Do you remember Akili Smith, Ryan Leaf, Jerry Tagge, Todd Blackledge and JaMarcus Russell?

What do they all have in common?

All of them were considered first-round draft busts – quarterbacks -- some more familiar than others. Does anyone remember Bill Thomas, Rocky Thompson or Joe Profit, all of whom can be considered in the same category.

In this week’s version of my Yesterday column — reminiscing about sports and pop culture from the 1960s, 70s, 80s and sometimes before and beyond — I’ll review some notable draft busts and some past facts dealing with the upcoming draft Thursday.

Finally, what recognizable former all-pro linemen with other teams were top Eagles’ picks? What pro wrestler changed his moniker to “Adorable?” What former umpire was arrested for stealing baseball cards, and what device was a “Wang?”

A Short Career ... For the record, Smith and Leaf were highly touted quarterback prospects who fizzled with the Bengals (1999-2002) and Chargers and Cowboys (1998, 2000-01) respectively. Others were Tagge, Packers (1972-74), Blackledge, Chiefs (1983-89); and Russell, Raiders (2007-09).

Thomas (Cowboys, 1972), Thompson (Giants, 1971) and Profit (Falcons, 1971) were all first-round running backs, and all played less than 30 games. Thomas had cups of coffee with the Cowboys, Oilers and Chiefs, while Profit also saw time with the Saints, and Thompson stayed with the Giants.

You have a good memory if you recall any of the running backs.

Clipped Wings ... From 1960, there have been a number of Eagles top picks who had some fleeting success.

See how many you can recall: Art Baker (1961), fullback; Harry Jones (1967), running back; Leroy Keyes — remember O.J. Simpson — (1969), defensive back; Leonard Mitchell (1989), tackle; Antone Davis (1991), tackle; Kevin Allen (1985), tackle; Bernard Williams (1994), tackle; Mike Mamula (1995), linebacker; Jon Harris (1997), defensive end; and Corey Simon (2000), defensive tackle.

The Eagles have had trouble drafting linemen, except for Hall of Famer Bob Brown (1964), Jerry Sisemore (1973) and Tra Thomas (2009).

How We Heard and Saw It ... Growing up, we weren’t able to watch the draft extensively like we can today through a variety of mediums.

It was about listening to KYW Radio — sports every 15 minutes — or watch the sports on the 6 p.m. or 11 p.m. news to find out who the Eagles drafted. To find out everything, we had to wait for the newspaper agate the next morning. From 1960-1975, the drafts contained 17 to 20 rounds.

It wasn’t until 1980 when ESPN — a year old — began broadcasting the draft.

Wang It ... Did you ever have a Wang in your life? In the 1970s and 80s, Wang was the leading manufacturers of desktop calculators and word processors.

The company dominated the word processing market before the rise of personal computers. They also were among the first companies to develop calculators, copiers and printers.

They Could Have Been ... Former All-Pro linemen Miami’s Bob Kuechenberg and Kansas City’s Ed Budde both were Eagles draft picks.

Kuechenberg was a fourth-round pick in the 1969 draft, but he was cut. Kuechenberg signed with the Dolphins as a free agent and became a mainstay for 14 seasons.

Budde was the team’s top pick in 1963 and fourth overall, but he also was the Chiefs top pick in the AFL draft. He chose Kansas City and began a fixture for the nest 14 seasons.

Think Hard for These ... Through the years, there have been a number of draft picks you may have forgotten, and ones who played a few downs — the proverbial cup of coffee — or none in the league.

From 1975-1977, the Eagles had their top picks never play a down for the team. The Birds didn’t have a first-round pick in 1977 due to the Bill Bergey trade.

In 1975, they selected Miami offensive tackle Bill Capraun in the seventh round, they chose Florida defensive end Mike Smith in the fourth round in 1976, and they took Kansas defensive back Skip Sharp in the fifth round in 1977.

Kansas defensive tackle Mitch Sutton was their top pick in the 1974 third round, and he played 18 games with the team through 1975.

WWWF/WWE Wrap ... Each week, I’ll look back at a former pro wrestler we watched

growing up.

Do you remember Adrian Adonis? Born Keith Franks in Buffalo, Adonis was a standout football player and wrestler, winning a high school wrestling title in 1970. He also had a brief stint in the Canadian Football League before beginning his wrestling career.

Adonis began in 1974 in the NWA, and he moved to the AWA in the late 70s. He teamed with Jesse Ventura in the early 80s to win the AWA Tag Team championship and also with Ventura in the WWWF. Adonis also was a frequent challenger to Pedro Morales and Bob Backlund for the WWWF Heavyweight title.

In 1985, Adonis and Dick Murdoch won the WWWF Tag Team Title. A few years later, Adonis changed his approach by being known as “Adorable,” and adopted an effeminate appearance wearing leg warmers, makeup, eye shadow, scarves and pink clothing.

Adonis’ weight ballooned to 350 pounds, and he ended his rigorous weight-training program and removed all of his body hair. He feuded with the Junkyard Dog and George “The Animal Steele” as well as champion Hulk Hogan.

Over the years, Adonis held the NWA Americas Tag Team belt, the NWA Pacific Northwest Tag Team title, NWA Heavyweight championship, and the Southwest Heavyweight championship.

Adonis’ famous moves were the “Goodnight Irene” sleeper hold, “Goodnight Irene” reverse atomic drop, and the driving elbow drop.

On July 4, 1988, Adonis was killed in a car accident in Newfoundland, Canada at age 34. Adonis had lost weight and reverted back to his old appearance in hopes of rejoining the WWF.

A Bad Call ... On this date in April 1990, veteran National League umpire Bob Engel was arrested and charged with stealing 4,180 baseball cards from a Target store in California. Engel later pleaded no contest to the charges and was suspended by former Phillie Bill White, who was then the NL president.

Engel was convicted in July, and retired from baseball. According to the LA Times, Engel also attempted to steal cards from another Target store.

Readers Write: More on Fixes

Jeff,

I read your articles weekly and enjoy them.

Your April 16 article, however, missed an important local connection when Jack Egan, who played ball at Becahi, got involved while at St. Joe’s and lost an opportunity to turn pro because of the point shaving scandal.

Seton Hall was also involved, but local (Liberty High School) star Al Senavitis was not involved.

Steve, thanks for the info and the support.

Another Classic Game ... In 1973, Aurora released its “Monday Night Baseball” game. It was a parallel to their “Monday Night Football” version.

At the time, the game was considered to be “state of the art” and “computerized.” The team at bat selected its play from a play card, while the team in the field selected a play from its play card. A light under the board determined the result when the two plays in question were chosen and illuminated the result on the playing surface for the two players to see. The light on the field indicated what the play would be, and players moved the pieces manually.

You can find the game on eBay, and it’s reasonably priced.

Memory Lane ... Each column, I’ll look back at a former player, manager, coach or media personality from our yesterday.

Do you remember former Eagles defensive back Ray Ellis? He was the Eagles’ 12th overall and final pick of the 1981 draft.

Ellis played five years and in 73 games with the Eagles from 1981-85. He intercepted 12 passes overall, having a season-high seven in 1984 when he took over the starting strong safety position from retired starter Randy Logan.

A former Ohio State standout, Ellis signed with the Browns as a free agent. He played his final two seasons there and recorded two interceptions.

Your thoughts are always welcomed and will be published; email them to tnsports@tnonline.com