Draft Flashback: 14 years later (1996)

Steals

Ray Lewis, ILB, Miami (Fla.)
Baltimore Ravens: Round 1, Pick 26
Lewis continues to intimidate ball carriers as the familiar face and motivating force of Baltimore's defense, which has taken all different shapes over the past 14 years. Every team would love to draft a player who would compete so passionately and well for so long.

Terrell Owens, WR, Tennessee-Chattanooga
San Francisco 49ers: Round 3, Pick 89
It was a great draft for wideouts -- from Keyshawn Johnson at No. 1 to Marvin Harrison at No. 19 to well beyond the first round. But Owens has proved to be the most productive in the class, as he ranks third all-time in career receiving yards and receiving touchdowns.

Brian Dawkins, S, Clemson
Philadelphia Eagles: Round 2, Pick 61
Dawkins was the 11th defensive back chosen, but he has been the best of the group. An eight-time Pro Bowl player, Dawkins was the standout playmaker in the Eagles' secondary for 13 seasons before leaving to become a vital leader for a young Broncos defense in '09.

Zach Thomas, ILB, Texas Tech
Miami Dolphins: Round 5, Pick 154
At 5-11, 230 pounds, Thomasremains the inspiration for all undersized linebackers. He was a tackling machine who consistently ranked with Lewis in AFC honors. His quickness, heart and determination made his lack of height a non-issue.

La'Roi Glover, DT, San Diego State
Oakland Raiders: Round 5, Pick 166
He was named to the all-decade team on the strength of six Pro Bowls and 83.5 career sacks. Unfortunately for Oakland, all those sacks came after his rookie year during productive stints in New Orleans, Dallas and St. Louis. In his prime, Glover repeatedly burned opposing linemen with great quickness.



Stinkers

Lawrence Phillips, RB, Nebraska
St. Louis Rams: Round 1, Pick 6
Phillips was loaded with the talent to become an explosive superstar, but his off-field explosions cost him. His life has been marred by numerous arrests for assault, including domestic abuse. He also was lacking as a team player and was cut by St. Louis after a season and a half. He found brief success in the CFL, but last year he started serving a prison sentence of more than 31 years.

Jamain Stephens, OT, North Carolina A&T
Pittsburgh Steelers: Round 1, Pick 29
Pittsburgh has a habit of finding stars from smaller schools, but Stephens never put in enough work or rounded himself into shape to take advantage of his raw physical gifts. He was cut in 1999 and became a short-lived Bengals backup.

Andre Johnson, OT, Penn State
Washington Redskins: Round 1, Pick 30
Don't worry: No one will ever confuse him with the Texans wide receiver of the same name. His Nittany Lions pedigree didn't help one bit in the NFL, as Johnson flamed out in Washington after only one season. He ended up playing in three career games -- all with the Lions, his third team.

Alex Van Dyke, WR, Nevada-Reno
New York Jets: Round 2, Pick 31
Somehow, the Jets whiffed on what turned out to be a very deep and productive wide receiver class. Van Dyke ended up with 26 career
receptions. He was taken between Eric Moulds and Amani Toomer, and both
Muhsin Muhammad and Bobby Engram went later in Round 2.

Bryant Mix, DE, Alcorn State
Houston Oilers: Round 2, Pick 38
After hitting on Alcorn State quarterback Steve McNair with the third
overall pick in 1995, the Oilers made a mistake by going back to that well. Mix played in seven games for Houston/Tennessee, registering one sack. After Simeon Rice went third overall, it was a bad end class.