The Top 10 NFL Draft Steals of All Time

In the National Football League, a championship team is built through trades, free agency, and most importantly: the NFL Draft.

The NFL Draft is where teams build for the future. It allows teams to add depth or strike gold on players who will be starters for years to come. It allows the teams to get those one or two players who will put their team in the playoffs and possibly the Super Bowl.

Since the first official NFL Draft in 1936, which took place at the Ritz-Carlton Hotel in Philadelphia, many teams were able to draft players in the first and second rounds who would later become Hall of Fame players.

Others have not been as fortunate.

Teams have picked early, but the players haven’t turned out to be what they hoped they’d become.

Surprisingly, players drafted in the later rounds, the players who many consider to be non-starters, have yielded more to their team than other players that were picked before them.

I've devised a list of the greatest draft steals in the history of the NFL Draft. I graded the players on the round they were selected in, how good they were, and if they made it to the Hall of Fame.

Players who were drafted in the first round are not included simply because, if they were drafted in the first round then they’re not considered a steal.

For example, although Dan Marino was drafted late in the first round and was a phenomenal football player for the Dolphins, he is not included on the list.

Also not included are players who didn’t build their career with the teams that drafted them. I don’t consider them draft steals but rather waiver, free agent, or trade steals.

Honorable Mention: Johnny Unitas

Johnny Unitas was a spectacular player. He is one of the greatest quarterbacks to ever play the game. He was drafted in the ninth round by the Pittsburgh Steelers but later cut before the season began. Unitas made his career with the Baltimore Colts who signed him after he was cut, therefore he was a waiver steal, not a draft steal.

10. Andre Reed

Andre Reed was selected by the Buffalo Bills in the fourth round of the 1985 NFL Draft.

He later would prove to be a great draft steal.

He was selected to the Pro Bowl seven times (1988-1994). In 1989, he was second in the league for receptions. He is sixth in NFL history for career receptions and 10th all-time for career receiving yards.

9. Art Shell

Art Shell was an anchor of the Oakland Raiders' offensive line in the 1970s. He was a phenomenal left tackle.

He was named to the Pro Bowl eight times (1972-1978, 1980). He was also selected

First-Team All-Pro three times (1974, 1976, 1977).

In 1989 he was inducted into the Pro-Football Hall of Fame.

8. Roger Staubach

During the 1970s, Roger Staubach was the leader of the Cowboys. Staubach was truly "Captain America." He led his team to victory, winning both Super Bowl VI and XII.

He was able to make big plays in crucial situations. Staubach was very clutch; he led the Cowboys to the 23 comeback victories. Seventeen of those comebacks were in the last two minutes. His clutch play earned him the nickname "Captain Comeback."

Things weren’t always exultant between the Cowboys and Staubach.

Staubach was involved in one of the vilest quarterback controversies in NFL history. In Staubach’s second season, Tom Landry couldn’t decide whether to start Staubach or Craig Morton.

There was a point in the season when Staubach and Morton were switching places after every play. After a heated battle, Tom Landry decided to start Staubach.

His passing numbers weren’t astonishing, but we have to remember he played in the dead ball era—a period in NFL history when teams didn’t score a lot of points due to the extraordinary defenses. He played in the same era with the Steel Curtain, Purple People Eaters, and the Fearsome Foursome.

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