NFL Draft Steals: The Best Late-Round Draft Picks Since The 1970 Merger
Who are the best NFL draft steals of all time?
NFL teams screw up all the time. Some more than others. That could mean blowing a high pick on a total bust. Or it could mean passing on a Hall of Famer several times over in the same draft. Let’s take a look at the best late-round NFL draft steals since the NFL-AFL merger. These are the players every team had multiple chances to select. But they still had to wait forever before coming off the board. We’ll set the cutoff at the 129th overall pick, which would be the first pick of the fifth round in a present-day draft without compensatory picks.Bo Jackson
The multisport athlete played in just 38 games (23 starts) in his four-year NFL career, but he made those performances count, amassing 3,134 yards from scrimmage and 18 total touchdowns, all for the Raiders.
In a playoff game in January 1991, he suffered a career-ending hip injury, but was able to play pro baseball for a few more seasons.
19. Al Harris
[dx_custom_adunit desktop_id=”RTK_K67O” mobile_id=”RTK_5yk0″]
The Buccaneers made Harris the 169th pick of the 1997 NFL Draft, but the Texas A&M-Kingsville alum never played for Tampa Bay. Instead, the cornerback spent a season on their practice squad before being claimed by the Eagles.
Harris made seven starts in his first season in Philly, then transformed himself into a two-time Pro Bowler.
18. Harold Carmichael
The 161st overall pick of the 1971 NFL Draft was arguably the NFL’s best receiver in 1973, leading the league in receptions (67) and receiving yards (1,116) across a 14-game season.
That year, the Eagles wideout garnered the first of four Pro Bowl nods. He’s still the Eagles’ all-time leader in receptions, receiving yards, and touchdown catches.
17. Matt Birk
The Harvard alum waited through 172 draftees before the Vikings selected him in the sixth round of the 1998 NFL Draft. He earned his first of six Pro Bowl nods in 2000, his first season as a starter.
In 2009, he joined the Ravens, playing in Baltimore for four seasons and winning Super Bowl XLVII.