Notre Dame Football: Biggest NFL Draft steals of all-time

ARLINGTON, TEXAS - DECEMBER 29: A Notre Dame Fighting Irish cheerleader waves a flag during the College Football Playoff Semifinal Goodyear Cotton Bowl Classic against the Clemson Tigers at AT&T Stadium on December 29, 2018 in Arlington, Texas. (Photo by Kevin C. Cox/Getty Images) /

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Notre Dame Football. (Photo by Focus on Sport/Getty Images) /

Notre Dame Football: Biggest NFL Draft steals of all-time

Daryle Lamonica-QB

1963 NFL Draft: Round 12, Pick 168
1963 AFL Draft: Round 24, Pick 188

It’s not all that often you see someone choose to go to the AFL instead of the NFL when they had the chance, but that’s what Daryle Lamonica did when he turned down the Green Bay Packers for the Buffalo Bills in 1963. This is before the merger, and the prestige lay with the NFL. Still, Lamonica made the right choice for himself.

In the AFL, Lamonica would be a three-time champion with the Bills and later the Raiders. A three-time AFL All-Star, Lamonica frequently led the league in passing yards and touchdowns. He was even a two-time MVP and two-time All-AFL player at quarterback. His .900 winning percentage is the best in AFL history.

Lamonica’s success didn’t stop when the leagues merged, though. He’d go to two more Pro Bowls, and quarterback the Raiders to a loss in Super Bowl II. His career ended after 1975 when he played with the Southern California Sun, of the WFL.

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