Top 10 NFL Draft Steals of the Past 10 Years: Offensive Skill Players
Every year we start talking about the first day of the NFL Draft. Which players are going number one, two and three? Where will Andrew Luck end up? Does he deserve to be number one? Will he be a boom or a bust? But we always fail to look at the day three guys, that seventh-round pick, that stretch that your favorite team took that you either couldn’t believe or didn’t even notice because you turned off the draft.
Well, today we will look back at the last ten years drafts and highlight the 10 best players on the last day or final rounds of the draft. Of those players, these are the 10 players I believe have made the biggest impact and have helped their team or another team because of a trade or free agency. These guys are the ones we like to call in the fantasy realm, “sleepers.”
10. T.J. Houshmandzadeh, WR, Oregon State (selected with the 204th pick of the 2001 NFL Draft by the Cincinnati Bengals)
He was drafted in a year where Santana Moss, Reggie Wayne, Chad Johnson (Ochocinco), Drew Brees and many more were drafted. Housh has two 1,000-yard years with six years of 900 or more yards. This says a lot when five of those years were when he was the No. 2 receiver behind Chad Johnson (Ochocinco).
9. Michael Turner RB Northern Illinois (selected with the 154th pick of the 2004 NFL Draft by the San Diego Chargers)
Drafted as a backup for LT, he has truly been a breakout star for the Atlanta Falcons. Turner has four 1,000-yard years with three consecutive years of 1,000 yards or more. He had a career high of 1,699 yards in 2008 and helped the Atlanta Falcons to consecutive winning seasons for the first time in franchise history and playoff berths in three out of the last four years he has been in Atlanta.
8. Matt Cassel, QB, USC (selected with the 230th pick of the 2005 NFL Draft by New England Patriots)
Drafted as the backup for “The Golden Boy,” Cassel's start in Week 2 of the 2008 season was his first start in a game since high school, and he led the Patriots to a win, which extended the Pats' regular-season winning streak record to 21 games before a loss the next week. He led the Pats to an 11-5 record, but failed to make the playoffs. He was traded to the KC Chiefs in 2009.
7. Ryan Fitzpatrick, QB, Harvard (selected with the 250th pick of the 2005 NFL Draft by the St. Louis Rams)
Fitzpatrick took the Wonderlic Test and on the NFL's official website reported that he made a perfect score, while setting a speed record by completing the exam in nine minutes. On September 20, 2010, Fitzpatrick was named the new starting quarterback of the Buffalo Bills and has thrown for over 3,000 yards in each of his two years as a starter.
6. Marques Colston, WR, Hofstra (selected with the 252nd pick of the 2006 NFL Draft by the New Orleans Saints)
As a rookie, Colston had a breakout year with 70 receptions with 1,038 yards and 8 touchdowns. Colston has had 1,000-yard years in five of his six seasons. He helped lead the New Orleans Saints to their first Super Bowl victory in 2010. Colston becomes a free agent in 2012.
5. Ahmad Bradshaw, RB, Marshall (selected with the 250th pick of the 2007 NFL Draft by the New York Giants)
On December 23, 2007, he scored his first NFL touchdown on an 88-yard run in the 4th quarter against the Buffalo Bills. It was the third-longest run in Giants history and the longest run of the 2007 season. He finished the game with a career-high 151 yards on 17 carries. Bradshaw has been up and down throughout his career, but after a strong 2010 season with 276 carries, 1235 yards and eight touchdowns, he re-signed with the Giants in 2011.
4. Brent Celek, TE, Cincinnati (selected with the 162nd pick of the 2007 NFL Draft by the Philadelphia Eagles)
After not being invited to the 2007 NFL Scouting Combine, Celek was drafted by the Philadelphia Eagles. In 2008, Celek set franchise records for yards in a game with 131 in Week 9 and receptions in a playoff game with 10 during the 2009 NFC Championship Game. He caught two touchdowns in the NFC Championship Game against the Arizona Cardinals and his 19 catches during the 2008-09 NFL playoffs were the third most in NFL history for a tight end. In 2009, Celek had 76 catches for 978 yards and eight touchdowns.
3. Matt Flynn, QB, LSU (selected with the 209th pick of the 2008 NFL Draft by the Green Bay Packers)
Matt Flynn is currently listed as the Packers' second-string quarterback, having won the competition for the backup role to Aaron Rodgers beating out fellow rookie and second-round pick Brian Brohm. On December 19, 2010, Flynn made his first NFL start against the New England Patriots. Flynn threw three touchdown passes against New England, but threw an interception that was returned for a touchdown in the second half. The Packers lost the game 31-27. Flynn completed 23 of 37 passes for 254 yards in the loss. On January 1, 2012, after the Packers had already clinched the No. 1 seed and home-field advantage throughout the playoffs and rested most of their starters, Flynn started the final game of the season against the Detroit Lions. He threw for 480 yards and 6 touchdowns in the 45-41 victory, both of which set all-time Green Bay Packers records.
2. Steve Johnson, WR, Kentucky (selected with the 224th pick of the 2008 NFL Draft by the Buffalo Bills)
Johnson finished his rookie season with 10 receptions for 102 yards and two touchdowns. In 2009, he had a breakout season with 82 receptions, 1073 yards and 10 touchdowns. Following the season, Johnson was named the 2010 Vizio Top Value Performer for being the NFL player who outplayed his salary by the widest margin. In 2011, Johnson's numbers fell a bit, posting 76 receptions for 1,004 yards and seven touchdown receptions. Johnson will be an unrestricted free agent in 2012.
1. Peyton Hillis, RB, Arkansas (selected with the 227th pick of the 2008 NFL Draft by the Denver Broncos)
Hillis rose to the top of the depth chart as the starting fullback for the Broncos before being ushered to the starting position due to injuries to the running back corps. After spending two years in Denver, Hillis was traded to the Cleveland Browns in 2010. After being promoted to starter due to injury, Hillis had a breakout season 2010 with 270 carries for 1,177 yards rushing and 11 touchdowns plus 61 receptions for 477 yards receiving and two touchdowns.
Once again, I can only guess that some will agree with my list and some will disagree, but these are the players I feel have had some of the biggest impacts on their teams after being drafted in the last three rounds of the draft. Thank you for taking the time to read my ramblings and I hope this is one of many more you will read.
Honorable Mentions:
- 2007 NFL Draft with the 153rd pick the New York Giants take Kevin Boss, TE, Western Oregon
- 2009 NFL Draft with the 256th pick the Kansas City Chiefs take Ryan Succop, K, South Carolina
- 2009 NFL Draft with the 173th pick the Tennessee Titans take Javon Ringer, RB, Michigan State
- 2009 NFL Draft with the 232nd pick the New England Patriots take Julian Edelman, WR, Kent State
- 2010 NFL Draft with the 193rd pick the Green Bay Packers take James Starks, RB, Buffalo
- 2011 NFL Draft with the 148th pick the Oakland Raiders take Denarius Moore, WR, Tennessee
Follow Robert on Twitter @robertparmer
Related: 2011 NFL Draft Results - 2012 NFL Mock Draft Database
