Broncos quarterback Peyton Manning threw the 500th touchdown pass of his career on Sunday, but he wasn’t the only Denver player to reach a significant career milestone.
Wide receiver Wes Welker had seven catches, moving him up to 854 in his career and making him the all-time leader in receptions among undrafted players. Former Bronco Rod Smith caught 849 passes before he retired, which had been the record.
“Anytime you can break a record held by Rod Smith -- I followed him growing up,” Welker said, via the Denver Post. “I didn’t know he was undrafted until I came up. He was so good, you wouldn’t have thought.”
The same is true of Welker. The 2004 draft saw Larry Fitzgerald go third overall, but the first round also saw Roy Williams, Reggie Williams, Lee Evans, Michael Clayton, Michael Jenkins and Rashaun Woods come off the board. There were 32 receivers drafted over seven rounds that year and Welker’s been better than all but Fitzgerald, which explains why Peyton Manning called it a “ha-ha moment for scouting” while suggesting that Welker should get a letter of apology from that year’s general managers.
Welker didn’t stop getting overlooked at that point. He went from the Chargers to the Dolphins to the Patriots before his career started heading for the record books.
