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Tork Mason / USA TODAY NETWORK via Imagn Images

The Best NFL Draft Steals of All Time

Originally posted on Athlon Sports | By Zach Kaplan | Last updated Mar 25, 2026 2:46 PM ET

The NFL draft is where dreams turn to reality, where upwards of 250 college and semi-pro football players get selected to play in the pros. Year after year, the majority of eyeballs are glued to Day 1, where the first 32 picks, usually the most hyped prospects, get locked in.

Now, the fallacy of Day 1 is that just because a prospect is hyped, doesn't mean they are the most talented or successful. Plenty of players get drafted to the pros to fill a position of need in the early rounds, and plenty get drafted because their stock was amplified on a really strong, dominant college program from the year prior.

As this list will show, there are plenty of players who were extremely slept on in the middle-to-later rounds of NFL drafts past, including arguably the greatest NFL player of all time.

Here are our top 10.

10. QB Brock Purdy (49ers in 2022)

Purdy is far from the best to ever do it, but the "Mr. Irrelevant" of the 2022 NFL draft was signed as a depth flier out of Iowa State. It may have been Iowa State's low football stock or Purdy's scouting report as an average-sized QB with a lack of high-tier arm strength, but the three-time All-Big 12 quarterback fell to the very last spot in the 2022 draft.

Purdy slotted in as the third string QB behind Trey Lance, the San Francisco 49ers' first round pick from the year before, and veteran Jimmy Garoppolo, a two-time Super Bowl champion from his time with the Patriots.

When Lance suffered a season-ending ankle injury and Garoppolo suffered a lingering foot injury, Purdy needed to step in. After a shaky start, he slotted in beautifully, becoming the NFC Rookie of the Month for both December and January and has so far provided consistent play for three seasons, which includes a 2023 season where he led the NFL in passer rating.

9. CB Tariq Woolen (Seahawks in 2022)

Before Purdy became "Mr. Irrelevant" in 2022, Tariq Woolen fell to the fifth round to a Seattle Seahawks team in need of cornerback help.

Woolen, coming out of UTSA, was a wide receiver converted into a cornerback, and was viewed as a raw but developmental prospect with elite speed and arm length but undeveloped in certain areas.

Woolen took his underrated draft selection and ran with it, setting a Seahawks rookie record with six interceptions that included four straight games with a pick, and a Pro Bowl nod in his first year.

8. DE Jared Allen (Chiefs in 2004)

Allen, a defensive end out of Idaho State, fell to the fourth round and 126th overall pick to the Kansas City Chiefs due to concerns over his off-field play and character.

The 6-foot-6, 270-pound prospect proved to be a huge draft steal, however, as he became a four-time All-Pro and five-time Pro Bowler, and ended with the 12th-most sacks by a player all time.

From his time with the Chiefs and Minnesota Vikings, Allen was inducted into the Hall of Fame as part of the 2025 class in Canton, Ohio.

7. C Jason Kelce (Eagles in 2011)

Much of the attention seems to go to Kelce's brother Travis, who played a more flashy role as one of the top options during the Kansas City Chiefs' dynastic run, but Jason Kelce put together a one-of-a-kind career as a stalwart center for the Philadelphia Eagles.

Kelce, a center out of Cincinnati, fell to the sixth round and 191st overall pick due to concerns over his size. Kelce acknowledged in an interview that he knew he'd be a Day 3 pick (rounds 4-7) and predicted he'd wind up in Philadelphia or Kansas City (where Travis would be drafted two years later).

In a full-circle moment, Kelce was actually notified he'd be drafted by the Eagles in the sixth round by then-Eagles head coach Andy Reid while out bowling with his family. Kelce would parlay that underrated draft slot into seven Pro Bowl appearances, six All-Pro teams, one Super Bowl win and 13 solid seasons as the anchor for the Eagles' offensive line.

6. CB Richard Sherman (Seahawks in 2011)

Seattle Seahawks cornerback Richard ShermanMark J. Rebilas-Imagn Images

Similar to Woolen early in his career, Sherman fell to the Seahawks at the fifth round and 154th overall pick of the 2011 NFL Draft primarily due to concerns over his lack of experience at cornerback.

The 25th cornerback to be taken that year, Sherman instantly became a fixture of the Seahawks' "Legion of Boom" that throttled Seattle to a blowout win in Super Bowl XLVII. Sherman, a five-time Pro Bowler, five-time All-Pro selection and potentially a future Hall of Famer, will always go down as one of the great draft day steals.

5. TE Shannon Sharpe (Broncos in 1990)

Before becoming one of the most widely recognized sports media personalities today, Sharpe was a dominant tight end for the Denver Broncos and Baltimore Ravens in the late 1990s and early 2000s.

Sharpe came into the draft at 6-foot-2 and 230 pounds, far from the prototypical tight end, and fell in the draft as a result. He was viewed as a tweener: too small to be a tight end, too slow to be a wide receiver.

When the Broncos took a chance on him in the seventh round and 192nd overall selection of the 1990 NFL draft, they got a future three-time Super Bowl champion, eight-time Pro Bowler, four-time First Team All-Pro and Hall of Famer, though a few of Sharpe's years would be spent in Baltimore before he returned to Denver.

4. QB Bart Starr (Packers in 1956)

Back before the modern age of football, Starr was selected by the Green Bay Packers at the 200th overall selection and the 17th round (which goes to show how few teams there were at the time).

Starr, a quarterback from Alabama, immediately became the centerpiece of Vince Lombardi's dynasty, winning five NFL championships and the first two Super Bowl MVPs. Starr was one of three quarterbacks the Packers selected, but the only one to make the team, and in this scenario, the cream definitely rises to the top.

3. RB Terrell Davis (Broncos in 1995)

Davis, a "camp-bait" selection out of Georgia, was a long shot to make the Broncos when he was selected in the sixth round and 196th overall pick of the 1995 draft.

Davis quickly proved scouts wrong, as he rose from a special teams player to one of the most dominant running backs in modern history, leading the Broncos to two Super Bowl championships, including becoming the first running back to rush for three touchdowns in a single Super Bowl (1998).

The three-time First-Team All-Pro and three-time Pro Bowler clearly showed teams they were wrong to bet against him.

2. QB Joe Montana (49ers in 1979)

Montana, arguably the second-best player of all time, is regarded as one of the biggest draft day steals in NFL history.

Concerns about the Notre Dame prospect's size and arm strength sunk him to the third round and 82nd overall pick in 1979, but the 49ers took a chance on him, with Bill Walsh and his staff recognizing his accuracy, quick feet and propensity for leadership.

"The Comeback Kid" parlayed that pick into one of the most decorated careers in the history of the NFL, winning four Super Bowls, and becoming the first player to win three Super Bowl MVPs. Montana, an eight-time Pro Bowler, was inducted into the Hall of Fame in 2000, and unknowingly passed the torch at the time to arguably the best to ever do it, also a draft day steal.

1. QB Tom Brady (Patriots in 2000)

Tom Brady talks to Jim Nantz after winning his sixth Super Bowl ring.Jason Getz-Imagn Images

The name Tom Brady is synonymous with this list. By now, his story is known by every football fan: the undersized, lanky QB out of Michigan was passed on by six QB-seeking teams in a QB class widely regarded as weak.

Chad Pennington, Giovanni Carmazzi, Chris Redman, Tee Martin, Marc Bulger, and Spergon Wynn are the six quarterbacks to be drafted ahead of Brady, and they're known as "The Brady 6" for a reason.

In the waning hours of Day 3, Brady was selected by the New England Patriots as the 199th overall pick in the sixth round of the draft, and told Patriots owner Robert Kraft that he was "the best decision this organization has ever made."

He was right. Brady won a record seven Super Bowl championships, including six with the Patriots, five Super Bowl MVPs, three NFL MVPs, and is the all-time record holder for passing yards (89,214), completions (7,753), touchdowns (649) and wins (251).

His career speaks for itself. Nowadays, extreme draft day steals like Brady in the sixth round are less common, but clearly, it's not out of the question.

This article first appeared on Athlon Sports and was syndicated with permission.

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