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.

No matter what you think of NIL and the transfer portal — and your opinion is probably valid as long as it isn’t, say, Tommy Tuberville’s — there’s one thing for certain about college football’s changing landscape, and that’s the relative lack of smaller-school players in every draft class. Per ESPN’s Kalyn Kahler, the rate of prospects who transferred to bigger schools rose from 5.4% in 2018 to 38.2% in 2025. Better players are often moving to bigger schools for more money, yes, but also the opportunity to show their skills against a higher level of competition, in order to blot out that particular question mark in the eyes of NFL shot-callers.

In 2025, Las Vegas Raiders running back Ashton Jeanty (by way of Boise State) and Seattle left guard Grey Zabel (by way of North Dakota State) were the only first-round picks from non-major conferences, and that trend looks to continue in 2026. Toledo safety Emmanuel McNeil-Warren should be a lead-pipe lock as a first-round pick, but outside of that, it doesn’t look great for those guys outside of the bigger schools and conferences. Maybe San Diego State cornerback Chris Johnson sneaks into the back of the first round (which he should, based on performance; more on him later), and after that, we’re grasping at straws.

Still, there are smaller-school prospects whose tape reveals NFL starting potential in the right system, and here are my favorites in this particular draft class. Could these guys line up to be the next Joe Flacco (Delaware), Shannon Sharpe (Savannah State), Sam Mills (Montclair State), or Dave Krieg (Milton College — which no longer exists)? It’s entirely possible.

Here are five offensive prospects who I believe can start in the NFL sooner or later.

Cole Payton, QB, North Dakota State

Payton was a two-star recruit out of Westside High School in Omaha, Nebraska, and North Dakota State was the best of the smaller-school offers he got. There were no offers from bigger schools. He sat behind Trey Lance and Cam Miller until the 2025 season, when he was given the opportunity to be more than a package-play running quarterback (other people were interested in him as a potential tight end convert).

Given that chance, Payton went off. In 2025, he completed 161 of 226 passes (71.2%) for 2,719 yards (12.0 yards per attempt), 16 touchdowns, four interceptions, and a passer rating of 127.8. He completed 35 of 56 passes of 20 or more air yards for 1,247 yards, eight touchdowns, one interception, and a passer rating of 138.4. When under pressure, he completed 51 of 102 passes for 599 yards, two touchdowns, one interception, and a passer rating of 111.5, and when blitzed, he completed 63 of 89 passes for 1,399 yards, 10 touchdowns, no interceptions, and a passer rating of 150.6. Still, you’ll see opinions from alleged “experts” insisting that Payton doesn’t have a good deep arm, or that he falls apart under pressure. Nothing could be further from the truth.

The only real ding on Payton that makes sense, outside of strength of competition, is that he could be quicker and more consistent with his delivery. The one-year starter thing could be an issue for some NFL teams, as well. But if we’re going on NFL-transitive skills in a relatively weak quarterback class (Payton also ran the ball 120 times for 894 yards and 13 touchdowns last season), why wouldn’t Payton be able to hold a starting job in the NFL over time as he accentuates his development? The upside here could be Baker Mayfield-ish. Maybe the floor is Dillon Gabriel, but you could do a lot worse in the third day of the draft.

Robert Henry Jr., RB, UTSA

The 2026 running back class is somewhat similar to the quarterback class in that outside of the top guy (Notre Dame’s Jeremiyah Love), there isn’t a consensus No. 2 back. Which could leave the field open late in Day 2, or early in Day 3, for UTSA’s Robert Henry Jr. A no-star recruit from a very small high school, Henry spent his 2021 and 2022 seasons at Jones County Junior College in Ellisville, Mississippi before the Roadrunners snapped him up for the 2023 campaign, and he chose UTSA over Kentucky and South Carolina.

Henry’s first two seasons at his new school were pretty good, but 2025 was when he went off. He carried the rock 152 times for 1,051 yards (6.9 yards per carry), nine touchdowns, 33 forced missed tackles, and 16 runs of 15 or more yards. Add in his 17 catches on 24 targets for 112 yards and two touchdowns last season, and the fact that he’s not a complete disaster as a pass-blocker, and you can see an NFL path as a rotational back in either a gap-first or inside zone-heavy offense. And if you’re worried about strength of competition, go watch him against Texas A&M in the 2025 season opener, when he scalded the Aggies for 177 yards and two touchdowns on 16 carries.

Eli Heidenreich, RB/WR, Navy

When we talk about versatile players in football, we are generally focusing on defensive linemen who can win from multiple gaps, linebackers who can also rush the passer at the line of scrimmage, or defensive backs who can credibly play multiple positions without embarrassing themselves. In this case, we’re talking about a running back and a receiver in the person of Navy’s Eli Heidenreich, who is one of the more interesting prospects in this class, regardless of position.

Heidenreich was a lightly-recruited prospect out of Allegheny County near Pittsburgh, and committed to Navy when he was offered in 2021. He started to show his versatility in the 2023 season, led the Midshipmen in receiving in 2024, and put his best season together in 2025, when he totaled 1,440 yards from scrimmage and nine total touchdowns. 499 rushing yards and three touchdowns came on just 77 carries (6.9 yards per attempt), with 23 forced missed tackles, and nine runs of 15 or more yards. Then, as a receiver, he added 51 catches on 79 targets for 941 yards and six touchdowns, and he did all of that on a lot more than swings and screens. He’s got legitimate post, over, seam, and go routes in his palette from slot and wide deployments.

I’m not going to compare Heidenreich to the likes of Christian McCaffrey — he’s not that valuable as a runner. But if you think of how much Bill Belichick relied on James White when White played for the New England Patriots from 2014 to 2021, averaging 68 receptions per season over his career, that might be a good comp. Heidenreich won’t be for everybody; some will think of him more as a “homeless” tweener. But the right offensive coordinator could turn him into an every-down hybrid player with a ton of value.

Ted Hurst, WR, Georgia State

One of the first things I did when Dane Brugler of The Athletic released his mandatory “The Beast” draft guide this week was to look up Georgia State’s Ted Hurst for context as to why Hurst never saw action with bigger schools. Because the tape will tell you that this guy has a future as an NFL receiver. Somehow, even after a credible high-school stint at Sol C. Johnson High School in Savannah, Georgia, Hurst was a no-star recruit and played for Valdosta State for the 2022 and 2023 seasons before getting interest from one FBS school — Georgia State. I’m at a loss to explain why he didn’t end up at a major school (no offense to Georgia State!), but Hurst now has the opportunity to prove ‘em all wrong.

Last season, the 6’4”, 206-pound Hurst caught 71 passes on 124 targets for 999 yards (if only!) and six touchdowns. He had 11 catches on 27 targets of 20 or more air yards for 377 yards, and 14 explosive plays overall. Hurst also had 22 contested catches on 50 targets. And against Vanderbilt, Memphis, and Ole Miss — his most formidable opponents — Hurst caught 15 passes on 28 targets for 169 yards while his team was getting smushed more often than not.

I think he projects well as a “Z” receiver who you want to get open in space as opposed to someone who’s going to get dirty in traffic. Drops are an issue (13 over the last two seasons) and I’d like him to up hs play strength a bit. But if Hurst is a starting receiver in the NFL in two or three years, I will not be at all surprised.

Bryce Lance, WR, North Dakota State

Another speed receiver from a smaller school, though a juggernaut smaller school with a lot of NFL alumni, is Bryce Lance from North Dakota State. And yes, he is the younger brother of Trey Lance, who the San Francisco 49ers traded up to take with the third overall pick in the 2021 draft, and whose NFL career hasn’t exactly gone gangbusters.

Bryce Lance’s NFL transition looks a bit more solid. In 2025, the 6’3”, 204-pound Lance, who ran a 4.34-second 40-yard dash with a 1.49-second 10-yard split (ridiculous numbers for a man his size) caught 51 passes on 69 targets for 1,079 yards (an insane 21.2 yards per catch) and nine touchdowns. Lance was a big-play machine when given the opportunity — he caught 16 passes of 20 or more air yards on 21 targets for 641 yards and three touchdowns.

Lance turned down several NIL offers from bigger schools for the 2025 season after a 2024 season in which he caught 75 passes on 99 targets for 1,069 yards and 17 touchdowns, so he’s certainly not a one-year wonder. He’s got nice separation quickness off the line against press coverage, he has the physicality and body control to hold up well in contested-catch situation, and the track speed shows up on tape. Lance has all the attributes to be a WR2 or even a WR1 over time.

No matter what you think of NIL and the transfer portal — and your opinion is probably valid as long as it isn’t, say, Tommy Tuberville’s — there’s one thing for certain about college football’s changing landscape, and that’s the relative lack of smaller-school players in every draft class. Per ESPN’s Kalyn Kahler, the rate of prospects who transferred to bigger schools rose from 5.4% in 2018 to 38.2% in 2025. Better players are often moving to bigger schools for more money, yes, but also the opportunity to show their skills against a higher level of competition, in order to blot out that particular question mark in the eyes of NFL shot-callers.

In 2025, Las Vegas Raiders running back Ashton Jeanty (by way of Boise State) and Seattle left guard Grey Zabel (by way of North Dakota State) were the only first-round picks from non-major conferences, and that trend looks to continue in 2026. Toledo safety Emmanuel McNeil-Warren should be a lead-pipe lock as a first-round pick, but outside of that, it doesn’t look great for those guys outside of the bigger schools and conferences. Maybe San Diego State cornerback Chris Johnson sneaks into the back of the first round (which he should, based on performance; more on him later), and after that, we’re grasping at straws.

Still, there are smaller-school prospects whose tape reveals NFL starting potential in the right system, and here are my favorites in this particular draft class. Could these guys line up to be the next Joe Flacco (Delaware), Shannon Sharpe (Savannah State), Sam Mills (Montclair State), or Dave Krieg (Milton College — which no longer exists)? It’s entirely possible.

Here are five defensive prospects who I believe can start in the NFL sooner or later.

Malachi Lawrence, EDGE, UCF

The 2026 EDGE class is very deep, but also interesting in that there isn’t a consensus outside pass-rusher who has already shown it on the field. Ohio State’s Arvell Reese is EDGE1 in the minds of most, but only 58% of his snaps last season came on the edge (34% as an off-ball linebacker, and the rest as an inside blitzer/spinner), so there’s some projection there. Beyond David Bailey, Rueben Bain Jr., Keldric Faulk, Akheem Mesidor, and the rest of the top-tier disruptors, I could see NFL teams warming to UCF’s Malachi Lawrence sooner than later when the draft begins, and if he leapfrogs some of those guys when the picks are made, don’t be too surprised.

In 2025, the 6’4”, 253-pound Lawrence had seven sacks, 40 total pressures, 19 solo tackles, 18 stops, four tackles for loss, and two forced fumbles. He then amplified his profile with a scouting combine that gave him a spider chart for the ages, and the good thing is, all that athleticism shows up on tape. Lawrence is a relentless rusher who has the moves to deal with NFL tackles, he can kick inside in certain packages, and he can run and chase quarterbacks and running backs all the way to the boundary. You’re never really safe when Lawrence is out there, and I think that will transfer to the NFL.

Michael Heldman, EDGE, Central Michigan

The 6’4”, 268-pound Heldman, whose choice to wear No. 97 makes me think he wants people to see one of the Bosa brothers when they watch his tape, improved in each of his five seasons with the Chippewas, but 2025 was when he really put it all together. He had 12 sacks, 53 total pressures, 25 solo tackles, 29 stops, five tackles for loss, and two forced fumbles, and while he did all that mostly on the edge, he also kicked inside on 13% of his snaps, showing the requisite strength and leverage to blow up run fits.

I don’t see a Bosa brother when I watch Heldman’s tape, but from the size to the power/speed combination to the four-point stance, he brings to mind Ryan Kerrigan, who the then-Washington Redskins took with the 16th overall pick in the 2011 draft out of Purdue. Kerrigan developed into a great power-rocked pass rusher with more than credible run defense and the ability to line up over and inside the tackles. When you watch Heldman against Central Michigan’s toughest opponents in 2025, it’s not hard to see the NFL transition.

Kaleb Proctor, DI, Southeastern Louisiana

And now, the guy I just won’t shut up about. Of all the small-school prospects I’ve watched in this year’s process, Southeastern Louisiana’s Kaleb Proctor shot out of my laptop and got right in my face more than any other. In 2025, the 6’2”, 291-pound Proctor totaled nine sacks, 39 pressures, 18 solo tackles, 22 stops, and two tackles for loss. If you’re worried about strength of competition, hit the tape tweet below, and watch his two sacks against LSU.

Oh. And then, he completely killed it at the combine.

I’ve had a thing for smaller defensive tackles that goes all the way back to John Randle, and has served me well in evaluation from Grady Jarrett through to that Aaron Donald guy. Proctor could be the next in line. The gap quickness is off the charts, and that plays well in an NFL where stunts and line games are more important than ever, because defenses want more and better ways to mess with protections and create pressure without blitzing. Proctor has no real bad weight on his frame, and adding another 10 pounds of muscle might prevent him from getting washed out by the occasional double-team, but it’s not an epic problem — Proctor was double-teamed on 168 of his 564 snaps last season, and his ability to knife through doubles was evident.

If you get Proctor on the second day of the draft, and you turn him loose as a one-gap penetrator and move tackle with some spice on the edges as well, he’s going to be a force.

As always, tape don’t lie.

Domonique Orange, DI, Iowa State

Well… okay. There are times when tape does lie.

There are some college defenses that are tough to watch when you’re trying to figure out NFL transitions, because there’s so much stuff you’re seeing on tape that you simply won’t see at the next level. In the case of Iowa State, it’s the constant use of three-man fronts that make you pause and wonder how it all works out. This happened to me when I was watching Will McDonald IV back in 2023 — I loved his skill set, but it was incredibly frustrating to see the 6’3”, 241-pound McDonald lined up inside the tackles so often, and then see people bashing his pressure production. The New York Jets took McDonald 15th overall in the 2023 draft regardless, and McDonald has become a very good edge-rusher, which he was born to be.

Now, onto the 6’2”, 322-pound Domonique Orange. Last season for the Cyclones, “Big Citrus” had no sacks, 13 pressures, 20 solo tackles, 16 stops, and a pass breakup against BYU tight end Carsen Ryan that bordered on homicide.

Beyond that, and as was the case with Will McDonald, you can’t box-score scout Orange and expect to come away with a clear picture. In 2025, Orange played 84% of his snaps as a nose tackle, and he didn’t have the help most other NCAA nose tackles had, because of all those three-man fronts. What we do know is that Orange’s movement skills for his size are exceptional, and he was also able to pressure on the edge in those three-man fronts, which is pretty neat to see.

Put Big Citrus in NFL four- and five-man fronts, and let the big man eat. You will be rewarded beyond popular expectation.

Chris Johnson, CB, San Diego State

I mentioned Emmanuel McNeil-Warren in the intro to this piece, and I didn’t include him on the list because he’s going to be a first-round pick, and an early NFL starter. We don’t really need to goose that up to any degree. If you want more on McNeil-Warren, you can check this out. But Chris Johnson, who I also mentioned? Maybe he hits the back of the first round based on his tape, and maybe he doesn’t. But he should. There’s an easy argument to be made that after LSU’s Mansoor Delane and Tennessee’s Jermod McCoy, he’s the best cornerback in this class, and he does everything well.

Last season, the 6’0”, 193-pound Johnson allowed 18 catches on 43 targets for 185 yards, 79 yards after the catch, no touchdowns, four interceptions, five pass breakups, and an opponent passer rating of 16.1 — by far the lowest among FBS cornerbacks last season who played at least 50% of their teams’ snaps last season. Delane ranked second at 31.3.

Johnson’s targets were about equally distributed between press and off coverage in 2025, and there were no issues with either. He comes out of low stance to turn and run well with receivers, he will fight for the ball in creating contested-catch situations, and he’s got some juice as a blitzer.

To bring up another Toledo defensive back, I could see Johnson making a similar immediate impact for his NFL team that Quinyon Mitchell did for the Philadelphia Eagles when they took Mitchell with the 22nd overall pick in the 2022 draft. Mitchell had a few rookie struggles, but he put it together very well down the stretch in 2024, and now, he’s one of the NFL’s better cornerbacks. Johnson could well be on the same path.