From Draft Day Surprises to Sunday Stars: NFL Players Who Defied the Odds

The NFL machine is rolling again after a lengthy pre-season filled with anticipation and guessing as to which teams will hit the ground running in the race to Santa Clara next February for Super Bowl LX. The start of the new season also gives teams across the country and conferences a chance to see their well-calculated draft picks in competitive action.

Ahead of the actual action, the NFL draft represents one of the biggest occasions in sports, not just in America but across the globe, with a growing global NFL following also eager to see where the breakout college talents will land. A team’s season can often depend on how a draft pick performs and NFL betting odds can also be heavily affected depending on where certain players land.

Of course, it does not always go to script, as in the case of J.J.McCarthy, drafted in the first round as 10th pick by the Minnesota Vikings in 2024. The former Michigan Wolverines quarterback suffered a torn meniscus in pre-season in his rookie campaign, which ruled him out for the entirety of the 2024 season. McCarthy has since made a full recovery and led the Vikings to victory in their opening game of the 2025 season against the Chicago Bears (27-24).

McCarthy is just one of the many stories of misfortune following a draft, but there have been plenty of surprise picks that have dazzled the industry and a couple that have written their names into the NFL history books.

Tom Brady (2000)

The most famous case of a late draft pick to defy the odds is Thomas Edward Patrick Brady Jr. The most decorated quarterback in NFL history with seven Super Bowl championships was astonishingly drafted as 199th pick in 2000 by the New England Patriots. Overall, it might not be the biggest surprise as only six other quarterbacks were drafted ahead of Brady, but the fact 198 other players were picked ahead of the NFL legend is still startling.

Ja’Marr Chase (2021)

A season later, the Cincinnati Bengals were given the chance to bolster their struggling defensive line early with 5th overall pick in the 2021 draft. But while many pundits were tipping a raft of offensive tackles to provide more protection for star quarterback Joe Burrow, the Bengals went the other way and drafted Ja’Marr Chase, a teammate of Burrow’s during their LSU days.

Some say that attack is the best form of defense, and Chase’s statistics from his rookie season back that up. 13 touchdowns from 1455 yards gained landed Chase Offensive Rookie of the Year honors. However, the Bengals fell desperately short in the Super Bowl that season, losing 23-20 to the LA Rams.

Lamar Jackson (2018)

Another quarterback ranks as one of the biggest surprises in NFL draft history. Baltimore Ravens QB Jackson was the final pick in the first round of the 2018 draft and since then, the Louisville graduate has become one of the best QBs in the game and has reinvented the way the position is played with his dynamic combination of throwing and rushing with the ball.

Jackson has been touted as an MVP candidate this season and he will be hoping to propel the Ravens to their first Super Bowl success since 2013 to join the likes of Brady and Aaron Rodgers as legendary quarterbacks to have played the game.