
No. 2 Miami football NFL career in league history: Jim Otto
1960 AFL Draft: Round 2
Oakland Raiders, 1960–1974
Jim Otto didn’t have a typical draft experience, having had his rights defaulted to the then-Oakland Raiders of the AFL. In fact, Otto played just five seasons in the NFL, with the merger between the two leagues taking place in 1966 and being enacted by 1970.
Despite all of that, Otto was the standard for centers in pro football regardless of the league, having been a 9× First-team All-AFLer and helping lead the Raiders to a championship during the 1967 season. He would go on to be a 2x All-Pro in the NFL during his twilight years.
Otto’s staying power was a rarity in his era, but his physical dominance made him useful to an NFL roster his entire career. While it resulted in 74 operations over his 15 seasons, Otto’s career justified the pain.