Top 10 Draft Steals

[Tony Oday]

http://msn.foxsports.com/nfl/lists/Top-10-NFL-Draft-steals-all-time-022411#photo-title=T.J.%20Houshmandzadeh,%20WR,%20Cincinnati%20 Bengals%20&photo=28488002

BULLSHIT!!! DD is a MUCH better steal.

[Guiness]

DD was definitely a better steal than Housh, who petered out and is wandering around the league now. I didn't know Shannon Sharpe was a 7th rounder.

I don't know if I'd call Shield's or Ronde Barber a 'steal'. Great player, but it's not like they took a shot in the dark with a guy in the third round. Thomas's name always comes up too, but he did go in the second, there were some expectations. I think it's because he always made such a big deal of it, and basically turned his so-called draft day slight into a lifelong grudge.

[King Friday]

Um...Bart Starr anyone?

[Tony Oday]

Um...Bart Starr anyone?

Did he take over for Randy Wright? ;)

[pbmax]

Deacon Jones - 14th Round
Montana - 3rd Round
Marino - 1st Round - sure, first round, but 26 teams passed and only three had a good excuse [Niners-Montana, Colts-Elway, Bills-Kelly]
Andre Reed - 4th Round
Richard Dent - 8th Round
Leroy Kelly - 8th Round (Browns)
Raymond Berry - 20th Round
Bobby Bell - 7th Round (Chiefs)
Fran Tarkenton - 3rd Round
Roosevelt Brown - 27th Round - OK, this might be apples to oranges because in 1953 when he was drafted, the Giants apparently found him by reading an African American newspaper based in Pittsburgh that put him on their Black All American Team - still, it was the 27th freaking round!
Joe Klecko - 6th Round
Cliff Branch - 4th Round
Harold Freaking Carmichael - 7th Round
Mike Webster - 5th Round
Dan Fouts - 3rd Round


and confidentially speaking, Berry, Reed, Branch and Carmichael make Housh and Colston look like twerps.

[channtheman]

edit.

[Smidgeon]

Can anyone be a steal if they're taken in the third round or above? I would think the "all time draft steals" list would be mostly latter round players...

[Packgator]

Can anyone be a steal if they're taken in the third round or above? I would think the "all time draft steals" list would be mostly latter round players...

Some might consider Rodgers a steal at #24

[Smidgeon]

Some might consider Rodgers a steal at #24

I know what you (and others) are saying, but he was still drafted in the first round. (And I think for a QB, it's not as if teams just didn't scout him or missed scouting him. They chose not to draft him.) I think if we're talking all time steals, you're looking for those drafted in the latter rounds who ended up in the Hall of Fame or in a team's hall of fame.

[Fritz]

Deacon Jones - 14th Round
Montana - 3rd Round
Marino - 1st Round - sure, first round, but 26 teams passed and only three had a good excuse [Niners-Montana, Colts-Elway, Bills-Kelly]
Andre Reed - 4th Round
Richard Dent - 8th Round
Leroy Kelly - 8th Round (Browns)
Raymond Berry - 20th Round
Bobby Bell - 7th Round (Chiefs)
Fran Tarkenton - 3rd Round
Roosevelt Brown - 27th Round - OK, this might be apples to oranges because in 1953 when he was drafted, the Giants apparently found him by reading an African American newspaper based in Pittsburgh that put him on their Black All American Team - still, it was the 27th freaking round!
Joe Klecko - 6th Round
Cliff Branch - 4th Round
Harold Freaking Carmichael - 7th Round
Mike Webster - 5th Round
Dan Fouts - 3rd Round


and confidentially speaking, Berry, Reed, Branch and Carmichael make Housh and Colston look like twerps.

Frankly, your list kicks that lame-o one to the curb. Leroy Kelly was an awesome player...as was Ray Berry....as was Cliff Branch...and on and on.

[pbmax]

Frankly, your list kicks that lame-o one to the curb. Leroy Kelly was an awesome player...as was Ray Berry....as was Cliff Branch...and on and on.

I stole several from other lists (Bleacher Report, SI) but I think they are all Hall of Famers.

[KYPack]

Bobby Bell is a strange one. He was a 7th for the Chiefs. But those were the days of the dual drafts. The Vikings drafted Bell as a second round pick. In fact, he was the 16th player chosen (Dave Robinson was the 14th in the Packers first round).

Bell went to the University of Minnesota, so the Chiefs figured Min had him wrapped up.

They still used a 7th on bobby

Then, using backward Viking logic, they didn't really offer him much of a contract.

KC got a HOF LBer for $500 more than the Vikes would pay.

In BB's career, he literally played every position. H was an All-State QB. Played running back, OL, was the long snapper on the Chiefs. he could easily beat Lenny Dawson in throwing contests.

He has assumed Ray Nitschke's old role of giving the necomers to the PBHOF a rousing pep talk. I have never heard anyone say a negative word about this ball of fire, nice guy HOFer.

[Pugger]

Um...Bart Starr anyone?

No kidding!

[pbmax]

Bobby Bell is a strange one. He was a 7th for the Chiefs. But those were the days of the dual drafts. The Vikings drafted Bell as a second round pick. In fact, he was the 16th player chosen (Dave Robinson was the 14th in the Packers first round).

Bell went to the University of Minnesota, so the Chiefs figured Min had him wrapped up.

They still used a 7th on bobby

Then, using backward Viking logic, they didn't really offer him much of a contract.

KC got a HOF LBer for $500 more than the Vikes would pay.

In BB's career, he literally played every position. H was an All-State QB. Played running back, OL, was the long snapper on the Chiefs. he could easily beat Lenny Dawson in throwing contests.

He has assumed Ray Nitschke's old role of giving the necomers to the PBHOF a rousing pep talk. I have never heard anyone say a negative word about this ball of fire, nice guy HOFer.

That puts a slightly different spin on the 7th round pick. :)

[bobblehead]

Deacon Jones - 14th Round
Montana - 3rd Round
Marino - 1st Round - sure, first round, but 26 teams passed and only three had a good excuse [Niners-Montana, Colts-Elway, Bills-Kelly]
Andre Reed - 4th Round
Richard Dent - 8th Round
Leroy Kelly - 8th Round (Browns)
Raymond Berry - 20th Round
Bobby Bell - 7th Round (Chiefs)
Fran Tarkenton - 3rd Round
Roosevelt Brown - 27th Round - OK, this might be apples to oranges because in 1953 when he was drafted, the Giants apparently found him by reading an African American newspaper based in Pittsburgh that put him on their Black All American Team - still, it was the 27th freaking round!
Joe Klecko - 6th Round
Cliff Branch - 4th Round
Harold Freaking Carmichael - 7th Round
Mike Webster - 5th Round
Dan Fouts - 3rd Round


and confidentially speaking, Berry, Reed, Branch and Carmichael make Housh and Colston look like twerps.

Richard Dent was unblockable for a spell and wouldn't even be drafted in todays 7 round draft....WOW!!!

[Fritz]

For three seasons - from '66 - '68 - Leroy Kelly averaged 5 yards a carry for the Browns. Then they moved him to fullback, and in '69 he averaged 4.2.

[pbmax]

For three seasons - from '66 - '68 - Leroy Kelly averaged 5 yards a carry for the Browns. Then they moved him to fullback, and in '69 he averaged 4.2.

The Browns were doing something right back then drafting RBs. They had another Syracuse guy primed to take off but leukemia took Ernie Davis before football could.

He was drafted by the Redskins, who, if memory serves were the last integrated NFL team. They traded him for the players who would integrate their team, including Bobby Mitchell, I think. So I would bet the Browns wanted Davis with that pick.

[Fritz]

Did Syracuse integrate before other major colleges? Wasn't Jim Brown from Syracuse, too?

[pbmax]

Did Syracuse integrate before other major colleges? Wasn't Jim Brown from Syracuse, too?

Yes. Colleges did integrate earlier, but given the larger numbers and parochial nature, it happened slower than in the professional leagues even though it started earlier.

[Patler]

Ernie Davis was the first black Heisman Trophy winner. He was a tremendous running back, and quite the headline maker at the time. Many top football programs were not integrated in the early '60s. Alabama would go another 9 years or so as an all white program. Davis winning the Heisman was a huge deal in the push for equal rights.

In those days, the draft was held during the NFL season, shortly after the college season ended. Davis was the #1 selection, and when he was traded to Cleveland it was assumed that pairing him at halfback in the same backfield with Jim Brown at fullback would make the Browns unstoppable on the ground. As a Packer fan at the time, I was not pleased with the trade. Davis even signed his contract with the Browns, but was diagnosed with leukemia that spring. His diagnosis and later death were real shocks. As I recall, he lived only about a year after being diagnosed.

Both Brown and Davis wore #44 at Syracuse. Their number has been retired at Syracuse.

[VermontPackFan]

Ernie Davis was the first black Heisman Trophy winner. He was a tremendous running back, and quite the headline maker at the time. Many top football programs were not integrated in the early '60s. Alabama would go another 9 years or so as an all white program. Davis winning the Heisman was a huge deal in the push for equal rights.

In those days, the draft was held during the NFL season, shortly after the college season ended. Davis was the #1 selection, and when he was traded to Cleveland it was assumed that pairing him at halfback in the same backfield with Jim Brown at fullback would make the Browns unstoppable on the ground. As a Packer fan at the time, I was not pleased with the trade. Davis even signed his contract with the Browns, but was diagnosed with leukemia that spring. His diagnosis and later death were real shocks. As I recall, he lived only about a year after being diagnosed.

Both Brown and Davis wore #44 at Syracuse. Their number has been retired at Syracuse.

Syracuse was truly a running back factory back then. Floyd Little came after Brown & Davis, mid 60's I think and also wore #44 and was retired after he left.

[Patler]

Syracuse was truly a running back factory back then. Floyd Little came after Brown & Davis, mid 60's I think and also wore #44 and was retired after he left.

Yup, and between Davis and Little they had Jim Nance, who became a big name in the AFL. After Little they had Larry Csonka.

[Fritz]

Who was the third of that Miami triumvirate? Csonka, Mercury Morris, and - ?

Wait - was it Jim Kiick?

[Patler]

Who was the third of that Miami triumvirate? Csonka, Mercury Morris, and - ?

Wait - was it Jim Kiick?

Yes, Kiick

[Cheesehead Craig]

For draft steals, I've always like Karl Mecklenburg for Denver. He was a 14th round pick and made 6 Pro Bowls. The "Albino Rhino" was one of my favorites growing up.

[prime311]

Terry Bradshaw has a top 10 QB's under 30 and he has Rodgers 3rd behind Rivers and Big Ben. Sorry, no way Rivers is better then Rodgers at this point and probably not Ben either.

[Iron Mike]

Yup, and between Davis and Little they had Jim Nance, who became a big name in the AFL.

http://2.bp.blogspot.com/_WckQavBHSmw/RmjJ5zdERrI/AAAAAAAAAaE/dnwkIo4nO3c/s400/henry+eraserhead.jpg

[Packgator]

Um...Bart Starr anyone?

I'd say being drafted in the 17th round qualifies Bart.

[VermontPackFan]

Yup, and between Davis and Little they had Jim Nance, who became a big name in the AFL. After Little they had Larry Csonka.

Nice, I didnt know Csonka was an Orangeman.

[Fritz]

Well, he did live in Miami.