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Which Angels players were drafted in the NFL?

By Jeffrey Bellone |
24 APR 1991: DAVE WINFIELD OF THE CALIFORNIA ANGELS SWINGS ATA PITCH DURING A GAME WITH THE SEATTLE MARINERS AT ANAHEIM STADIUM IN ANAHEIM CALIFORNIA. MANDATORY CREDIT: STEPHEN DUNN/ALLSPORT.
24 APR 1991: DAVE WINFIELD OF THE CALIFORNIA ANGELS SWINGS ATA PITCH DURING A GAME WITH THE SEATTLE MARINERS AT ANAHEIM STADIUM IN ANAHEIM CALIFORNIA. MANDATORY CREDIT: STEPHEN DUNN/ALLSPORT.
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Dave Winfield of the Angels (Credit: Stephen Dunn/Allsport).
Dave Winfield of the Angels (Credit: Stephen Dunn/Allsport). /

There are several Angels players who were also drafted in the NFL.

For the first time in weeks, sports fans will have something to watch on Thursday when the 2020 NFL Draft kicks off. If you’re looking for analysis on who should be picked where, we got you covered on our sister site, but for baseball fans, I thought it would be fun to review Angels players who were also drafted into the NFL.

The prominence of two-sports athletes isn’t what it used to be, as young players are forced to specialize sooner and sooner. The good ol’ days of playing football in the fall, baseball in the spring, and maybe a winter sport in-between, are long gone. Now it’s about starting your kids young, Tiger Woods style, and forcing them to work on every little detail of their game in one specific sport.

That said, there are still some athletes who aren’t sure which where they should specialize. You still see a few amateurs getting their reps in both football and baseball, letting their performance and draft prospects in each respective sport decide which one they ultimately continue at the professional level.

The 2020 MLB Draft is expected to be held in July, shortened from 40 rounds to as few as five this year, as the league attempts to hold the event despite the scouting season being cut short by the novel coronavirus.

We will save our thoughts on the Angels 10th overall pick for another day. With the NFL Draft in the spotlight, let’s look back at players who spent time in the Halo system, and were also drafted into the NFL.

7 AUG 1991: DAVE WINFIELD, DESIGNATED HITTER FOR THE CALIFORNIA ANGELS, SENDS THE BALL INTO ORBIT DURING THEIR GAME AGAINST THE MINNESOTA TWINS AT ANAHEIM STADIUM IN ANAHEIM, CALIFORNIA. (Credit: Stephen Dunn/Allsport)
7 AUG 1991: DAVE WINFIELD, DESIGNATED HITTER FOR THE CALIFORNIA ANGELS, SENDS THE BALL INTO ORBIT DURING THEIR GAME AGAINST THE MINNESOTA TWINS AT ANAHEIM STADIUM IN ANAHEIM, CALIFORNIA. (Credit: Stephen Dunn/Allsport) /

Dave Winfield

Everyone remembers Dave Winfield as a Hall-of-Fame baseball player, but not many people remember that he was also drafted as a football player in the 1973 NFL draft.

The Minnesota Vikings selected him using a 17th round pick, despite the fact he never played college football. Winfield was a two-sport athlete at the University of Minnesota in baseball and basketball. In fact, he was also drafted by the Atlanta Hawks. He is one of only four players in history to be drafted in three different professional sports leagues.

Winfield decided to play baseball after he was drafted 4th overall by the San Diego Padres. I would say he made a pretty good decision given his illustrious career on the baseball diamond.

Winfield played for the Angels toward the end of his career after being acquired from the Yankees in 1990 when his relationship with owner George Steinbrenner had soured to the point of no repair.

Over nearly two full seasons in Anaheim, Winfield batted .268/.335/.469 with 47 home runs and 158 RBIs. He won the Sporting News Comeback Player of the Year Award in 1990 after missing the entire 1989 season due to a back injury.

ANAHEIM, CA – JUNE 8: Bo Jackson #22 of the California Angels swings during a game against the Minnesota Twins at Anaheim Stadium on June 8, 1994 in Anaheim, California. (Photo by Jed Jacobsohn/Getty Images)
ANAHEIM, CA – JUNE 8: Bo Jackson #22 of the California Angels swings during a game against the Minnesota Twins at Anaheim Stadium on June 8, 1994 in Anaheim, California. (Photo by Jed Jacobsohn/Getty Images) /

Bo Jackson

The most famous example of a multi-sport athlete, other than perhaps Deion Sanders, is Bo Jackson. The two-sport star who became a marketing phenomenon with the slogan “Bo Knows” made his fame playing for the Kansas City Royals and Oakland Raiders. However, he was once drafted by the California Angels, and he finished his baseball career playing for the Halos in 1994.

Jackson was drafted by the Angels in 1985, but he decided to stay at Auburn University where he won the Heisman Trophy award the following Fall. The running back finished his Auburn career as one of the best players in SEC history.

The super-talented halfback was drafted first overall by the Tampa Bay Buccaneers in the 1986 NFL Draft. He refused to play for the them after they misled him on a recruiting trip that led to an NCAA violation which caused him to miss the end of his final college baseball season. After spending a year playing baseball for the Kansas City Royals, he was eventually drafted by the Los Angeles Raiders in the seventh round of the 1987 NFL Draft.

Jackson found his way to the Halos in 1994. He played 75 games for the team in the strike-shortened season, batting .279/.344/.507 with 13 home runs and 43 RBIs.

Over his entire baseball career, he appeared in one All-Star game and finished 10th in MVP voting during his best season as a major league hitter in 1989. Jackson’s baseball career was curtailed by a devastating hip injury that also ended his NFL career in 1991. He ended his baseball career when the 1994 strike cut short his season with the Halos.

DENVER, CO – DECEMBER 18: Quan Cosby #17 of the Denver Broncos after a punt return against the New England Patriots on December 18, 2011 during the second half at Sports Authority Field at Mile High in Denver, Colorado. The New England Patriots won the game 41-23. (Photo by Marc Piscotty/Getty Images)
DENVER, CO – DECEMBER 18: Quan Cosby #17 of the Denver Broncos after a punt return against the New England Patriots on December 18, 2011 during the second half at Sports Authority Field at Mile High in Denver, Colorado. The New England Patriots won the game 41-23. (Photo by Marc Piscotty/Getty Images) /

Honorable Mentions

These are players who don’t technically fit the criteria of playing for the Angels while also being drafted in the NFL, either because their time with the Halos was only ceremonious in nature, or they made it to the NFL as undrafted players.

Quan Cosby

Before becoming a wide receiver and special teams player in the NFL, Quan Cosby tried to make his way up the minor league ranks in the Angels system. Drafted in the sixth round of the 2001 MLB Draft, Cosby spent four seasons between Rookie ball and Single-A before joining the NFL. Cosby remains an honorable mention since he was signed as an undrafted free agent in the NFL.

Jake Locker

Before being selected as the 8th overall pick in the 2011 NFL Draft, Jake Locker was drafted by the Angels in the 10th round of the 2009 MLB Draft. Locker decided to remain at the University of Washington as a football star. The Angels retained Locker’s rights during his short professional football career. And when the quarterback suddenly retired in 2015, there was speculation that he could try his hand at baseball again with the Halos. However, a reunion (or first real meeting) never materialized.

Joe Maddon wanted six-man rotation before pandemic, some candidates

Matt Moore

An honorable mention because he went undrafted in the 2007 NFL Draft, Matt Moore was drafted by the Angels, but made his career in the NFL. The quarterback has played for four different teams in the NFL. The Oregon State product spent most of his adult life playing football; however, he was drafted by the Angels in the 22nd round of the 2004 MLB Draft. Scouts had seen him play in a semi-pro baseball league in Southern California, peaking their interest. Ultimately, Moore would enroll at Oregon State to chase his football dreams.

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