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ESPN names the 10 biggest NFL Draft steals of the last decade

Grant Grubbs Profile Pictureby: Grant Grubbs06/30/23grant_grubbs_
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Photo by David Becker | Getty Images

Is there anything better than an underdog story? Thanks to the NFL Draft, football is full of them. ESPN just released its 10 biggest draft steals of the past decade.

Although the list does not include a single player drafted in the first round, many of the names are synonymous with the NFL. Teams overlooking future stars isn’t a new trend. In reality, many of the greatest players of all time were never expected to be more than a name on a roster.

Look at Joe Montana, who was drafted in the third round of the 1979 NFL Draft before becoming a four-time Super Bowl Champion. Or, perhaps look back further to a player like Johnny Unitas, who was drafted in the ninth round before eventually headlining the NFL Hall of Fame.

Of course, the most successful draft steal ever is also the most successful football player of all time: Tom Brady. The seven-time Super Bowl champion was drafted in the sixth round with the No. 199 overall pick. Brady is seemingly thankful for what the adversity taught him.

“Everyone comes up against challenges,” Brady wrote in a 2020 essay for The Players’ Tribune. “Whether they’re physical, mental or emotional, they’re part of everyone’s lives. I’m no exception.”

Exception is an important final disclaimer for this list. Not only did the players on ESPN’s list have to be drafted outside of the first round, but they “must have been drafted at least 15 spots — roughly half a round — later than [they] should have been, and that’s just the floor for the exercise.”

Additionally, ESPN’s Matt Miller and Jordan Reid did not include any players drafted in the 2023 NFL Draft since obviously, they have not had the chance to prove their draft placement wrong. With that said, let’s dive into the 10 names below.

ESPN’s 10 biggest draft steals of the past decade

  1. Travis Kelce, TE — Drafted No. 63 in 2013 (Kansas City Chiefs)
  2. Tyreek Hill, WR — Drafted No. 165 in 2016 (Kansas City Chiefs)
  3. Davante Adams, WR — Drafted No. 53 in 2014 (Green Bay Packers)
  4. Cooper Kupp, WR — Drafted No. 69 in 2017 (Los Angeles Rams)
  5. Derrick Henry, RB — Drafted No. 45 in 2016 (Tennessee Titans)
  6. Dak Prescott, QB — Drafted No. 135 in 2016 (Dallas Cowboys)
  7. Stefon Diggs, WR — Drafted No. 146 in 2015 (Minesota Vikings)
  8. George Kittle, TE — Drafted No. 146 in 2017 (San Francisco 49ers)
  9. Fred Warner, LB — Drafted No. 70 in 2018 (San Francisco 49ers)
  10. Jalen Hurts, QB — Drafted No. 53 in 2020 (Philadelphia Eagles)