The first round of the NFL Draft isn't the only place to find a franchise quarterback and many late-round prospects have gone on to have great careers, win Super Bowls and earn spots in the Pro Football Hall of Fame.
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Using Sports Reference's Career AV statistic, we took a look a the most productive quarterbacks taken in the later rounds of the draft.
Here's a look at the best late-round quarterbacks — those selected in the 4th round or later in what would be today's Day 3 — sorted by their Career AV. (We included the first honorable mention pick not because of his Career AV, but for his Hall of Fame status).
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MORE: NFL Draft Perfect 1st Round: Best Player Drafted with Picks 1-32 in NFL History
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Honorable mention:
Norm Van Brocklin
Draft Year: 1949
Draft Pick: Round 4, Pick 37
Draft Team: LA Rams
College: Oregon
Career AV: 17
Notable: Pro Football Hall of Famer
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Joe Theismann
Draft Year: 1971
Draft Pick: Round 4, Pick 99
Draft Team: Miami
College: Notre Dame
Career AV: 87
Notable: Super Bowl XVII Champion
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Matt Hasselbeck
Draft Year: 1998
Draft Pick: Round 6, Pick 187
Draft Team: Green Bay
College: Boston College
Career AV: 88
Notable: 3-time Pro-Bowler
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No. 10: Steve Grogan
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AP Photo[/credit]
Draft Year: 1975
Draft Pick: Round 5, Pick 116
Draft Team: New England
College: Kansas State
Career AV: 90
Notable: New England's franchise leader in passing yards (26,886) and passing touchdowns (182) at time of retirement.
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No. 9: Bart Starr
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AP Photo[/credit]
Draft Year: 1956
Draft Pick: Round 17, Pick 200
Draft Team: Green Bay
College: Alabama
Career AV: 90
Notable: 5-time NFL Champion, 2-time Super Bowl Champion and Super Bowl MVP, 4-time Pro-Bowler, NFL MVP, Pro Football Hall of Famer
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No. 8: Trent Green
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AP Photo[/credit]
Draft Year: 1993
Draft Pick: Round 8, Pick 222
Draft Team: San Diego
College: Indiana
Career AV: 94
Notable: Super Bowl XXXIV champion, 2-time Pro-Bowler
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No. 7: George Blanda
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AP Photo[/credit]
Draft Year: 1949
Draft Pick: Round 12, Pick 119
Draft Team: Chicago
College: Kentucky
Career AV: 95
Notable: 3-time AFL champion, 4-time AFL All-Star, AFL MVP, Pro Football Hall of Famer
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No. 6: Mark Brunell
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AP Photo[/credit]
Draft Year: 1993
Draft Pick: Round 5, Pick 118
Draft Team: Green Bay
College: Washington
Career AV: 96
Notable: Holds 36 Jaguars franchise records as of the end of the 2017 NFL season.
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No. 5: Rich Gannon
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AP Photo[/credit]
Draft Year: 1987
Draft Pick: Round 4, Pick 98
Draft Team: New England
College: Delaware
Career AV: 99
Notable: NFL MVP, 4-time Pro Bowler, 2-time first-team All-Pro
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No. 4: Roger Staubach
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AP Photo[/credit]
Draft Year: 1964
Draft Pick: Round 10, Pick 129
Draft Team: Dallas
College: Navy
Career AV: 105
Notable: 2-time Super Bow Champion, Super Bowl MVP, 6-time Pro Bowler, Pro Football Hall of Famer
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No. 3: Sonny Jurgensen
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AP Photo[/credit]
Draft Year: 1957
Draft Pick: Round 4, Pick 43
Draft Team: Philadelphia
College: Duke
Career AV: 107
Notable: NFL Champion, 5-time Pro-Bowler, 2-time first-team NFL All-Pro, Pro Football Hall of Famer
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No. 2: Johnny Unitas
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AP Photo[/credit]
Draft Year: 1955
Draft Pick: Round 9, Pick 102
Draft Team: Pittsburgh
College: Louisville
Career AV: 114
Notable: Super Bowl V Champion, 3-time NFL Champion, 10-time Pro-Bowler, 5-time first-team NFL All-Pro, 3-time MVP, Pro Football Hall of Famer
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No. 1: Tom Brady
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Seth Wenig/AP Photo[/credit]
Draft Year: 2000
Draft Pick: Round 6, Pick 199
Draft Team: New England
College: Michigan
Career AV: 171 (ahead of 2018 season)
Notable: (through 2017) 5-time Super Bowl Champion, 4-time Super Bowl MVP, 3-time NFL MVP, 13-time Pro-Bowler, 5-time first-team NFL All-Pro, 2-time NFL Offensive Player of the Year, NFL Comeback Player of the Year
NEXT: Perfect NFL Draft: Best Player Drafted with Picks 1-224 in NFL History
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Best Late-Round QBs in NFL Draft History
*Sorted by Career AV
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AP Photo[/credit]
| Rank | Year | Rnd | Pick | Tm | Player | Car AV | College |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | 2000 | 6 | 199 | NWE | Tom Brady | 171 | Michigan |
| 2 | 1955 | 9 | 102 | PIT | Johnny Unitas (HOF) | 114 | Louisville |
| 3 | 1957 | 4 | 43 | PHI | Sonny Jurgensen (HOF) | 107 | Duke |
| 4 | 1964 | 10 | 129 | DAL | Roger Staubach (HOF) | 105 | Navy |
| 5 | 1987 | 4 | 98 | NWE | Rich Gannon | 99 | Delaware |
| 6 | 1993 | 5 | 118 | GNB | Mark Brunell | 96 | Washington |
| 7 | 1949 | 12 | 119 | CHI | George Blanda (HOF) | 95 | Kentucky |
| 8 | 1993 | 8 | 222 | SDG | Trent Green | 94 | Indiana |
| 9 | 1956 | 17 | 200 | GNB | Bart Starr (HOF) | 90 | Alabama |
| 10 | 1975 | 5 | 116 | NWE | Steve Grogan | 90 | Kansas State |
| 11 | 1998 | 6 | 187 | GNB | Matt Hasselbeck | 88 | Boston Colllege |
| 12 | 1971 | 4 | 99 | MIA | Joe Theismann | 87 | Notre Dame |
| 13 | 1949 | 4 | 37 | RAM | Norm Van Brocklin (HOF) | 17 | Oregon |
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NEXT: Schools With the Most First-Round Draft Picks in NFL Draft History
