Coulda Been Athletes
Draft & waivers · roster building since 2017

The Draft

Steals, busts, and the waiver wire. A pick's value = how late it went vs. how it produced. Draft returns & waiver moves are 2019+ (player-level data); waiver moves are reconstructed from weekly rosters.

+148
Biggest steal · Drake Maye (2025, Devion)
493
Best waiver pickup · Lamar Jackson (2019, Crock)
231
Worst drop · Jared Goff let go by Devion (2024)
Late-Round Gold

Biggest Steals

draft slot → production
PlayerOwnerSeasonDraftedPtsValue
Drake MayeDevion2025Rd 16 · Pk 1399.2+148
Dak PrescottFrost2025Rd 14 · Pk 8391.1+134
Dak PrescottMeek2019Rd 14 · Pk 9360.2+134
Justin HerbertManny2025Rd 15 · Pk 2351.9+130
Kyler MurrayChengy2019Rd 14 · Pk 7308.3+129
Dak PrescottBryan2023Rd 14 · Pk 3348.1+126
Tom BradyManny2021Rd 13 · Pk 5429.7+123
Brock PurdyBryan2024Rd 14 · Pk 10276.7+121
Brock PurdyDez2025Rd 16 · Pk 3218.2+117
Josh AllenCrock2020Rd 12 · Pk 10444.8+117
Courtland SuttonTyler2019Rd 16 · Pk 5215.2+110
Kyle Pitts Sr.Marcus2025Rd 16 · Pk 5201.0+110
Reach Of The Year

Biggest Busts

draft slot → production
PlayerOwnerSeasonDraftedPtsValue
Saquon BarkleyCrock2020Rd 1 · Pk 215.4-145
Christian McCaffreyCrock2024Rd 1 · Pk 347.8-132
Antonio BrownFrance2019Rd 2 · Pk 316.1-127
Nick ChubbBryan2023Rd 2 · Pk 325.1-124
J.K. DobbinsCrock2021Rd 4 · Pk 50.0-122
Malik NabersDez2025Rd 1 · Pk 859.1-119
Javonte WilliamsDez2022Rd 3 · Pk 242.0-116
Isiah PachecoChengy2024Rd 2 · Pk 656.9-113
Courtland SuttonChengy2020Rd 4 · Pk 79.6-112
Tyreek HillManny2025Rd 3 · Pk 255.5-110
Elijah MitchellChengy2022Rd 4 · Pk 626.1-109
Zamir WhiteDevion2024Rd 5 · Pk 221.5-105
Off The Scrap Heap

Best Waiver Pickups

undrafted · 2019+
PlayerOwnerSeasonPts for owner
Lamar JacksonCrock2019492.7
Baker MayfieldDevion2024402.5
Brock PurdyManny2023337.1
Ben RoethlisbergerBryan2020333.2
Jameis WinstonTyler2019328.5
Ryan TannehillDevion2020321.8
Josh AllenFrost2019310.4
Caleb WilliamsFrost2025307.4
Matthew StaffordMeek2025295.0
Kirk CousinsDevion2021281.1
Puka NacuaDevion2023274.5
Geno SmithDonte2022262.4

Players nobody drafted that year, ranked by the points they scored for the owner who grabbed them. The waiver-wire heists.

The Ones That Got Away

Worst Drops

estimated
PlayerDropped bySeasonPts missed
Jared GoffDevion2024230.5
Jared GoffChengy2025226.1
Chase BrownBryan2024216.5
Justin JeffersonDevion2020214.4
Jared GoffBeav2025200.0
Brock PurdyDez2025197.4
Tua TagovailoaDonte2022197.4
Darnell MooneyMeek2024194.7
Jordan LoveMeek2025193.9
Kenneth Walker IIIBeav2022193.1
RJ HarveyBeav2025191.0
Jared GoffMarcus2025187.6

Points a player scored after the owner cut them loose to the waiver wire — detected trades excluded. Reconstructed from weekly rosters (ESPN exposes no transaction log for this league), so it's an estimate; player-for-pick trades can read as drops.

Should've Kept Him

Trades That Backfired

estimated
PlayerTraded away byToSeasonPts after
Josh AllenDezMeek2021428.5
Josh AllenDezMeek2023424.5
Lamar JacksonMeekDez2023383.7
Jayden DanielsMannyMeek2024332.9
Dak PrescottFrostCrawf2021285.7
Tyreek HillMeekFrost2020274.3
Aaron RodgersMeekChengy2019274.1
Kyler MurrayChengyFrost2019266.3
Stefon DiggsFrostManny2020259.2
Derrick HenryBryanMeek2020255.6
Lamar JacksonMeekDez2021254.0
Leonard FournetteDezMeek2021246.7

Players shipped in a trade who then piled up points for their new team. A trade is inferred when a player moved the opposite way between the same two owners the same week — so a lopsided-looking deal here may have brought back real value the other way.

Who Drafts Best

Draft Grades

cumulative value · 2019+
OwnerPicksAvg / pickTotal value
DT48+21+1000
Crawf80+5+379
AJ32+8+245
Frost112+2+220
Beav64+3+213
Manny96+1+120
Bryan800+36
Majae32-1-42
Tyler16-3-50
Marcus16-5-82
France16-5-83
Devion96-1-105
Chengy112-1-110
Donte16-13-204
Meek112-3-302
Crock112-5-537
Dez80-8-602
Pick By Pick

Draft Board

202520242023202220212020201920182017
PickOwnerPlayerPtsValue
1.01FrostSaquon Barkley227.4-36
1.02CrockChristian McCaffrey456.4+1
1.03MajaeAlvin Kamara228.8-33
1.04ChengyDeAndre Hopkins275.5-13
1.05CrockEzekiel Elliott290.3-10
1.06TylerLe'Veon Bell202.3-43
1.07FrostDavante Adams195.4-48
1.08FranceOdell Beckham Jr.186.2-53
1.09AJJulio Jones265.3-9
1.10MannyMichael Thomas376.9+8
2.01MannyDavid Johnson141.5-65
2.02AJJames Conner146.5-63
2.03FranceAntonio Brown16.1-127
2.04FrostTyreek Hill180.2-50
2.05TylerJoe Mixon197.8-37
2.06MeekTodd Gurley II208.5-32
2.07ChengyNick Chubb257.0-4
2.08MajaeJuJu Smith-Schuster111.6-74
2.09MeekMike Evans235.7-14
2.10DTTravis Kelce250.9-5
3.01MannyKeenan Allen240.3-9
3.02DTZach Ertz216.6-20
3.03MajaeDalvin Cook297.4+11
3.04MeekAmari Cooper237.7-8
3.05MeekAdam Thielen115.4-65
3.06TylerGeorge Kittle209.2-21
3.07DTJosh Jacobs196.6-26
3.08FrancePatrick Mahomes326.0+22
3.09AJT.Y. Hilton114.9-62
3.10DTDevonta Freeman188.3-30
4.01MannyLeonard Fournette263.4+12
4.02AJChris Carson238.6+1
4.03FranceDeshaun Watson373.0+30
4.04MeekBrandin Cooks111.5-59
4.05TylerDamien Williams70.7-77
4.06ChengyMark Ingram II246.5+9
4.07CrockKerryon Johnson74.7-74
4.08MajaeMelvin Gordon157.6-30
4.09MeekStefon Diggs217.1-2
4.10DTJulian Edelman255.7+17
5.01MannyJames White189.5-17
5.02MeekKenny Golladay242.8+14
5.03MajaeRobert Woods215.3-1
5.04MeekEvan Engram111.4-50
5.05DTAaron Jones303.5+35
5.06TylerChris Godwin282.1+30
5.07FrostCooper Kupp253.6+23
5.08FranceAaron Rodgers307.4+39
5.09AJDavid Montgomery154.1-22
5.10ChengyDavid Njoku15.1-91
6.01MannyA.J. Green0.0-100
6.02AJMatt Ryan302.8+41
6.03FranceSony Michel139.2-24
6.04FrostMarlon Mack164.6-13
6.05TylerDerrick Henry260.5+35
6.06CrockHunter Henry136.0-22
6.07ChengyJarvis Landry223.2+18
6.08MajaeTyler Lockett222.1+18
6.09ChengyDrew Brees250.7+33
6.10MannyCorey Davis2.9-88
7.01FrostPhillip Lindsay194.4+5
7.02MeekKenyan Drake199.9+12
7.03MajaeTarik Cohen106.5-36
7.04ChengyCalvin Ridley199.0+13
7.05CrockTyler Boyd216.0+22
7.06TylerMarvin Jones Jr.195.9+12
7.07DTAlshon Jeffery123.2-19
7.08FranceLamar Miller0.0-83
7.09AJMiles Sanders211.6+23
7.10FrostO.J. Howard83.9-40
8.01ChengyTevin Coleman133.6-10
8.02AJChristian Kirk156.6+3
8.03FranceAustin Ekeler295.1+60
8.04MeekDerrius Guice58.4-46
8.05TylerBen Roethlisberger12.7-68
8.06CrockJosh Gordon63.5-41
8.07ChengyRobby Anderson97.9-28
8.08MajaeBaker Mayfield229.0+43
8.09MeekCarson Wentz310.8+72
8.10FrostAllen Robinson II241.6+51
9.01FrostWill Fuller V126.9-3
9.02MeekKareem Hunt94.8-24
9.03MajaeJordan Howard69.2-30
9.04ChengyEric Ebron65.5-32
9.05CrockMike Williams147.9+11
9.06TylerSammy Watkins91.2-22
9.07DTRussell Wilson366.4+83
9.08FranceJordan Reed0.0-63
9.09AJMarquez Valdes-Scantling56.0-33
9.10MannyJared Cook155.1+20
10.01MannyBears D/ST84.0-18
10.02AJDelanie Walker54.5-31
10.03FranceGreg Olsen121.5+5
10.04DTJared Goff256.0+72
10.05TylerPeyton Barber32.0-39
10.06DTPhilip Rivers189.2+37
10.07ChengyEmmanuel Sanders189.8+40
10.08MajaeTrey Burton13.1-44
10.09MannyAndrew Luck0.0-52
10.10FrostDJ Moore234.5+66
11.01FrostLatavius Murray126.0+16
11.02MeekT.J. Hockenson52.5-22
11.03MajaeDeSean Jackson37.9-28
11.04DTSterling Shepard134.9+24
11.05CrockCam Newton16.7-33
11.06TylerBills D/ST122.0+19
11.07DTRams D/ST117.0+18
11.08FranceJimmy Graham57.2-13
11.09AJCurtis Samuel168.4+43
11.10MannyTom Brady292.8+96
12.01MannyJustin Tucker133.0+29
12.02AJJaguars D/ST61.0-6
12.03FrancePatriots D/ST224.0+75
12.04DTDede Westbrook108.7+18
12.05TylerNoah Fant10.3-29
12.06CrockRoyce Freeman100.0+13
12.07ChengyVikings D/ST99.0+13
12.08MajaeWil Lutz152.0+46
12.09MeekGreg Zuerlein105.0+19
12.10FrostLeSean McCoy102.9+18
13.01FrostKirk Cousins92.7+14
13.02MeekEagles D/ST67.0+8
13.03MajaeChargers D/ST51.0-3
13.04ChengyDuke Johnson41.4-3
13.05CrockJames Washington7.1-20
13.06TylerDarrell Henderson Jr.0.4-24
13.07DTHarrison Butker151.0+54
13.08FranceTexans D/ST38.0-2
13.09AJMatt Breida103.7+28
13.10MannyLarry Fitzgerald170.9+65
14.01MannyDerek Carr184.1+69
14.02AJAustin Hooper182.2+69
14.03FranceN'Keal Harry32.60
14.04DTRashaad Penny51.5+9
14.05TylerMecole Hardman109.5+40
14.06CrockKalen Ballage0.0-15
14.07ChengyKyler Murray308.3+129
14.08MajaeDonte Moncrief0.0-13
14.09MeekDak Prescott360.2+134
14.10FrostRavens D/ST108.0+43
15.01FrostKa'imi Fairbairn34.0+9
15.02CrockTony Pollard24.0+5
15.03MajaeNyheim Hines16.6+4
15.04ChengyAldrick Rosas5.0-3
15.05CrockVance McDonald38.7+16
15.06TylerMatt Gay133.0+64
15.07DTGolden Tate135.4+68
15.08FranceJohn Ross III66.8+33
15.09AJRobbie Gould61.0+31
15.10MannyKyle Rudolph27.6+14
16.01MannyDevin Funchess0.00
16.02AJRashard Higgins6.6+6
16.03FranceStephen Gostkowski28.0+18
16.04CrockKeke Coutee0.0+3
16.05TylerCourtland Sutton215.2+110
16.06CrockGraham Gano0.0+5
16.07ChengyDK Metcalf107.8+59
16.08MajaeDante Pettis1.7+9
16.09CrockTitans D/ST41.0+31
16.10FrostIto Smith0.0+9