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Everyone remembers Brett Favre as the gun-slinging, Super Bowl-winning quarterback of the Green Bay Packers, but he was drafted by the Atlanta Falcons before being traded. Selected in the second round of the 1991 NFL Draft (33rd overall), Favre went on to become a three-time MVP who holds the record for most career passing yards.
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Randy Moss had as much talent as any player in the 1998 draft. The Marshall receiver slipped to 21st overall due to off-field transgressions. Moss holds the single-season touchdown reception record with 23.
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Joe Montana goes down as one of the biggest steals in draft history. The four-time Super Bowl champ slipped to the end of the third round (82nd overall) of the 1979 draft. Montana was inducted into the Pro Football Hall of Fame in 2000.
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Joe Montana's favorite target also was one of the best draft picks of all time. Jerry Rice slipped to No. 16 in the 1985 draft, where the 49ers traded ahead of the Cowboys to select maybe the greatest receiver of all time. Rice holds a plethora of records, including most career TDs with 208. He's arguably the greatest football player to step on the gridiron.
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Praising a team for selecting a highly-touted quarterback first overall seems simple, but when you see what could have happened you realize why the Colts selection of Peyton Manning was so pivotal in 1998.
Ryan Leaf, one of the biggest draft busts, was drafted directly after Manning.
Manning is a 14-time Pro Bowler who holds the record for most touchdown passes in a career with 530 and counting.
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A 1977 inductee into the Pro Football Hall of Fame, Bart Starr was selected in the 17th round of the 1956 draft. Starr won five championships as starting QB for the Green Bay Packers.
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The value of a middle linebacker has been devalued in today's league, but Ray Lewis goes down as one of the best at his position. Lewis was drafted 26th overall in the 1996 draft. In his time, Lewis brought home two Super Bowls to Baltimore.
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Drafted by the Steelers in the ninth round of the 1955 draft, Unitas went on to star for the Colts. The quarterback was a three-time MVP and was elected to the Pro Football Hall of Fame in 1979.
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Lawrence Taylor is regarded as one of the best, most ferocious defensive players the league has ever seen. LT was the second overall pick in the 1981 draft winning two Super Bowls and three Defensive Player of the Year awards.
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Snagging the all-time leading rusher in NFL history with the 17th pick in the 1990 NFL Draft (Jeff George went No. 1 overall) was one of the best selections the Cowboys have made. Emmitt Smith was part of the dominant 90s Cowboys teams that won three Super Bowls. He was inducted into the Hall of Fame in 2010.
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Aaron Rodgers was famous for his looooong green-room wait at the 2005 NFL Draft after Especially when he should've been the first overall pick (Alex Smith went No. 1 overall). The Packers caught the falling Rodgers at No. 24 overall and have enjoyed that decision ever since. Rodgers is a Super Bowl winner and is on his way to Canton.
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Speaking of quarterbacks who slid in the first round, Dan Marino was one of the best. Part of the celebrated 1983 draft, Marino was picked by the Dolphins 27th overall as the fifth QB picked. Marino won the MVP award in 1984 and was inducted into the Hall of Fame in 2005.
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Arguably the best corner to ever play in the NFL, Deion Sanders was a world-class athlete drafted by the Falcons fifth overall in the 1989 draft. Sanders went on to win Super Bowls with the 49ers and Cowboys. Sanders was a member of the 2011 Hall of Fame class.
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Terry Bradshaw's numbers were never stellar, but the fact he quarterbacked the Steelers to four Super Bowls in the 70s makes him one of the best draft picks ever. Pittsburgh drafted Bradshaw first overall in the 1970 draft.
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Not often do you see a player dominate in multiple decades, but that's exactly what Ronnie Lott did. A defensive back on four Super Bowl-winning 49ers teams, the eighth overall pick in the 1981 draft was selected to the all-decade teams in the 80s and 90s. He was inducted into the Hall of Fame in 2008.
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The 192nd overall selection in the 1990 NFL Draft, Shannon Sharpe went on to have one of the most decorated careers a tight end has had in the league. Sharpe won three Super Bowls in his time with the Broncos and Ravens. He holds most major records for tight ends.
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In a time when the NFL wasn't as pass-happy as it currently is, Dan Fouts led the Air Coryell offense to new heights. Fouts was drafted in the third round (64th overall) of the 1973 draft and joined the Hall of Fame in 1993.
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A second-round pick in the 1993 draft, Michael Strahan is known for his gap-teeth smile and holding the record for most sacks in a season with 22.5. Strahan also anchored the defensive line of the Super Bowl XLII Giants.
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Terrell Davis goes down as one of the biggest steals in draft history. Davis was the 196th player picked in the 1995 NFL Draft. The Super Bowl XXXII MVP galloped to over 2,000 yards in 1998.
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Deacon Jones was a monster on the defensive line in his time in the league. Jones was drafted in the 14th round of the 1961 NFL Draft. He was part of the 1980 Hall of Fame class.
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Barry Sanders was must-see TV during his tenure with the Lions. The third overall selection in the 1989 draft -- after Troy Aikman and Tony Mandarich -- was electric on the field. He was elected to the Hall of Fame in 2004.
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Another artist on the field, Walter Payton entered the NFL after being drafted fourth overall by the Bears in 1975. Sweetness retired as the NFL's all-time leading rusher before being inducted into the Hall of Fame in 1993.
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A 10th round pick in the 1964 NFL Draft, Roger Staubach won two Super Bowls with the Cowboys. Due to his military service, Staubach didn't officially play in the league until he was 27 years old. Staubach was inducted into the Hall of Fame in 1964.
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Regarded as one of the best football players to ever step on the field, Jim Brown was as dominant a running back as the NFL has seen. Brown was the sixth overall pick of the 1957 draft (Paul Hornung went No. 1). He later was immortalized in Canton in 1971.
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The biggest steal in NFL Draft history. The Patriots nabbed Tom Brady in the sixth round (No. 199 overall) of the 2000 NFL draft. The four-time Super Bowl champ is a double-digit Pro Bowler and a lock for a bust in Canton when it's all said and done.
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