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.
Continue reading "Top 10 NFL Draft Steals of the Past 10 Years: Offensive Skill Players" »
