Experts, by definition, have a great deal of knowledge in a particular area. But in a sport like the NFL, knowledge is often not enough to understand someone’s capabilities. That’s when front offices make the call, based on instincts and not necessarily conviction.

The likes of Jason Kelce, Richard Sherman, Grady Jarrett, and George Kittle have proven themselves, but there are names from even later rounds that have ended up as the legends of the game. Today, at EssentiallySports, we will talk about five of those names, drafted between the sixth and seventeenth rounds, who reshaped franchises, rewrote record books, and left the entire scouting departments with endless regrets. Check them out:

Bart Starr, Quarterback

The Green Bay Packers selected Bart Starr 200th overall in the 17th round of the 1956 draft. The Packers already had a good idea of the player they were landing through a recommendation. But Starr still spent three seasons as a backup, going 3-15-1 as a starter in that period. It wasn’t until Vince Lombardi arrived in 1959, noticed Starr, and made him the franchise quarterback.

After that, Starr won five NFL Championships for the Packers (1961, 1962, 1965-1967). He was also the quarterback who won back-to-back Super Bowl MVPs in the game’s first two editions (Super Bowl I and II).

In the Ice Bowl, the 1967 NFL Championship game against the Dallas Cowboys, Starr pulled out a quarterback sneak in the final 16 seconds of the game. In minus-13°F air temperature, instead of handing the ball over, Starr ran the play himself to defeat Dallas. That moment remains one of the defining plays of the franchise, authored by the 200th pick.

Roger Staubach, Quarterback

The Cowboys drafted Roger Staubach in the 10th round in 1964, knowing he was going to be unavailable for years. Naval Academy graduates have a mandatory military commitment, and Staubach’s included active-duty service in Vietnam since he attended the U.S. Naval Academy.

Staubach joined Dallas full-time in 1969, delivering two Super Bowl victories and six Pro Bowl selections across 11 seasons.

Staubach engineered 23 come-from-behind victories, with 14 of them coming in the final two minutes or overtime. It was a record that earned him the “Captain Comeback” label. That name, along with “Captain America,” became the defining identity for America’s team for an entire generation.

Interestingly, in a 1975 playoff win over the Minnesota Vikings, Staubach threw a 50-yard deep ball to wide receiver Drew Pearson with seconds on the clock. Post-game, Staubach recalled making that throw and saying a Hail Mary right after. Since then, a “Hail Mary pass” has been the name of every last-second desperate attempt at a win or an equalizer.

Terrell Davis, Running Back

The Denver Broncos took Terrell Davis 196th overall in the sixth round in 1995. Following limited production at Georgia (1,919 rushing yards and 16 rushing TDs) due to a coaching staff that rarely gave him the ball in a pass-heavy system, his stock had already tanked far below his talent level.

Davis arrived at camp as a depth piece. But within four seasons, he had accumulated nearly 6,500 rushing yards, scored 56 rushing touchdowns, and delivered back-to-back Super Bowl titles to a franchise that had lost three Super Bowls in the prior decade.

In Super Bowl XXXII, Davis played the second half temporarily blinded by a migraine. He still rushed for 157 yards and three touchdowns to win MVP.

He holds the NFL record for most rushing touchdowns in a single postseason (eight in the 1997 playoffs). His 15 TDs in the regular season that year were also a league high. His career total of 1,140 postseason rushing yards arrived in just eight games, making him the only player in league history to surpass 1,000 postseason rushing yards in a career shorter than 12 seasons.

Jason Kelce, Center

The Philadelphia Eagles selected Jason Kelce 191st in the sixth round of the 2011 draft and battled for training camp relevancy. By retirement after the 2023 season, he had made 193 career starts, earned seven Pro Bowl nods, six First-team All-Pro honors, and a Super Bowl LII ring, making him the most decorated center in NFL history.

A sports hernia in 2014 sidelined him for four games. However, he set the franchise record with 156 consecutive regular-season games at the most physically punishing position on the offensive line until his final game in January 2024.

He led the NFL in PFF grade among centers in three consecutive seasons (2017 – 19). He also posted a 94.1 in 2017, the highest single-season grade for any center since 2006. Add Kelce’s wild energy and immovable locker room presence, and you get the package that continues to entertain the league two years after his retirement.

Tom Brady, Quarterback

This list remains incomplete without the GOAT. The New England Patriots selected Tom Brady 199th in the sixth round of the 2000 draft after six quarterbacks had already been drafted. At the Combine, he posted a 5.28-second 40-yard dash, the second slowest time among all quarterbacks there.

Drew Bledsoe was the entrenched starter for New England, and Brady’s path to a single regular-season snap looked essentially closed. After spending his rookie year on the bench, Brady finally got his shot in 2001 when Bledsoe suffered an injury in Week 2. While the Patriots lost that game, Brady had shown enough to become the starter.

Seven Super Bowl titles, five Super Bowl MVPs, three league MVP awards, and all-time records in career passing yards (89,214) and touchdown passes (649).

Even now, Brady’s connection to football remains strong. From his FOX broadcasting to a minority ownership stake in the Las Vegas Raiders. And now, a new flag football chapter gets added to Brady’s legacy. The 199th pick in the 2000 draft is, by every measurable standard, the greatest value return in the history of the NFL.

Others who belong in the conversation

The NFL has no end to compelling late-round draft stories. While these five happen to be some of the most notable names, they aren’t alone.

Shannon Sharpe went 192nd in the seventh round of the 1990 draft to the Broncos. He then produced eight Pro Bowls, over 10,000 receiving yards, and 3 Super Bowl rings. Richard Sherman was the 154th pick in 2011 and earned three First-team All-Pro selections as the cornerstone of the Seattle Seahawks’ Legion of Boom.

Tyreek Hill, taken 165th in 2016, has earned eight straight Pro Bowls from 2016 to 2023. George Kittle, 146th in 2017, set the NFL single-season receiving record for a tight end with 1,377 yards in 2018. That benchmark stood tall until Travis Kelce broke it with 1,416 yards in 2020.

Five players, five slots from rounds six through seventeen, and five franchises permanently altered by calls nobody circled on draft weekend. The late rounds keep producing answers nobody expected to find. Every April, the only question is which front office is paying close enough attention.