Ahead of Thursday’s NFL Draft, many players wait in anticipation to hear their names called in the first round.

For some, it’s an instant ticket to stardom. But being selected on the first day of the draft isn’t the only route to a successful career.

Fifteen former undrafted NFL players are enshrined in the NFL Hall of Fame.

Here are three USF football players that went on to have a successful professional career despite not being selected. 

Related: Bayron Matos never played in a football game. Here’s why he’s an NFL prospect.

D’Ernest Johnson, RB

 D’Ernest Johnson, a former Bulls running back, played four seasons with the Bulls from 2014 to 2017 – racking up the most all-purpose yards in program history with 4,186. 

After failing to be picked up by an NFL team in the 2018 Draft, he opted for a more nontraditional career pivot – working on a fishing boat.

Johnson spent the rest of 2018 fishing for Mahi in Key West, yet his persistence to pursue professional football never wavered. 

He messaged every single AAF team – a now-defunct minor football league – desperate for a shot. Until he finally received it.

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Johnson joined the Orlando Apollos for the 2019 season, rushing for 372 yards in eight games. That was good enough to get the attention of the NFL’s Cleveland Browns. 

He made the Browns’ final roster in 2019 – but it would be a couple years until he would see his breakthrough. 

With starters Nick Chubb and Kareem Hunt sidelined with an injury, Johnson was named the starting running back against the Denver Broncos on Oct. 21, 2021. 

Johnson would lead the team offensively, rushing for 144 yards and a touchdown in his first career start. He would finish the 2021 season with 534 rushing yards and three touchdowns. 

In 2023, he signed with the Jacksonville Jaguars, rushing for 108 yards last season. 

Mitchell Wilcox, TE

Mitchell Wilcox was arguably the most productive tight end in USF history, starting for the Bulls from 2016 to 2019. 

He finished his collegiate career with three Mackey Award nominations – a trophy handed out to the nation’s top tight end. He’s also the career leader in receptions, receiving yards  and touchdowns for his position. 

Wilcox went unselected during the 2020 NFL Draft, but was quickly picked up a couple of days later by the Cincinnati Bengals. 

He spent the next season on the Bengals practice squad before being called up to the active roster in 2021 – making an appearance in Super Bowl LVI (56). 

Related: How USF alumni have impacted previous Super Bowls

Wilcox would catch his first NFL touchdown the following season in a win against the Tampa Bay Buccaneers on Dec. 18, 2022. 

On April 23, Wilcox signed with the New England Patriots. The terms of the contract were not announced. 

S.J. Green, WR

The NFL isn’t the only route to a productive career in professional football. 

Former Bull S.J. Green was a stellar wide receiver in the CFL – Canada’s premier football league – after going undrafted in 2007. 

Green won three Gray Cups in 2009, 2010 and 2017 with both the Montreal Alouettes and Toronto Argonauts. The Gray Cup is the CFL equivalent of the Super Bowl. 

Green is also arguably one of the most productive CFL wide receivers in the recent decade – being named a CFL East All-Star eight times. 

He reached the 1,000-yard receiving yard seven times in his career before retiring in 2022 as a member of the Montreal Alouettes. 

The NFL Draft will be held on April 25-27. It will be broadcast on ESPN and ABC.