π Top NFL preseason surprises of all time
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- Terrell Davis launched his Hall of Fame career in 1995 when a thunderous hit on kickoff coverage during a Broncos preseason game in Tokyo caught the team's attention, and the sixth-round pick went on to rush for 1,117 yards as a rookie, becoming league MVP and two-time Super Bowl champion.
- Malcolm Butler went from working at Popeyes and trying out as an undrafted free agent from Division II West Alabama to claiming the Patriots' 90th and final roster spot in 2014 β then sealed a Super Bowl with a game-saving interception as a rookie.
- Wayne Chrebet arrived as the 10th receiver on the Jets' 10-man depth chart in 1995 as an undrafted free agent out of Division I-AA Hofstra and finished with 580 career receptions (second in franchise history), earning the nickname 'The Godfather' of slot receivers from Julian Edelman and Danny Amendola.
- Zach Thomas beat out veteran Jack del Rio in Dolphins training camp as a fifth-round rookie in 1996, finishing with 120 solo tackles β a single-season mark he never surpassed in his 13-year career.
- Donnie Shell entered the NFL as an undrafted free agent from HBCU South Carolina State in 1974 and became a fixture on the Steelers' Steel Curtain defense that won four Super Bowls, finishing with 51 interceptions in 14 seasons.
- Marc Mariani was a seventh-round pick in 2010 who earned a Titans roster spot as a returner and set franchise rookie records with 1,530 kick return yards and 61 kick returns, later setting a Pro Bowl record with 326 kick return yards in 2011.
Why it matters: For undrafted free agents and late-round picks entering training camps this month, the article supplies 32-team precedent that August performances frequently determine NFL careers β Donnie Shell's four Super Bowl rings with the Steelers, Terrell Davis's leap from sixth-round pick to Super Bowl MVP, and Malcolm Butler's Super Bowl-clinching interception as a 2014 rookie all originated in preseason games.
