Question
Many believe Pittsburgh will use its first-round pick on Najee Harris. That’s notable in that the Steelers once upon a time used their first-round choice on Franco Harris – same last name, same round and same position. On that front, what’s the only team that has used two top-10 picks on skill-position players with the same last name who played the same position? These retired players (not running backs) were chosen in back-to-back drafts.
Answer
Detroit Lions. They selected wide receiver Roy Williams (Texas) with the 7th pick of the 2004 draft, then came back and chose Mike Williams (Southern Cal) with the 10th pick the next year. Two other teams have drafted pairs of running backs, but it would take a Jedi to come up with the names. The Cowboys selected Bill Thomas and Duane Thomas in the early ‘70s, and the Lions picked James Jones (1983) and Kevin Jones (2004). The Jets in recent years have selected Leonard Williams and Quinnen Williams with top-6 picks; they’ve both played at both defensive tackle and defensive end. Eagles have selected defensive ends Jon Harris and Richard Harris, while Packers have picked defensive tackles Kenny Clark and Bruce Clark. Setting aside positions, the Cowboys have used three first-round picks on guys named Jones and three on players named Smith.