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Not all of the best Purdue players matriculated to the NFL via the draft. Some former Boilermakers carved out nice runs in the NFL after going undrafted. Here’s a ranking of the top 10 undrafted Purdue players who entered the NFL as free-agents and excelled in the last 40 years.
1. LB Jim Schwantz. After going undrafted in 1992, the current mayor of Palatine, Ill., signed with his hometown Bears. His career took off when he was traded in 1994 to the Cowboys, where he became a special teams demon. In fact, Schwantz was named to the Pro Bowl in 1996 as a special teamer. He also helped Dallas win Super Bowl XXX. Schwantz signed as a free agent with the 49ers, where he continued to excel. He played in 72 career games.
2. RB Raheem Mostert. He arrived at Purdue as a receiver before moving to running back as a senior. He had an undistinguished career in West Lafayette before bouncing around seven teams in the NFL as a free agent after being undrafted in 2015. Mostert enjoyed a break out in 2019, running for 220 yards and four TDs in the NFC title game. He had 772 yards rushing last year.
3. LB David Frye. He was underrated at Purdue, playing with fellow linebackers Mark Brown and Roosevelt Barnes—who both were drafted. But Frye went unpicked in 1983. He went on to play seven seasons with the Dolphins and Falcons, making nine sacks in 86 games.
4. OL Gene Mruczkowski. He was part of some of the best offensive lines Purdue has had in the last 50 years, playing with Matt Light, Brandon Gorin and Chukky Okobi in the late-1990s/early-2000s. Mruczkowski was unpicked in 2003 but ended up playing in 33 games over five years—four with the Patriots, one with the Dolphins. He won two Super Bowls in New England.
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5. DE Chukie Nwokorie. When the roll call of top Purdue defensive ends is read, Nwokorie is too often forgotten. The Lafayette Jeff product was undrafted in 1999 and signed with Colts, where he played until 2002. Nwokorie spent his final season—2003—with the Packers. He finished his NFL career with 7.5 sacks in 36 games.
6. RB Akeem Hunt. Raheem Mostert’s running mate at Purdue, Hunt followed the same free-agent path to the NFL. Hunt was undrafted in 2015 but still played in 30 games and rushed for 228 yards with 13 catches while playing for the Texans and Chiefs.
7. QB David Blough. He already has impressed in just one season, starting the final five games for the Lions in 2019. Blough showed promise, hitting 54 percent of his passes (94 of 174) for 984 yards with four touchdowns and six interceptions after not being picked in 2019. Not bad for a guy who couldn’t win the starting job at Purdue in 2017 or 2018.
8. OL Ian Allen. Yet another offensive lineman from the early-2000s who played in the NFL. Allen was undrafted in 2001 but ended up playing in 25 games and made 11 starts, toiling for the Giants, Eagles and Cardinals.
9. WR/KR Jeff Hill. He played receiver and running back at Purdue. Then, the Cincinnati native went unpicked but signed with him hometown Bengals in 1994. Hill played in 27 games over three seasons. He ran back 30 kickoffs for 724 yards. He also caught four passes.
10. WR Jermaine Ross. An engineer major, Ross was sneaky good at Purdue. He went unpicked in 1994 but signed with the Rams. Ross made 19 catches for 223 yards and a TD in 23 career games. He spent his final season in Jacksonville in 1998.
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