We finally go to a player who saw action in the pros. Cory Fleming saw limited action when he arrived on Rocky Top in 1990, but he caught five touchdowns in 1991, including the first one to help spark Tennessee football’s 35-34 comeback victory at the Notre Dame Fighting Irish in the Miracle at South Bend.
Fleming then surpassed 1,000 yards over the next two years, and he helped Heath Shuler become a Heisman Trophy candidate in 1993 by catching 11 touchdown passes. As a result of that production, he ended up being drafted by the San Francisco 49ers in the third round.
However, we still haven’t gotten to anybody who actually played a game in a 49ers uniform. Fleming was released without ever signing a contract due to cap issues and then signed with the Dallas Cowboys in August before the 1994 season started. In terms of the level of success he had in the pros, it was limited, which is why he’s still near the bottom of the list.
After only playing two games as a rookie, Fleming caught six passes for 83 yards in 1995, and the 6’1″ 215-pound receiver did walk away with a Super Bowl championship that year. So that does have to count for something. Still, after that, Fleming built a 10-year career in the Arena Football League. So he didn’t do much in the pros, but he did see some action.