For Mike Rucker, the good news arrived in the second round. Pick No. 38, to be exact. That's when the Carolina Panthers said they wanted him on their side, making him the first of seven Huskers drafted in 1999.
What's cool about Rucker's story, and somewhat unusual in this day and age, is that there never was another team after that despite a lengthy pro career.
"It was all by design. I wanted to be able to say I played with one team," Rucker said last week. "So I accomplished that."
Heck, he still lives in Charlotte, North Carolina.