The Best 7th-Round Draft Pick in Washington Redskins History
By Nick Porr
By the seventh and final round of the NFL Draft, most of the substantial talent is already off the board. Sometimes though, teams luck out and find a diamond in the rough. That's exactly what happened with the Washington Redskins and Gus Frerotte.
Heading into the 1994 draft, the Redskins had a hole at the quarterback position. In the draft they took two quarterbacks: Heath Shuler (No. 3 overall) and Gus Frerotte (No. 167 overall in the seventh round).
Yes, that Gus Frerotte.
Frerotte is sadly most remembered for celebrating a rushing tuchdown in Week 13 of the 1997 season with a headbutt, resulting in him leaving the game at halftime with a sprained neck.
Although the headbutt is the most infamous part of his career, Frerotte should be remembered for much more. After a 1994 rookie season during which he put up 600 yards and five touchdowns in just four starts, Frerotte was given the starting job over Shuler.
Frerotte would go an unimpressive 3-8 in 11 starts in 1995, but the following year he exploded. In 1996, he was named to the Pro Bowl after leading the Redskins to a 9-7 record. Although they would fall short of the playoffs, Frerotte impressed with 3,453 passing yards, including this game-winning throw in overtime against the Arizona Cardinals.
After the 1998 season, Frerotte left the Redskins for the Detroit Lions, bouncing around teams playing mostly as a backup until his retirement after the 2008 season.
Frerotte might not have had the flashiest career, but as a seventh-round pick, he logged 93 career starts, 46 of which came with the Redskins. We call that a win.