NFL Draft’s 10 biggest steals of all-time, ranked We all love draft-day steals.
Sure, the players that come off the board at the top of the draft arrive with much fanfare. But part of the beauty of the NFL Draft process is finding that “diamond in the rough,” whether players from lower levels or prospects that maybe never fully developed at the college level, but showed flashes of brilliance along the way.
Those steals come every year.
Here are the ten biggest steals in NFL Draft history, ahead of the 2026 installment.
Brock Purdy was not just the last quarterback taken in the 2022 NFL Draft (where eight quarterbacks went ahead of him) but he was the last player selected overall, coming off the board at No. 262 to earn the title “Mr. Irrelevant.”
All he has done since then is guide the San Francisco 49ers to multiple playoff appearances, including in his rookie season, and lead the 49ers to one Super Bowl appearance since taking over as the team’s starting quarterback. Purdy and the 49ers were decimated by injuries a season ago, but still advanced to the NFC Divisional Round, losing to the eventual Super Bowl champions.
Jason Kelce was an undersized center coming out of Cincinnati, who fell to the 191st pick overall as the fourth center drafted.
But over his NFL career Kelce put together a Hall of Fame resume, earning six First-Team All-Pro selections. Kelce was also part of the 2017 Philadelphia Eagles team that shocked the New England Patriots to win Super Bowl LII.
Certainly his career has entered a new stage, as Kelce shows up almost any time you turn on a television, and the podcast he co-hosts with his brother Travis has transcended the sporting world. But before he became a celebrity, he was one of the biggest NFL Draft steals.
Before the NFL Draft shifted to the current seven-round format, the number of rounds would often reach into the double digits.
That class is known for the quarterbacks that came off the board in the first round, a list of names that includes John Elway, Jim Kelly, Ken O’Brien, and Dan Marino. That draft lasted a whopping 12 rounds.
And coming off the board in the eighth round, at pick 203, was a defensive end out of Tennessee State. Richard Dent would go on to produce a Hall of Fame career, amassing 137.5 sacks over his time in the league. That currently places him 11th on the all-time list. Dent also helped the Chicago Bears win Super Bowl XX, where he was named the game’s Most Valuable Player after recording 1.5 sacks, forcing a pair of fumbles, and breaking up a pass.
While pick 203 would come off the board in the sixth round of the modern draft, due to compensatory selections and the number of teams picking in each round, a player with that resume would still be a steal even by today’s standards.
Again, the draft looked very different in 1955. That year, the draft lasted a staggering 30 rounds.
Imagine writing a 30-round mock draft? But I digress …
Coming off the board in the ninth round, at pick No. 102, was Louisville quarterback Johnny Unitas. Unitas would go on to become one of the greatest players in league history, winning three NFL championships, earning NFL MVP honors three times, and securing a win in Super Bowl V. Unitas also secured five First-Team All-Pro honors, and still stands among league leaders in several statistical categories, despite playing in a completely different era of football.
In 1960, he set a record for the most consecutive games with a touchdown pass, one that did not fall until Drew Brees eclipsed that mark during the 2012 NFL season.
21 running backs came off the board during the 1995 NFL Draft starting with Penn State’s Ki-Jana Carter, who was the first player selected.
Terrell Davis was the 18th RB selected that year, coming in the sixth round at No. 196 overall.
Still, Davis put together a legendary three-year start to his career that might be one of the best stretches ever from a running back. He ran for 1,117 yards during his rookie season, increasing that number to 1,538 during the 1996 campaign before leading the NFL with 2,008 yards during 1998. During that 1997 season he ran for 15 touchdowns, followed by 19 TD runs the following year.
Both times he led the league in that statistic.
Davis was named league MVP in 1998, and was a First-Team All-Pro in each of those three seasons. His performance in Super Bowl XXXII — where he endured a brutal migraine to run for 157 yards and three touchdowns, securing MVP honors — stands out as one of the truly legendary Super Bowl performances in league history.
He was named to the Pro Football Hall of Fame in 1997.
Tight end is notoriously a difficult position to evaluate when it comes to the NFL Draft. What NFL tight ends are asked to do in the league varies greatly from what they are asked to do in the college game.
During the 1990 NFL Draft, which lasted 12 rounds, 18 tight ends were drafted. Shannon Sharpe, out of Savannah State, came off the board as the tenth TE selected, when his name was called at pick No. 192 overall, and in the seventh round.
All he did in the league was haul in 815 career catches for 10,060 receiving yards and 62 touchdowns.
Sharpe also secured four First-Team All-Pro selections — including three consecutive picks from 1996 through 1998 — and was named to eight Pro Bowls. A member of the 2011 Pro Football Hall of Fame Class, Sharpe is still considered one of the best tight ends in league history.
Roger Staubach’s status as a draft steal certainly requires some context.
Staubach became a household name during the 1963 college football season, where he led Navy to the Cotton Bowl at the end of the season against No. 1 Texas, with a chance to win the national championship. Although Navy lost that game, Staubach still secured the Heisman Trophy that season, and stands as the last Navy player to secure those honors.
While the Dallas Cowboys drafted him in the tenth round of the 1964 NFL Draft as a “futures” selection, they did so knowing Staubach had four years of military service awaiting him. After serving his time, including one year spent in South Vietnam during the Vietnam war as part of the supply chain (due to his colorblindness) he joined Dallas for the 1969 season.
He took over as the Cowboys’ starting quarterback soon enough, and during his time in Dallas, Staubach won two Super Bowls (VI and XII) and was named MVP of Super Bowl VI. He was the league’s Man of the Year in 1978, and a Second-Team All-Pro selection in 1971. He was also a six-time Pro Bowl selection, a member of the NFL’s All-Decade Team for the 1970s, and he was named to the NFL’s 100th Anniversary All-Time Team.
The 1956 NFL Draft lasted 30 rounds, coming at a time when there were 12 teams in the league.
In the 17th round, the Green Bay Packers made Bart Starr the ninth quarterback selected, and the 200th player picked overall.
But Starr eventually took over as the team’s starting quarterback during the 1959 campaign, under new head coach Vince Lombardi, and he never looked back. He helped the Packers to an appearance in the 1960 NFL Championship Game against the Philadelphia Eagles, and while they lost that game, Starr and the Packers won a title the following year.
He was also the winner of the first two Super Bowl MVP awards, as he led the Packers to victories in both Super Bowl I and Super Bowl II. He was a member of the Pro Football Hall of Fame Class of 1977.
In his fourth season, 1959, new head coach Vince Lombardi named him the starting quarterback. The next year, he was named to the Pro Bowl for the first time and led the Packers to the NFL championship game, though they lost to the Eagles. In 1961, he earned a second straight Pro Bowl nod and won his first championship.
Starr went on to win four more NFL championships as the Packers’ starter and led Green Bay to wins in the first two Super Bowls after the 1966 and 1967 seasons. Starr was the winner of the first two Super Bowl MVP awards. He was also the NFL MVP in 1966 and was enshrined in the Pro Football Hall of Fame in 1977.
Despite a legendary collegiate career at Notre Dame, including a win in the famous “Chicken Soup” game, Joe Montana fell to the end of the third round of the 1977 NFL Draft, where he was pick No. 82 overall.
But he landed in San Francisco with Bill Walsh, and the rest is history. That history includes four Super Bowl wins, two NFL MVP awards, three first-team All-Pro nods, and eight Pro Bowls. Montana is known for the game-winning drive at the end of Super Bowl XXIII, as well as “The Catch,” his completion to Dwight Clark to cap off a win over the Dallas Cowboys in the 1982 NFC Championship Game.
You know the story by now.
Pick No. 199, coming in the sixth round of the 2000 NFL Draft. A surprise member of the New England Patriots roster despite beginning the 2000 season as the team’s fourth quarterback.
Then a hit on starting quarterback Drew Bledsoe by Mo Lewis during the 2001 NFL season that changed not just Patriots’ history, but NFL history.
Seven Super Bowl titles later, only Canton awaits.
#NFL #Drafts #biggest #steals #alltime #ranked
We all love draft-day steals.
Sure, the players that come off the board at the top of the draft arrive with much fanfare. But part of the beauty of the NFL Draft process is finding that “diamond in the rough,” whether players from lower levels or prospects that maybe never fully developed at the college level, but showed flashes of brilliance along the way.
Those steals come every year.
Here are the ten biggest steals in NFL Draft history, ahead of the 2026 installment.
Brock Purdy was not just the last quarterback taken in the 2022 NFL Draft (where eight quarterbacks went ahead of him) but he was the last player selected overall, coming off the board at No. 262 to earn the title “Mr. Irrelevant.”
All he has done since then is guide the San Francisco 49ers to multiple playoff appearances, including in his rookie season, and lead the 49ers to one Super Bowl appearance since taking over as the team’s starting quarterback. Purdy and the 49ers were decimated by injuries a season ago, but still advanced to the NFC Divisional Round, losing to the eventual Super Bowl champions.
Jason Kelce was an undersized center coming out of Cincinnati, who fell to the 191st pick overall as the fourth center drafted.
But over his NFL career Kelce put together a Hall of Fame resume, earning six First-Team All-Pro selections. Kelce was also part of the 2017 Philadelphia Eagles team that shocked the New England Patriots to win Super Bowl LII.
Certainly his career has entered a new stage, as Kelce shows up almost any time you turn on a television, and the podcast he co-hosts with his brother Travis has transcended the sporting world. But before he became a celebrity, he was one of the biggest NFL Draft steals.
Before the NFL Draft shifted to the current seven-round format, the number of rounds would often reach into the double digits.
That class is known for the quarterbacks that came off the board in the first round, a list of names that includes John Elway, Jim Kelly, Ken O’Brien, and Dan Marino. That draft lasted a whopping 12 rounds.
And coming off the board in the eighth round, at pick 203, was a defensive end out of Tennessee State. Richard Dent would go on to produce a Hall of Fame career, amassing 137.5 sacks over his time in the league. That currently places him 11th on the all-time list. Dent also helped the Chicago Bears win Super Bowl XX, where he was named the game’s Most Valuable Player after recording 1.5 sacks, forcing a pair of fumbles, and breaking up a pass.
While pick 203 would come off the board in the sixth round of the modern draft, due to compensatory selections and the number of teams picking in each round, a player with that resume would still be a steal even by today’s standards.
Again, the draft looked very different in 1955. That year, the draft lasted a staggering 30 rounds.
Imagine writing a 30-round mock draft? But I digress …
Coming off the board in the ninth round, at pick No. 102, was Louisville quarterback Johnny Unitas. Unitas would go on to become one of the greatest players in league history, winning three NFL championships, earning NFL MVP honors three times, and securing a win in Super Bowl V. Unitas also secured five First-Team All-Pro honors, and still stands among league leaders in several statistical categories, despite playing in a completely different era of football.
In 1960, he set a record for the most consecutive games with a touchdown pass, one that did not fall until Drew Brees eclipsed that mark during the 2012 NFL season.
21 running backs came off the board during the 1995 NFL Draft starting with Penn State’s Ki-Jana Carter, who was the first player selected.
Terrell Davis was the 18th RB selected that year, coming in the sixth round at No. 196 overall.
Still, Davis put together a legendary three-year start to his career that might be one of the best stretches ever from a running back. He ran for 1,117 yards during his rookie season, increasing that number to 1,538 during the 1996 campaign before leading the NFL with 2,008 yards during 1998. During that 1997 season he ran for 15 touchdowns, followed by 19 TD runs the following year.
Both times he led the league in that statistic.
Davis was named league MVP in 1998, and was a First-Team All-Pro in each of those three seasons. His performance in Super Bowl XXXII — where he endured a brutal migraine to run for 157 yards and three touchdowns, securing MVP honors — stands out as one of the truly legendary Super Bowl performances in league history.
He was named to the Pro Football Hall of Fame in 1997.
Tight end is notoriously a difficult position to evaluate when it comes to the NFL Draft. What NFL tight ends are asked to do in the league varies greatly from what they are asked to do in the college game.
During the 1990 NFL Draft, which lasted 12 rounds, 18 tight ends were drafted. Shannon Sharpe, out of Savannah State, came off the board as the tenth TE selected, when his name was called at pick No. 192 overall, and in the seventh round.
All he did in the league was haul in 815 career catches for 10,060 receiving yards and 62 touchdowns.
Sharpe also secured four First-Team All-Pro selections — including three consecutive picks from 1996 through 1998 — and was named to eight Pro Bowls. A member of the 2011 Pro Football Hall of Fame Class, Sharpe is still considered one of the best tight ends in league history.
Roger Staubach’s status as a draft steal certainly requires some context.
Staubach became a household name during the 1963 college football season, where he led Navy to the Cotton Bowl at the end of the season against No. 1 Texas, with a chance to win the national championship. Although Navy lost that game, Staubach still secured the Heisman Trophy that season, and stands as the last Navy player to secure those honors.
While the Dallas Cowboys drafted him in the tenth round of the 1964 NFL Draft as a “futures” selection, they did so knowing Staubach had four years of military service awaiting him. After serving his time, including one year spent in South Vietnam during the Vietnam war as part of the supply chain (due to his colorblindness) he joined Dallas for the 1969 season.
He took over as the Cowboys’ starting quarterback soon enough, and during his time in Dallas, Staubach won two Super Bowls (VI and XII) and was named MVP of Super Bowl VI. He was the league’s Man of the Year in 1978, and a Second-Team All-Pro selection in 1971. He was also a six-time Pro Bowl selection, a member of the NFL’s All-Decade Team for the 1970s, and he was named to the NFL’s 100th Anniversary All-Time Team.
The 1956 NFL Draft lasted 30 rounds, coming at a time when there were 12 teams in the league.
In the 17th round, the Green Bay Packers made Bart Starr the ninth quarterback selected, and the 200th player picked overall.
But Starr eventually took over as the team’s starting quarterback during the 1959 campaign, under new head coach Vince Lombardi, and he never looked back. He helped the Packers to an appearance in the 1960 NFL Championship Game against the Philadelphia Eagles, and while they lost that game, Starr and the Packers won a title the following year.
He was also the winner of the first two Super Bowl MVP awards, as he led the Packers to victories in both Super Bowl I and Super Bowl II. He was a member of the Pro Football Hall of Fame Class of 1977.
In his fourth season, 1959, new head coach Vince Lombardi named him the starting quarterback. The next year, he was named to the Pro Bowl for the first time and led the Packers to the NFL championship game, though they lost to the Eagles. In 1961, he earned a second straight Pro Bowl nod and won his first championship.
Starr went on to win four more NFL championships as the Packers’ starter and led Green Bay to wins in the first two Super Bowls after the 1966 and 1967 seasons. Starr was the winner of the first two Super Bowl MVP awards. He was also the NFL MVP in 1966 and was enshrined in the Pro Football Hall of Fame in 1977.
Despite a legendary collegiate career at Notre Dame, including a win in the famous “Chicken Soup” game, Joe Montana fell to the end of the third round of the 1977 NFL Draft, where he was pick No. 82 overall.
But he landed in San Francisco with Bill Walsh, and the rest is history. That history includes four Super Bowl wins, two NFL MVP awards, three first-team All-Pro nods, and eight Pro Bowls. Montana is known for the game-winning drive at the end of Super Bowl XXIII, as well as “The Catch,” his completion to Dwight Clark to cap off a win over the Dallas Cowboys in the 1982 NFC Championship Game.
You know the story by now.
Pick No. 199, coming in the sixth round of the 2000 NFL Draft. A surprise member of the New England Patriots roster despite beginning the 2000 season as the team’s fourth quarterback.
Then a hit on starting quarterback Drew Bledsoe by Mo Lewis during the 2001 NFL season that changed not just Patriots’ history, but NFL history.
Seven Super Bowl titles later, only Canton awaits.
![US teenager Tate Taylor shocks Olympic champion, surpasses Usain Bolt on all-time U20 list The 2026 Prefontaine Classic may not have produced any world records like in years past, but this year’s big track and field meet in Eugene, Oregon was a major milestone for a couple of American athletes, including a teenager who produced one of the shock races of the season.At just 18 years old, San Antonio’s Tate Taylor took down a 200-meter field headlined by reigning Olympic champion Letsile Tebogo and 2025 World Championship bronze medalist Bryan Levell. Taylor’s winning time of 19.75 was run into a fairly considerable headwind, which makes his accomplishment even more impressive.Tate Taylor surpasses Usain Bolt on all-time U20 listTaylor not only significantly lowered his own US high school national record (19.94 seconds, which he set last month in Texas), he moved up to third on the all-time U20 list above some fella named Usain Bolt, whose best time in this event as a youth was 19.93 seconds at age 17. Only Australian sensation Gout Gout (whose injury withdrawal opened up a spot for Taylor) and the currently suspended Erriyon Knighton have ever run that fast that young.It was a result so stunning that it even surprised Taylor himself.“I didn’t even know I passed Bolt’s [mark], so that’s pretty cool,” Taylor said to SB Nation after the race. “To beat the Olympic champ—I was literally telling my coach right before this, ‘They cannot possibly come out here and expect me to win.’ I said it just like that. I was like, ‘I’m not winning this race.’ But if somebody is going to win, they have to go crazy just to beat me, and sure enough God made a way, so I guess my doubted myself on that.“It means a lot, because I look up to Tebogo and I’m excited to see how the rest of his career plans out. Just knowing that I took that [Bolt time] down was a surreal feeling, I’m still kind of taking it all in.”Taylor, who committed to running for Texas Tech next year, will skip the USA Outdoor Championships in New York later this month, but intends to participate in August’s World U20 Championships in Eugene. Add him to the list of American sprinters to watch ahead of the LA Olympics in 2028, especially as his compatriot Noah Lyles seeks to finally win Olympic 200m gold.Nikki Hiltz breaks Faith Kipyegon’s 5-year win streak in 1500 meters/MileKenyan middle-distance legend Faith Kipyegon has been virtually unbeatable in the 1500 meters and mile, where she holds the world record in both disciplines. The winning doesn’t last forever, and Nikki Hiltz took advantage of an unusually bunched up, tactical race in the mile. Kipyegon, who had only competed twice this year (in the 5000 meters and a 10000-meter road race), did not have her signature breakaway from the pack in the closing stages.In a furious dash to the finish line, Hiltz edged ahead of Kipyegon and Kenya’s Dorcus Ewoi to send over 12,000 fans at Hayward Field into wild celebrations. It’s the first time Kipyegon has lost in a 1500 or a mile in five years.“The last 100 meters, you’re so aware that it’s Faith,” Hiltz told SB Nation, “but you kind of just have to be like, ‘This is just a body next to me, I’m just trying to get to the finish line. I think she’s human, you know. But it doesn’t take away anything she’s done for our sport or our event—we all look to her.“I think I said it before, but yesterday in the press conference she was kind of giving vibes of like, ‘I’m not going to lead.‘ It was cool to see her do something different; she’s won it a bunch of different ways. I always wanted to see if I could outkick her and today was just an opportunity and I felt really good, so I went for it.”The 31-year-old Hiltz has medaled twice in the less heralded World Indoor Championships, including this year in Poland, but they will be pushing for a global outdoor medal in the 2027 World Championships in Beijing and 2028 Olympics. They wanted to improve their existing American record of 4:16.35, so they’ll only have to settle for beating the middle-distance GOAT as a consolation.Bowerman Mile drought continues for American menOn the 4th of July, it would’ve felt poetic for an American man to win the event-closing Bowerman Mile to end a 20-year drought, but it was not meant to be. Australia’s Cam Myers, who first made headlines in 2023 by becoming (at the time) the youngest sub-4-minute miler at just 16 years old, seized the lead in the penultimate lap and never ceded control. The now 20-year-old Myers set a new Australian record in the mile, surpassing Ollie Hoare, whom he told SB Nation on Friday was one of the athletes he looked up to.Myers, who’s now top-10 all-time in the mile, is a week removed from running 3:28.00 in the 1500 meters at the Diamond League in Paris, putting him 12th on the all-time list in that event.American Yared Nuguse finished second for the second year in a row, while Ethan Strand came in third to make it a 2-3 for the USA, but that elusive Bill Bowerman Mile win will have to wait until at least 2027.Photo finish separates Melissa Jefferson-Wooden from Sha’Carri Richardson in 100 metersYou know a race is competitive when the top three finishes are separated by 0.02 seconds. In the women’s 100-meter final, reigning 100- and 200-meter world champion and Olympic 100-meter silver medalist Melissa Jefferson-Wooden eked past 2023 world 100-meter champion Sha’Carri Richardson. British Virgin Islands’ Adaejah Hodge, who raced collegiately at Georgia and won the NCAA 100m and 200m titles last month in historically quick times last month, was third in 10.80.Jefferson-Wooden has still not lost a 100-meter race since her bronze medal in Paris. Richardson has had some high profile ups and downs throughout her career, both on and off the track, but the former LSU star and Olympic 100-meter silver medalist has been in good form in 2026.Meet organizers had South Carolina women’s basketball head coach and WNBA legend Dawn Staley and consensus greatest women’s sprinter of all-time, Jamaica’s Shelly-Ann Fraser-Pryce, introduced as special guests of honor prior to the start of the women’s 100m final.In the men’s 100 meters, Auburn’s Kanyinsola Ajayi ran a national record 9.84 seconds for his native Nigeria, blowing away the rest of the competition. Last year’s world champion, Oblique Seville, was the runner-up at 9.89, while 2019 world champion Christian Coleman rounded out the top three at 9.95.The Americans swept the sprint hurdles, with Paris Olympic champion Masai Russell tying the meet record of 12.24 seconds in the women’s 100, while Jamal Britt, who told reporters he was struggling financially and working for FedEx before signing a Nike contract this year, continues his outstanding 2026 by taking down world record holder and NCAA champion Ja’Kobe Tharp. Britt ran 12.86 seconds, a new personal best, whereas Tharp’s professional debut post-Auburn was a still quick 12.91.In the field, Lithuania’s Mykolas Alekna defeated a men’s discus field that included former Green Bay Packers tryout and Olympic champion Roje Stona, Italy’s Leonardo Fabbri conquered the men’s shot put, while Americans Tara Davis-Woodhall (long jump) and Chase Jackson (shot put) continued their winning ways in their respective events, capping off a thrilling weekend of global athletics in TrackTown, USA.The full results from two days of competition can be seen here. #teenager #Tate #Taylor #shocks #Olympic #champion #surpasses #Usain #Bolt #alltime #U20 #list](https://i0.wp.com/platform.sbnation.com/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2026/07/imagn-29328758.jpg?quality=90&strip=all&crop=0%2C10.737065679298%2C100%2C78.525868641405&w=1200&ssl=1 "US teenager Tate Taylor shocks Olympic champion, surpasses Usain Bolt on all-time U20 list The 2026 Prefontaine Classic may not have produced any world records like in years past, but this year’s big track and field meet in Eugene, Oregon was a major milestone for a couple of American athletes, including a teenager who produced one of the shock races of the season.At just 18 years old, San Antonio’s Tate Taylor took down a 200-meter field headlined by reigning Olympic champion Letsile Tebogo and 2025 World Championship bronze medalist Bryan Levell. Taylor’s winning time of 19.75 was run into a fairly considerable headwind, which makes his accomplishment even more impressive.Tate Taylor surpasses Usain Bolt on all-time U20 listTaylor not only significantly lowered his own US high school national record (19.94 seconds, which he set last month in Texas), he moved up to third on the all-time U20 list above some fella named Usain Bolt, whose best time in this event as a youth was 19.93 seconds at age 17. Only Australian sensation Gout Gout (whose injury withdrawal opened up a spot for Taylor) and the currently suspended Erriyon Knighton have ever run that fast that young.It was a result so stunning that it even surprised Taylor himself.“I didn’t even know I passed Bolt’s [mark], so that’s pretty cool,” Taylor said to SB Nation after the race. “To beat the Olympic champ—I was literally telling my coach right before this, ‘They cannot possibly come out here and expect me to win.’ I said it just like that. I was like, ‘I’m not winning this race.’ But if somebody is going to win, they have to go crazy just to beat me, and sure enough God made a way, so I guess my doubted myself on that.“It means a lot, because I look up to Tebogo and I’m excited to see how the rest of his career plans out. Just knowing that I took that [Bolt time] down was a surreal feeling, I’m still kind of taking it all in.”Taylor, who committed to running for Texas Tech next year, will skip the USA Outdoor Championships in New York later this month, but intends to participate in August’s World U20 Championships in Eugene. Add him to the list of American sprinters to watch ahead of the LA Olympics in 2028, especially as his compatriot Noah Lyles seeks to finally win Olympic 200m gold.Nikki Hiltz breaks Faith Kipyegon’s 5-year win streak in 1500 meters/MileKenyan middle-distance legend Faith Kipyegon has been virtually unbeatable in the 1500 meters and mile, where she holds the world record in both disciplines. The winning doesn’t last forever, and Nikki Hiltz took advantage of an unusually bunched up, tactical race in the mile. Kipyegon, who had only competed twice this year (in the 5000 meters and a 10000-meter road race), did not have her signature breakaway from the pack in the closing stages.In a furious dash to the finish line, Hiltz edged ahead of Kipyegon and Kenya’s Dorcus Ewoi to send over 12,000 fans at Hayward Field into wild celebrations. It’s the first time Kipyegon has lost in a 1500 or a mile in five years.“The last 100 meters, you’re so aware that it’s Faith,” Hiltz told SB Nation, “but you kind of just have to be like, ‘This is just a body next to me, I’m just trying to get to the finish line. I think she’s human, you know. But it doesn’t take away anything she’s done for our sport or our event—we all look to her.“I think I said it before, but yesterday in the press conference she was kind of giving vibes of like, ‘I’m not going to lead.‘ It was cool to see her do something different; she’s won it a bunch of different ways. I always wanted to see if I could outkick her and today was just an opportunity and I felt really good, so I went for it.”The 31-year-old Hiltz has medaled twice in the less heralded World Indoor Championships, including this year in Poland, but they will be pushing for a global outdoor medal in the 2027 World Championships in Beijing and 2028 Olympics. They wanted to improve their existing American record of 4:16.35, so they’ll only have to settle for beating the middle-distance GOAT as a consolation.Bowerman Mile drought continues for American menOn the 4th of July, it would’ve felt poetic for an American man to win the event-closing Bowerman Mile to end a 20-year drought, but it was not meant to be. Australia’s Cam Myers, who first made headlines in 2023 by becoming (at the time) the youngest sub-4-minute miler at just 16 years old, seized the lead in the penultimate lap and never ceded control. The now 20-year-old Myers set a new Australian record in the mile, surpassing Ollie Hoare, whom he told SB Nation on Friday was one of the athletes he looked up to.Myers, who’s now top-10 all-time in the mile, is a week removed from running 3:28.00 in the 1500 meters at the Diamond League in Paris, putting him 12th on the all-time list in that event.American Yared Nuguse finished second for the second year in a row, while Ethan Strand came in third to make it a 2-3 for the USA, but that elusive Bill Bowerman Mile win will have to wait until at least 2027.Photo finish separates Melissa Jefferson-Wooden from Sha’Carri Richardson in 100 metersYou know a race is competitive when the top three finishes are separated by 0.02 seconds. In the women’s 100-meter final, reigning 100- and 200-meter world champion and Olympic 100-meter silver medalist Melissa Jefferson-Wooden eked past 2023 world 100-meter champion Sha’Carri Richardson. British Virgin Islands’ Adaejah Hodge, who raced collegiately at Georgia and won the NCAA 100m and 200m titles last month in historically quick times last month, was third in 10.80.Jefferson-Wooden has still not lost a 100-meter race since her bronze medal in Paris. Richardson has had some high profile ups and downs throughout her career, both on and off the track, but the former LSU star and Olympic 100-meter silver medalist has been in good form in 2026.Meet organizers had South Carolina women’s basketball head coach and WNBA legend Dawn Staley and consensus greatest women’s sprinter of all-time, Jamaica’s Shelly-Ann Fraser-Pryce, introduced as special guests of honor prior to the start of the women’s 100m final.In the men’s 100 meters, Auburn’s Kanyinsola Ajayi ran a national record 9.84 seconds for his native Nigeria, blowing away the rest of the competition. Last year’s world champion, Oblique Seville, was the runner-up at 9.89, while 2019 world champion Christian Coleman rounded out the top three at 9.95.The Americans swept the sprint hurdles, with Paris Olympic champion Masai Russell tying the meet record of 12.24 seconds in the women’s 100, while Jamal Britt, who told reporters he was struggling financially and working for FedEx before signing a Nike contract this year, continues his outstanding 2026 by taking down world record holder and NCAA champion Ja’Kobe Tharp. Britt ran 12.86 seconds, a new personal best, whereas Tharp’s professional debut post-Auburn was a still quick 12.91.In the field, Lithuania’s Mykolas Alekna defeated a men’s discus field that included former Green Bay Packers tryout and Olympic champion Roje Stona, Italy’s Leonardo Fabbri conquered the men’s shot put, while Americans Tara Davis-Woodhall (long jump) and Chase Jackson (shot put) continued their winning ways in their respective events, capping off a thrilling weekend of global athletics in TrackTown, USA.The full results from two days of competition can be seen here. #teenager #Tate #Taylor #shocks #Olympic #champion #surpasses #Usain #Bolt #alltime #U20 #list")
![Playing disruptor: Mystery of Paraguay’s World Cup defeat to France without getting booked The Bermuda Triangle, the Loch Ness Monster, and the MH370 plane that disappeared without a trace. These are some of mankind’s greatest mysteries.On Saturday, the FIFA World Cup 2026 made a worthy contribution to this list — the mystery of how Paraguay ended its Round of 16 defeat to France without being shown a yellow card.The South American side tried everything it could to get booked. There were arms swung at French faces, elbows thrust into French throats and studs stamped on French shins and boots.Paraguay’s efforts weren’t limited to physical outbursts. There were also blatant play-acting seeking fouls and constant verbal efforts to rile up the French players. The icing on the cake came from defender Gustavo Velázquez, who attempted to not-so-discreetly scuff up the penalty spot to put off Kylian Mbappe right before the forward fired in the match-winning goal.Despite all this, the on-field referee Ilgiz Tantashev refused to caution the Paraguayans, holding onto his cards like prized possessions.Consumed by its intent to play the disruptor, Paraguay displayed no willingness to hold onto the ball. Sitting deep in its territory with a 5-4-1 low block, the side’s forays into the opposition half were largely limited to hopeful long balls and isolated dribbles from forward Julia Enciso.Paraguay’s possession was clocked at just 24.1%, while its pass completion rate was an abysmal 54.1% – the second-lowest by a team in a World Cup game since 1966. Not surprisingly, the side managed just five shots, with only one on target.What Paraguay succeeded in doing was dragging the game down to a scrapfest and frustrating France. With no space to operate in and around the attacking third, the two-time World Champion was forced to fire in speculative crosses and attempt shots from distance.It didn’t take too long for the French exasperation to spill out. Mbappe was seen engaging in multiple duels – verbal and non-verbal – with Paraguayan players. The usually unflappable Michael Olise was baited into a scuffle, which ended with the French attacker being shown a yellow card. It was almost as if the Philadelphia heat – at kick-off, the mercury stood at 38.3 Celsius – had tampered with the player’s logic.
| Photo Credit:
REUTERS
It was almost as if the Philadelphia heat – at kick-off, the mercury stood at 38.3 Celsius – had tampered with the player’s logic.
| Photo Credit:
REUTERS
It was almost as if the Philadelphia heat – at kick-off, the mercury stood at 38.3 Celsius – had tampered with the player’s logic.But France – which had earlier taken the tournament by storm with its expansive, eye-catching football – showed its willingness to get its hands dirty.France responded to Paraguay’s challenge with its own tough tackles, with Bradley Barcola and Manu Koné getting booked for two of them. There were multiple multi-player tussles between the two sides which unsettled the game’s rhythm. In the end, France held onto a slender win, as it booked a quarterfinal clash against Morocco.“We know how to play ugly football,” said Mbappe in a post-match interview.“They [Paraguay] thought we’d show up in tuxedos, but we were ready. Even at that game, we were better than them,” he added.Mbappe’s emotions were on ample display at the full-time whistle. The talismanic forward walked right past a handshake offer from Paraguayan keeper Orlando Gill to celebrate joyously, whipping up the fervour among the French supporters in the stadium.To his credit, Mbappe refused to belittle Paraguay’s approach.“That’s their style of football – there’s no right or wrong way to play the game. They tried to beat us that way, but we won,” said Mbappe.Paraguay stuck to its own method, the same one which had garnered it a shock win over Germany in the Round of 32. Ultimately, the Paraguayan way failed as France demonstrated its willingness to get its hands dirty.Published on Jul 05, 2026 #Playing #disruptor #Mystery #Paraguays #World #Cup #defeat #France #booked](https://ss-i.thgim.com/public/incoming/n4ca41/article71185393.ece/alternates/FREE_1200/2026-07-04T232704Z_1774925327_UP1EM741SM66J_RTRMADP_3_SOCCER-WORLDCUP-PRY-FRA.JPG "Playing disruptor: Mystery of Paraguay’s World Cup defeat to France without getting booked The Bermuda Triangle, the Loch Ness Monster, and the MH370 plane that disappeared without a trace. These are some of mankind’s greatest mysteries.On Saturday, the FIFA World Cup 2026 made a worthy contribution to this list — the mystery of how Paraguay ended its Round of 16 defeat to France without being shown a yellow card.The South American side tried everything it could to get booked. There were arms swung at French faces, elbows thrust into French throats and studs stamped on French shins and boots.Paraguay’s efforts weren’t limited to physical outbursts. There were also blatant play-acting seeking fouls and constant verbal efforts to rile up the French players. The icing on the cake came from defender Gustavo Velázquez, who attempted to not-so-discreetly scuff up the penalty spot to put off Kylian Mbappe right before the forward fired in the match-winning goal.Despite all this, the on-field referee Ilgiz Tantashev refused to caution the Paraguayans, holding onto his cards like prized possessions.Consumed by its intent to play the disruptor, Paraguay displayed no willingness to hold onto the ball. Sitting deep in its territory with a 5-4-1 low block, the side’s forays into the opposition half were largely limited to hopeful long balls and isolated dribbles from forward Julia Enciso.Paraguay’s possession was clocked at just 24.1%, while its pass completion rate was an abysmal 54.1% – the second-lowest by a team in a World Cup game since 1966. Not surprisingly, the side managed just five shots, with only one on target.What Paraguay succeeded in doing was dragging the game down to a scrapfest and frustrating France. With no space to operate in and around the attacking third, the two-time World Champion was forced to fire in speculative crosses and attempt shots from distance.It didn’t take too long for the French exasperation to spill out. Mbappe was seen engaging in multiple duels – verbal and non-verbal – with Paraguayan players. The usually unflappable Michael Olise was baited into a scuffle, which ended with the French attacker being shown a yellow card. It was almost as if the Philadelphia heat – at kick-off, the mercury stood at 38.3 Celsius – had tampered with the player’s logic.
| Photo Credit:
REUTERS
It was almost as if the Philadelphia heat – at kick-off, the mercury stood at 38.3 Celsius – had tampered with the player’s logic.
| Photo Credit:
REUTERS
It was almost as if the Philadelphia heat – at kick-off, the mercury stood at 38.3 Celsius – had tampered with the player’s logic.But France – which had earlier taken the tournament by storm with its expansive, eye-catching football – showed its willingness to get its hands dirty.France responded to Paraguay’s challenge with its own tough tackles, with Bradley Barcola and Manu Koné getting booked for two of them. There were multiple multi-player tussles between the two sides which unsettled the game’s rhythm. In the end, France held onto a slender win, as it booked a quarterfinal clash against Morocco.“We know how to play ugly football,” said Mbappe in a post-match interview.“They [Paraguay] thought we’d show up in tuxedos, but we were ready. Even at that game, we were better than them,” he added.Mbappe’s emotions were on ample display at the full-time whistle. The talismanic forward walked right past a handshake offer from Paraguayan keeper Orlando Gill to celebrate joyously, whipping up the fervour among the French supporters in the stadium.To his credit, Mbappe refused to belittle Paraguay’s approach.“That’s their style of football – there’s no right or wrong way to play the game. They tried to beat us that way, but we won,” said Mbappe.Paraguay stuck to its own method, the same one which had garnered it a shock win over Germany in the Round of 32. Ultimately, the Paraguayan way failed as France demonstrated its willingness to get its hands dirty.Published on Jul 05, 2026 #Playing #disruptor #Mystery #Paraguays #World #Cup #defeat #France #booked")
![Playing disruptor: Mystery of Paraguay’s World Cup defeat to France without getting booked The Bermuda Triangle, the Loch Ness Monster, and the MH370 plane that disappeared without a trace. These are some of mankind’s greatest mysteries.On Saturday, the FIFA World Cup 2026 made a worthy contribution to this list — the mystery of how Paraguay ended its Round of 16 defeat to France without being shown a yellow card.The South American side tried everything it could to get booked. There were arms swung at French faces, elbows thrust into French throats and studs stamped on French shins and boots.Paraguay’s efforts weren’t limited to physical outbursts. There were also blatant play-acting seeking fouls and constant verbal efforts to rile up the French players. The icing on the cake came from defender Gustavo Velázquez, who attempted to not-so-discreetly scuff up the penalty spot to put off Kylian Mbappe right before the forward fired in the match-winning goal.Despite all this, the on-field referee Ilgiz Tantashev refused to caution the Paraguayans, holding onto his cards like prized possessions.Consumed by its intent to play the disruptor, Paraguay displayed no willingness to hold onto the ball. Sitting deep in its territory with a 5-4-1 low block, the side’s forays into the opposition half were largely limited to hopeful long balls and isolated dribbles from forward Julia Enciso.Paraguay’s possession was clocked at just 24.1%, while its pass completion rate was an abysmal 54.1% – the second-lowest by a team in a World Cup game since 1966. Not surprisingly, the side managed just five shots, with only one on target.What Paraguay succeeded in doing was dragging the game down to a scrapfest and frustrating France. With no space to operate in and around the attacking third, the two-time World Champion was forced to fire in speculative crosses and attempt shots from distance.It didn’t take too long for the French exasperation to spill out. Mbappe was seen engaging in multiple duels – verbal and non-verbal – with Paraguayan players. The usually unflappable Michael Olise was baited into a scuffle, which ended with the French attacker being shown a yellow card. It was almost as if the Philadelphia heat – at kick-off, the mercury stood at 38.3 Celsius – had tampered with the player’s logic.
| Photo Credit:
REUTERS
It was almost as if the Philadelphia heat – at kick-off, the mercury stood at 38.3 Celsius – had tampered with the player’s logic.
| Photo Credit:
REUTERS
It was almost as if the Philadelphia heat – at kick-off, the mercury stood at 38.3 Celsius – had tampered with the player’s logic.But France – which had earlier taken the tournament by storm with its expansive, eye-catching football – showed its willingness to get its hands dirty.France responded to Paraguay’s challenge with its own tough tackles, with Bradley Barcola and Manu Koné getting booked for two of them. There were multiple multi-player tussles between the two sides which unsettled the game’s rhythm. In the end, France held onto a slender win, as it booked a quarterfinal clash against Morocco.“We know how to play ugly football,” said Mbappe in a post-match interview.“They [Paraguay] thought we’d show up in tuxedos, but we were ready. Even at that game, we were better than them,” he added.Mbappe’s emotions were on ample display at the full-time whistle. The talismanic forward walked right past a handshake offer from Paraguayan keeper Orlando Gill to celebrate joyously, whipping up the fervour among the French supporters in the stadium.To his credit, Mbappe refused to belittle Paraguay’s approach.“That’s their style of football – there’s no right or wrong way to play the game. They tried to beat us that way, but we won,” said Mbappe.Paraguay stuck to its own method, the same one which had garnered it a shock win over Germany in the Round of 32. Ultimately, the Paraguayan way failed as France demonstrated its willingness to get its hands dirty.Published on Jul 05, 2026 #Playing #disruptor #Mystery #Paraguays #World #Cup #defeat #France #booked](https://i2.wp.com/ss-i.thgim.com/public/incoming/n4ca41/article71185393.ece/alternates/FREE_1200/2026-07-04T232704Z_1774925327_UP1EM741SM66J_RTRMADP_3_SOCCER-WORLDCUP-PRY-FRA.JPG?ssl=1 "Playing disruptor: Mystery of Paraguay’s World Cup defeat to France without getting booked The Bermuda Triangle, the Loch Ness Monster, and the MH370 plane that disappeared without a trace. These are some of mankind’s greatest mysteries.On Saturday, the FIFA World Cup 2026 made a worthy contribution to this list — the mystery of how Paraguay ended its Round of 16 defeat to France without being shown a yellow card.The South American side tried everything it could to get booked. There were arms swung at French faces, elbows thrust into French throats and studs stamped on French shins and boots.Paraguay’s efforts weren’t limited to physical outbursts. There were also blatant play-acting seeking fouls and constant verbal efforts to rile up the French players. The icing on the cake came from defender Gustavo Velázquez, who attempted to not-so-discreetly scuff up the penalty spot to put off Kylian Mbappe right before the forward fired in the match-winning goal.Despite all this, the on-field referee Ilgiz Tantashev refused to caution the Paraguayans, holding onto his cards like prized possessions.Consumed by its intent to play the disruptor, Paraguay displayed no willingness to hold onto the ball. Sitting deep in its territory with a 5-4-1 low block, the side’s forays into the opposition half were largely limited to hopeful long balls and isolated dribbles from forward Julia Enciso.Paraguay’s possession was clocked at just 24.1%, while its pass completion rate was an abysmal 54.1% – the second-lowest by a team in a World Cup game since 1966. Not surprisingly, the side managed just five shots, with only one on target.What Paraguay succeeded in doing was dragging the game down to a scrapfest and frustrating France. With no space to operate in and around the attacking third, the two-time World Champion was forced to fire in speculative crosses and attempt shots from distance.It didn’t take too long for the French exasperation to spill out. Mbappe was seen engaging in multiple duels – verbal and non-verbal – with Paraguayan players. The usually unflappable Michael Olise was baited into a scuffle, which ended with the French attacker being shown a yellow card. It was almost as if the Philadelphia heat – at kick-off, the mercury stood at 38.3 Celsius – had tampered with the player’s logic.
| Photo Credit:
REUTERS
It was almost as if the Philadelphia heat – at kick-off, the mercury stood at 38.3 Celsius – had tampered with the player’s logic.
| Photo Credit:
REUTERS
It was almost as if the Philadelphia heat – at kick-off, the mercury stood at 38.3 Celsius – had tampered with the player’s logic.But France – which had earlier taken the tournament by storm with its expansive, eye-catching football – showed its willingness to get its hands dirty.France responded to Paraguay’s challenge with its own tough tackles, with Bradley Barcola and Manu Koné getting booked for two of them. There were multiple multi-player tussles between the two sides which unsettled the game’s rhythm. In the end, France held onto a slender win, as it booked a quarterfinal clash against Morocco.“We know how to play ugly football,” said Mbappe in a post-match interview.“They [Paraguay] thought we’d show up in tuxedos, but we were ready. Even at that game, we were better than them,” he added.Mbappe’s emotions were on ample display at the full-time whistle. The talismanic forward walked right past a handshake offer from Paraguayan keeper Orlando Gill to celebrate joyously, whipping up the fervour among the French supporters in the stadium.To his credit, Mbappe refused to belittle Paraguay’s approach.“That’s their style of football – there’s no right or wrong way to play the game. They tried to beat us that way, but we won,” said Mbappe.Paraguay stuck to its own method, the same one which had garnered it a shock win over Germany in the Round of 32. Ultimately, the Paraguayan way failed as France demonstrated its willingness to get its hands dirty.Published on Jul 05, 2026 #Playing #disruptor #Mystery #Paraguays #World #Cup #defeat #France #booked")
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