You hear it every year around draft time, the whispering that goes on when your favorite team has extra picks in the later rounds.
"Hey, Tom Brady was a sixth-round pick. Maybe our GM can uncover a guy like that!"
The whispering needs to stop: Brady basically was a once-in-a-lifetime outlier. But there's no question teams can find valuable players -- even stars -- in the later rounds.
By the way, Brady eventually will become just the second sixth-round pick to make the Pro Football Hall of Fame (the other is former Detroit Lions defensive back Jack Christiansen). There are nine former seventh-rounders, including Shannon Sharpe, and 22 more players who were drafted in the eighth round or later, including Richard Dent, Johnny Unitas, Roger Staubach, Deacon Jones and Bart Starr.
Here are 12 sixth- or seventh-rounders who have hit it (relatively) big from the past five drafts (2010-14):
OT Kelvin Beachum, Steelers
WR Antonio Brown, Steelers
TE Charles Clay, Bills
RB Andre Ellington, Cardinals
CB E.J. Gaines, Rams
DE Greg Hardy, Cowboys
OT Seantrel Henderson, Dolphins
C Jason Kelce, Eagles
RB Alfred Morris, Redskins
OT Derek Newton, Texans
TE Mychal Rivera, Raiders
G J.R. Sweezy, Seahawks
Mike Huguenin can be reached at mike.huguenin@nfl.com. You also can follow him on Twitter @MikeHuguenin.
