10 Current NFL Superstars Who Were Late-Round Draft Picks

For many teams, the NFL draft is the most important time of the off-season. The draft is where the next generation of stars are selected and future Hall of Famers are picked every year. However, the top players picked are not necessarily always the best.

RELATED: 10 NFL Players Draft Experts Got Totally Wrong

The draft isn't won in the first or second round, NFL teams are built off of day three picks which are fifth, sixth, and seventh-round draft selections. There are many Pro Bowl players currently in the league that were day three selections, with some of them being the very best players in the league.

10 Quandre Diggs

&copy; Joe Nicholson-USA TODAY Sports<\/p>\n"">

Quandre Diggs was a massive steal for the Detroit Lions, being picked in the sixth round in the 2015 NFL draft. Diggs was a cornerback coming out of the University of Texas and moved to safety a couple of seasons into his NFL career. The transition proved to be a great choice as Diggs would become a great safety for both the Lions and the Seattle Seahawks. Diggs was traded to Seattle in the 2019 season. After half a season under his belt, Diggs found great success in 2020 with the Seahawks, making his first pro bowl and repeated that success last season, once again making the pro bowl. Diggs and Seahawks fans will no doubt be expecting the same this upcoming season.

9 Darren Waller

Darren Waller is one of the most inspiring stories of resiliency in the NFL. Waller was a sixth-round pick by the Baltimore Ravens in 2015. Originally picked as a wide receiver, Waller moved to tight end but was cut by the Ravens due to substance abuse issues and was placed on the Ravens practice squad.

RELATED: The 10 Most Underpaid Players In The NFL Today

The Las Vegas Raiders picked up Waller from the Ravens' practice squad and have turned him into one of the best tight ends in football. Waller put up over 1,000 yards receiving in 2019 where he found his place on the roster and followed it up with a pro bowl season in 2020. 2022 will hopefully see more success for the Raiders' tight end.

8 Hunter Renfrow

&copy; Katie Stratman-USA TODAY Sports<\/p>\n"">

The Las Vegas Raiders wide receiver Hunter Renfrow had a massive leap last season, going from a 600-yard per season receiver to breaking the thousand-yard receiving mark last year. With all of the trouble that the Las Vegas Raiders dealt with, Renfrow was one of the surprise positives of the season. Renfrow was a heavily talked about a receiver coming out of Clemson, where he had won two national championships and both 2016 and 2018. Despite many fans knowing who he was, he was not picked until the fifth round in the 2019 NFL draft but is making his mark in the NFL now as one of the reliable receivers that Derek Carr throws to.

7 Aaron Jones

Packers running back Aaron Jones is one of the best runners in the league. The running back that dons a sombrero on the sideline has been a terrific pick for the Green Bay Packers. The Packers chose Jones with the 182 pick of the fifth round in 2017.

RELATED: 10 Current NFL Stars Who Started Their Careers As Backups

Jones, coming out of UTEP had an incredible collegiate career and continued it in the NFL by scoring the most rushing touchdowns in 2019 and making the pro bowl in 2020. Jones did not have as good of a season last year, running for 799 yards, his worst year since 2018, but has a chance to help the Packers win a Super Bowl this season.

6 Jason Kelce

Jason Kelce is one of the most beloved active veterans in the NFL. Kelce is a staple of the Philadelphia Eagles and one of the best unique characters in the NFL. Kelce was taken in the sixth round of the 2011 NFL draft and has been the Eagles' center since. Kelce contemplated retirement this season but signed a one-year deal with Philadelphia. Kelce wasn't the NFL prospect coming into the draft that his brother Travis Kelce was, but nonetheless, he has carved out an incredible career. Kelce is a five-time pro bowl center, including last season as well as a Super Bowl champion, helping the Eagles defeat the Patriots in Super Bowl 52.

5 George Kittle

&copy; Jayne Kamin-Oncea-USA TODAY Sports<\/p>\n"">

George Kittle is one of the best tight ends in the NFL and could go down as one of the best tight ends in NFL history if he continues on his trajectory. In an era of the NFL where the tight ends have become more important than ever, Kittle has set himself apart from the pack by doing everything from catching, route running, and blocking all at an elite level.

RELATED: 10 Wrestlers And Their NFL Counterparts

Kittle has come a long way from being selected in the fifth round out of the University of Iowa. The 49ers tight end has already made three pro bowls, and two NFL all pros teams and has a Super Bowl appearance under his belt.

4 Micah Hyde

&copy; JAMIE GERMANO\/ROCHESTER DEMOCRAT AND CHRONICLE \/ USA TODAY NETWORK<\/p>\n"">

Micah Hyde has been a draft steal for nearly ten years. Hyde was drafted in the fifth round by the Green Bay Packers in 2013 and was a stellar player for Green Bay for four seasons, transitioning from a cornerback at the University of Iowa to free safety. Hyde signed with the Buffalo Bills in 2017 and see his career go to the next level. Since signing with the Bills, making the pro bowl in 2017. Hyde has also made the NFL all-pro team in 2017 as well as last season, establishing the bills has one of the best secondaries in all of the NFL.

3 Tyreek Hill

The new Miami Dolphins wide receiver Tyreek Hill's talent was never in question when he was selected in the fifth round of the 2016 NFL Draft. Many teams took Hill off of their draft boards due to a domestic violence arrest that led to him being dismissed from Oregon State. Hill would end his college career at West Alabama and the Kansas City Chiefs would take a shot on him as a late-round pick.

Hill's talent immediately showed as he has made six pro bowls, being selected to the pro bowl every season he has been in the NFL. Hill was traded from Kansas City to Miami this offseason and many are waiting to see if he can achieve the same success on a new team.

2 Stefon Diggs

Stefon Diggs is a stellar wide receiver year in and year out. Which makes it more surprising that he was a late-round draft pick in 2015. The Minnesota Vikings picked Diggs with the 146 pick and despite the draft containing 35 wide receivers drafted, Diggs has managed to be the best one of them all. The Maryland wideout made an impact on the Vikings in his rookie season with the team, putting up 720 yards in 13 games. Diggs is famously the receiver in the "Minneapolis Miracle" play against the Saints and has since broken the record for most receiving yards by a Buffalo Bills player after being traded in 2020.

1 Tom Brady

Everyone knows of the unlikely rise of Tom Brady. Brady was a sixth-round pick in the 2000 NFL draft for the New England Patriots out of the University of Michigan and was to be expected to be back up for Drew Bledsoe. However, when Bledsoe went down with an injury, Brady replaced him and the rest is history.

RELATED: 10 Things The NFL Wants You To Forget About Tom Brady

In a league where the draft is a spectacle, so many coaches have stressed how important day three picks of the draft are, and Brady is the perfect example for all of them to show exactly why. There are diamonds in the rough in the late-round picks, and some of them have turned out to be the greatest players in the NFL.