25 most sought after NFL quarterback draft prospects of all time

Vinny Testaverde’s career is a testament to perseverance. That he was drafted No. 1 overall in the 1987 NFL Draft is a testament to the fact that Miami quarterbacks were some of the hottest commodities of the 1980s. There was little indication that the Tampa Bay Buccaneers were going to turn to anyone other than the latest Hurricanes star with the top draft pick that spring.

Testaverde entered the draft as the 1986 Heisman Trophy winner. In his final season in Coral Gables, he earned the Hurricanes a date with Penn State in the Fiesta Bowl for the mythic national championship of college football. Five interceptions derailed the Miami bid for another title, yet Testaverde was too good a talent to pass up for the Buccaneers.

Despite finishing with a completion percentage below 50 percent in each of his first two seasons, and throwing more interceptions than touchdowns in five of his first six years in the pros, Testaverde remained a Buccaneer through the first third of a career that spanned 21 years. In 1993, he signed with the Cleveland Browns as an unrestricted free agent.

Part of the team as it transitioned to Baltimore and rebranded as the Ravens, Testaverde threw for more than 4,000 yards in 1996, but struggled to limit interceptions and generate scores.

Two years after the franchise left Cleveland, the native Brooklynite signed with his hometown New York Jets. Spending six seasons at the Meadowlands, Testaverde finally came into his own as he led the Jets to three AFC playoff appearances.

Testaverde wound down his career with stints in Dallas, New England, and Carolina sandwiched around another go-around with the Jets. He retired in 2007 after 21 years in the league, finishing with more than 46,000 passing yards and 275 touchdowns through the air in his career.