Notable Red Raiders Drafted In Rounds 2-3 of NFL Draft

Tonight, rounds two and three of the 83rd NFL Draft will be held in Arlington, Texas.  Though none of the Texas Tech prospects are predicted to go in these rounds this year, there have been plenty Red Raiders taken in past second and third rounds including some of the most notable players in program history.

While the first round of the NFL Draft receives the vast majority of the national attention and fanfare, championship teams are often built in rounds two and three.  Players taken in these rounds are expected to become starters in the NFL and strengthen the core of the teams that select them.

There have been 19 Red Raiders taken in either round two or three of the NFL Draft.  The first was Elmer Tarbox in 1939 who was taken by the Cleveland Rams in the third round.  The most recent was offensive tackle Le’Raven Clark who went to Indianapolis in round three in 2016.

Here is a rundown of some of the most notable Red Raiders to be taken in the second or third rounds of the NFL Draft.

E.J. Holub 1961 – Round 2

College football Hall-of-Famer and Texas Tech legend E.J. Holub was one of the grittiest and toughest player to ever play the game of football at any level.  The Lubbock High School product was a two-way star at Texas Tech playing linebacker and center earning him the nickname “The Beast”.

The two-time all-American is a member of the Texas Tech Ring of Honor and has had his No. 55 retired by the school.  While at Texas Tech, Holub was a 4-year starter who fought through numerous injuries to stay on the field.  From his time in high school through his NFL career, he underwent 17 surgeries, including 12 knee operations.

And as if playing college and professional football was not demanding enough on is body, he worked on ranches breaking horses during his playing career.  As a result of his physical lifestyle, Holub no longer has ligaments or cartilage in his left knee but that has not stopped him from working his ranch in Oklahoma.  That is the epitome of West Texas tough.

Holub was taken in the second round of the 1961 NFL Draft by the Dallas Cowboys but he did not play for them.  Instead, he signed with the Dallas Texans of the AFL which drafted him in the sixth round of the AFL Draft the same year.

He started at linebacker as a rookie and would hold down that position for the majority of his career.  He also took over at center in 1968 becoming one of the last two-way players in the history of the NFL.  In fact, he started at linebacker and center in Super Bowls I and IV for the Kansas City Chiefs becoming the only player to ever start at two different positions in two different Super Bowls.

Holub was a 5-time AFL all-star (1961, 1962, 1964-1966) and was a first or second team all-AFL selection seven times.  His fantastic career came to an end in 1971 when his recurring knee and leg injuries caught up with him.

Holub is a member of the Kansas City Chiefs Hall of Fame and is one of the greatest players to ever play the game.  He is unquestionably one of the best second round picks ever and any team getting this caliber of player tonight will be ecstatic.