Top 10 NFL players who got their start in the CFL
Honorable mention
O.J. Brigance
Brigance didn鈥檛 necessarily put up many notable stats in either league, but he was a true winner. Playing with the BC Lions, Brigance was a CFL West All-Star in 1993. He then joined the Baltimore Stallions where he was a CFL All-Star in 1995 and led his team to a Grey Cup victory. The linebacker went on to play six seasons in the NFL with the Dolphins, Ravens, Rams and Patriots.
Jerrell Freeman
Freeman played Division III college football with Mary Hardin-Baylor, and latched on as an undrafted free agent with the Tennessee Titans in 2008. The linebacker would then make his move to the CFL, playing with Saskatchewan Roughriders from 2009-2011. After leading the CFL with 105 tackles in 2011, Freeman became a starting linebacker in the NFL with the Colts and Bears.
Jake Scott
After a standout college career with the Georgia Bulldogs, Scott joined the BC Lions as the team鈥檚 primary kick returner in 1969. He was then drafted into the NFL by the Miami Dolphins where he made five consecutive Pro Bowls as a free safety and kick returner from 1971-75.聽
Mike Sellers
Coming out of Walla Walla Community College, Sellers played with the Edmonton Eskimos before joining the NFL with Washington and moving on to play for the Browns. He returned to the CFL in the early 2000s with Winnipeg Blue Bombers, only to go back to the NFL where he became a Pro Bowl fullback in 2008.
Mike Vanderjagt
Coming out of West Virginia, the Oakville, Ontario native returned home to kick for the Saskatchewan Roughriders, and would later kick again in the CFL for the Toronto Argonauts. In between, Vanderjagt played in the Arena Football League with the Tampa Bay Storm and Minnesota Fighting Pike, but ultimately made his name as a Pro Bowl kicker with the Colts, also spending one of his nine NFL seasons with the Cowboys.
