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Emmett Edwards breezed into the second round over Bruce Adams while David Verser snuck past Brandon Rideau.
(5) Emmett Edwards
Emmett Edwards played three seasons at Kansas, 1972-74, and all three were pretty productive. His debut season featured 26 catches for 464 yards and two touchdowns.
His second year was his most productive in Crimson and Blue. In 1973 he caught 53 passes for 840 yards and three scores. He was first in the Big Eight in receptions and yardage and it earned Edwards a first team All-Big 8 selection that season.
He repeated his first team All-Conference performance in his senior season of 1974. Although his numbers were down (30 catches, 542 yards, three TDs), he was still first in the league in yardage and yards per reception (18.8). After those back-to-back all-conference selections, Edwards was drafted into the NFL in the second round (40th overall) by the Houston Oilers. He only played two seasons in the NFL (the second with the Buffalo Bills) and he only racked up four receptions in that time.
(4) David Verser
Verser came along almost right after Edwards, playing for the Jayhawks from 1977-80. His first two years he didn’t pop the stat book much, goin for 11-220-1 his freshman year and 15-214-1 his sophomore year. His stats from his junior season weren’t that much different, as he hauled in 21 passes for 463 yards and four touchdowns, but that was good enough for a first team All-Big 8 selection. His senior campaign was his most productive yet. He caught 30 balls for 576 yards and four TDs, again securing a second straight first team All-Big 8 nod.
Verser was the tenth overall pick in the 1981 NFL Draft by the Cincinnati Bengals and he played six years in the league. He changed positions when he got to the NFL and was used primarily as a kick-returning specialist. Overall he caught 23 passes for 454 yards and four touchdowns with the Bengals. He played out his final two seasons with the Tampa Bay Buccaneers and Cleveland Browns.
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