Calais Campbell, Phillip Lindsay among Denver鈥檚 top 5 NFL stars
3. Daniel Graham, TE, Thomas Jefferson
Actually born in California, Graham grew up in Denver and became a star at Thomas Jefferson High School, playing tight end, linebacker and special teams. Graham had over 700 yards and six touchdowns in his senior season at Thomas Jefferson, also making a strong impact on the defensive side of the ball.聽
From there, he stayed local by attending the University of Colorado. Despite a slow freshman year in Boulder where he also played some fullback, Graham progressed as a sophomore as he scored four touchdowns, and caught 33 balls for 443 yards as a junior. Following a 753-yard, six-touchdown campaign as a senior in 2002, Graham was named a consensus first-team All-American, first-team All-Big 12, and won the Mackey Award as the nation鈥檚 top tight end.聽
Graham was selected in the first round of the 2002 NFL Draft at No. 21 overall by the New England Patriots, hoping to become a new weapon for a young Tom Brady. Graham鈥檚 NFL career never quite lived up to the billing of a first-round pick, but it was solid nonetheless. He had a career-best 409 yards and four touchdowns in his second season in 2003, the first of back-to-back Super Bowl titles for the Patriots. In 2007, Graham latched on with his hometown Denver Broncos where he would become a solid contributor in both the block and pass game through 2010. Graham would finish his career in 2012 after playing a season each with the Titans and the Saints. The former NFL tight end was inducted into the Colorado Sports Hall of Fame in 2019.
