The Best Late-First-Round Picks in NFL Draft History: Picks 22 Through 32
Part 3 of a 3-part series leading up to the 2026 NFL Draft
The NFL Draft didn’t always look like the spectacle that we see every year on TV, with months of build-up, thousands of rowdy fans, and a production that blows all other selection and award shows out of the water.
As hard as it may be to imagine, there was a time when the NFL Draft was little more than a low-key, bare-bones meeting held in a hotel ballroom. And while I’m sure the prime rib and after-dinner cocktails were amazing, they no doubt lacked the bright lights, elaborate staging, celebrity appearances, and hours of live streaming that modern draft events enjoy.
The old-school guys went bigger than today’s NFL in one key aspect, though. Where modern drafts finish after seven rounds, there was a time when the NFL Draft wasn’t finished until each team made 32 picks.
Yes, that’s 32 rounds. And if you (like me) are wondering what value teams could actually find that deep in the draft, then you (also like me) have obviously never heard of Roosevelt “Rosey” Brown.
In the 1953 draft, Brown slipped to the 27th round (321st overall) before going on to a Hall of Fame career with the New York Giants. Unsurprisingly, he’s now considered one of the biggest steals in NFL Draft history — a guy so overlooked he may not have even been an undrafted free agent (UDFA) today.
Of course, there weren’t always 32 teams in the NFL, so each round used to be much shorter — often around a dozen selections, depending on league volatility on any given year. By the time the draft shorted to seven rounds in 1994, the NFL was up to 28 teams.
Most of us know that these days, the NFL is 32 teams strong, meaning that each round of the draft boasts 32 selections (unless padded with supplemental picks). This is the high-water mark for most selections-per-round in NFL history, which forces us to add a subtle asterisk to some of the players we’re featuring in this third installment of the top “first round” selections in NFL history.
This week, we’re up to picks 23 through 32, which directly reflects the first round in modern NFL parlance. But as we didn’t want to ignore any great players of the past who were selected in this range, even if they technically fell into the second round at the time, we widened the lens a bit.
So for this list, we’re sticking with the picks, not the round designation. We’re looking at the best players taken at each of these spots, whether their names were called in the first round under the bright lights of a stage, or under the ambient lights of a smoke-filled ballroom of a Ritz-Carlton in a later round.
Pick No. 22: London Fletcher, LB, St. Louis Rams (1998, 6th Round)
This is where the historical lens matters most. The best player tied to the No. 22 overall slot didn't arrive there in the first round — London Fletcher was taken in the sixth round of the 1998 draft, 186th overall. But his career more than earns his place on this list.
Fletcher went underpublicized for most of his career, which is remarkable given that he was one of the most productive and durable linebackers of his generation. He played 16 seasons, never missed a game in the final 13 years of his career, made four Pro Bowls, and finished with more than 2,000 career tackles. He was the model of consistency at a position that often goes underappreciated, winning a Super Bowl with the Rams and anchoring defenses in Buffalo and Washington.
Why he flew under the radar: Size concerns and a small school background kept him from being taken seriously as a prospect — one of the most costly evaluation mistakes of his draft class.
Pick No. 23: Dwight Freeney, DE, Indianapolis Colts (2002)
Dwight Freeney arrived in Indianapolis at No. 23 with a college résumé at Syracuse that showed production, but scouts had concerns about his size as a pass rusher at the NFL level. What he lacked in prototypical dimensions, he made up for with one of the most distinctive and effective pass-rush techniques the position has ever seen.
Freeney's spin move became one of the most recognizable and feared weapons in the NFL, a nearly unstoppable tool that tormented offensive tackles for more than a decade. He was a seven-time Pro Bowler, a Super Bowl champion with the 2006 Colts, and one of the most productive pass rushers in league history. He was inducted into the Pro Football Hall of Fame in 2022.
Why he slid: Size hesitation allowed one of the most technically refined pass rushers of his era to fall to the back of the first round.
No. 24 Pick: Ed Reed, S, Baltimore Ravens (2002)
At Miami, Ed Reed was the kind of player offenses had to account for on every snap. Still, safeties rarely went at the very top of the draft two decades ago, and Baltimore found him sitting there at No. 24 in 2002.
The Ravens didn’t hesitate, pairing Reed with an already physical defense and giving him the freedom to roam. That’s where he thrived.
Reed turned instinct into production, piling up interceptions, flipping games with returns, winning Defensive Player of the Year, and eventually becoming one of the defining safeties in NFL history.
Why he slid: Positional value bias kept one of the most instinctive defensive players in NFL history out of the top 20.
No. 25 Pick: Ted Washington, DT, San Francisco 49ers (1991)
No. 25 hasn’t exactly been a goldmine in the NFL Draft. In fact, there are no Hall of Famers tied to this slot, and only a handful of players have ever reached true elite status. Just three have earned First-Team All-Pro honors.
That’s part of what makes Ted Washington stand out. Drafted by the 49ers in 1991, Washington wasn’t flashy, but he didn’t need to be. At well over 300 pounds, he controlled the middle of the line, clogged running lanes, and made life easier for everyone around him.
He carved out a long, productive career and became one of the more reliable interior presences of his era, earning one first-team All-Pro honor and four Pro Bowl selections.
Why he stands out at this slot: At a historically weak pick position, Washington's sustained productivity and longevity make him the clear standard-bearer.
No. 26 Pick: Ray Lewis, LB, Baltimore Ravens (1996)
Some picks define an entire franchise. Ray Lewis at No. 26 is one of them.
The Ravens were a new team in 1996, still figuring out who they were going to be. Lewis gave them that identity almost immediately. He wasn’t the biggest linebacker in the draft, but he played faster than everyone else, diagnosed plays before they developed, and brought an edge that spread through the entire defense.
Over time, he became the centerpiece of one of the most feared units in league history, a two-time Defensive Player of the Year and Super Bowl champion who set the tone for Baltimore football for nearly two decades.
Why he slid: In a draft with plenty of linebacker options, Lewis's frame didn't immediately stand out. The Ravens trusted film over size charts, and it defined their franchise.
No. 27 Pick: Dan Marino, QB, Miami Dolphins (1983)
The 1983 NFL Draft is remembered as one of the greatest quarterback classes in history, and Dan Marino was arguably the most talented of the group. But a perceived drop-off in his senior season and persistent off-field rumors caused team after team to pass.
By the time Miami took him at No. 27, six quarterbacks had already been selected. It didn't take long for those teams to recognize their mistake.
Marino's release, anticipation, and arm strength changed how the quarterback position could be played. He threw for more than 5,000 yards in a single season at a time when that felt nearly impossible, won the league MVP award in 1984, and spent his entire career rewriting the NFL's passing record book. He was inducted into the Pro Football Hall of Fame in 2005.
Why he slid: Off-field whispers and a slightly underwhelming final college season were enough to make teams overthink a generational talent.
No. 28 Pick: Derrick Brooks, LB, Tampa Bay Buccaneers (1995)
Tampa Bay likely wasn’t guessing when it took Derrick Brooks in 1995 at pick No. 28, but it’s hard to imagine they could’ve fully known what they were getting in the defender.
Brooks wasn’t the biggest linebacker, but he moved differently. He was faster and smoother than others on the board, and he always seemed to be in the right place.
As the Bucs were building a defense that would become historically great, he became the Swiss army knife in the middle — a player who could cover, tackle, and turn defense into offense. His pick-six in the Super Bowl is a career highlight, but his overall consistency anchored a unit that defined the franchise for years.
Why he slid: Size and the Buccaneers' reputation as a struggling franchise at the time kept attention away from what turned out to be a franchise-defining pick.
No. 29 Pick: Steve Wisniewski, G, Dallas Cowboys (1989, 2nd Round)
This is where the draft’s structure starts to blur a bit. The best player tied to the No. 29 spot didn’t even come in the first round.
Steve Wisniewski was taken in the second round of the 1989 draft and immediately traded to the Raiders, where he went on to build a storied career. Tough, durable, and relentless in the trenches, he became the kind of interior lineman teams build around but largely goes unnoticed by casual fans.
An eight-time Pro Bowler and multiple-time All-Pro, Wisniewski turned what looked like a mid-draft pick into one of the steadiest careers of his era.
Why he stood out: Interior offensive linemen are chronically undervalued in the draft. Wisniewski's career is a case study in what's left on the board when teams prioritize skill positions.
No. 30 Pick: Eric Allen, CB, Philadelphia Eagles (1988, 2nd Round)
Eric Allen was taken in the second round of the 1988 draft at No. 30 overall — another case where round designation undersells the value found at this pick. Allen stepped immediately into a tough, defensive-minded Eagles team and proved he belonged much higher.
He was an instinctive, ball-hawking cornerback who took over games and made big plays at critical moments. Over the course of his career, Allen became one of the most productive cornerbacks of his era, earning six Pro Bowl selections and piling up interceptions while anchoring Philadelphia's secondary before later starring in New Orleans and Oakland.
Why he stood out: In an era when cornerbacks weren't consistently valued in the early rounds, Allen's ball skills and playmaking ability were simply too consistent to ignore for long.
No. 31 Pick: Cameron Heyward, DL, Steelers (2011)
Some players grow into their draft slot, and Cameron Heyward is a good example of that. Taken 31st overall by the Steelers in 2011, he wasn’t an immediate star, but he was a natural fit in a system that values toughness and consistency up front.
Over time, Heyward became one of the anchors of Pittsburgh’s defense, a disruptive interior presence who could rush the passer and control the line. His production, leadership, and longevity turned a late first-round pick into one of the most reliable defensive players of his generation.
Why he stood out: Heyward exemplifies the development arc that late first-round picks often need — time, the right system, and a franchise that builds around its front seven.
No. 32 Pick: Drew Brees, QB, Chargers (2001, 2nd Round)
The final pick in this range doesn’t belong to a first rounder at all. Drew Brees was the first pick of the second round in 2001, No. 32 overall, and even then, he came with questions about his size and arm strength.
San Diego took the chance, and while his path there was uneven, Brees eventually found his footing in New Orleans. That’s where everything clicked.
He became one of the most accurate and productive passers the league has ever seen, a Super Bowl champion, and a player who redefined what teams look for in a franchise quarterback. He retired as the all-time NFL leader in a number of categories such as passing yards, career completion percentage, and move 5,000-yard seasons (5).
Why he slid: Size bias and the perception that his college profile didn't project to the NFL level caused teams to dramatically undervalue one of the most precise passers the game has ever seen.
What Three Parts and 32 Picks Tell Us About the NFL Draft
Looking back across all three installments — from the top 10 through the back end of the first round — a few truths about the NFL Draft hold up regardless of era:
The draft is humbling. Teams with every resource available routinely miss on can't-miss prospects and overlook generational talents.
Non-football concerns are the most expensive mistakes. Leaf, Russell, Moss, Sapp, Marino — careers defined more by rumors and red flags than by anything that happened on a football field.
Small school bias has cost franchises dearly. Rice, Fletcher, Brees — players dismissed partly because of where they played, not how they played.
The "safe pick" almost never is. Curry, White, Gilbert — cautious selections that didn't pan out, while riskier picks like Moss and Donald became all-timers.
Position value bias is real and recurring. Safeties, interior linemen, and cornerbacks have been systematically undervalued in draft after draft, leaving Hall of Famers on the board longer than they had any business being there.
The 2026 NFL Draft will produce its own version of every story told in this series. Some team will nail a pick everyone questioned. Another will whiff on the "safest" player available. And somewhere in the back of the first round, a future Hall of Famer will slip just far enough to define a franchise — if that franchise is smart enough to take them.
This is Part 3 of a 3-part series on the best picks in NFL Draft history.
Read Part 1: The Best and Worst Top-10 Picks
Read Part 2: The Best Mid-First-Round Picks
Want to own a piece of NFL history? Browse autographed memorabilia and collectibles from many of the players featured in this series at Pristine Auction.
