Best 6th Round or Later NFL Draft Pick (1 Viewer)

[John Maddens Lunchbox]

How many are League MVPs?

 

[Aaron Rudnicki]

How many are League MVPs?

Terrell Davis (6th) - 1998Kurt Warner (Undrafted) - 1999, 2001

 

[FUBAR]

As things stand now, Priest Holmes followed by Rod Smith.

In 5-10 years, I expect Tom Brady and Antonio Gates to have replaced them at the top.

What on Earth has Priest Holmes done to warrant mention? Last time I checked, Larry Johnson stepped in for Priest and was actually more dominant in the same scheme. He has no rings, his cumulative stat totals are uninspiring b/c of his time as a backup. What am I missing here?But the main reason he shouldn't be on this list is because, his productive years came on the Chiefs, he was signed out of college by the Ravens. This is about the "Best NFL Draft Pick"...he was neither an NFL draft pick nor significantly productive for his first team.

Wrong, but thanks for playing.The answer is Brady, and this shouldn't be close.

 

[redman]

As things stand now, Priest Holmes followed by Rod Smith. 

In 5-10 years, I expect Tom Brady and Antonio Gates to have replaced them at the top.

What on Earth has Priest Holmes done to warrant mention? Last time I checked, Larry Johnson stepped in for Priest and was actually more dominant in the same scheme. He has no rings, his cumulative stat totals are uninspiring b/c of his time as a backup. What am I missing here?But the main reason he shouldn't be on this list is because, his productive years came on the Chiefs, he was signed out of college by the Ravens. This is about the "Best NFL Draft Pick"...he was neither an NFL draft pick nor significantly productive for his first team.

As one who's not impressed by the Ravens offense, I'm not sure that that's the measuring stick for success. I think what we've seen of him in KC are some of the most productive years in a row ever for a RB. From someone who was undrafted, that's VERY impressive.

 

[Pat Patriot]

my list of best ever by position would likely look like this:

QB - Montana

RB - Brown

WR - Rice

TE - Sharpe

OL - Munoz

DL - White

OLB - Taylor

ILB - Butkus

CB - Night Train

S - Lott

Aaron,My list isnt that different:

QB - Joe Montana

RB - Jim Brown

WR - Jerry Rice

TE - Kellen Winslow

OL - John "Hog" Hannah

DL - Reggie White

OLB - LT

ILB - Butkus

CB - Deion Sanders (hate him but cant vote for someone I never saw)

S - Ronnie Lott

LT was unbelievable. For someone to say that he did not terrorize other teams along the lines of Butkus is just wrong. You cant compare LT and Butkus. They played completely different positions. And LT specialized in pass rush but that is not all he did. He ran down plays from behind like no other.

 

[el centro]

Great topic! This is a really tough poll... I am slightly partial in this as I've always been a HUGE TD fan, but still very difficult. I think based solely on Brady's overall accomplishments - he has to be #1. But as far as raw skill... barring his injuries, TD was amazing!

I'd put Sharpe 3rd & Priest 4th.

 

[Tau837]

1. This list obviously contains a lot of fillers. You probably could have just used Brady, Warner, Davis, Holmes, Smith, and Sharpe, though I am surprised to see Gates has 11 votes.

I mean, come on... Jay Novacek? Jamal Anderson?

2. Warner should get some due here. To me there is still a fair gap between undrafted former grocery bagger and 6th round pick from Michigan. Brady has 3 rings, but Warner's 1 ring, 1 other Super Bowl appearance, and 2 league MVPs are pretty impressive.

 

[Aaron Rudnicki]

Jamal Anderson?

he did have one monster season:1998 - 410 rushes for 1846 yards and 14 TDs, 27 rec for 319 yards and 2 TDsbasically took the Falcons to the Super Bowl.

 

[Tau837]

Jamal Anderson?

he did have one monster season:1998 - 410 rushes for 1846 yards and 14 TDs, 27 rec for 319 yards and 2 TDsbasically took the Falcons to the Super Bowl.

Yes, I'm aware of that. Are you saying that makes him worthy of this list? I mean, you know when you're making the list that Davis has him beat, as does Holmes unless you give a tremendous amount of weight to Anderson reaching the one Super Bowl. Two guys at his own position for a poll that calls for a single choice.

 

[Aaron Rudnicki]

Jamal Anderson?

he did have one monster season:1998 - 410 rushes for 1846 yards and 14 TDs, 27 rec for 319 yards and 2 TDs

basically took the Falcons to the Super Bowl.

Yes, I'm aware of that. Are you saying that makes him worthy of this list? I mean, you know when you're making the list that Davis has him beat, as does Holmes unless you give a tremendous amount of weight to Anderson reaching the one Super Bowl. Two guys at his own position for a poll that calls for a single choice.

not everybody included has to have a chance of winning. what's the harm of including him? he was a huge steal for the Falcons...but, his body broke down after that huge season.IMO, the whole point of a poll like this is to generate some discussion. Clearly, adding Anderson didn't hurt there.

 

[Despyzer]

not everybody included has to have a chance of winning. what's the harm of including him? he was a huge steal for the Falcons...but, his body broke down after that huge season.

IMO, the whole point of a poll like this is to generate some discussion. Clearly, adding Anderson didn't hurt there.

Considering Brady is winning by 90 votes and 44 percentage points. The argument could be made that having two players in this poll would have been one too many.

 

[David Yudkin]

Jamal Anderson?

he did have one monster season:1998 - 410 rushes for 1846 yards and 14 TDs, 27 rec for 319 yards and 2 TDs

basically took the Falcons to the Super Bowl.

Yes, I'm aware of that. Are you saying that makes him worthy of this list? I mean, you know when you're making the list that Davis has him beat, as does Holmes unless you give a tremendous amount of weight to Anderson reaching the one Super Bowl. Two guys at his own position for a poll that calls for a single choice.

not everybody included has to have a chance of winning. what's the harm of including him? he was a huge steal for the Falcons...but, his body broke down after that huge season.IMO, the whole point of a poll like this is to generate some discussion. Clearly, adding Anderson didn't hurt there.

Part of the reason I filled all the slots was to show who else was a relative bargain on draft day (or even later). I, for one, was not aware that Keenan McCardell was the 326th player selected in 1991--in the 12th round (they don't even have that many rounds anymore. He was the 45th WR selected that year that also featured . . . Herman Moore, Alvin Harper, Mike Pritchard, Jeff Graham, Jake Reed, Ed McCaffrey, Yancy Thigpen, Rocket Ismail, Michael Jackson, Shawn Jefferson. That's 11 pretty solid receivers in one draft.

 

[cstu]

Until another 6th round or later pick wins 3 Super Bowls it is Brady. TD is close but his short career makes Brady the easy choice.

 

[Chase Stuart]

Sharpe is VERY debateable as the greatest TE end. Never heard of Kellen Winslow?

Sharpe has all of the stats and records but I do not think he is a clear cut greatest of all time.

The stats aren't even in Sharpe's favor.In 203 games, Sharpe averaged 4.01 catches, 49.6 yards, and 0.3 TDs per game.

In 109 games, Winslow Sr. averaged 5.0 catches, 61.8 yards, and 0.4 TDs per game.

Winslow also had to compete for balls with Wes Chandler, Charlie Joiner, and John Jefferson. And he had an injury to his knee halfway through his career that caused doctors to say he would never walk again.

Gonzalez is also ahead of Sharpe in all these categories, and should pass him in all accumulated stats in 2-3 years.

He is on pace to obliterate Sharpe's records but his numbers have been declining as of the last couple of years. BTW, Gates is on pace to obliterate Gonzo's numbers. But until they do it nothing changes. Part of what makes Sharpe great is that he did it for so long. Longevity is part of what makes a player great. In the case of a player like Ripken Junior, it's the only thing that made him great...

 

[Ditkaless Wonders]

L.B.  Butkis, Ham, Singletary, Nitschke, all have better claims in my mind.  Yes Taylor could rush the passer and pursue from the back side.  He was a force to reckoned with, but he did not absolutely terrorize other teams.  There is a difference between scheme disruption and actual terror.

This is very misguided. LT was a force to be reckoned with that teams had to game plan for. He changed the entire dynamic of a game by himself.

Fascinating that my post was both very misguided and at the same time we both stated exactly that he was a force to be reckoned with.

 

[Ditkaless Wonders]

my list of best ever by position would likely look like this:

QB - Montana

RB - Brown

WR - Rice

TE - Sharpe

OL - Munoz

DL - White

OLB - Taylor

ILB - Butkus

CB - Night Train

S - Lott

Aaron,My list isnt that different:

QB - Joe Montana

RB - Jim Brown

WR - Jerry Rice

TE - Kellen Winslow

OL - John "Hog" Hannah

DL - Reggie White

OLB - LT

ILB - Butkus

CB - Deion Sanders (hate him but cant vote for someone I never saw)

S - Ronnie Lott

LT was unbelievable. For someone to say that he did not terrorize other teams along the lines of Butkus is just wrong. You cant compare LT and Butkus. They played completely different positions. And LT specialized in pass rush but that is not all he did. He ran down plays from behind like no other.

Another saying I am wrong and then quoting part of the evaluation. BTW I'm guessing that many here never saw Butkus or Nitschke or Ham or Lambert.

 

[Jeff Pasquino]

My first thought was TD Terrell Davis from an historical perspective - but I still went with Brady.

 

[Texasmouth]

I say it is a draw between Brady and TD.

Brady ofcourse has accomplished more and he is the best QB in the NFL in my opinion. He has done more with less than most QB have ever had to. Everyone always compares him to Montana but who is Brady's Jerry Rice? I am not saying Brady is better than Montana but he has to be in the same discussions in my opinion. What makes a guy the best of all time?

Does Brady make the people around him better? Yes.

Is Brady a leader on and off the field? Yes

Does Brady take over games and put the team on his back? Yes

Is Brady a winner? Yes, Yes, and Yes.

And I hate the Pats by the way......

TD could have been the best back in NFL history if he hadn't been devastated by injury. I am not a Broncos homer but I do think TD was one of the best ever. He had the ability to run over you, around you or just flat out run you. He could also catch out of the back field and score from any where on the field.

 

[Ditkaless Wonders]

my list of best ever by position would likely look like this:

QB - Montana

RB - Brown

WR - Rice

TE - Sharpe

OL - Munoz

DL - White

OLB - Taylor

ILB - Butkus

CB - Night Train

S - Lott

I'd have no real quarrel with this list. I would be hard pressed to settle on one at any position though.Q.B. Montana certainly ran the offense beautifully and had championships to show for it. In addition to Montana I'd consider Unitas who was a quantum leap better than anybody in his generation.

R.B. I'm old enough to actually remember Brown. Given that, I'd agree, but I'd have to give real consideration to Sweetness. Frankly I wouldn't mock the Emmitt Lovers, the Dickerson Lovers or even a few others.

W.R. It's definately a two man race. Having never seen Hudson I won't dismiss his accomplishments which at his time were even more statistically abberant than are Rice's now.

T.E. Winslow

O.L. Matthews, Hannah, Munoz, Kramer, Gregg

D.L. Reggie White and Deacon though a case can be made for Page, Davis, Green and a few others.

OLB Taylor then Thomas then the rest.

MLB Nitschke, Butkus

C.B. How the all time interception leader is not even mentioned I don't know so I'm going to mention Krause, but actually I'd go Barney, Adderly, Green, and Sanders here. I wouldn't even quarrel with Rod Woodson or **** Anderson.

Safety Lott

 

[Aaron Rudnicki]

L.B. Butkis, Ham, Singletary, Nitschke, all have better claims in my mind. Yes Taylor could rush the passer and pursue from the back side. He was a force to reckoned with, but he did not absolutely terrorize other teams. There is a difference between scheme disruption and actual terror.

Hey DW,I initially said that I think Butkus belongs in the conversation with LT, so I sort of agree with where you're coming from here. But, why do you think that LT didn't terrorize other teams?

a brief clip from his HOF page:

A dominant force on defense, Taylor was named first-team All-Pro in each of his first nine seasons. His ability to dominate a game with his attack style changed the outside linebacker position from a read-and-react posture to an aggressive mode.

Although Taylor’s accomplishments are many, he recorded his finest statistical season in 1986 when he was named the NFL’s MVP, becoming the first defensive player to do so since 1971. That season, Taylor recorded a career high 20.5 sacks, 105 total tackles, five passes defensed, and two forced fumbles.

a LB winning the League MVP is pretty incredible and is a great indication of how dominant he truly was. who wouldn't be afraid of a LB who was capable of a 20 sack season?a quote from Wikipedia:

Because of his dominance on the defensive side of the ball, he is widely acknowledged as one of the most feared players to ever step onto the football field.

lastly, Sporting News ranks Taylor as the 4th best player of all time, behind only Jim Brown, Jerry Rice, and Joe Montana.http://archive.sportingnews.com/nfl/100/list-complete.html

here was part of their writeup on him, which I think clearly indicates how intimidating of a presence he was:

When Lawrence Taylor stepped onto the field, everybody noticed. The riveting eyes, imposing glare and intimidating, perfectly sculpted body were merely appetizers for the savage rage he would unleash on every play.

Taylor's reputation was such that he could disrupt a game plan without moving one of the well-defined muscles on his 6-3, 237-pound frame. New York Giants opponents would look for him out of the corners of their eyes, listen for him and sense his presence. Linemen forgot counts, quarterbacks dropped snaps and blockers jumped offside. When LT did go into action, he could dominate capable linemen, chase down ballcarriers on both sides of the field and fight through triple-team blocks to record one of his patented quarterback takedowns.

Taylor jumped into the NFL spotlight quickly, earning NFL defensive player of the year honors as a rookie in 1981. By his second season, he already had become the standard by which future linebackers would be judged. He made pass rushing a function of the position and literally changed the way defense was played, prompting former Raiders coach John Madden to call him "the most dominant defensive player I've ever seen."

His search-and-destroy abilities were fueled by an anger that might someday be matched but never surpassed. He produced sacks in double digits for seven consecutive seasons (1984-1990), including 20 1/2 in 1986, when the Giants advanced to their first Super Bowl title and Taylor was named NFL Player of the Year by The Sporting News. He is the only defensive player to win the award.

With Taylor as a driving force, the Giants also won the Super Bowl after the 1990 season and reached the playoffs seven times in his 13 seasons. He finished his career in 1993 with 10 Pro Bowl citations and 132 1/2 sacks.

 

[Ditkaless Wonders]

L.B.  Butkis, Ham, Singletary, Nitschke, all have better claims in my mind.  Yes Taylor could rush the passer and pursue from the back side.  He was a force to reckoned with, but he did not absolutely terrorize other teams.  There is a difference between scheme disruption and actual terror.

Hey DW,I initially said that I think Butkus belongs in the conversation with LT, so I sort of agree with where you're coming from here. But, why do you think that LT didn't terrorize other teams?

a brief clip from his HOF page:

A dominant force on defense, Taylor was named first-team All-Pro in each of his first nine seasons. His ability to dominate a game with his attack style changed the outside linebacker position from a read-and-react posture to an aggressive mode.

Although Taylor’s accomplishments are many, he recorded his finest statistical season in 1986 when he was named the NFL’s MVP, becoming the first defensive player to do so since 1971. That season, Taylor recorded a career high 20.5 sacks, 105 total tackles, five passes defensed, and two forced fumbles.

a LB winning the League MVP is pretty incredible and is a great indication of how dominant he truly was. who wouldn't be afraid of a LB who was capable of a 20 sack season?a quote from Wikipedia:

Because of his dominance on the defensive side of the ball, he is widely acknowledged as one of the most feared players to ever step onto the football field.

lastly, Sporting News ranks Taylor as the 4th best player of all time, behind only Jim Brown, Jerry Rice, and Joe Montana.http://archive.sportingnews.com/nfl/100/list-complete.html

here was part of their writeup on him, which I think clearly indicates how intimidating of a presence he was:

When Lawrence Taylor stepped onto the field, everybody noticed. The riveting eyes, imposing glare and intimidating, perfectly sculpted body were merely appetizers for the savage rage he would unleash on every play.

Taylor's reputation was such that he could disrupt a game plan without moving one of the well-defined muscles on his 6-3, 237-pound frame. New York Giants opponents would look for him out of the corners of their eyes, listen for him and sense his presence. Linemen forgot counts, quarterbacks dropped snaps and blockers jumped offside. When LT did go into action, he could dominate capable linemen, chase down ballcarriers on both sides of the field and fight through triple-team blocks to record one of his patented quarterback takedowns.

Taylor jumped into the NFL spotlight quickly, earning NFL defensive player of the year honors as a rookie in 1981. By his second season, he already had become the standard by which future linebackers would be judged. He made pass rushing a function of the position and literally changed the way defense was played, prompting former Raiders coach John Madden to call him "the most dominant defensive player I've ever seen."

His search-and-destroy abilities were fueled by an anger that might someday be matched but never surpassed. He produced sacks in double digits for seven consecutive seasons (1984-1990), including 20 1/2 in 1986, when the Giants advanced to their first Super Bowl title and Taylor was named NFL Player of the Year by The Sporting News. He is the only defensive player to win the award.

With Taylor as a driving force, the Giants also won the Super Bowl after the 1990 season and reached the playoffs seven times in his 13 seasons. He finished his career in 1993 with 10 Pro Bowl citations and 132 1/2 sacks.

I'm not saying Taylor wasn't great. I just don't feel having seen him and the others play that he was better. I think part of his lore is the inflated east coast media bias coming through. I liken it to the out of proportion Bill Parcell's love.I'm not trying to argue anybody away from what they witnessed personally, I just find it funny when guys are arguing conclusively on what they read and telling someone who saw a thing that it is otherwise based on their second hand accounts. I guess I just like my L.B. to do the dirty work of run stuffing rather than blitzing off the edge or pursuing plays. Nothing more than personal preference really. Some are impressed by flashy stats like sacs, me, I'm just as happy to see a guy get no stat but to absolutely blow apart a play.

 

[Ditkaless Wonders]

my list of best ever by position would likely look like this:

QB - Montana

RB - Brown

WR - Rice

TE - Sharpe

OL - Munoz

DL - White

OLB - Taylor

ILB - Butkus

CB - Night Train

S - Lott

Aaron,My list isnt that different:

QB - Joe Montana

RB - Jim Brown

WR - Jerry Rice

TE - Kellen Winslow

OL - John "Hog" Hannah

DL - Reggie White

OLB - LT

ILB - Butkus

CB - Deion Sanders (hate him but cant vote for someone I never saw)

S - Ronnie Lott

LT was unbelievable. For someone to say that he did not terrorize other teams along the lines of Butkus is just wrong. You cant compare LT and Butkus. They played completely different positions. And LT specialized in pass rush but that is not all he did. He ran down plays from behind like no other.

Another saying I am wrong and then quoting part of the evaluation. BTW I'm guessing that many here never saw Butkus or Nitschke or Ham or Lambert.

I'm with you on the first three being comparable to Taylor...while Jack Lambert was one mean SOB of a MLB, I am not so sure he was even better than Denver's MLB Randy Gradishar from that era. And Lambert had the benefit of the best DT in NFL history playing in front of him in "Mean" Joe Greene...and of course the rest of the Steel Curtain. I've got Lambert in the next tier below **** Butkus and Ray Nitschke.I'd guess roughly 80% of those here never saw all 4 of these guys play...

If Gradishar played in a media center he would have been a star. He was a truely complete L.B. The hall of fame remains a disgrace while he and Jerry Kramer sit outside looking in.

 

[Aaron Rudnicki]

I'm not saying Taylor wasn't great. I just don't feel having seen him and the others play that he was better. I think part of his lore is the inflated east coast media bias coming through. I liken it to the out of proportion Bill parcell's love.

I'm not trying to argue anybody away from what they witnessed personally, I just find it funny when guys are arguing conclusively on what they read and telling someone who saw a thing that it is otherwise based on their second hand accounts. I guess I just like my L.B. to do the dirty work of run stuffing rather than blitzing off the edge or pursuing plays. Nothing more than personal preference really. Somne are impressed by falshy stats like sacs, me, I'm just as happy to see a guy get no stat but to absolutely blow apart a play.

unfortunately, I'm not old enough to have watched guys like Butkus and Nitschke play so I can only go by what I've read and the highlights I've seen. I did, however, grow up watching guys like Taylor and Singletary play...and Taylor was by far the most dominant/intimidating defensive player I can remember watching. But, the reason I separated OLB from ILB when compiling my list of best ever is b/c they are so different so it's tough to compare a ferocious edge rusher like LT who could chase down any play from anywhere with a mean run stuffer like Butkus or even Ray Lewis who could do pretty much anything you asked of them.