Buffalo Bills: 15 best first-round draft picks of all-time

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2 Oct 1988: Linebacker Shane Conlan of the Buffalo Bills looks on during a game against the Chicago Bears at Soldier Field in Chicago, Illinois. The Bears won the game 24-3. /

Linebacker Shane Conlan was already a stud inside linebacker with the Penn State Nittany Lions by the time he entered the 1987 NFL Draft. The former All-American and two-time national champion was taken by Bill Polian in the 1987 NFL Draft No. 8 overall. He did not disappoint during his six years with the Bills organization.

Right out of the gate, Conlan would win the 1987 AP Defensive Rookie of the Year with Buffalo. That season saw Conlan have 114 tackles in his rookie campaign. He was just getting started with Buffalo, as he would rattle off three-straight Pro Bowl seasons from 1988 to 1990.

Conlan was a productive player during his six years with the Bills. He was part of their first three AFC Championship teams from 1990 to 1992. However, Conlan would only play in 16 regular season games twice in his nine-year NFL career split between the Bills and the Los Angeles/St. Louis Rams.

Conlan would spend his last three NFL seasons with the Rams before retiring after the 1995 NFL season. He is a member of the Bills 50th Anniversary Team. Conlan had 545 total tackles in 80 total games for the Bills. In 2014, he was inducted into the College Football Hall of Fame as one of the greatest players in Penn State football history.

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