokyo, launching a sixth-round pick into a career that included league MVP, Super Bowl MVP and two championships.
- Malcolm Butler went from undrafted Division II West Alabama cornerback working at Popeyes to earning Bill Belichick's 90th and final roster spot in 2014, where he delivered a Super Bowl-saving interception that same season.
- Wayne Chrebet began as the 10th receiver on a 10-man Jets depth chart as a 1995 undrafted free agent, finishing with 580 career receptions (second in franchise history) and earning the title "Godfather of slot receivers" from Julian Edelman and Danny Amendola.
- Donnie Shell, a 1974 undrafted free agent from HBCU South Carolina State invited to camp by scout Bill Nunn, earned a Steelers roster spot during the NFLPA strike and played 14 seasons on four Super Bowl-winning Steel Curtain defenses.
- Zach Thomas, an undersized fifth-round pick, was so impressive in 1996 Dolphins training camp that Miami released veteran Jack del Rio, who had signed a one-year deal expecting to start.
- Arian Foster rose from undrafted rookie on the Texans practice squad to leading the NFL with 2,220 scrimmage yards in 2010 and earning his only first-team All-Pro nod.
- Victor Cruz's three-touchdown preseason performance against the Jets drew an audible "holy s---" from then-Jets coach Rex Ryan, setting up his Giants breakout.
Why it matters: This roundup highlights proven training-camp success stories: Donnie Shell's 14-year Hall of Fame career and four Super Bowl wins, Terrell Davis's sixth-round-to-MVP arc, and Malcolm Butler's Popeyes-to-Super Bowl hero story — with Belichick noting 'there's not a lot of guys who do what he does,' underscoring how rare these August breakouts remain for the league's annual crop of long shots.
