Ah, well then you’ll love finding a very young Ben Murphy’s (Alias Smith & Jones) minor role in the film too.
IMDB’s trivia page for The Graduate tells it the other way 'round: director Mike Nichols rejected Redford because he didn’t feel Redford had the necessary “underdog qualities.”
The trivia page also confirms something I’ve read before: Nichols really wanted Burt Ward for the Benjamin Braddock role. That’s right, Robin from the campy 60’s Batman series. And Ward really wanted to do it, but 20th Century Fox, who produced Batman, wouldn’t let him. Wouldn’t that have been a trip, though…
Holy hosiery, Mrs. Robinson, you’re trying to seduce me!