There are always plenty of stories surrounding the NFL Draft each year. Who’s going to be the number one pick? Will there be draft day trades? Will your team get the player it needs to challenge for the championship next year? This year was no different, but the headlines were mostly about an athlete who didn’t even get taken until the fifth round. Süperbahis is a platform that delivers a top-tier betting experience with competitive odds and a wide range of NFL tournaments to choose from.
Shedeur Sanders had been a top prospect for the Colorado Buffaloes and had prompted all the best NCAAF betting sites to keep that program in the mix when it came to bowl games and conference championships. His father, the legendary Deion Sanders, had predicted that he would be a top-five pick in the draft. Others were a little more cautious but still expected him to go in the first round, possibly early second.
Eventually, the Cleveland Browns called his name in the fifth round, with the 144th pick overall. There are various reasons for that, including overvaluation, questions over attitude, and general talent level, but Sanders will now work on proving the doubters wrong. He is now a pro athlete and has the same chance of winning a Super Bowl as any other. Time will tell whether he becomes a star of the NFL, but here are some other athletes who went on to be considered NFL Draft steals.
Tom Brady
If there is one player from whom Shedeur Sanders can take inspiration, it is Tom Brady. Arguably the greatest quarterback to ever play the game, Brady had to wait until the sixth round of the 2000 NFL Draft, when he was taken by the New England Patriots with the 199th pick overall.
He had only been a starting quarterback for two years at Michigan, but he soon set about making a name for himself in the pro game. After winning a record seven Super Bowls, five Super Bowl MVP awards, and three NFL MVP awards, Brady just about transcended the sport and became a legend. By comparison, the athlete who was chosen as the first pick of the 2000 draft never even played a postseason game in his six-year NFL career.
Ken Houston
In the first-ever common draft combining the NFL and AFL, it took the Houston Oilers nine rounds to decide on picking Ken Houston to be on its roster. To be fair, Houston (the athlete) had not looked like a real prospect at high school or college, and little was expected of him as he graduated to the pro game.
It took him just three games to become a starter for the Oilers, and he set all kinds of records as one of the best defensive players in the league during the 1970s. He only missed out on the Pro Bowl on two occasions – his first and final years in the league – and was named to the NFL All-Time Team for its 100th anniversary.
Shannon Sharpe
Maybe it was because his older brother had already become a star in the NFL. Or maybe it was because his size made it difficult for head coaches to figure out what his best position would be. Whatever the reason, Shannon Sharpe waited until the seventh round of the 1990 draft to hear his name called out, as the Denver Broncos took a chance on the tight end from Savannah State.
What a decision that turned out to be! Sharpe played 14 seasons in the NFL, 12 for the Broncos and two more for the Ravens towards the end of his career. During that time, he went to the Pro Bowl on eight occasions and is now the proud owner of three championship rings. He is regarded as one of the best tight ends the NFL has ever seen and was inducted into the Pro Football Hall of Fame in 2011.
Terrell Davis
There must have been something in the water in Denver in the 1990s, as here is another great example of its recruiting team unearthing gems in the later rounds of the draft. The football program at his first college was eliminated, and concerns over injuries while at Georgia probably put off some suitors, but Davis would go on to become a legendary running back for the Broncos.
In three years, between 1996 and 1998, Davis blew everyone away and set all kinds of records, averaging over 1,600 yards a season. He burst through the 2,000-yard mark in 1998 – a year after he won his first Super Bowl and the game’s MVP award, too. He also managed to win the championship that year. Injuries would end up derailing what might have been an even brighter career, but his achievements will live on. Not bad for a sixth-round draft pick!
Brock Purdy
We end our celebration of NFL Draft steals with an athlete who is still currently playing and might go on to even greater heights. Purdy ended his time at Iowa State as the first quarterback to lead the program to four consecutive winning seasons since the 1920s. But that only earned him the title of “Mr. Irrelevant” – the very last pick of the 2022 NFL Draft.
It was the San Francisco 49ers who took a punt on Purdy, and he became their third-string QB in his rookie year. By week 13, he was the starter because of a slew of injuries, and it was then that we got to see what this young man was all about. He went on to become the first Mr. Irrelevant to start and win a playoff game – and then took the Niners all the way to the Super Bowl in his second year. Last year was something of a disappointment for Purdy and his team, but it looks like this draft steal has a bright future in the game.