7 DRAFT DAYS - DAY 6 - THE LATE ROUND MVPS

 

Since the very first Super Bowl, there have been players awarded the Super Bowl MVP who were drafted (or not in one case) from the third round and beyond.

For Day 6 of our Draft Day countdown we will quickly look at those players who fall into that category.

These are "The Late Round MVPs"

Bart Starr

Super Bowl I and II MVP

1956 NFL Draft - Round 17 - Pick 200

He was a five-time NFL Champion, two-time Super Bowl winner and was selected to the Pro Bowl on four occasions, yet Bart Starr was the 200th pick in the 1956 NFL Draft.

Starr went into his sophomore year at Alabama as their quarterback, safety and punter. He was drafted by the Packers in the 1956 draft and offered a contract worth $6,500. He spent his first season as back-up to Tobin Rote, but after Vince Lombardi put him in to replace Lamar McHan in 1959, Starr held the number one spot from that point forward.

He went on to coach the Packers and was inducted into the Hall Of Fame in 1977.

Roger Staubach

Super Bowl VI MVP

1964 NFL Draft - Round 10 - Pick 129

1964 AFL Draft - Round 16 - Pick 122

Roger Staubach won the Heisman Trophy, two Super Bowls and was a six-time Pro Bowler. Drafted by the Cowboys in 1964, but due to his military career in the Navy he would not play professionally until 1969, he also served in Vietnam. Whilst back in the United States he continued to practice ahead of his career in the professional game and made his debut with the Cowboys as a 27 year old rookie.

Known for his scrambling abilities he was given the nicknmae "Roger The Dodger". He was inducted into the Hall Of Fame in 1985. Not a bad pick at number 129 for the Cowboys.

Jake Scott

Super Bowl VII MVP

1970 NFL Draft - Round 7 - Pick 159

A safety and special teams returner, Jake Scott attended Georgia, still holder of two records at the school. He left college to begin his professional career in the Canadian Football League in 1969 with the BC Lions. It was in 1970 that he was drafted by the Dolphins in the 7th round. He was a key member of the undefeated team and picked up the Super Bowl VII MVP award. He set a record in this Super Bowl, the first player to recover two fumbles in one game. He was also inducted into the College Football Hall Of Fame in 2011.

Joe Montana

Super Bowl XVI, XIX, XXIV MVP

1979 NFL Draft - Round 3 - Pick 82

The chances are that if you are of a certain age and caught the NFL bug when it hit the British shores in the early 80s this man was one of the legendary quarterbacks of the time. He attended Notre Dame prior to being drafted by San Francisco. In college Montana is remembered for the 1979 Cotton Bowl game where he returned to the field to lead Notre Dame to victory in the last eight minutes against Houston when they were losing 34-12. Aside from his three Super Bowl MVP awards, Montana was also selected for eight Pro Bowls and was inducted into the Hall Of Fame in 2000. He is now a wine producer in California. He also happens to be the all-time favourite player of The Commish.

Richard Dent

Super Bowl XX MVP

1983 NFL Draft - Round 8 - Pick 203

Richard Dent attended Tennessee State and was selected by the Chicago Bears in the 8th Round of the NFL Draft in 1983. Speedy and a great pass rusher he was instrumental in the famed Bears defense of the 1980s. The big victory over the Patriots in Super Bowl XX saw Dent pick up the MVP award, sharing 1.5 sacks, forcing two fumbles and a block pass. He did go on to win another Super Bowl ring with the 49ers before returning to Chicago briefly. He was selected for the Hall Of Fame in 2011.

Mark Rypien

Super Bowl XXVI MVP

1986 NFL Draft - Round 6 - Pick 146

Mark Rypien attended Washington State. After a late call-up to the Senior Bowl and performing well, Washington selected him in the 6th Round of the 1986 NFL Draft. He would be on injured reserve for two seasons before becoming the back-up to Doug Williams. Renowned for being one of the best deep passers in the game, he got his starting job at Washington from 1989. He lead Washington to victory in Super Bowl XXVI, picking up the MVP after passing for 292 yards and two touchdowns. Being a Canadian, he was the first "foreign" born player to pick up the Super Bowl MVP. After performing back-up duties at various teams Rypien then went on to be a team owner in NASCAR. 

Larry Brown

Super Bowl XXX MVP

1991 NFL Draft - Round 12 - Pick 320

Larry Brown did not receive any scholarship offers and attended the Los Angeles Southwest College, a public community college. In his junior year he transferred to Texas Christian University and was named as a starter at cornerback. Selected by the Cowboys in Round 12, he exceeded their expectations and became the first rookie to start at cornerback since 1987. Brown would go on to win three Super Bowls (XXVII, XXVIII, XXX) and became the first cornerback to pick up the Super Bowl MVP. It was an emotional time for Brown due to a family tragedy. He went on to play for Oakland and Minnesota before returning to Dallas and after his retirement from playing he went on to co-host the Cowboys games for the Dallas Cowboys Radio Network.

Terrell Davis

Super Bowl XXXII MVP

1995 NFL Draft - Round 6 - Pick 196

The 196th draft pick from Georgia rushed for over 7,600 yards as a Bronco and was inducted into the Hall Of Fame in 2017. He became only the second player, after John Riggins, to rush for over 100 yards in single post-season games and went on to collect the MVP award in the Super Bowl against the Packers with 157 rushing yards and three touchdowns.  He collected another Super Bowl ring the following year. He was a three time Pro Bowler and was included in the NFL's 1990s All Decade Team. He was also the man who made the "Mile Hile Salute" so popular.

Kurt Warner

Super Bowl XXXIV MVP

Undrafted

The only undrafted player ever to be awarded a Super Bowl MVP. Warner's story is well told. He attended college at Northern Iowa and after going undrafted he was invited to a Green Bay Packers training camp. He was released and went to stock shelves at a local supermarket, whilst coaching part-time. No NFL team signed him so Warner played in Arena Football for the Iowa Barnstormers. He signed a futures contract with the St. Louis Rams and was allocated to NFL Europe to the Amsterdam Admirals. He lead the Rams to Super Bowl victory over Tennessee, throwing for two touchdowns and a then record 414 passing yards. He continued his 'Cinderella' story at the Giants and Cardinals before retiring in 2010. He was inducted in the Hall Of Fame in 2017.

Tom Brady

Super Bowl XXXVI, XXXXIII, XLIX, LI and LC MVP

2000 NFL Draft - Round 6 - Pick 199

A man who holds many records, who is also the only NFL quarterback to be named to two all-time decade teams and who really needs no introduction whatsoever. He is a five time Super Bowl MVP, seven time Super Bowl winner and fourteen time Pro Bowler and he is still playing and still winning Super Bowls at Tampa Bay. It all started very humbly for Brady, picked 199th in the 2000 draft by the Patriots from Michigan. He was not regarded coming out of college and analysts record how his combine was less than impressive but started the third game of the 2000 season against the Colts and the Patriots cherished every moment from there, as to are the Buccaneers at present. They say at the pick number he went, to what he achieved, he is the greatest draft pick of all-time.

Dexter Jackson

Super Bowl XXXVII MVP

1999 NFL Draft - Round 4 - Pick 113

With a college football career of 194 tackles and 7 interceptions as a safety from Florida State, Jackson was drafted by Tampa in the 4th round. He made his debut against the Broncos in the same year and in Super Bowl XXXVII he made two interceptions and became the first safety since the other person in this list, Jake Scott to win the award. He decided not to join the Steelers and went on to sign for the Cardinals.  He returned to the Buccaneers for one last stint in 2004.

Hines Ward

Super Bowl XL MVP

1998 NFL Draft - Round 3 - Pick 92

Hines Ward. Born in Seoul, South Korea and was drafted out of Georgia by the Pittsburgh Steelers in 1998. It was discovered that Ward did not have an ACL in one of his knees, so teams passed on him but it was the Steelers who would give him a chance. He went on to win two Super Bowls, and picked up the MVP in one of those after 5 receptions, for 123 yards and a 43 yard touchdown pass from fellow receiver Antwaan Randle El.  He would be selected to four Pro Bowls and started his coaching career at the New York Jets in 2019 as offense assistant.

Malcolm Smith

Super Bowl XLVIII MVP

2011 NFL Draft - Round 7 - Pick 242

Malcolm Smith was a 7th Round pick from USC for the Seattle Seahawks in 2011 where he was reunited with his former USC coach Pete Carroll. He was signed to a four year deal and was back-up to the other OLB's on the team at that time and it was not until 2013 where he was slated as the starter. In Super Bowl XLVIII he recorded ten combined tackles, a deflected pass, recovered a fumble and returned an interception for a touchdown. He moved to four different teams before ending up with the Cleveland Browns where he recently re-signed for 2021.

Nick Foles

Super Bowl LII MVP

2012 NFL Draft - Round 3 - Pick 88

Texas born Nick Foles originally committed to Arizona State before signing for Michigan and ultimately transferring to Arizona. He was selected at pick 88 by the Eagles in the 2012 NFL Draft. He was traded to the St. Louis Rams in 2015 but when the Rams drafted Jared Goff, Foles asked to be traded and signed with the Chiefs.  They declined a second year option on him and Foles found himself back at the Eagles. After Carson Wentz was ruled out for the season, Foles was named the starter and he lead them all the way to Super Bowl LII. He is remembered for that touchdown 'reception' from Trey Burton. He completed 28 of 38 passes for 373 yards and 3 touchdown passes and was named Super Bowl MVP. He was named to the Pro Bowl in 2013 and has gone on to play for the Jaguars and currently the Bears.

Julian Edelman

Super Bowl LIII MVP

2009 NFL Draft - Round 7 - Pick 232

A Round 7, 232nd pick out of Kent State, this recently retired wide receiver is a three time Super Bowl champion who has amassed just over 6,800 receiving yards in his career. Initially, through high school and his first three years at Kent State, Edelman was a quarterback. Edelman has previously admitted he did not believe he could make it as a quarterback in the NFL and prior to the draft he practised in other positions. In the Super Bowl LIII victory Edelman took 10 passes for 141 yards and finished with post-season statistics that would see him placed second of all-time. Edelman announced his retirement recently with both Tom Brady and Cam Newton among his many plaudits.

These were the players selected beyond the third round of the NFL Draft who went on to be awarded the honour of Super Bowl MVP. Will a late round draftee achieve that lofty status from the class of 2021? - We will have to wait to find out.

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