Top 50 draft steals

NFL Draft 2009

Originally Published: April 14, 2009

Draft steals: Brady is the gold standard

Comment Email Print Share

ESPN.com

Getty ImagesTom Brady, ESPN.com's No. 1 draft steal of all time, was selected in the sixth round of the 2000 draft. No. 13 Dan Fouts, selected in the third round by the Chargers in 1973, is a Hall of Famer.

NFL history is full of players taken after the first round who became stars. Look no further than New England's Tom Brady, a sixth-round pick who is often mentioned in conversations about the best quarterbacks of all time.

And then there is Steve Largent. Taken in the fourth round by Houston and later traded to Seattle, he went on to a Hall of Fame career with the Seahawks.

Here are our top 50 draft steals. These lists reflect players selected since the NFL and the old American Football League merged drafts in 1967. For now, we'll leave off recent bargains such as QB Derek Anderson, WRs Anquan Boldin and Marques Colston, DE Osi Umenyiora and CB Asante Samuel until their impressive early careers play out.

CLICK HERE FOR DRAFT STEALS 26-50

RANKING NFL DRAFT STEALS: 1-25

Player	Drafted By	Skinny
1. QB Tom Brady	Patriots, sixth round, No. 199 overall, 2000	The Patriots weren't really looking for their next franchise quarterback; a solid backup would have suited them fine. New England watched quarterbacks such as Giovanni Carmazzi and Spergon Wynn come off the board before it selected the Michigan product. The rest is history. NFL.com video
2. QB Joe Montana	49ers, third round, No. 82 overall, 1979	San Francisco didn't exactly have to go off the beaten path to find Montana, but he was far from a can't-miss prospect coming out of Notre Dame. Even the 49ers weren't sure about his future when they drafted him, so much so that he backed up Steve DeBerg for a year and a half before becoming the starter. NFL.com video
3. WR Steve Largent	Oilers, fourth round, No. 117 overall, 1976	Dealt to the expansion Seahawks before the start of the 1976 season, the forrmer Tulsa star made the most of his abilities and still ranks in the top 20 all time in receptions (819) and yards (13,089) and is one of only seven players in league history with at least 100 touchdown receptions. NFL.com video
4. TE Shannon Sharpe	Broncos, seventh round, No. 192 overall, 1990	The eight-time Pro Bowler caught 815 passes for 10,060 yards and 62 TDs in his 14-year career with the Broncos and Ravens. The former Savannah State standout was a pivotal part of three Super Bowl championships with Denver (two) and Baltimore (one). NFL.com video
5. S Ken Houston	Oilers, ninth round, No. 214 overall, 1967	A star in the AFL, Houston was dealt to the Redskins in 1973 and paid immediate dividends. A 10-time Pro Bowler (and two-time AFL All-Star), the hard-hitting defender and Prairie View product was always around the football, returning nine of his 49 career interceptions for touchdowns and making countless other plays on defense and special teams.
6. RB Terrell Davis	Broncos, sixth round, No. 196 overall, 1995	Injuries shortened Davis' career considerably, but the Georgia product still managed three Pro Bowls and four 1,000-yard seasons (including 2,008 yards rushing in 1998) and earned two Super Bowl rings (MVP of Super Bowl XXXII). Not bad for a guy chosen one pick after Dino Philyaw. NFL.com video
7. WR Andre Reed	Bills, fourth round, No. 86 overall, 1985	A small school from Pennsylvania (Kutztown) gave the NFL one of the most productive pass-catchers in league history. Reed still ranks in the league's top 10 in receptions (951), receiving yards (13,198) and touchdown receptions (87). And he teamed with Hall of Fame QB Jim Kelly for 65 TDs, the fourth-best tandem in NFL history. NFL.com video
8. DE L.C. Greenwood	Steelers, 10th round, No. 238 overall, 1969	In the first round that year, new Steelers coach Chuck Noll opted for DT Joe Greene with the fourth overall selection. Nine rounds later, Pittsburgh added Arkansas AM&N's Greenwood, who proved to be one of the premier defensive ends of his time (six Pro Bowls) and teamed with Greene for a formidable left side of the defensive front. NFL.com video
9. LB/DE Charles Haley	49ers, fourth round, No. 96 overall, 1986	Haley was one of the more fearsome defenders of the mid-'80s and '90s, and his versatility made him a terror. After being drafted out of James Madison, Haley played 13 seasons with the 49ers and Cowboys. He totaled 100.5 sacks and remains the only player in NFL history to win five Super Bowls (two with San Francisco, three with Dallas).
10. S Rodney Harrison	Chargers, fifth round, No. 145 overall, 1994	The one-time Chargers standout remains one of the more physical safeties in the league and always seems to be in the thick of something. The Western Illinois product has 33 interceptions and 30.5 sacks in his stellar career with the Chargers and Patriots.
11. WR Charlie Joiner	Oilers, fourth round, No. 93 overall, 1969	Drafted as a defensive back by Houston out of Grambling, he found his real niche with San Diego. The Hall of Fame wideout finished his career with 750 receptions for 12,146 yards and 65 touchdowns.
12. T Art Shell	Raiders, third round, No. 80 overall, 1968	The massive tackle from Maryland-Eastern Shore was a big part of one of the league's premier offensive lines and helped make the Silver and Black a perennial contender. An eight-time Pro Bowler who helped the Raiders win Super Bowls XI and XV, Shell was enshrined in Canton in 1989.
13. QB Dan Fouts	Chargers, third round, No. 64 overall, 1973	This Hall of Famer from Oregon led one of the more prolific offenses in NFL history, and his ability to spread the ball around to his many talented targets is what made him so effective. Named to six Pro Bowls, Fouts still ranks No. 8 in league history in passing yardage (43,040) and No. 12 in touchdown passes (254). NFL.com video
14. DE Richard Dent	Bears, eighth round, No. 203 overall, 1983	The Bears probably didn't expect to land a four-time Pro Bowler and an integral part of their great 1985 Super Bowl championship defense so late, but that's exactly what they got from this little-known defensive lineman from Tennessee State.
15. LB Zach Thomas	Dolphins, fifth round, No. 154 overall, 1996	Some teams were so concerned by Thomas' perceived lack of size (5-11, 228 pounds) that they drafted linebackers such as Whit Marshall and Percell Gaskins while Thomas remained on the board. Seven Pro Bowls later for Thomas, those teams probably are regretting having passed on the former Texas Tech star.
16. WR John Stallworth	Steelers, fourth round, No. 82 overall, 1974	The Steelers made Southern California WR Lynn Swann their first pick in '74 and added Stallworth (Alabama A&M) later. Although the former made some of the NFL's most spectacular plays, the latter was no slouch and had the longer and more productive career. And like his fellow Hall of Fame teammate, Stallworth was one of the game's premier wideouts in the postseason.
17. T Rayfield Wright	Cowboys, seventh round, No. 182 overall, 1967	One of only 15 players to play in at least five Super Bowls, Wright finally became a fixture at right tackle after also seeing action at tight end and on defense in his first three seasons. The massive blocker from Fort Valley State was named to six Pro Bowls and was a member of the NFL's all-decade team of the 1970s.
18. LB Harry Carson	Giants, fourth round, No. 105 overall, 1976	Big Blue featured one of the best linebacking corps of the '80s, and Carson was the veteran presence, making plenty of plays for the Giants even before Lawrence Taylor arrived in 1981. The Hall of Famer from South Carolina State was named to nine Pro Bowls in 13 seasons and won a Super Bowl ring (XXI).
19. WR Dwight Clark	49ers, 10th round, No. 249 overall, 1979	Talk about a bargain. Before WR Jerry Rice became Joe Montana's favorite receiver in San Francisco, there was sure-handed Clark, who had 506 receptions in nine seasons with the Niners. The Clemson product made one of the more memorable catches ('81 NFC Championship Game) in NFL lore.
20. LB Seth Joyner	Eagles, eighth round, No. 203 overall, 1986	One of the more versatile linebackers of his era, the three-time Pro Bowler and UTEP product usually could be found around the ball and/or the quarterback, totaling 52 sacks and 24 interceptions in his 13-year career, which culminated with a Super Bowl win with the 1998 Broncos.
21. WR Mark Clayton	Dolphins, eighth round, No. 223 overall, 1983	After selecting a quarterback by the name of Dan Marino in the first round, the Dolphins figured they should get him a receiver to throw to, which they took care of in the eighth round. What they didn't expect was that Clayton would set a then-NFL record with 18 touchdown receptions just a year later or that the Louisville product would become Marino's favorite target for years to come.
22. C Mike Webster	Steelers, fifth round, No. 125 overall, 1974	The fourth Hall of Famer from the Steelers' incredible 1974 draft, powerful Webster was a vital cog in Pittsburgh's offensive front, and his ability to handle defenders one-on-one was huge. The former Wisconsin Badger was named to nine Pro Bowls.
23. WR Harold Carmichael	Eagles, seventh round, No. 161 overall, 1971	The lanky wideout from Southern was hard to overthrow but, more important, was incredibly productive and consistent, totaling 590 catches for 79 scoring receptions and nearly 9,000 yards.
24. RB Earnest Byner	Browns, 10th round, No. 280 overall, 1984	The two-time Pro Bowler was barely on the radar screen of NFL scouts in 1984. Byner would go on to rush for 8,261 yards. The East Carolina product was also an effective receiver out of the backfield (512 receptions), catching more than 50 passes in a season four times.
25. WR John Taylor	49ers, third round, No. 76 overall, 1986	Although WR Jerry Rice got plenty of much-deserved accolades, Taylor was a superb receiver, as well. In nine seasons with San Francisco, the former Delaware State star amassed 347 receptions (43 for scores), excelled after the catch, was an excellent blocker and caught the winning touchdown pass from QB Joe Montana in Super Bowl XXIII.

CLICK HERE FOR DRAFT STEALS 26-50

Russell S. Baxter, Ryan McCrystal, Jon D. Kramer, Jon T. Stewart, Chris Fallica and Paul Kinney of ESPN Stats & Information contributed to this report.