Who are the best 6th-round NFL Draft picks of all-time? Well, the GOAT is not debatable. That honor lands on the lap of seven-time Super Bowl champion Tom Brady.
However, there are other all-time greats who found themselves as sixth-round picks. A certain two-time Super Bowl champion with the Denver Broncos also sits atop the list.
What about an underrated offensive player for the dynastic Dallas Cowboys of the 1990s? Yes, he also finds himself on this list. Below, we look at the 10 best 6th-round NFL Draft picks of all-time.
10. Wilbert Montgomery
Selected out of Abilene Christian back in 1977, Montgomery became one of the best running backs in the league for the Philadelphia Eagles over a four-year span. From 1978-1981, he tallied 6,529 total yards and 44 touchdowns. The Mississippi native earned two Pro Bowls during his eight-year run in Philly before playing his final season with the Detroit Lions in 1985.
9. Jay Novacek
During his five-year run with the Cardinals in Phoenix, Novacek never looked like he’d become one of the best NFL Draft picks of his era. He averaged all of 211 receiving yards. Things changed when the Wyoming product found himself on the upstart Dallas Cowboys in 1990. He earned Pro Bowl nods in each of his first five seasons with America’s Team, helping lead them to three Super Bowl titles as an underrated target for Troy Aikman. Novacek never earned the same fame as “The Triplets,” but he was an important cog to this machine.
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8. Greg Lloyd
The 150th overall pick in the 1987 NFL Draft, Lloyd labored on the Pittsburgh Steelers in between their “Steel Curtain” dynasty and the product we see under Mike Tomlin today. In no way can we take away what the Fort Valley State product did during his decade in Pittsburgh. He earned five consecutive Pro Bowl nods (when they meant something) from 1991-1995. He was also a three-time All-Pro during that span. Lloyd finished his career with a whopping 54.5 sacks, 35 forced fumbles and 11 interceptions from the linebacker position. Not too bad.
7. Jack Christiansen
There is little doubt that Jack Christiansen is one of the best NFL Draft picks to come out of the sixth round of all-time. Selected by the Detroit Lions out of Colorado State back in 1951, the safety earned a whopping six consecutive First-Team All-Pro honors. He led the league in interceptions two times with 12 in 1953 and 10 in 1957. If this wasn’t enough, Christiansen helped lead Detroit to three NFL Championships during his time in the Motor City.
6. Mel Gray
Gray was an electric performer at the wide receiver position for an otherwise bad St. Louis Cardinals team after they made him the 147th pick in the 1971 NFL Draft. Over the course of his career, the Missouri product averaged a whopping 18.9 yards per reception. He led the league in touchdown catches with 11 in 1975 and earned four consecutive Pro Bowl nods from 1974-77. Imagine if he had played for a better team.
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5. Jason Kelce
Kelce’s decision to call it quits after the 2023 season caught some by surprise. We heard chatter on this front. But the center was coming off a third consecutive First-Team All-Pro performance for his original Philadelphia Eagles team. After being selected with the 191st pick in 2011, Kelce started all 193 games in which he appeared. He made seven trips to the Pro Bowl, earned All-Pro honors six times and helped lead Philadelphia to a Super Bowl title. Not only is Kelce one of the best NFL Draft picks of all time, but he’s also one of the greatest centers to ever suit up.
4. Joe Klecko
Picked No. 174 by the New York Jets back in 1977, there was a stretch of action in which Klecko was the most-feared pass rusher in the league. From his rookie season in 1977 to 1981, the defensive linemen “unofficially” recorded a whopping 54 sacks. His 20.5 QB take downs in 1981 represented a record for some time. All said, Klecko earned four Pro Bowl appearances during his career and is a Pro Football Hall of Famer.
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3. Terrell Davis
Funny story as it relates to one of the best NFL Draft picks of all-time. The 196th selection of the Denver Broncos back in 1995, Davis almost retired his rookie season. The Georgia product was prepared to fly back from their preseason game in Germany, but wasn’t actually able to land a flight. He opted to remain overseas and play. The rest is history. Almost literally. While it was only a four-year run, Davis’ domination from 1995-98 was something else. He recorded an average of 1,900 total yards and 15 touchdowns during that span. The future Hall of Famer also led Denver to two titles while winning Super Bowl MVP.
2. Ken Riley
Some might be surprised to see Riley so high on this list. They shouldn’t be. This former Cincinnati Bengals first-round pick finished his career ranked fourth all-time with 65 interceptions. Playing with Cincinnati from 1969-1983, he recorded five picks or more seven times. Heck, Riley’s final season saw the cornerback tally eight interceptions with two touchdowns en route to earning First-Team All-Pro honors. This makes the Hall of Famer one of the best NFL Draft picks ever.
1. Tom Brady
Ya think? A seven-time Super Bowl champion. A five-time Super Bowl MVP. A three-time NFL MVP. A 15-time Pro Bowler. The career leader in completions, attempts, passing yards, touchdowns and wins. There isn’t much that can be said about Brady’s 23-year run after the New England Patriots made this skinny Michigan product a sixth-round pick in 2000. We’ll just leave it with this. Quarterbacks such as Giovanni Carmazzi and Spergon Wynn were taken ahead of GOAT in the 2000 NFL Draft. No, we didn’t make up those names.