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5 best late-round picks in NFL draft history

David Butler II / Reuters

Being able to find steals in the later rounds of the NFL draft often separates the great teams from the merely good. 

Here are the five best late-round picks in NFL draft history. 

Tom Brady, 6th round (199th overall), 2000

Brady's ascendance from unknown backup to Super Bowl hero is part of NFL lore. The four-time champion was Drew Bledsoe's backup before the starter suffered internal bleeding on a hit during Week 2 of the 2001 season. Brady steered the New England Patriots to an 11-5 record, captured Super Bowl MVP honors and emerged as arguably the greatest player of all-time. Not bad for a player who fought valiantly against Drew Henson to become Michigan's starter.

John Stallworth, 4th round (82nd overall), 1974

Stallworth was part of a vaunted 1974 Pittsburgh Steelers draft class that also featured fellow Hall of Famers Lynn Swann, Jack Lambert and Mike Webster who built the foundation of the Steel Curtain dynasty. A four-time Pro Bowler and Super Bowl champion, Stallworth excelled in big games and saved some of his best performances for the Steelers' Super Bowl victories. With 537 receptions and 63 touchdowns, Stallworth was inducted into the Pro Football Hall of Fame in 2002. 

Richard Sherman, 5th round (154th overall), 2011

Arguably the league's best cornerback, Sherman was a converted wide receiver at Stanford who was overlooked due to his lack of straight-line speed. The Seahawks saw a gifted athlete with excellent press coverage technique, and Sherman emerged as a ten-game starter in his rookie year. Sherman was named to three consecutive first-team All-Pro teams, and was an integral part of the Seahawks' first Super Bowl victory. 

Shannon Sharpe, 7th round (192nd overall), 1990

One of the greatest tight ends of all-time, Sharpe was an unknown player out of the relatively obscure Savannah State entering the NFL draft. Sharpe's career took off during his third season with the Denver Broncos in 1992, and was named to eight Pro Bowls, seven consecutively (1992-1998). The 46-year-old won three Super Bowls - two with the Broncos, one with the Baltimore Ravens - and was inducted into the Pro Football Hall of Fame in 2011. 

Richard Dent, 8th round (203rd overall), 1983

Dent was one of the foremost players on the legendary 1985 Chicago Bears and captured Super Bowl MVP honors in the team's 46-10 triumph over the New England Patriots. Throughout his prolific career, Dent recorded 137.5 sacks, was named to four Pro Bowls and won two Super Bowls - one with the Bears in 1985, and another with the San Francisco 49ers in 1994. The once-unknown player out of Tennessee State University was inducted into the Pro Football Hall of Fame in 2011, alongside Sharpe. 

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