But for many teams, especially the teams that flourish on a yearly basis, selecting players later in the draft is key. Take Terrell Davis, for example. In 1995, Denver selected him in the sixth round. Davis turned into one off the elite running backs in NFL history.

Amazingly, 17 running backs in '95 were selected ahead of Davis. Some of these names include Joe Aska, Larry Jones, Ryan Christopherson, and Dino Philya. Davis led the Broncos to consecutive Super Bowl victories.

Want another example? Take Jesse Armstead, who was the 15th outside linebacker taken in the 1993 draft. I know you know who Jesse Armstead is; the now former New York Giant who happened to become a five-time Pro Bowler. Chances are, you won't remember other outside linebackers from that draft, including Wayne Simmons and Todd Kelly. Both were taken in the first round and had mediocre careers.

The list of late-round gems goes on and on. Of the six quarterbacks selected ahead of Tom Brady in 2000, only Chris Redman (Baltimore) is a starter. Ten tight ends were picked ahead of Frank Wychek in 1993, but only one (Tony McGee) is a starter.

I have compiled a list of the best ten players who have been late round picks over the past ten years. The rules are the player had to be drafted no higher then the fifth round. The results I've come up with are as follows.

10. Sam Gash (New England, round 8, 205 overall, 1992) - While Gash has never been a true runner (his career-high in rushing is 149 yards), he's one of the best blocking fullbacks in the game's history. He's also one of the more respected players in the league in the clubhouse; a true team leader.

9. Blaine Bishop (Houston, round 8, 214th overall, 1993) - Bishop had nine solid seasons with the Oilers/Titans before being released this offseason as a salary cap casualty and signing with Philadelphia. He is one of the game's harder hitters at strong safety and has 517 career tackles. He's started 108 games in his nine seasons.

8. Mark Chmura (Green Bay, 9, 157th overall, 1992) - Chmura developed into one of the game's elite receiving tight ends before off field trouble weighed on his mind to retire in 2001. His breakthrough year came in 1995 when he caught 54 passes for 679 yards and 7 touchdowns. Chmura became a favorite target of Brett Favre.

7. Frank Wychek (Washington, round 6, 160th overall, 1993) - After two uneventful seasons with the 'Skins, Wychek was picked up by the Houston Oilers and became one of the league's finest tight ends. His best season was with Tennessee in 1998 in which he caught 70 passes for 768 yards. He led his team in receptions for three straight seasons (1996-98) and was selected to the Pro Bowl in '98. In his career, he's caught 449 balls. Wychek is an intelligent player with a great set of hands.

6. Jesse Armstead (New York Giants, round 8, 207th overall, 1993) - He became a starting linebacker for New York in 1996 and started every game over the next five years. He's recorded 30.5 sacks, 11 forced fumbles, and 799 tackles throughout his career and is a five-time Pro Bowler. He recently signed with Washington this spring after being released in a cap-cutting move by New York.

5. Jamal Anderson (Atlanta, round 7, 201th overall, 1994) - Anderson became one of the game's best rushers before a series of knee injuries hampered him over the past few yaars. Anderson established himself as one of the top running backs in the NFL on the heels of a 1998 Pro Bowl season in which he set a club record with 1,846 rushing yards and set an NFL record with 410 carries with 16 total touchdowns scored and an NFL-best 12 100-yard games. Anderson also ran for over 1,000 yards in 1996, 1997, and 2000. Atlanta recently cut him partially because of cap reasons. Anderson finished his Atlanta career third all-time in rushing yards.

4. La'Roi Glover (Oakland, round 5, 166th overall, 1996) - Came to New Orleans in '97 after being waived by Oakland and began to blossom in 1998, recording 10 sacks. His best year was 2000 when he recorded 17.0 sacks and followed it up with 8 last season. Glover is one of the game's finest defensive tackles, one of the few who is adapt at both stopping the run and rushing the passer. A free agent, Glover has signed a lucrative deal with the Dallas Cowboys. Glover is also a three-time Pro Bowler.

3. Mark Brunell (Green Bay, 5, 118, 1994) - After one year on the Packers bench behind Brett Favre, Brunell was taken in '95 in the expansion draft by Jacksonville. In just the Jags' second season in 1996, Brunell has a career-year that saw him throw for 4,367 yards and 19 touchdowns in leading his team to the AFC championship game.

Brunell has showed pinpoint accuracy throughout his career, never completing less then 58% of his passes in any season. He has a 60.3% career completion percentage and has thrown for 22,521 yards, and 125 touchdowns. He's the No. 5-ranked passer in NFL history, behind only Steve Young, Joe Montana, Brett Favre, and Dan Marino.

2. Tom Brady (New England, round 6, 199th overall, 2000) - Why is Brady ranked second on this lift after only being in the NFL for two seasons? Well, simply put, he's a Super Bowl champion and was the game's MVP. He also ran Drew Bledsoe out of town. After attempting all of three passes as a rookie in 2000, Brady began last season deep behind Bledsoe on the depth chart. But that all changed two games into the 2001 season after Bledsoe went down with an eternal injury. Brady started all the games the rest of the season and led the team to an 11-3 record as the starter.

He then led his team to a thrilling overtime playoff win against Oakland and after missing most of the AFC championship win over Pittsburgh with an ankle injury came back as the starter for the Super Bowl win against the Rams. In that game, Brady completed 16 of 27 passes for 145 yards and no turnovers. New England is confident enough in Brady's future that they shipped Bledsoe to AFC East rival Buffalo. Just being a Super Bowl MVP puts him high on this.

1. Terrell Davis (Denver, round 6, 196th overall, 1995) - Today, Davis is considered a health risk because of a knee that has caused him to miss 28 games in the past three seasons. But from 1996-1998, Davis was the best running back in the NFL. After leading the league in rushing in '97 with 1,750 yards, Davis absolutely tore opposing defenses apart in 1998. That season, Davis ran for an incredible 2,008 yards to go along with 21 touchdowns on his way to capturing the NFL's MVP. That season also marked his third consecutive season as a starter in the Pro Bowl. Oh, yeah, he also won two Super Bowl rings.

Some players that deserve honorable mention as productive late-round picks over the past 10 years include: Jeff Blake (6th/166), Kurt Schulz (7th/195), Brad Culpepper (10th/264), Orpheous Roye (6th/200), Jermaine Lewis (5th/153), Sam Garnes (5th/136), Jay Reimersma (7th/244), Elvis Grbac (8th/219), Trent Green (8th/222), Patrick Jeffers (5th/159), and Matthew Hatchette (7th/255).

A player's career cannot be make or break as a rookie, especially the later draft choices. Often, it takes up to at least three years before determining who's a steal and who's a bust. Here are a few players from this year's draft that have a good chance to have a successful NFL career.

Justin Bannon (Buffalo, round 5, 139th overall) - With a young and inexperienced defensive line, Bannon will have a chance to make an impact immediately. He's a hungry player who never takes a snap off. He'll learn a lot from veteran Pat Williams.

Andre Lott (Washington, round 5, 159th overall) - Lott is a strong safety, but is versatile enough to play any of the defensive back positions. Champ Bailey is the only 'Skin defensive back locked into a starting position and Lott might see a lot of action in nickel packages.

Clenton Ballard (Jacksonville, round 6, 180th overall) - The Jags have been crippled with salary cap related releases. Ballard is a big strong defensive tackle who will get a chance to contribute right away to a defense in need of bodies.

So although the easy way to success often comes with being a high draft choice, the key components to a successful career often come near the bottom of the draft. In some cases, good things really do come to those who can wait.

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