Isaac Bruce spoke from the heart on the Pro Football Hall of Fame stage on Saturday evening, which included dropping his Kool Moe Dee line toward a “nameless voice” that didn’t like his receiving skills, drawing loud cheers in Canton, Ohio.
The 16-year veteran receiver who shattered records with the Rams, though, did eavesdrop two names that this “nameless voice” thought would be Hall of Fame receivers in Bert Emanuel and Ryan Yarborough.
To anyone who doubted @IsaacBruce80…
“How you like me now?” 😏
📺: #PFHOF20 Enshrinement on @nflnetwork
Both not only were taken after Bruce went No. 33 overall in the second round to the Rams, but Yarborough wound up playing just four seasons in the league while Emanuel played for five different teams in a nine-year career (although, Emanuel is likely remembered for this debatable catch against Bruce’s Rams during the 2000 NFC championship game, shown at the 2:57 mark of this video).
But along with this “nameless voice” mentioning to Bruce that the former UCLA Bruin Emanuel and ex-Wyoming Cowboy Yarborough were the better receivers during the draft process, I got to thinking: Who was drafted ahead of Bruce that season? And how did their career go compared to the new Hall of Fame inductee? Let’s go back down memory lane.
Four Wideouts Went in the First Round Ahead of Bruce
The ’94 draft was prominent for the WR position, as a quartet of targets were drafted between picks No. 17 to No. 29 in the first round.
But only one won a Super Bowl along with Bruce (which was against his team in 2002). None, though, surpassed the 1,000-reception career mark like Bruce did and only two managed to put together multiple 1,000-yard seasons. Here’s who was selected ahead of Bruce:
Charles Johnson: The No. 17 pick out of Colorado wound up with the Pittsburgh Steelers. In five seasons at Steel City, Johnson only had one 1,000-yard season (1,008 in 1996) and never caught past 65 receptions in a single year. Johnson was on the New England Patriots roster that won their first Vince Lombardi Trophy against the Rams. He played nine years in the league with his last stop in Buffalo in 2002.
Johnnie Morton: The former USC Trojan Morton had a more respectable career – putting together four 1,000-yard seasons with the team that drafted him at No. 21 overall the Detroit Lions. He also snatched 80 passes twice in the ’97 and ’99 seasons. After a three-year stint with the Kansas City Chiefs, Morton played his final season (year No. 12) in San Francisco.
Thomas Lewis: The standout from Indiana went No. 24 overall to the New York Giants. He played his entire career with the G-Men, but only played four seasons in the league, with his best year a 53-catch campaign in 1996.
Derrick Alexander: Like Morton, Alexander put together multiple seasons of crossing the century mark – producing three 1,000-yard seasons in his career. However, the No. 29 pick out of Michigan wound up becoming a back-to-back 1K wide receiver following the Browns’ move to Baltimore. Alexander went on to have his best outing in 2000 with the Chiefs: Setting career-highs in receptions (78), yards (1,391) and touchdowns (10). Like Johnson, Alexander stretched his NFL career to nine seasons.
The Bengal Who Went Before Bruce in the Second
Even as the 33rd pick, Bruce wasn’t the first wide receiver taken to kick off the second round. That distinction belongs to this WR who played college football with a future Rams teammate of Bruce Marshall Faulk:
Darnay Scott: Scott, who hailed from St. Louis, became an 800 to 1,000-yard receiver with the Cincinnati Bengals. From 1994 to ’97, Scott scored five touchdowns each season. Then in ’98 and ’99, Scott put together consecutive seven touchdown seasons.
Scott played his last season in 2002 with the Dallas Cowboys and wound up with 408 career receptions.
Looking Back at the ’94 Class
Here’s what’s startling about the draft class from 27 years ago: There’s currently only one Hall of Famer who was taken in the first round: Faulk at No. 2 overall.
Notable names do include the first pick Dan Wilkinson (390 total tackles, 54.5 career sacks, even five interceptions in a 13-year career), 2001 Super Bowl champions Trent Dilfer (No. 6 overall to Tampa Bay) and Sam Adams (No. 8 overall to Seattle) plus the Rams’ first pick at No. 15 Wayne Gandy.
But in the end, Bruce becomes the newest Hall of Famer for the Rams, especially after being passed over by five teams that drafted a WR ahead of him and was told two others would have a better career than “The Reverend.”
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Who Were the Wide Receivers Drafted Ahead of Isaac Bruce in 1994?