2007 NFL Draft - Top 10 Steals of the Draft

The 2007 NFL Draft is in the books, and there was enough action to keep football fans talking for months. That’s a good thing, because we now enter that dark time of the year when NFL news is frighteningly scarce until the start of training camp.

With so many teams scrambling for the next Dan Marino, Barry Sanders or Jerry Rice, there were bound to be a fair amount of steals, reaches, and outright busts. Keeping that in mind, let’s take a look at the top 10 steals of the draft.

10. Steve Breaston - WR - Taken by the Arizona Cardinals in the 5th round, Breaston has 156 career catches for the Michigan Wolverines, good enough for 5th on their all-time leading receiver list. He also holds the Big Ten record for punt return yardage and should make an immediate impact on the Cardinals’ special teams.

9. Ray McDonald - DT - While he still needs some work to reach his full potential, McDonald is a solid player who was rated among the top five defensive tackles by many experts. He fell all the way to the third round (#97 overall) and got snagged by the 49ers with their compensatory pick. Considering the other solid free agent moves that the Niners have made in the offseason, it looks as though San Francisco may be poised to return to the NFL spotlight.

8. Darrell Jackson - WR - The Niners traded their 4th round pick to Seattle to secure the rights to veteran wide receiver Darrell Jackson. Jackson, 28, has been the best receiver on the Seahawks for the past several years, and he should add an immediate legitimacy to the 49ers passing attack. All this for only a 4th round pick. The Niners should be patting themselves on the back.

7. Paul Posluszny - LB - Drafted by the Buffalo Bills (who traded up to get him) with the 34th overall pick, “Poz” is a high energy player who wreaked havoc in college on behalf of Penn State. His college career ended with a school record 372 total tackles. Most had him projected to go in the first round, so the Bills were able to pick up a starting running back and then turn around and still get him. That had to make them very happy.

6. Leon Hall - CB - Michigan’s career pass breakup leader, he was widely projected as a top 10 selection, but the Bengals were fortunate enough to grab him at 18. While making a contribution on special teams and returning kicks, Hall also recorded 180 career tackles. In 2006, he was a unanimous All-Big Ten first team selection.

5. Alan Branch - DT - Drafted by the Arizona Cardinals with the 33rd overall pick, Branch was a player than most had projected as going in the first round. In fact, Branch was projected as a top 10 pick by many when the college season was still underway. But his NFL Combine workout was very average, and that caused him to start sliding in the eyes of many scouts. Getting him in the 2nd round had to make the Cardinals ecstatic, as mock drafts earlier in the year had them taking him with the 5th overall pick.

4. Michael Bush - RB - It’s always a good thing when you can get 1st round talent in the 4th round, and that’s exactly what the Oakland Raiders did with the 100th overall pick in the draft. Before a broken leg last fall, Bush was a consensus 1st rounder. And since the Raiders already have runners LaMont Jordan and Dominic Rhodes, there’s no hurry for Bush to get on the field. While he may not make an immediate impact, this is a pick that could pay huge dividends down the road.

3. Ryan Kalil - C - The best center in the draft, Kalil may also be the best offensive lineman in this year’s draft. Centers aren’t usually taken high, but his talent still made him a possible 1st rounder. Instead, he fell all the way to the 59th pick and was taken by the Carolina Panthers. He’ll start from day one and should be a lynchpin of the offense for years to come.

2. Brady Quinn - QB - The Brady Quinn sage was the story of the draft, as the highly touted Notre Dame quarterback kept falling and falling through the 1st round. He lobbied for the Browns to take him with their first pick (3rd overall), but they elected to get OT Joe Thomas. But as luck would have it, he was still around at the 22nd overall spot, and the Browns traded up with the Dallas Cowboys to get the native of Dublin, Ohio. Even though 21 teams passed on him, Quinn was rated by many experts ahead of the first overall selection in the draft, QB JaMarcus Russell.

1. Randy Moss - WR - Over the last several seasons, the 6’4” receiver has struggled with the Oakland Raiders, but all that is about to change. On Sunday, he was traded to the New England Patriots for a 4th round draft pick. Moss promptly restructured his deal to put less of a financial burden on his new team, and the Patriots made it clear that any negative behavior by the sometimes emotional wideout would result in his outright release. So for a measly 4th rounder, the Pats got a big play threat who has career numbers of 10,700 receiving yards and 101 touchdowns. They might as well give the Patriots the Lombardi Trophy right now.

For more on the 2007 NFL Draft, read the following:

NFL Draft Recap - NFC North

NFL Draft Odds from Bodog

2007 NFL Draft - Top 10 Steals of the Draft