Top 10 NFL players who got their start in the CFL

7. Brandon Browner

While Browner has unfortunately had some issues in his post-football career, he was impressive throughout his time on the gridiron in both the CFL and NFL. Following an All-Pac 10 career at Oregon State, Browner went undrafted in 2005, but signed on as a free agent with the Denver Broncos. After fracturing his forearm in the preseason, Browner missed the entirety of the 2005 campaign, and was waived in 2006. That led the 6-foot-4 cornerback to the CFL where he joined the Calgary Stampeders. A defender with tremendous speed and size, Browner became an integral part of Calgary’s defense, and helped lead the Stampeders to a Grey Cup victory in 2008, racking up 75 tackles that year. In 2009, Browner became a CFL All-Star before playing one final season in Calgary in 2010.

Before long, Browner was getting looks from the NFL once again, and joined the Seattle Seahawks in 2011. There, he became a staple of the “Legion of Boom,” joining Seattle’s vaunted secondary members including Richard Sherman, Earl Thomas and Kam Chancellor. In his first NFL season, Browner was named to the Pro Bowl. Although suspended for the game, Browner was part of the Seahawks’ Super Bowl-winning team just a couple of seasons later in 2013. He would be part of another championship team as he joined the Patriots in 2014 before wrapping up his NFL career with the New Orleans Saints.