Sun Devil Science: ASU in the NFL Draft – DL

With a week until the 2015 NFL Draft kicks off, Devils Digest's Joe Healey turns to the defensive side to analyze the history of Sun Devil defensive linemen to play in the National Football League.

Note: This analysis includes players at the positions they played in the NFL; athletes such as Terrell Suggs and Derrick Rodgers will be featured with the linebackers.

History in the NFL Draft: Technically listed as the first true defensive lineman to be drafted out of Arizona State after the end of the one-platoon era in college football, Curley Culp transitioned from an All-American with the Sun Devils to an eventual Hall of Famer at the professional level.

Selected in the second round (31st overall) in 1968 by the Denver Broncos, Culp opted to first play in the American Football League with the Kansas City Chiefs in 1968 and '69 before merging with the NFL in 1970. Midway through the 1974 season, Culp was traded to the Houston Oilers and he later played with the Detroit Lions until his career came to a close after the 1981 season.

An AFL All-Star in 1969, Culp was a five-time NFL Pro Bowl selection and also was named the 1975 Newspaper Enterprise Association (NEA) Defensive Player of the Year.

In total, the Yuma native appeared in 179 games with 134 starts and was enshrined into the Pro Football Hall of Fame in 2013.

After helping lead ASU to an undefeated season in 1970, Mike Fanucci was picked in the ninth round (219th overall) by the Washington Redskins in the 1971 NFL Draft. The defensive end played three total seasons with the Redskins, Oilers and Packers and appeared in 40 career NFL games.

An Associated Press Honorable Mention All-American after ASU's undefeated 1975 campaign, end Randy Moore was chosen in the 12th round (334th overall) by the Denver Broncos in the 1976 NFL Draft, where he played eight games as a rookie.

Though he fell undrafted in 1978, Kit Lathrop played four total seasons in the NFL - though he uniquely had a sizeable gap between his first two seasons (1979-80) and his last two (1986-87) as he also played in the USFL. In time spent with the Packers, Broncos, Chiefs and Redskins, Lathrop appeared in 43 total games.

A fearsome pass rusher for the Sun Devils in the late-1970s, Al Harris became the first defensive lineman in school history to be chosen in the first round when he was taken ninth overall by the Chicago Bears in 1979. Harris played nine years with the Bears from 1979-88, but a contract dispute kept him from being a part of Chicago's legendary 1985 team. He capped off his 11-year pro career with the 1989 and '90 seasons in Philadelphia. Altogether, Harris appeared in 149 games with 87 starts.

One of the most dominant defenses in Arizona State history, the 1982 Sun Devils produced three defensive linemen who were drafted the following spring in Jim Jeffcoat, Bryan Caldwell and Walt Bowyer.

Jeffcoat was first off the board, as he was selected 23rd overall by the Dallas Cowboys. From that point, Jeffcoat would go on to put together the longest NFL career of any former Sun Devil defensive lineman as he played 12 seasons with the Cowboys then three with the Bills, totaling 227 games played with 128 starts while earning a pair of Super Bowl rings with Dallas.

The late father of Devils Digest's Kyle Caldwell, Bryan Caldwell was selected in the third round (77th overall) but suffered a knee injury that preseason and missed his rookie year. He then signed with the Houston Oilers and played eight games in 1984 and then signed with Philadelphia in 1985.

Chosen in the 10th round (254th overall) by the Denver Broncos, Bowyer played four seasons in Denver with 61 appearances with 18 starts.

Skip McClendon starred for two seasons at ASU and was an Honorable Mention All-American for the Devils' memorable 1986 squad before being selected in the third round (77th overall) of the 1987 NFL Draft by Cincinnati. In seven total NFL seasons spent with the Bengals, Colts, Vikings and Chargers, McClendon played in 92 games with 52 starts.

A 315-pound gap filler for ASU's Rose Bowl champion team as a senior in 1986, Dan Saleaumua was chosen in the seventh round (175th overall) by Detroit in the 1987 NFL Draft. After two seasons with the Lions, Saleaumua went on to play eight with the Kansas City Chiefs and then two with the Seattle Seahawks. Over his 12-year pro career, Saleaumua appeared in 177 games with 131 starts.

A Third-Team All-American at ASU in 1987, Shawn Patterson was chosen in the second round (34th overall) of the 1988 NFL Draft by Green Bay. In five total seasons with the Packers, Patterson played in 48 games with 13 starts and posted 11.0 career sacks.

One of the most unique stories in the past few decades of Sun Devil football, Trace Armstrong came to ASU in 1984, redshirted as a true freshman and then played the next three seasons in Tempe. However, an academic discrepancy emerged prior to his senior season that forced him to transfer elsewhere, with Florida ending up as his ultimate destination.

After earning First-Team All-America honors his senior year with the Gators, Armstrong was chosen 12th overall by the Chicago Bears in 1989. Armstrong went on to play 15 seasons with the Bears, Dolphins and Raiders, playing in 211 games with 129 starts and registering 106.0 career sacks with four double-digit sack seasons.

Though he wasn't drafted after his college career, Mark Duckens played three total NFL seasons in 1989, '90 and '92 with the Lions, Giants and Buccaneers, appearing in 35 games with three starts.

From the Larry Marmie era at ASU, Shane Collins was a dual sport star for the Devils and the track and football standout was ultimately was picked in the second round (47th overall) by the Washington Redskins in the 1992 NFL Draft. After being selected by the defending Super Bowl champions, Collins played three seasons in Washington, appearing in 30 games with 10 starts at defensive end.

The only player in ASU history to notch at least 10 sacks each of the four years he played for the Sun Devils, Shante Carver was chosen 23rd overall in the 1994 NFL Draft by the Dallas Cowboys. Carver played from 1994-97 in Dallas, appearing in 52 games with 26 starts while posting 11.0 career sacks.

A sixth round pick (202nd overall) by the Kansas City Chiefs in 1995, Brian Proby played in three games as a rookie.

Next up to the NFL were two key members of ASU's Rose Bowl run in 1996 in linemen Shawn Swayda and Vince Amey. A sixth round pick (196th overall) by the Chicago Bears in 1997, Swayda signed with Atlanta in 1998 and played four seasons there with 35 career game appearances. Amey was chosen in the seventh round (230th overall) by the Oakland Raiders in 1998, where he played four games with ones start as a rookie.

In the late-1990s, ASU saw a string of former junior college transfer defensive linemen enter the NFL, beginning with Jeremy Staat, followed by Erik Flowers and Junior Ioane .

Staat, a key reserve on ASU's Pac-10 Champion squad in 1996 and an All-American the next year, was chosen in the second round (41st overall) in 1998 by the Pittsburgh Steelers. In all, Staat played three seasons in Pittsburgh and one with St. Louis, totaling 29 games played with two starts.

A first-round selection following his two-year Sun Devil career, Flowers was taken 26th overall by Buffalo in the 2000 NFL Draft. Altogether, Flowers played two seasons with Buffalo, one with Houston and two with St. Louis, appearing in 58 games with six starts.

Ioane was taken the same year as Flowers, being selected in the fourth round (107th overall) by Oakland. After two seasons with the Raiders, Ioane played his next three with the Houston Texans, appearing in 36 total games with five starts.

A seventh round pick (232nd overall) by the New Orleans Saints, Jimmy Verdon appeared in four games as a rookie in 2005 after his Arizona State playing career, and five years later, Dexter Davis was picked in the seventh round (236th overall) by Seattle, where he played 16 games in three seasons.

Lawrence Guy opted to leave school a year early following the 2010 campaign and was ultimately picked in the seventh round (233rd overall) by Green Bay. Since entering the league, Guy has played with the Packers, Colts, Chargers and Ravens, playing in 35 games with three starts, with 54 total tackles and one career sack.

Most recently, two-time winner of the Pac-12 Conference Pat Tillman Defensive Player of the Year Will Sutton was chosen in the third round (82nd overall) by the Chicago Bears in the 2014 NFL Draft.

Top NFL Players: The only Pro Football Hall of Fame defensive lineman to come from Arizona State, Curley Culp's pro résumé stands head-and-shoulders above his Sun Devil counterparts. A powerhouse lineman and NCAA champion wrestler for ASU, Culp had a lengthy pro career as a ferocious defensive tackle while ultimately lead to his enshrinement in Canton.

With 227 game appearances, Jim Jeffcoat, owner of 102.5 sacks at the NFL level, enjoyed the longest pro career of any former ASU defensive lineman. Though Trace Armstrong's name carries an asterisk due to his transfer to Florida, his pro tenure was outstanding as well and included a Pro Bowl berth in 2000 when he recorded 16.5 sacks. Dan Saleaumua also put together a lengthy NFL career that included a Pro Bowl selection in 1995.

Best Not to Make It: A member of ASU's Sports Hall of Fame and a Second-Team All-American in 1971, Junior Ah You never appeared in NFL action and opted for a lengthy career in Canada despite being selected in the 17th round of the 1972 NFL Draft by New England.

Honorable Mention All-Americans in 1974 and '75, respectively, Clifton Alapa and Willie Scroggins both earned First-Team All-WAC honors at ASU but never appeared in the NFL.

Current NFL Players: A pair of Sun Devils saw NFL action in 2014 in Lawrence Guy of the Baltimore Ravens and Will Sutton of the Chicago Bears. Guy appeared in 11 games with one start in 2014 for the Ravens, totaling 16 tackles, while played in 15 games with five starts as a rookie with the Bears and posted 15 tackles.

2015 NFL Draft Prospects: One of the top overall prospects for the Sun Devils this year, Marcus Hardison enters the NFL Draft with substantial momentum after a 10-sack performance his senior season at ASU. Grouped with the likes of Jaelen Strong, Damarious Randall and Jamil Douglas as the most notable and likely draft candidates from ASU, Hardison has a wide range of possibilities in terms of where he will end up being selected.

Click Here to view this Link.