Following Penn State’s 1986 national championship, a record 13 Nittany Lions were selected in the 1987 NFL Draft, with only one player not from the national championship team.
Despite the unprecedented figure, only a select few made an impact in the league, and success wasn’t necessarily based on where in the draft these players were chosen.
Here’s who had the most success in the NFL from Penn State’s 1987 draft class.
LB Shane Conlan
Linebacker Shane Conlan was the first former Nittany Lion selected in the 1987 NFL Draft, with the Buffalo Bills taking him eighth overall. He lived up to the expectations of an early first round selection.
In his rookie season, he made 114 tackles and was named the Defensive Rookie of the Year by the Associated Press. But that was only the beginning for the most decorated player from Penn State in this draft class.
The following three seasons in Buffalo were equally as successful, as Conlan enjoyed three consecutive Pro Bowl appearances from 1988-90. In the 1988 and 1990 seasons, Conlan was named a second team All-Pro.
From 1990-92, Conlan appeared in three of Buffalo’s four straight Super Bowl appearances, but failed to take home the coveted Lombardi Trophy. He was signed by the Los Angeles Rams for the 1993 season and retired in 1995.
Conlan finished his NFL career with 791 tackles, seven sacks, five interceptions and five forced fumbles, all recovered by himself.
DE/DT Tim Johnson
Tim Johnson was a sixth-round pick by the Pittsburgh Steelers and spent a decade in the NFL, during which he became the only former Nittany Lion in the draft class to win a Super Bowl.
Johnson spent three seasons in Pittsburgh before being picked up by the Washington Redskins. With the Redskins, Johnson won Super Bowl XXVI against Conlan and the Bills in 1991.
The 1991-92 Redskins are widely regarded as one of the best NFL teams ever assembled, and Johnson contributed to that with 82 tackles, a forced fumble and an interception.
Johnson played his last season with the Cincinnati Bengals in 1996, starting in 13 out of 14 games played and recording 41 tackles.
He finished with 480 tackles, six forced fumbles with four recoveries and an interception in 146 career games played.
RB Steve Smith
Running back Steve Smith is a good example of how a player doesn’t need to be drafted early to be impactful.
Smith was a third round pick to the Los Angeles Raiders, going just one pick after teammate and fellow running back Tim Manoa in the draft — Smith played 133 career games, more than D.J. Dozier and Manoa combined.
Smith retired in 1995 after seven seasons with the Raiders and two in Seattle due to a back injury.
Smith primarily played fullback in the NFL, blocking for backs like Bo Jackson and Hall of Famer Marcus Allen, but still produced 1,670 rushing yards for nine rushing touchdowns along with 1,264 receiving yards for 13 touchdowns by the end of his career.
After his rookie season was cut short by a knee-ankle injury, Smith’s best season was in 1988, recording three rushing touchdowns and six receiving touchdowns for 461 all-purpose yards.
His season-best yardage was the following year in 1989, when he put up 471 rushing yards — though he only scored a single rushing touchdown.
RB D.J. Dozier
Dozier was the second Penn State player selected in the draft, going 14th overall by the Minnesota Vikings. But he didn’t reach the same heights as his first-round counterpart Conlan; Dozier’s five years in the NFL burned bright, but faded just as fast.
In his rookie season, Dozier rushed for 298 yards and six touchdowns as the backup, fumbling the ball twice. He also had 89 receiving yards and a pair of touchdowns through the air.
In the following two seasons with the Vikings, Dozier put up similar figures in yardage but only scored two rushing touchdowns and no receiving touchdowns.
In the early 90s, Dozier was splitting his time between the NFL and Minor League Baseball. He was reactivated to the Vikings’ roster in 1990 and played six games, recording six rushing attempts for 12 yards. In 1991, Dozier once again saw minimal time after signing with the Detroit Lions off waivers, rushing for 48 yards on nine attempts.
Dozier retired from the NFL for good following the 1991 season with 745 rushing yards for eight touchdowns and 316 receiving yards with two touchdowns. He later made his MLB debut with the New York Mets in 1992.
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