The 5 best NFL Draft Picks from Texas Tech

The Texas Tech football program has produced some great NFL players but these five Red Raiders were the most valuable NFL Draft picks.

Zach Thomas
Zach Thomas | Al Bello/GettyImages
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No. 3: Joe Walter

Cincinnati Bengals

Offensive Tackle

1985 7th Round

A Garland, Texas native, Joe Walter had a long career in the NFL at tackle. Playing 13 seasons for the Cincinnati Bengals, he's one of the best linemen to ever come out of Lubbock.

Drafted by the Bengals in 1985, he was just a 7th-round pick. However, he would go on to play 166 career games. Of those, 136 were starts.

It was a strange beginning to Walter's career though. He almost didn't make the Bengals team as a rookie but one of the other linemen in camp left the team to become a tour guide on a Native American reservation opening up a spot for him.

In 1988, Walter had a bit of bad luck. He tore his ACL the game before Super Bowl XXIII meaning he missed out on appearing on the game's biggest stage. Still, he had an excellent NFL Career and is one of the best tackles to ever play for the Bengals.