Top 11 biggest NFL Draft steals in NY Jets history

The NY Jets haven't always found the most success in the NFL Draft over the years, but that doesn't mean they haven't been able to uncover some draft-day steals throughout their history.

From mid-round steals to late-round gems, the Jets have landed quite a few draft steals over the course of their 65-year history. Those are the players we're set to look at today.

Criteria for this list will be twofold: individual success and draft status. The more successful a player was with the Jets and the later they were drafted, the more of a "steal" they will be considered.

The biggest draft steals in NY Jets history:

11. Jason Ferguson, DT

One of the more underrated members of the Bill Parcells era and early 2000s Jets, Jason Ferguson was selected in the seventh round of the 1997 NFL Draft after falling due to perceived off-field concerns.

Ferguson would go on to play more than 100 games with the Jets over seven seasons, surviving multiple regimes as an integral part of the team's defensive line.

While he never filled up the stat sheet, Ferguson was an excellent run defender and an important piece in the Jets' defense for nearly a decade. The fact that the Jets were able to land someone like that in the seventh round makes him an obvious candidate for this list.

10. Kerry Rhodes, S

Before Jamal Adams, there was Kerry Rhodes. A fourth-round pick in the 2005 NFL Draft, Rhodes immediately made an impact as a rookie, winning the starting job in training camp before finishing third on the team with 106 tackles.

Rhodes would go on to develop into an All-Pro safety for the Jets, starting 78 games over five seasons with the team before he was traded to the Arizona Cardinals in 2010.

Rhodes was one of the best safeties in the NFL during his prime, and although he only spent five seasons with the Jets, he still made quite the impact. Drafting a player like him in the fourth round doesn't happen often.

9. Jason Fabini, OT

This list is stacked with late-round offensive line gems, and the first one we're going to talk about is Jason Fabini. A fourth-round pick in the 1998 NFL Draft, Fabini started all 16 games as a rookie for a Jets team that won 12 games and reached the AFC Championship Game.

Fabini would go on to start 114 games over eight seasons with the Jets, playing both left and right tackle. While he never received any national accolades, Fabini was part of a Jets offensive line that allowed a league-best 20 sacks in 2000.

The Cincinnati product was a rock-solid and dependable starting offensive tackle for almost a decade. That's an excellent use of a fourth-round pick.

8. Marvin Washington, DL

The Jets didn't do a whole lot of winning during Marvin Washington's eight seasons with the franchise, failing to post a single winning season between 1989 and 1996. Still, that shouldn't take away from the success story that is his career.

Drafted in the sixth round back in 1989, Washington appeared in a whopping 124 games over eight seasons with the team. He recorded 37.5 sacks with the Jets, including a team-high 8.5-sack season in 1992.

Washington is an underrated late-round gem in Jets history who never receives proper credit because of his team's lack of success. Nonetheless, he absolutely deserves a mention.

7. Jerricho Cotchery, WR

A fourth-round pick in the 2004 NFL Draft, Jerricho Cotchery developed into a fan favorite and one of the most memorable Jets of the mid-2000s over his seven years with the organization.

Cotchery only topped 1,000 yards in a season once, but he garnered the love and appreciation of every Jets fan. Perhaps his most memorable moment came in a 2010 game against the Cleveland Browns when he injured his groin mid-play, but still managed to haul in a circus catch on essentially one leg.

Cotchery currently ranks ninth all-time in receiving yards in Jets history — not too shabby for a former fourth-round pick.

6. Dan Alexander, OG

Being an offensive lineman is often a thankless job, and that's especially true when you're surrounded by other more notable and famous players. Such was the case for Dan Alexander throughout his highly successful 13-year career with the Jets.

Drafted in the eighth round back in 1977, Alexander started a whopping 183 games for the Jets over the next 13 seasons, almost exclusively at right guard. Only five players in Jets history have appeared in more games for the green and white.

Alexander was never an All-Pro at his position, but he held down a starting job for over a decade. That's pretty impressive considering where he was drafted.

5. Laveranues Coles, WR

Following a nondescript rookie year, Laveranues Coles burst onto the scene in his second NFL season and quickly developed into one of the better Jets wide receivers in recent memory.

Over two stints with the Jets, Coles hauled in 459 catches for 5,941 yards and 37 touchdowns, placing him fifth all-time in receiving yards in Jets history. That's a heck of a career for a player who was a third-round pick in the 2000 NFL Draft.

Coles is one of the most successful and decorated receivers in Jets history, making him an obvious fit on this list.

4. Mo Lewis, LB

Mo Lewis will forever be associated with one play that helped spawn arguably the greatest quarterback of all time and the Jets' longtime adversary, but that shouldn't take away from what was an incredible NFL career.

A third-round pick in the 1991 NFL Draft, Lewis was a Defensive Rookie of the Year finalist as a rookie and went on to make three Pro Bowls and two All-Pro teams over 13 seasons with the Jets.

Lewis is fourth all-time in games played by a Jets player and was genuinely one of the best linebackers in football during his prime. That's quite the value pick for a player selected in the third round.

3. Randy Rasmussen, OG

Randy Rasmussen has played more games than any Jets player not named Pat Leahy, and for whatever reason, he tends to fly under the radar when discussing Jets draft gems.

A 12th-round pick in the 1967 NFL/AFL Draft, Rasmussen started a whopping 199 games at left guard over 15 seasons with the Jets. He was the team's starting left guard for their first and so far only Super Bowl win in 1969.

Rasmussen is one of just five players (out of 26) drafted in that 12 round to even appear in an NFL game. As you might imagine, none of the others come close to matching the 207 total games he played with the Jets.

2. Joe Fields, C

The Jets have a rich history of standout centers over the years, but before there was Nick Mangold, Kevin Mawae, and even Jim Sweeney, there was a lesser-known former 14th-round draft pick.

When Joe Fields was selected by the Jets in the 14th round of the 1975 NFL Draft, few would've expected him to start 155 career games with the team over 13 years in the NFL.

Fields two Pro Bowls and three All-Pro teams during his time with the Jets, establishing himself as a franchise mainstay who survived six different coaches and a host of different quarterbacks, including both Joe Namath and Ken O'Brien.

1. Joe Klecko, DL

There was never going to be any other choice. One of the greatest players in Jets history also happens to be a former sixth-round pick. We're, of course, talking about Pro Football Hall of Famer Joe Klecko.

A sixth-round pick in the 1977 NFL Draft, Klecko helped revolutionize the sport as one of the NFL's first great sack artists. He anchored the famed New York Sack Exchange, establishing a sense of identity for the Jets' defense at the time.

Klecko was a larger-than-life icon on and off the gridiron and is widely seen as one of the best defensive linemen of his era. Not bad for a sixth-round pick.