With the NFL draft now upon us, Auburn is once again poised to send several players to the next level. Prospects like Sammie Coates, Jermaine Whitehead, Reese Dismukes and others all hope to hear their names called this weekend.

Auburn has had plenty of high draft picks in the past, including four No. 1 overall picks: Cam Newton, Tucker Frederickson, Aundray Bruce and Bo Jackson.

Jackson, however, never played for the team that drafted him first overall. The Tampa Bay Buccaneers took a chance by taking the star athlete with their first pick in 1986. The team had paid Jackson a visit with the team’s private jet, which Jackson then rode on to see the team facilities, while he was in the midst of his senior baseball season. The Bucs told him they had cleared it with the NCAA, which turned out to be untrue; the trip resulted in him losing his eligibility, after which he refused to sign with the Bucs and instead pursued a pro baseball career.

He was true to his word and never signed with Tampa Bay, instead going back into the 1987 draft, where he was chosen by the Los Angeles Raiders in the seventh round. He signed with the Raiders after owner Al Davis said he would allow Jackson to play both football and baseball

Auburn has had top-10 selections at seven different positions: quarterback, running back, receiver (or end, as it was called when Red Phillips was drafted in 1958), offensive guard and tackle, and cornerback. Several of the Tigers’ highest selections have come in the last decade, most recently when left tackle Greg Robinson went second overall in 2014.

QB: 1st overall — Cam Newton, Carolina Panthers, 2011

RB: 1st overall — Bo Jackson, Tampa Bay Buccaneers, 1986; Tucker Frederickson, New York Giants, 1965

FB: 82nd overall — Heath Evans, Seattle Seahawks, 2001

WR: 5th overall — Red Phillips, Los Angeles Rams, 1958

TE: 25th overall — Reese McCall, Baltimore Colts, 1978

OC: 12th overall — Jackie Burkett, Baltimore Colts, 1959

OG: 3rd overall — Ken Rice, Buffalo Bills, 1961 (AFL, also selected 8th overall in NFL draft by the St. Louis Cardinals)

OT: 2nd overall — Greg Robinson, St. Louis Rams, 2014

DT: 13th overall — Nick Fairley, Detroit Lions, 2011

DE: 14th overall – Gerald Robinson, Minnesota Vikings, 1986; Jerry Wilson, Chicago Bears, 1959

LB: 1st overall — Aundray Bruce, Atlanta Falcons, 1988

CB: 9th overall — Carlos Rogers, Washington Redskins, 2005

S: 59th overall — Billy Atkins, San Francisco 49ers, 1958

K: 127th overall — Neil O’Donohughe, Buffal Bills, 1977

P: 196th overall — Lewis Colbert, Kansas City Chiefs, 1986