By the time the draft reaches the final two or three rounds, only the most fanatical of draft lovers are still following on ESPN or online draft trackers. But, the late rounds, while they produce a lot of guys who fade out of our memory quickly, if they were ever even in it to begin with, those late rounds have produced some very notable selections.
Here’s a look back at notable late-round selections from the last 10 drafts, and yes, Tom Brady is on the list.
1998
Matt Hasselbeck, QB: The Packers selected Hasselbeck with a compensatory pick in the sixth round of the 1998 draft, and while his time in Green Bay was short-lived, it was no doubt beneficial to him, as he got to learn behind one of the best of all-time for three seasons before going to Seattle in 2001.
Hasselbeck has thrown for 22,188 yards and 140 touchdowns in seven seasons in Seattle, and has been selected to three Pro Bowls, while leading the Seahawks to five straight playoff appearances, four straight NFC West titles, and a Super Bowl in the 2005 season.
1999
Donald Driver, WR: The Packers selected Driver in the seventh round in 1999, and three years later, he became Brett Favre’s go-to guy, catching 70 passes for 1,064 yards and nine touchdowns on the way to being named to his first Pro Bowl. Driver has gone on to have four more 1,000 yard seasons (2003, 2005-07) and been elected to two more Pro Bowls (2006, 2007).
2000
Tom Brady, QB: Well, this one’s easy, isn’t it? Thanks to Mo Lewis blasting Drew Bledsoe in Week 2 of the 2001 season, Brady got his chance, and needless to say, he’s run with it, all the way to three Super Bowl wins, two Super Bowl MVPs, and most recently, an NFL-record 50 touchdown passes in New England’s 16-0 regular season last year. Oh, and he’s also dating one of the most ogled women in the world.
With all the successes that Brady’s had, it’s easy to overlook the successes that Marc Bulger and Adalius Thomas (sixth-rounders that year) and Kabeer Gbaja-Biamila (fifth-rounder) have had after being late-round picks along with Brady.
2001
T.J. Houshmandzadeh, WR: While the Bengals went for his Oregon State teammate, Chad Johnson, in the second round, Cincy went for Mr. ‘Who’s Your Mama’ in the seventh round.
Johnson has gone on to become one of the best receivers in the league, and one of the most-talked about names in the game today, almost more for the attention that he’s drawn to himself than for his six straight 1,000 yard seasons and five straight Pro Bowls.
In the meantime, Housh has much more quietly developed into a pretty good receiver himself. Last season, he had his best year, catching a franchise-record 112 passes, for career highs of 1,143 yards and 12 touchdowns, and was selected to his first Pro Bowl. As it looks right now, he’ll really get to show off what he can do as Carson Palmer’s #1 option, if Ocho Cinco gets his wish.
2002
Aaron Kampman, DE: Kampman had a stellar career at Iowa, but wasn’t drafted until the fifth round, when the Packers picked him up. Kampman has developed into one of the league’s best pass rushers, and has recorded 27.5 sacks over the last two seasons.
2003
David Tyree, WR: I resisted the temptation to mention K-State receiver Taco Wallace (7th round pick by the Seahawks), because well, his name is Taco (and no, his middle name is not Bell, in case you’re wondering), but I also skipped on mentioning someone with the same letters in their name, Cato June, who was drafted in the sixth round by the Colts.
In five seasons, Tyree has all of 54 catches, 650 yards, and four touchdowns. Nothing impressive about those numbers, and not much attention might be paid to the fact that he was selected to the Pro Bowl in the 2005 season as a special teamer, but the main reason he’s on this list for his part in ending New England’s pursuit of a 19-0 season, most notably the leaping grab that was the ‘Did you see that?!’ of ‘Did you see that?!’ moments, and set up the Giants for their championship-winning touchdown in the final minute. He may well never be a star, but he’ll always have his place in Super Bowl lore, and free stuff at any establishment owned by a Giants fan.
2004 (and 2005)
Jim Sorgi, Indianapolis, Matt Cassel, New England, QB: Sorgi (6th round pick out of Wisconsin) and Cassel (7th round pick out of USC) have thrown all of 166 passes in their NFL careers, but as far as backup QBs go, these two guys are two of the most notable in the league. That’s why I put them together, even though Sorgi was drafted a year before Cassel. These two guys have the distinction of being the guys that their teams’ fans don’t want to see unless it’s a blowout. And in the event that Tom Brady or Peyton Manning have to miss a game in the near future, for one reason or another, the spotlight’s going to be on these guys, just like it will be on Aaron Rodgers come Sept. 8 when he makes his starting debut the same night Brett Favre gets his number retired.
2005
Derek Anderson, QB: Anderson was selected in the sixth round by the Ravens, who promptly waived him before the season started. After heading into the 2007 season as Charlie Frye’s backup and ahead of Brady Quinn on the depth chart, Anderson stepped in when Frye bombed in the opener against the Steelers. The next week, he threw for more than 300 yards and five touchdowns in a shootout win over the Bengals, and by the end of the season, the Browns were an unlikely contender for a playoff spot, Anderson was elected to the Pro Bowl, and as for the Quinn era? It might be on hold for another season or two, before the Browns have to make a Drew Brees/Phillip Rivers-like decision.
2006
Marques Colston, WR: They play fooball at Hofstra?! I kid, I kid. Hofstra, where the likes of Francis Ford Coppola, James Caan, and Christopher Walken hit the books, should be proud of the former Pride star, who has gone from seventh-round pick in the 2006 draft to one of the best young receivers in the NFL.
As a rookie, Colston burst onto the scene by catching 70 passes for 1,038 yards and 8 touchdowns for a Saints team that went to the NFC title game. What did he do as an encore last year? 98 catches, 1,202 yards, 11 touchdowns. Talk about avoiding the sophomore slump.
2007
Nick Folk, Dallas, Mason Crosby, Green Bay, Kicker: These two strong-legged kickers and sixth-round picks were an integral part of the NFC’s #1 and #2 seeds, as Crosby led the league in scoring with 141 points (31 of 39 field goals, 48 extra points), and Folk finished fifth (26 of 31 field goals, 53 extra points). Both showed their skills in the clutch early on, as Crosby nailed a 42-yarder to beat the Eagles in his first regular-season game, and Folk drilled a 53-yarder, not once, but twice to beat the Bills on Monday night in Week 5.
Other Notable Late-Round Selections
Matt Birk, C, Harvard - selected in the sixth round of the 1998 draft by Minnesota
Pat Tillman, LB, Arizona State - 7th round by Arizona in 1998
Kelly Gregg, DT, Oklahoma - 6th round by Cincinnati in 1999
Marc Bulger, QB, West Virginia - 6th round by New Orleans in 2000
Adalius Thomas, DE, Southern Missisippi - 6th round by Baltimore in 2000
Chester Taylor, RB, Toledo - 6th round by Baltimore in 2002
Robert Mathis, DE, Alabama A&M - 5th round by Indianapolis in 2003
Cato June, LB, Michigan - 6th round by Indianapolis in 2003
Josh Brown, K, Nebraska - 7th round by Seattle in 2003
Gibril Wilson, S, Tennessee - 5th round by New York Giants in 2004
Trent Cole, DE, Cincinnati - 5th round by Philadelphia in 2005
