Estimated read time: Less than a minute
This archived news story is available only for your personal, non-commercial use. Information in the story may be outdated or superseded by additional information. Reading or replaying the story in its archived form does not constitute a republication of the story.
INDIANAPOLIS — The conventional wisdom heading into the 2002 NFL draft was Dwight Freeney was too small to play defensive end. Critics also contended his trademark spin move would hit a wall against the league's bigger, stronger offensive linemen. But former Colts general manager Bill Polian and former coach Tony Dungy saw something completely different on tape. They thought Freeney could be a game-changing pass rusher, and a perfect fit in Dungy's patented Tampa 2 defense. Freeney didn't disappoint. He used his speed, his innovative moves and the motivation of showing the doubters he could make it in the league to propel him to a 16-year Hall of Fame career.








