Nebraska Football: All-Time Husker Greats Fantasy Draft, Rounds 10-12

As we get into the double digits in our Nebraska Football All-Time Husker Greats fantasy draft, both teams are starting to take shape. Here’s a summary of how the teams look.

RED TEAM	WHITE TEAM
QB: Frazier, Tommie (1)	QB: Gill, Turner (2)
IB	IB: Rozier, Mike (4)
FB	FB
OG: Brown, Bob (9)	OG: Shields, Will (8)
OG	OG
OT: Wiegert, Zach (17)	OT
OT	OT
C: Rimington, Dave (5)	C
TE: Miller, Junior (13)	TE
WR: Rodgers, Johnny (3)	WR: Fryar, Irving (10)
WR	WR
DE: Wistrom, Grant (7)	DE
DE	DE
DT: Glover, Rich (11)	DT: Suh, Ndamukong (6)
DT	DT
OLB	OLB: Thomas, Broderick (12)
OLB	OLB: Alberts, Trev (14)
MLB	MLB
S: Brown, Mike (15)	S
S	S
CB	CB: Brown, Ralph (16)
CB	CB: Groce, DeJuan (18)
PK	PK
P	P

With the cores of each team beginning to take shape, let’s take a look at how the rosters continue to get filled out.

Red Team, Round 10: Barrett Ruud

Having neglected linebacker up to present, the Red Team decided to strike first and take a premier middle linebacker away from the White Team. With the White Team filling both outside linebacker positions, the Red Team had a bit of a luxury to wait and fill a position that was still competitive. And with Ruud, a team captain and an All-American, the Red Team should have a solid anchor in the middle of its defense.

Draft Tracker

19: Red Team, Round 10—Ruud, Barrett (MLB)

White Team, Round 10: Daryl White

With offensive linemen starting to become scarce, the White Team needed to add a tackle to its line before the Red Team got its pick of the best. Adding White, a three-time All-American, should provide some solidity and strength to an offensive line that has been a bit neglected to this point in the draft

Draft Tracker

19: Red Team, Round 10—Ruud, Barrett (MLB)

20: White Team, Round 10—White, Daryl (OT)

Red Team, Round 11: Neil Smith

Defensive tackle is one of the few competitive positions left, so the Red Team looked to steal one of Nebraska’s most dominant interior pass-rushers in history. Smith was an All-American who ended his Nebraska career with 133 total tackles, 26 tackles for loss and 14.5 sacks.

Draft Tracker

19: Red Team, Round 10—Ruud, Barrett (MLB)

20: White Team, Round 10—White, Daryl (OT)

21: Red Team, Round 11—Smith, Neil (DT)

White Team, Round 11: Mike Minter

Minter is another position-qualifying challenge, listed as a rover but also playing WILL linebacker. However, I think the fairest equivalence for a rover at that time is at safety, so that’s where Minter will qualify. An inductee in the Nebraska Football Hall of Fame, Minter’s addition would solidify the White Team’s secondary as well as give it some flexibility to include a player who can fill in at linebacker.

Draft Tracker

19: Red Team, Round 10—Ruud, Barrett (MLB)

20: White Team, Round 10—White, Daryl (OT)

21: Red Team, Round 11—Smith, Neil (DT)

22: White Team, Round 11—Minter, Mike (S)

Red Team, Round 12: Ed Weir

Here’s the pick where the whole historical conversation comes into sharp focus. Weir’s official bio on the Nebraska website lists him as 6’0” and 190 pounds. It’s almost inconceivable that someone of that size could stand up as an offensive tackle, so at first blush Weir’s selection seems pretty silly.

But size is relative. Weir played for Nebraska from 1923-1925, where 200-pound football players were monstrous and 300-pounds players were unheard of. He was Nebraska’s first two-time All-American. He was Nebraska’s first member of the College Football Hall of Fame. No less a legend than Knute Rockne called Weir “the greatest tackle I ever saw.” Imagine what a talent like Weir, relative to his era, would have done with modern exercise techniques and nutrition.

If he’s good enough for Rockne, he’s good enough for the Red Team. Even more of a bonus is Weir’s ability to play both ways. While probably best known on defense, particularly for shutting down no less of a great than Illinois’ Red Grange, Weir played offensive line as well. So if he can qualify for offensive tackle as well, he becomes that much more valuable.

Draft Tracker

19: Red Team, Round 10—Ruud, Barrett (MLB)

20: White Team, Round 10—White, Daryl (OT)

21: Red Team, Round 11—Smith, Neil (DT)

22: White Team, Round 11—Minter, Mike (S)

23: Red Team, Round 12—Weir, Ed (OT)

White Team, Round 12: Dean Steinkuhler

The amount of contested positions in the draft is beginning to shrink, so it really becomes important to start making smart choices. But in reviewing the selections, it’s almost hard to believe that a player of Steinkuhler’s caliber had to wait until the end of the 12th round to hear his name being called.

Both an Outland and a Lombardi Award winner, Steinkuhler’s addition to the White Team’s offensive line represents a huge increase in talent, as well as an amazing value pick at the No. 24 overall selection.

Draft Tracker

19: Red Team, Round 10—Ruud, Barrett (MLB)

20: White Team, Round 10—White, Daryl (OT)

21: Red Team, Round 11—Smith, Neil (DT)

22: White Team, Round 11—Minter, Mike (S)

23: Red Team, Round 12—Weir, Ed (OT)

24: White Team, Round 12—Steinkuhler, Dean (OG)

Team Summary

Here is a summary of how the teams currently stand, with the players selected, the overall draft selection position (in parentheses) and the remaining positions to fill in italics.

RED TEAM	WHITE TEAM
QB: Frazier, Tommie (1)	QB: Gill, Turner (2)
IB	IB: Rozier, Mike (4)
FB	FB
OG: Brown, Bob (9)	OG: Shields, Will (8)
OG	OG: Dean Steinkuhler (24)
OT: Wiegert, Zach (17)	OT: White, Daryl (20)
OT: Ed Weir (23)	OT
C: Rimington, Dave (5)	C
TE: Miller, Junior (13)	TE
WR: Rodgers, Johnny (3)	WR: Fryar, Irving (10)
WR	WR
DE: Wistrom, Grant (7)	DE
DE	DE
DT: Glover, Rich (11)	DT: Suh, Ndamukong (6)
DT: Smith, Neil (21)	DT
OLB	OLB: Thomas, Broderick (12)
OLB	OLB: Alberts, Trev (14)
MLB: Ruud, Barrett (19)	MLB
S: Brown, Mike (15)	S: Minter, Mike (22)
S	S
CB	CB: Brown, Ralph (16)
CB	CB: Groce, DeJuan (18)
PK	PK
P	P

What do you think of the teams so far? Who should be taken next? Who has been the biggest snub? Let me know in the comments section below!

If you’d like to contact Patrick, send an email to [e-mail].

Or, you could always...Follow @patrickrunge.