Finding gold in the NFL draft is often the key to sustaining success. The Chiefs have done it recently with corner L’Jarius Sneed (4th round) and running back Isiah Pacheco (7th round). Their dynasty was almost interrupted by San Francisco’s Brock Purdy, the final pick of the 2022 draft and probably the most relevant Mr. Irrelevant in NFL draft history.
Late-round steals are rare, but they do happen from time to time, and that is why the NFL draft brings fans hope every year at the NFL betting sites. It just gets a little annoying when they think every 6th-round pick has the chance to become Tom Brady or Antonio Brown. That’s not how it works.
Still, we did want to highlight the 5 best steals in NFL draft history as we get closer to this year’s draft. Here is the criteria used to determine our list:
- Player must have been drafted – can’t be a steal in the draft if you went undrafted, so no Warren Moon, Kurt Warner, Tony Romo, or Antonio Gates here.
- Player must have performed well for the team that drafted him – can’t give the 1955 Steelers credit for taking Johnny Unitas in the 9th round when they cut him before the season, leaving him to play semi-pro football for $6 a game before the Colts made him a Hall of Famer and legend.
- Players drafted in Round 3 or later only – hard to call it a “steal” when the player still went in the 1st or 2nd round.
- Emphasis on the last 35 years – harder to find steals with modern scouting improvements, the combine and fewer rounds per draft class.
Honorable Mentions
Before we get to our list, we would like to share some honorable mentions for great steals in the history of the NFL draft:
- WR Raymond Berry: 1954 Colts, 20th round, 232nd pick – Great receiver who was the only Hall of Famer in the 1954 draft (360 picks total).
- QB Bart Starr: 1956 Packers, 17th round, 200th pick – Hall of Fame quarterback who led the Packers to 5 championship wins.
- DE Deacon Jones: 1961 Rams, 14th round, 186th pick – Pass-rush legend with 173.5 sacks in his Hall of Fame career.
- QB Roger Staubach: 1964 Cowboys, 10th round, 129th pick – Patience paid off as Dallas waited for Staubach to complete his service in the Navy before Captain Comeback led the team to 4 Super Bowls with 2 wins.
- SS Ken Houston: 1967 Oilers, 9th round, 214th pick – A 12-time Pro Bowler and member of the 1970s All-Decade team, Houston had 49 career interceptions.
- DE Richard Dent: 1983 Bears, 8th round, 203rd pick – A key member of the famed 1985 Bears defense, Dent was the only Hall of Famer drafted outside of the 1st round in that incredible 1983 draft that had 7 Hall of Famers in Round 1.
- TE Shannon Sharpe: 1990 Broncos, 7th round, 192nd pick – An undersized tight end in college, Sharpe went on to become one of the best at his position and won 3 Super Bowls, including back-to-back rings in Denver.
- WR Antonio Brown: 2010 Steelers, 6th round, 195th pick – The best late-round receiver of the 2010s, Brown could have easily wrapped up a Hall of Fame career in Pittsburgh if he kept his cool off the field.
Here is our list of the top 5 steals in NFL draft history.
5. QB Russell Wilson – 2012 Seahawks, 3rd round, 75th Pick
While the Seattle Seahawks quite literally threw away their shot at a dynasty in the 2010s, their success in finding late-round gems in a short period of time is why that team quickly became such an elite contender and Super Bowl winner in 2013.
The Seahawks found corner Richard Sherman in the 5th round in the 2011 draft to pair with safety Kam Chancellor, a 5th-round pick in 2010. Throw in a 1st-round pick in Earl Thomas and that’s how you end up with the Legion of Boom secondary.
However, the Seahawks needed a quarterback to make it work.
The 2012 draft was fairly loaded in that regard with a question of Andrew Luck or Robert Griffin III at the top of the draft. The Colts took Luck, the Redskins took RG3, and the picks kept rolling with Ryan Tannehill going to Miami and Brandon Weeden going to Cleveland in the 1st round.
The Broncos made a brutal mistake by taking Brock Osweiler in the 2nd round to back up Peyton Manning, their new starter. Imagine if the Broncos would have opted for Wisconsin quarterback Russell Wilson, who went 18 picks after Osweiler to the Seahawks in the 3rd round, 75th overall.
Perhaps that Seattle-Denver Super Bowl never happens in 2013 and the Broncos could have won that championship instead of getting slaughtered. But Wilson was not expected to be an instant success. He had to beat out Matt Flynn in the preseason to earn the starting job, which he did after a stellar August.
Wilson started Week 1 of his rookie year and looked the part of a young, promising quarterback. He improved greatly in the 2nd half of the season, and while Luck and RG3 stole the headlines, you could argue Wilson was the one who had the best season with better efficiency metrics in most areas.
Wilson also won a playoff game against Griffin’s team, then he nearly made an incredible 20-point comeback in Atlanta in the divisional round. By Year 2, an improved Wilson and a great defense combined to bring the Seahawks their only Super Bowl win.
A year later, the Seahawks were right back in the Super Bowl with a chance to repeat.
It is still the only time since 1998 that an NFC team has gone to back-to-back Super Bowls. But with the ball at the 1-yard line and Marshawn Lynch in the backfield, the Seahawks decided to force a throw, and Malcolm Butler intercepted Wilson’s pass to help the Patriots hang on for the win.
Wilson never had another deep playoff run in Seattle despite improving as a player and having some dominant statistical seasons later in his career. Eventually, he was traded to Denver in 2022 after a decade with the Seahawks. Both parties were better with each other than without.
I’ll never forget where I was on that Super Bowl 49 interception…
One of the darkest nights as a Seahawks fan…
— Patrick (@Patrick_VGK) February 29, 2024
Wilson’s 179 approximate value at Pro Football Reference is the 2nd most for a player drafted in the 3rd round or later behind only Tom Brady (326).
Still, in a 2012 draft class that also had Kirk Cousins and Nick Foles, Wilson remains the most successful and prolific quarterback. He outlasted Luck and Griffin, against all odds, by several seasons. He may still end up in the Hall of Fame if he can get back on track with his career.
However, he is the best quarterback in Seattle franchise history and was at the forefront of a push for more mobile quarterbacks in the early 2010s.
4. C Mike Webster – 1974 Steelers, 5th Round, 125th Pick
Hands down, the 1974 Steelers had the best draft class of all time. In a draft that featured 6 Hall of Famers, they somehow found 4 of them with wide receivers Lynn Swann, John Stallworth and linebacker Jack Lambert.
The latest pick they used to find a Hall of Famer was in the 5th round on center Mike Webster. He went on to play more games (245) in the 1974 draft class than anyone, and no one made more Pro Bowls (9) than he did. He was also a member of the All-Decade team for both the 1970s and 1980s, and he helped the Steelers to 4 Super Bowl wins.
Webster is one of the greatest centers in NFL history, and the cherry on top for the greatest draft class a team has ever pulled off.
Mike Webster: the anchor of the #Steelers offensive line for 15 seasons, including 4 Super Bowl titles. #NFL100 pic.twitter.com/kaY2JDr1mK
— Steelers Depot 7⃣ (@Steelersdepot) December 14, 2019
3. RB Terrell Davis – 1995 Broncos, 6th Round, 196th Pick
For over a decade, fans and pundits begged the Broncos to give quarterback John Elway a good running back in Denver. Well, they probably never expected it would be a 6th-round pick in 1995 that would help carry Elway to back-to-back Super Bowl rings to end his career.
The 1990s were basically the peak for workhorse running backs before the era of heavy passing took over. Barry Sanders and Emmitt Smith were always competing for the rushing title, and there were other very good players around like Jerome Bettis, Marshall Faulk and Curtis Martin.
Still, the Broncos used a 6th-round pick on Davis in 1995, and he was considered a longshot to make the team that year. However, don’t let anyone say preseason doesn’t matter for these late-round picks who are fringe players to make the final roster. During a preseason game, Davis delivered a big hit on special teams that caught his coach’s attention, and that helped him stay on with the team.
He rushed for 1,117 yards as a rookie, but his best was yet to come. In 1996, Davis was a first-team All-Pro back with 1,538 rushing yards and 13 touchdowns as he helped the Broncos return to the playoffs. However, they were upset in the first game against Jacksonville.
A year later, Davis got even better, rushing for 1,750 yards and a league-high 15 touchdowns. He rushed for another 581 yards and 8 touchdowns in the playoffs, winning Super Bowl MVP on his way to finally getting that first ring for Elway.
“The blue is my favorite. I never lost one game wearing that home jersey,” he said. “Look it up.”
Sure enough, after the Broncos switched to blue in 1997, John won every home game in the regular season and the playoffs for his final two years & the Super Bowl in SD” @woodypaige pic.twitter.com/GtSS9rjRV6— JeramieRobinson 🐻 (@JeramieRobinson) September 6, 2021
In 1998, Davis was on the pursuit for 2,000 rushing yards, which he achieved with a league-high 2,008 yards and 21 touchdowns. He won the NFL’s MVP award that year. Davis had another strong playoff run and the Broncos were able to repeat as champions before Elway retired after the game. Davis has an argument as the best postseason running back in NFL history.
In 8 games, he rushed for at least 91 yards every time, 7 games with over 100 yards and he scored 12 touchdowns while averaging 5.6 yards per carry. Phenomenal big-game player. Davis is still the last running back to win Super Bowl MVP when he did it for the 1997 Broncos.
Unfortunately, a series of injuries starting in 1999 greatly shortened Davis’s career. After 1998, he only rushed for another 1,194 yards total in 3 years before retiring for good. This made his Hall of Fame case difficult because he basically was only a big-time starter for 4 years.
Still, how do you deny a player who accomplished basically everything you can at the position in such a short time? The Broncos wore him out with roughly 1,000 touches in 1997-98. He rewarded them with 2 Super Bowl wins.
In 2017, Davis was finally inducted into the Hall of Fame. It is true he played in that zone-blocking scheme in Denver that helped other backs to big numbers too. But none of them ever approached what Davis did in his prime, and none had the impact he had in Denver.
Terrell Davis is in the Hall Of Fame because of Special Teams.
That was his way on the field as a rookie.
He took advantage of this opportunity to become a Super Bowl Champion & legendary RB.
Everyone’s journey to success starts somewhere. Find your opportunity. This was his. pic.twitter.com/pxctYSGt3z
— Matt Drinkall (@DrinkallCoach) June 17, 2019
2. QB Joe Montana – 1979 49ers, 3rd Round, 82nd Pick
So much success in life is about timing.
Joe Montana’s career and personal life is proof of that. He met his current wife, Jennifer Wallace, in 1984 following a playoff loss when he filmed a Schick razor commercial with her. Had his team reached another Super Bowl instead that week, he wouldn’t have met her that day, and perhaps not ever.
However, years before that, Montana was a draft hopeful after his career at Notre Dame ended. He led a lot of wild and memorable comebacks there, but scouts were not as impressed with his physical tools.
As fate would have it, the 49ers hired Bill Walsh as their new head coach, and he had a vision for offense that was not about having a big-armed quarterback taking deep drops and chucking deep throws. He wanted an offense built on timing and precision with a lot of short, quick passes to take advantage of defenses that were not ready for this sort of attack. He called it the West Coast Offense, and he just needed the right quarterback for it.
The 1979 draft saw 3 quarterbacks drafted in the 1st round with Jack Thompson, Phil Simms and Steve Fuller. Montana ended up going as the 4th quarterback in the final pick (82nd) of the 3rd round to the 49ers.
However, the union of Walsh and Montana would change the course of football.
It didn’t happen immediately, as Montana only started 1 game in his rookie year. But in 1980, there were already flashes of greatness and callbacks to those comebacks at Notre Dame. Against the Saints, Montana led a 28-point comeback win, setting a record for the largest comeback in the regular season.
In the Super Bowl era, only the 1980 49ers led by Joe Montana were able to overcome the 28+ point deficit. It was against the Saints.
Can Tom Brady and the Bucs pull off the comeback against Drew Brees and the Saints? pic.twitter.com/00RNRb3YL7
— NFL on ClutchPoints (@ClutchPointsNFL) November 9, 2020
In 1981, Montana was a full-time starter for the first time, and he led the 49ers, who had fallen on tough times for years, to a 13-3 record. Against the Cowboys in the NFC Championship Game, Montana led a long touchdown drive that ended with “The Catch” to Dwight Clark, and the rest was history. A legend was born, and the 49ers won the Super Bowl against the Bengals that season.
The 49ers won another Super Bowl behind Montana after a 15-1 season in 1984 as he outdueled new phenom Dan Marino to maintain his lead as the top quarterback in the game. The addition of Jerry Rice, the greatest wide receiver of all time, in 1985 really helped Montana take off statistically.
However, after a rough 3-year stretch of injuries and playoff failures, Montana shook things off and won back-to-back Super Bowls in 1988-89 to secure a dynasty and retire as the only quarterback to go 4-0 in Super Bowls with no interceptions thrown in those games.
“Joe Cool” had his finest moment in those Super Bowls when he led a game-winning touchdown drive against the Bengals to end the 1988 season. It established him as the most clutch quarterback of his era, and he still looks favorable to all quarterbacks in that regard.
But don’t discount the blessing that it was to go to San Francisco at the same time as Walsh and to unleash that West Coast Offense on the NFL. They were a perfect pair.
1. QB Tom Brady – 2000 Patriots, 6th Round, 199th Pick
The greatest draft steal in NFL history led to the longest dynasty in NFL history, and the New York Jets are actually at the center of it all happening.
It started in January 2000 when the Jets promoted defensive coordinator Bill Belichick to take over for Bill Parcells as the team’s head coach. But a day later, Belichick shocked everyone by resigning from the Jets. He soon after took the head coach job with the Patriots, and owner Robert Kraft gave him full control of the operation, making him the de facto general manager.
Belichick brought in his guys, including player personnel director Scott Pioli, and they did their share of homework on Tom Brady, the Michigan quarterback, for the 2000 draft. They thought he’d be a good fit for their system and they figured he’d be there late since he did not test well physically at the combine.
According to Pioli, the Patriots were interested in Brady as early as the 3rd round. Keep in mind this 2000 draft was a poor one for quarterbacks. The top signal-caller didn’t go until pick No. 18 when the Jets, who had a record 4 picks in the 1st round, drafted Marshall’s Chad Pennington, who didn’t have the strongest arm and actually played the game in a similar fashion to Brady.
The other quarterbacks who were drafted ahead of Brady in 2000:
- Giovanni Carmazzi – 3rd round, 65th overall (49ers)
- Chris Redman – 3rd round, 75th overall (Ravens)
- Tee Martin – 5th round, 163rd overall (Steelers)
- Marc Bulger – 6th round, 168th overall (Saints)
- Spergon Wynn – 6th round, 183rd overall (Browns)
Ouch.
Finally, the Patriots pulled the trigger on Brady with the 199th pick in the 6th round. However, he still faced hurdles to make the team. Drew Bledsoe was the clear starter and the Patriots ended up carrying 4 quarterbacks in Brady’s 2000 rookie season. That would be unheard of today, and many teams don’t carry more than 2 quarterbacks anymore. Yet, the Patriots kept Brady around.
Still, Bledsoe signed a record 10-year extension with the Patriots in 2001, leaving Brady as the backup going into his 2nd season. In the 2001 season, all Week 2 games were rescheduled following the terrorist attacks on 9/11. That meant New England’s next game was now against the Jets on September 23. While scrambling, Bledsoe took a huge hit by Mo Lewis and was injured, putting Brady in the game.
As they say, the rest is history.
The Jets couldn’t keep Belichick in town, they drafted the injury-prone Pennington instead of finding any value in Brady, who would play 23 years, and they inadvertently injured Bledsoe to bring about the rise of Brady in 2001.
Depending on how you feel about it, you can thank or curse the Jets for the creation of the New England dynasty. Because it’s not like the Patriots ever planned this out. Things happened, and it led to 6 Super Bowl rings over the next 18 seasons.
After that humble start, Brady got better as a quarterback, the team fully bought into building around him and he won his first MVP in 2007 and was a drive away from a 19-0 season. He eventually returned to Super Bowl-winning glory in the 2014 season, just months after reporters questioned Belichick if there would be a quarterback change following an ugly loss in Kansas City.
Brady won his 3rd Super Bowl MVP against the Seahawks, then 2 years later, he led a comeback from a 28-3 deficit to beat the 2016 Falcons in overtime in Super Bowl LI. That put him at 5 Super Bowl rings, the only quarterback to do so.
But he wasn’t done there. After losing out on a chance to repeat against the Eagles in 2017, the Patriots were right back in the big game in 2018, beating the Rams 13-3.
A Random Dynasty Highlight:
Brady to Gronk redzone catch replay angle vs Rams in 2018 Super Bowlhttps://t.co/UFVfFEgVqa#Patriots #Dynasty pic.twitter.com/QbAUclueNu
— Patriots Dynasty (@PatsDynastyInfo) December 4, 2022
That was essentially the end of the New England dynasty with Brady.
He stuck around in 2019 while a player like Rob Gronkowski retired, and the results weren’t good on offense. With the talent around him on the decline, Brady made the shocking move and left for Tampa Bay in 2020 where he immediately won his 7th and final Super Bowl before also claiming the career passing records and retiring (for good) after 23 seasons.
The Patriots haven’t been the same since, and Belichick just coached his last game for the team too. It’s the kind of run we may never see again.
Also, with Purdy unable to cash in on 2 very strong San Francisco teams for championships, Brady’s status as the best late-round pick at quarterback may never be seriously challenged.
