Before they became NFL legends, Brian Dawkins and Tedy Bruschi were just two guys with something to prove at the 1996 NFL Combine. Each had built stellar reputations as college stars, but there was no guarantee that would translate to Sundays.
Bruschi was stuck between the defensive line and linebacker, a tweener whose production failed to erase questions about his place in the pros. Dawkins was a thumping strong safety scouts feared may not be able to keep up with the NFL’s faster receivers. But both found ways to leave their mark in Indianapolis, earn their place in the NFL Draft and then, over the course of careers that spanned more than a dozen years each, become beloved, impactful figures for the franchises willing to take a chance on them.
