With the 2015 NFL Draft approaching, let’s look back some of the most surprising players to find success after the draft.
Over 400 players are entering the 2015 NFL Draft. Only 256 will be selected and guaranteed an offseason roster spot once training camp opens in the middle of July. With so many players to account for and only so many personnel scouts to do the necessary research work, players routinely fall between the cracks for NFL teams.
Many times a player is at the mercy of what teams are in need of and they lose draft position. Other times, players don’t pass the super scientific “eye test” and are immediately written off as not top-level NFL players. Such is the life of an NFL prospect that did not go to a big school or display the prototypical physical traits of an NFL player.
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Because of this, many talented NFL players find themselves slipping into the middle or even back end of the NFL Draft, overlooked by a number of teams in lieu of bigger names or players that physically fit the mold of an NFL player better. Fortunately for these ovrshadowed players, they do eventually get picked, just not where they probably should have gone in their mind, which works out beautifully for fans.
Nothing is more entertaining to watch than a motivated NFL player with something to prove. These competitive athletes are some of the biggest and strongest humans on the planet and to see them enraged and flying around the field like a missile over a slight like falling draft position, which costs some players millions of dollars, is a sight to see.
Becoming a great player in the NFL is not solely based on your talent. It is about hard work and taking advantage of the opportunity you are given, no matter where you went in the draft. Here are the players that seized that opportunity to become great despite being overlooked for so long in the NFL Draft.
Next: Jamal Anderson
15. Jamal Anderson
Back in 1994, it was hard to miss Jamal Anderson. The 5’11, 237-pound running back that smashed his way through college with the Utah Utes was a walking mound of muscle waiting to be unleashed on the NFL field. However, the NFL wasn’t so sure.
Anderson was big and powerful, but it was his speed, and lack of experience against top competition in college had many teams hesitating to take him in the NFL Draft. He would fall into the seventh round before the Atlanta Falcons would take him with the 201st pick.
Even though the Falcons made him a part of their season roster, Anderson was unable to crack into the starting lineup in his first two years in the NFL, being used mostly in short yardage situations. In his third year, however, Anderson was given the reigns in the backfield and never looked back.
Anderson reeled off three consecutive 1000-yard rushing seasons, culminating in a 1,846-yard effort in 1998 where he carried the ball 410 times and scored 14 touchdowns on the ground. He was the catalyst for a Falcons team that reached the Super Bowl for the first time in franchise history.
Knee injuries derailed his career, but Anderson’s legacy on the field has been solidified. Plus he gave us this incredible celebration.
Next: Russell Wilson
14. Russell Wilson
Is three years a little too early to declare someone a draft steal? Maybe, but three winning seasons, two Super Bowls, and winning a world championship title definitely expedites consideration on this list.
Russell Wilson was taken in the third round of the 2012 NFL Draft by the Seattle Seahawks behind quarterbacks like Andrew Luck, Robert Griffin III, Ryan Tannehill, Brandon Weeden, and Brock Osweiler. A lot of NFL scouts looked at Russell’s diminutive stature at 5’11” and noted he was more equipped to play baseball rather than play in the NFL as a quarterback. Fortunately, Pete Carroll took a chance on Russell and the rest is history.
Russell’s preparation and leadership have been invaluable for the Seahawks from the quarterback position and his ability to keep plays alive mitigates any sort of disadvantage his size may cause. His numbers aren’t exactly record shattering, but his ability to make plays when they matter the most has been astounding, even when the odds are stacked against him.
His poise under pressure cannot be taught and no matter how far back the Seattle Seahawks are in any given game, Russell Wilson gives them a chance to win. For example:
Enough said.
Next: Terrell Davis
13. Terrell Davis
In terms of long shots, there weren’t too many players that had longer odds than Terrell Davis. Playing at Long Beach State then having an injury prone stint at Georgia did not do him any favors in the eyes of NFL scouts and his draft position suffered for it.
In the 1995 NFL Draft, Davis fell all the way to the sixth round before the Denver Broncos scooped him up with the 196th pick. When he entered training camp, new head coach Mike Shanahan had him as the sixth running back on the depth chart. The chances of Davis making the team were slim.
Like many players before him, Davis made himself known on special teams during the preseason, where he steadily improved and was named the starting running back when the season began.
In Shanahan’s zone blocking scheme, Davis exploited openings and had four straight 1000-yard seasons. In 1997, Davis overtook John Elway as the most important Bronco on offense, and was a huge contributor to two straight Super Bowl seasons for the Broncos. In 1998, he led the NFL with 2,008 yards, and 21 touchdowns for the season.
Unfortunately, the life of the NFL running back can quickly take a turn for the worse as he tore his ACL in 1999 and was never able to recapture the same form. For those first four years though, Davis was about as unstoppable in the rushing attack as anyone was in history.
Next: Marques Colston
12. Marques Colston
Usually when you hear “Hofstra University” you aren’t exactly thinking of an NFL factory. Truth be told, there have been 22 players that have played in the NFL that came from Hofstra, and only seven of them were drafted. One of those seven is Marques Colston.
Picked with the 252nd pick in the seventh round of the NFL Draft, Colston was supposed to be too slow to be an effective NFL receiver. His speed, or lack thereof, dropped him in a lot of draft boards and nearly had him wallowing in the bottomless pit that is the free agent pool. However, after being drafted by the New Orleans Saints that had Sean Payton coaching, and Drew Brees playing like a man with something to prove after shoulder surgery, it was a match made in heaven.
Colston may not be the fastest guy on the field, but he knows how to use his body to get separation and had sure hands when the ball got to him. In Sean Payton’s spread out air attack, Colston was a monster that racked up receptions and touchdowns.
He is currently sitting at 666 receptions, 9,239 yards, and 68 touchdowns, leading the Saints’ all-time in total receptions, yards from scrimmage, receiving yards, receiving touchdowns, and total touchdowns. He was also an integral part of the Saints when they won a Super Bowl Title in 2009. Not bad for a guy who was “too slow.”
Next: Donald Driver
11. Donald Driver
If Donald Driver walked into the bar, you would never guess that he is an NFL player. You would probably think that he is in great shape, but never would you believe that he survived some of the most bone crushing hits that the NFL has to offer. That’s probably why so many teams passed on him when he entered the NFL Draft coming out of Alcorn State.
At 6’0”, 188-pounds, Donald Driver looked more like a guy who could do your taxes than a tough football player. This perception and the fact that he went to a place called Alcorn State contributed to his fall into the seventh round of the draft until the Green Bay Packers snatched him up with the 213th pick.
Life as a seventh round pick isn’t easy. Trying to prove yourself worthy enough to crack the regular rotation to get an opportunity to show your skills is slim. Then again, when you have Brett Favre slinging you the ball, good things tend to happen.
With Brett Favre behind center, Donald Driver enjoyed five 1000-yard receiving seasons in the first nine seasons of his career. After Favre left, Driver had to deal with some scrub named Aaron Rodgers, but was still able to notch two more 1000-yard receiving seasons.
By the end of his career, Driver had four Pro-Bowl Selections, one Super Bowl Championship, and finished as the Packers all-time leader in receptions and receiving yards. Don’t mess with the Alcorn State Braves.
Next: Shannon Sharpe
10. Shannon Sharpe
Before Jimmy Graham, Antonio Gates, and Tony Gonzalez, there was Shannon Sharpe. Sharpe was the athlete who played basketball that experts deemed too slow to be a wide receiver, and too small to be a tight end and therefore slipped into obscurity in the NFL Draft.
Still, his skills were good enough for Dan Reeves and the Denver Broncos to draft him with the 192nd pick in the seventh round of the 1990 NFL Draft. He was never going to be the best blocker at the tight end position, but his route running against linebackers and the size and strength he had over safeties made him a consistent threat off the line.
Breaking the mold of a traditional tight end took some time, but in his third year, Sharpe became a regular target for John Elway, catching 53 passes and gaining 640 yards. From there, Sharpe began lighting up defenses, demanding double teams, and still got numbers that would make him one of the greatest tight ends of all time.
When his career was over, Sharpe finished with 815 receptions for 10,060 yards and 62 touchdowns – all NFL records for tight ends at the time of his retirement. He also won three Super Bowls (two with Denver, one with the Baltimore Ravens), made it to eight Pro-Bowls, and was selected to the First-team All-Pro squad four times. If there ever was a trailblazer for the modern tight end position, it was the seventh round selection from Savannah State.
Next: Larry Wilson
9. Larry Wilson
Many reading this list will look at Larry Wilson’s name and mistake it for the local politician in their town fighting for chair at the city council. Don’t sleep on No. 8 though, as he was one of the best safeties that ever played in the NFL.
Larry Wilson attended the University of Utah where he played safety and halfback for the Utes. His size at 6’0”, 190 pounds was not enough to impress NFL scouts and he fell into the seventh round of the 1960 NFL Draft. It was not until the Chicago Cardinals (who would later move to St. Louis) at the 74th overall pick that Wilson’s name would be called.
He may have been small, but he was athletic and quick, a trait that would make him one of the most revolutionary players in NFL history. Defensive Coordinator Chuck Drulis had this crazy idea of bringing the free safety in on blitzes. Wilson turned out to be the perfect man for the job.
The pressure from him was unexpected, and many teams struggled to deal with his tenaciousness coming from beyond the line. His toughness and savvy earned him eight Pro-Bowl and All-Pro selections. He also finished his career with 52 interceptions and five touchdowns.
He may not have participated in any playoff games, but his contributions to the progress towards modern defense as we know it today is not too shabby for a guy drafted so late.
Next: Will Shields
8. Will Shields
Speaking of 74th overall picks, Will Shields provides another name in that spot, which was housed in the third round of the 1993 NFL Draft. The Kansas City Chiefs held the pick and selected the All-American from the University of Nebraska.
When it comes to sexy picks in the NFL Draft, the offensive guard is the Steve Buscemi of positions (love your work though, Steve!). In fact, it wasn’t until the third round until the first guard came off the board when the Minnesota Vikings selected John Gerak with the 57th pick.
Joe Cocozzo was the next guard selected at the No. 64 overall by the San Diego Chargers, and then came Will Shields. Cocozzo and Gerak would combine to play 140 games. Shields, on the other hand, had a different career.
Will Shields would go on to become one of the greatest offensive lineman of all time, never missing a game in his 14-year career. He was one of the main components in a stout Kansas City Chiefs offensive line that helped running backs like Marcus Allen, Priest Holmes, and Larry Johnson flourish in the backfield, and protected quarterbacks Elvis Grbac and Trent Green, allowing them to throw for 4000 yards before passing was really in fashion in the NFL.
The third round may a bit high to be considered a steal, but taking a hall of famer that never missed a game in his career and was passed over by 32 teams twice is a justifiable argument.
Next: Roosevelt Brown
7. Roosevelt Brown
Time to take a trip in the way, way back machine. Roosevelt Brown was an offensive tackle that earned Black All-American Honors at Morgan State before the Civil Rights Movement could fix even awards from being segregated. Being from a small school, and game tape being nearly nonexistent, Brown dropped all the way to the 27th round of the 1953 NFL Draft before the New York Giants picked him.
He may not have been the biggest name coming out of college, but his physical tools and willingness to work hard caught the attention of head coach Steve Owen who would eventually start him at left tackle – a position he would hold for the next 13 years. He had quick feet, which allowed him to get to the outside and block for running backs coming out of the backfield, and he could stay with quick outside rushers in pass protection.
In that time, Brown was selected to nine Pro Bowls and appeared in six NFL Championship games, winning one in 1956. After retiring, he was inducted into the NFL Hall of Fame in 1975 along with George Connor, Dante Lavelli, and Lenny Moore.
In terms of NFL Draft steals, it doesn’t get much deeper than Brown in the 27th round.
Next: Roger Staubach
6. Roger Staubach
Roger Staubach’s journey to legendary status in the NFL only begins with football (we’ll get to the other parts later). We will start with his time at Navy.
In his junior season at Navy in 1963, Staubach won the Heisman Trophy, becoming the last Navy attendee to win the award. He also led Navy to a victory against Notre Dame in the same year, a feat that the school would not accomplish again until 2007.
Though he was the Heisman winner, NFL teams weren’t pining to secure his talent, and he dropped to the 10th round before the Dallas Cowboys drafted him with the 129th pick. Being a graduate of the Naval Academy has a requirement that you have to actively serve upon graduation, so teams shied away from taking Staubach because no one knew when his commission would end.
Staubach could have chosen to serve domestically for the entirety of his time, but he spent a year in Vietnam as a Supply Officer before returning stateside. By the time he finished his service, he was 27 years old and about to be a NFL rookie in 1969. In 1971, he was a full-time starter by midseason and never looked back.
As a quarterback for the Dallas Cowboys, Staubach was a part of a team that would go on to be branded “America’s Team.” He won two Super Bowl Championships, and was selected to six Pro-Bowls by the time he retired in 1979.
A soldier that came back to become America’s quarterback on America’s Team. Hard to believe the Hall of Famer fell so far in the draft.
Next: Bart Starr
5. Bart Starr
You would think that when people in Wisconsin talk about Bart Starr, he was greatest thing since sliced cheese and was a heralded prospect. The reality though is far from the perception.
Starr played at the University of Alabama where he played quarterback, safety, and punter. He was a serviceable quarterback, but he was nowhere near star quality after his sophomore season unless you were talking about punting, where he was second in the nation with 41.4 yards per kick.
As a senior, Starr was replaced as the starter for the Crimson Tide when J.B. Whitworth would take over the team and decided to make a push with younger talent.
A severe back injury before his junior year would limit him the rest of his college football career, causing him to miss large chunks of his final two seasons. Those injuries scared away a lot of teams and Starr would not be picked until the 17th round of the 1956 NFL Draft by the Green Bay Packers.
Starr would remain on the bench until Vince Lombardi made him the full-time starting quarterback in 1959, and he would never relinquish the job. Starr would quarterback the Packers to two consecutive championships from 1961-1962, then reel off three straight NFL titles from 1965-1967, the only team to pull off that feat in the current NFL playoff system.
After retiring in 1971, Starr had a playoff record of 9-1 and has the highest playoff passer rating in NFL history at 104.8. His 57.4 career completion percentage was the highest in NFL history at the time of his retirement and he was inducted into the NFL Hall of Fame in 1977.
Next: Johnny Unitas
4. Johnny Unitas
Much like the Bart Starr in the prior slide, Johnny Unitas has reached legendary status among NFL fans, but he was never thought of as such when he first entered the NFL. The man who would become the face of the Greatest Game Ever Played actually entered the league with little fanfare.
Picked in the nineth round of the 1955 NFL Draft, the quarterback out of Louisville was selected by the Pittsburgh Steelers, only to be cut because he was one of four quarterbacks trying to secure three spots at the position.
Unable to sign with a team during the season, Unitas worked construction and kept in shape by playing for the Bloomfield Rams for the superstar salary of $6.00 per game. The next season, the Baltimore Colts called him for a spot on their roster, and Unitas would never go hungry again.
After a rocky start, Unitas would become a full-time starter and launch a fruitful career that included 10 Pro-Bowl Selections, four MVP awards, and 3 NFL Championships. He would end his career with 40,239 passing yards, and a record for the most consecutive games with a touchdown pass – a record that would stand for 52 years before Drew Brees broke it in 2012.
When he retired in 1974, Unitas was regarded as the best quarterback of all time. He would be inducted into the Hall of Fame in 1979.
Next: Joe Montana
3. Joe Montana
Being arguably the greatest quarterback ever, there is not a spot in NFL Draft that would seem appropriate for Joe Montana unless it was in the first round. Fortunately for the San Francisco 49ers, every team passed on the Notre Dame quarterback at least two rounds before they snapped him up in the third round of the 1979 NFL Draft.
It was surprising that NFL teams were staying away from Montana despite success at one of the more storied schools of college football, but the 49ers weren’t going to question it. They would gladly take a 1977 National Championship winner in the third round.
All Joe Montana did was win. After taking over the starting job in 1980, he started turning around the fortunes of the San Francisco 49ers. By 1981, he would lead the team to a 13-3 record. By 1982, he won the first of four Super Bowl Championships through gutsy performances, eventually earning him the reputation of being one the most clutch quarterbacks of all time.
By the time his career was over, Montana would win three Super Bowl MVPs, and appear in eight Pro Bowls. In 2000, he would earn the ultimate of being inducted into the NFL Hall of Fame.
Next: Deacon Jones
2. Deacon Jones
Fear is a powerful weapon, and no used it more effectively than Deacon Jones. However, he did not start off as the most intimidating force in the NFL. In fact, his 186th overall selection in the 14th round of the 1961 NFL Draft would have suggested that he would do nothing in the league.
However, the defensive end out of Mississippi Vocational College would become one of the most devastating forces on the defensive side of the ball with this unseen combination of size and quickness. He would revolutionize football by coining the “sack,” and using it as his main weapon to stop offenses as a member of the Los Angeles Rams.
The sack would not become an official stat during the duration of his career, but he would hold the highest single season sack seasons in NFL history unofficially (26 in 1967 and 24 in 1968). If sacks were being counted, he took down the quarterback 173.5 times in his career, which would be good for third all-time if they had counted.
Jones would retire in 1974, only missing six games in his entire career, and going to the Pro-Bowl eight times. He would be inducted into the NFL Hall of Fame in 1980.
Next: Tom Brady
1. Tom Brady
Tom “freaking” Brady: there are few players that have brought the same amount of joy for some and the same amount of disgust with others than the pretty boy from northern California. Consistent success brings a certain respectful resentment.
One of the constant narratives that is always brought up is how long in the draft he was taken. After a successful stint at Michigan, Brady was not taken until the sixth round of the 2000 NFL Draft with the 199th pick by the New England Patriots. The thought process was probably that Bledsoe was getting a little bit older and Bill Belichick could use a project.
Brady would wait patiently behind Bledsoe for a year before Bledsoe got hurt and he would be thrust into the spotlight. Like in the many times he has shown us since he took over the starting job, the spotlight is exactly where he wanted to be.
First, Brady would guide the New England Patriots to three Super Bowl wins in the next four years. Next, Brady would distinguish himself has one of the best quarterbacks ever statistically, peaking in 2007 when he led the league in completion percentage, passing yards, and touchdowns thrown. A fourth championship in 2014 would solidify him as one of the greatest quarterbacks of all time.
After 15 seasons in the league, Brady does not look like he is close to ending his career, which is a scary notion for the rest of the NFL. His overall success (10 Pro Bowls, two NFL MVPs, three Super Bowl MVPs) will result in a first-ballot Hall of Fame election.
Next: Biggest NFL Draft Busts for Each Team
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