Top 15 draft picks taken in Philadelphia Eagles history

The Philadelphia Eagles land Reggie White in a supplemental draft.

If you didn’t know better, you’d probably think the Philadelphia Eagles took Reggie White in the first round or something, wouldn’t you? Nope! He began his career as a member of the Memphis Showboats of the original United States Football League. Interesting, huh?

White played in Memphis for two seasons until the USFL closed its doors in 1985. When it did, he was taken by the Philadelphia Eagles during the 1984 NFL Supplemental Draft as the fourth player selected behind Steve Young (Tampa Bay Buccaneers), Mike Rozier (Houston Oilers), and Gary Zimmerman (New York Giants).

For those of you whose history is a little hazy, that supplemental draft was a one-time deal during the spring of 1984, one that included both United States Football League players and prospects from the Canadian Football League. White, believe it or not, would take a pay cut to join the Eagles.

No one needs to take a class to understand how great Reggie White was, but if you do, here are a few things to think about. As a member of the Eagles, he was named NFL Defensive Player of the Year in 1987 and the NFC’s Defensive Player of the Year in 1987 and 1991. He was a six-time First-Team All-Pro (1986–1991), a Second-Team All-Pro in 1992, a seven-time Pro Bowler (1986–1992), and a two-time NFL sacks leader (1987, 1988).

Reggie White is a member of the NFL 1980s All-Decade Team, the NFL 1990s All-Decade Team, the NFL 75th Anniversary All-Time Team, the NFL 100th Anniversary All-Time Team, his number 92 is retired, and he’s a member of both the Philadelphia Eagles Hall of Fame and the Pro Football Hall of Fame.

Why isn’t he higher on this list you ask? Well, White won a Super Bowl with the Green Bay Packers but never with the Birds. Thank Norman Braman for that.

Are we salty? Well, maybe, but hang in there. We have a few more names to unveil. Buckle up! Things are about to get interesting.