With the exception of Armstrong, the rest of those guys played HS football...while guys like Graham & Swoope made it to The League with practically no football experience.
And IIRC, wasn't Davis a 5* recruit as a DT?...or was that another Davis...
There's vert without the ball, and true vert, with the ball.
James White was the highest jumping cat I ever saw, windmilling it from the FT line was insane, and He had room to spare.