Top Over-Performing NFL Players of All Time

For every bust the NFL has seen, there has also been a major over-performer. For every Jamarcus Russell drafted, a Kurt Warner has gotten an opportunity and thrived with it.

This list looks at the top 10 over-performing players in NFL history. This list is composed of late round picks, low prospects or altogether undrafted players. These individuals played at a level that was never anticipated by scouts and coaches and out-performed several highly-touted players.

Rather than focusing on the negatives in sports, it is very refreshing to look at the opposite perspective.

Enough with the lists of ultimate draft busts. Here are the top over-performing players in NFL history. 

Warren Moon

The undrafted Warren Moon had a roller coaster career before finally settling down in the NFL. Moon played college ball at Washington, and when the 1978 NFL Draft rolled around, he had no interest from any team. He was advised to play tight end in the NFL, so Moon went to the Canadian Football League to prove that he in fact could play quarterback.

The rest is history.

Moon lit up the CFL and got an NFL shot with the Houston Oilers in 1984. His 17-year NFL career saw him earn nine Pro Bowl appearances, win a Pro Bowl MVP, win the NFL Man of the Year Award, and win an Offensive Player of the Year Award. He won five Grey Cups in the CFL and is the only player to be enshrined in both the CFL and NFL Hall of Fames.

At the time of his retirement in 2000, he had set the NFL record for career touchdowns, pass attempts and completions. How many quarterbacks drafted in the first round have had Moon's success?

And scouts didn't think Moon could even play professional quarterback.

Kurt Warner

Kurt Warner proved that Northern Iowa isn't exactly an NFL factory by going undrafted in 1994. After being cut by the Green Bay Packers, stints in NFL Europe and the arena league helped earned the grocery stocking man one more NFL tryout. The rest is history.

His 12-year career saw him appear in three Super Bowls, winning one and capturing the MVP of the game. He is also a two-time NFL MVP and made four Pro Bowls. In 2011, he was voted the 90th best NFL player of all time by NFL.com. Not bad for a guy who was stocking shelves at a grocery store before the NFL called. 

Terrell Davis

Terrell Davis was drafted out of Georgia in the sixth round of the 1995 NFL Draft. He entered the Denver Broncos training camp as the sixth string running back, yet became a future MVP. Davis overcame severe migraines and earned three Pro Bowl appearances, won two Offensive Player of the Year awards and won a NFL MVP award in his career. He also won two Super Bowls and claimed one Super Bowl MVP. He even rushed for over 2,000 yards in 1998. Heck, just making the final roster was probably a huge surprise, given where Davis was drafted and how far down he was on the depth chart.

Joe Montana

Joe Montana was selected by the San Fransisco 49ers in the third round of the 1979 NFL Draft. From there on out, the Notre Dame product created a dynasty with the 49ers and earned the right to be called the greatest quarterback of all time.

Though a third round pick is very respectable, Montana was way more valuable than that. He made eight Pro Bowl appearances, won two NFL MVP awards, was the Comeback Player of the Year and was twice named the Associated Press Male Athlete of the Year.

But what really made his legacy was his four Super Bowl appearances and three Super Bowl MVPs. In 2011, he was named the 4th best NFL player of all time by NFL.com. And of course, he is a member of the Hall of Fame. Every franchise is still wishing they could do the 1979 draft over again, because they all missed out on greatness.

Roger Staubach

The Heisman Trophy winner from Navy was drafted in the 10th round of the 1964 NFL Draft. He was very successful earlier in his career and helped turn the Dallas Cowboys into "America's Team."

The Hall of Famer made eight Pro Bowls and won two Super Bowls, winning one Super Bowl MVP. In 2007, he was named the 9th best player in the history of college football by ESPN. In 2011, he was named the 46th best NFL player of all time by NFL.com. Roger Staubach was the game's first elite scrambler and retired as the league's highest-rated passer with a 83.4 rating. 

Not bad for a guy drafted in a round that doesn't even exist anymore. 

Shannon Sharpe

With the 192nd pick in the 1990 NFL Draft, the Denver Broncos took Shannon Sharpe out of Savannah State. The 7th round pick revolutionized the tight end position by being a top receiving threat. Sharpe was selected to eight Pro Bowls and won three Super Bowls. His 14-year career ended with 815 catches, 1,060 yards and 69 touchdowns. He was enshrined into the Hall of Fame in 2011 and was the prime example of how the position should be played. 

Doug Flutie

Doug Flutie was the lowest drafted Heisman Trophy winner at the time he was taken in the 1985 NFL Draft.

The Los Angeles Rams drafted Flutie with the 235th pick in the 11th round. Flutie opted to play in the now-defunct USFL before debuting in the NFL in 1986 for the Chicago Bears. He was then traded to the New England Patriots, where he was a back-up until he joined the Canadian Football League in 1990.

He tore up the CFL in his eight-year stint by winning six CFL MVP awards, winning three Grey Cups and the game's MVP in each of them, and he still holds major passing records in the CFL. He passed for 6,619 yards in a season, threw 48 touchdowns in a season and completed 466 passes in a single season.

Flutie eventually latched onto the Buffalo Bills in 1998 and won the NFL's Comeback Player of the Year. He played 12 NFL seasons and finished with 14,715 yards and 86 touchdowns. In 2006, Flutie converted an extra point drop kick for the first time since 1941. The 5'10'' Flutie played like a giant, and when he finally earned a chance in the NFL, he made the most of it.

Tom Brady

Tom Brady was the 199th player taken in the 2000 draft. The sixth rounder out of Michigan barely made the final roster in New England but has had a Hall of Fame career.

He was appeared in five Super Bowls, winning three and claiming MVP in two of those. He is a seven time Pro Bowler, Comeback Player of the Year and two-time NFL MVP. He has lead the Patriots to an undefeated regular season, thrown for over 5,200 yards in a season and added an NFL record with 50 touchdowns in the 2007 season. He is perhaps the greatest quarterback since Joe Montana and made every team regret whiffing on him for nearly 200 picks.

Deacon Jones

The Los Angeles Rams drafted Deacon Jones in the 14th round of the 1961 NFL Draft. The 186th pick out of Mississippi Valley State then made a living by becoming the league's first and most ferocious pass rusher.

Jones was one of the game's first touch guys who went out of his way to take a shot at the quarterback. He made eight Pro Bowls in his career and won two NFL Defensive Player of the Year Awards. His No. 75 has been retired by the Rams, and in 2011 Jones was named the 15th best player of all time by NFL.com. The Hall of Fame defensive end recorded 173.5 sacks in 190 career games. Coaches didn't know what to expect from Jones, and his play certainly spoke for itself.  

Chris Carter

Chris Carter was drafted by the Philadelphia Eagles in the 4th round of the 1987 NFL Supplemental Draft. A troublesome stint with the Eagles led to his release from the team in 1989, and Carter then signed with the Minnesota Vikings, where his career took off.

Carter was one of the game's elite wide receivers and is considered to be a top five receiver of all time. In his career he has made eight Pro Bowls, had his number retired by the Vikings and has won three different NFL Man of the Year Awards (Bart Starr, "Whizzer" White and Walter Payton). Carter has nearly been enshrined in the Hall of Fame, and it's just a matter of time before he does. Carter is one of the league's finest receivers ever and played better than anybody would have expected.

Honorable Mentions

The ten players listed all played higher than their expectations projected, and all had successful careers because they over-performed.

However, there are many other great over-performing players who did not make the final list.

Here are the top five honorable mention over-performing players of all time.

1. Larry Wilson: 7th round, 74th pick; Hall of Famer, 13 year career, eight Pro Bowls, 52 career interceptions

2. Robert Mathis: 5th round 138th pick; four Pro Bowls, two Super Bowl appearances and one Super Bowl win

3. Jason Taylor: 3rd round 73rd pick; six Pro Bowls, NFL Defensive Player of the Year, 139.5 career sacks

4. Tony Romo: undrafted out of Eastern Illinois; three Pro Bowls, 96.9 career quarterback rating is second best of all time

5. Arian Foster: undrafted out of Tennessee; two-time All-Pro, 2010 NFL rushing champion