4 best NFL hidden draft gems in Colorado football history

The 2025 NFL Draft will be littered with Colorado Buffaloes, but 2024 won’t be a big year for Coach Prime’s program in the NFL. There aren’t many Buffs on draft boards, but that means any Colorado players who do make the league, either as a late-round selection or undrafted free agent, will be hidden gems, uncovered by the league. 

Colorado has a good history of later-round players who slipped through the cracks and then dominated in the league. There have been 24 first-round picks to come out of Colorado, but the only Pro Football Hall of Famer was taken in the fourth round. 

There are three others on this list too who won Super Bowls, went to Pro Bowls, or both. Here are the four best late-round NFL draft picks in Colorado football history. 

There aren’t many kickers who get drafted, but in 2007, Crosby was one of them. He developed a reputation as a clutch kicker during his time at Boulder, so the Packers, who are perennial contenders, grabbed him in the sixth. 

Crosby made the team as a rookie and played all 16 games as a rookie, hitting 31 of his 39 field goal attempts. That was good enough to hold down the starting job in Green Bay through 22, never missing a game. Crosby played 17 years for the Packers, winning the Super Bowl in 2010 and hitting 31 field goals across his 23 career playoff games. 

In 2023, Crosby played the final three games of his career with the New York Giants and has yet to retire from professional football.