"The past is a foreign country; they do things differently there."
- L.P. Hartley, The Go-Between

These brilliant words are quite fitting in regards to the curious happenings of previous NFL Drafts. What at one time seemed so shrewd a move is now the focus of mockery and ridicule. Conversely, what was once deemed an insignificant selection can forever alter the future of an organization.

And now, through the prism of History, we have the leverage to look back and wonder, "What were they thinking?" or "How did they know that?" But I suppose it's just that they saw things a little differently back then.

If you ever find yourself just fiending for some football, and you have a spare hour or two, I highly recommend hitting up NFL.com and navigating to the page that contains the complete draft lists from 1982 to the present. Perhaps nowhere else could you go for a more obvious explanation of why certain franchises ruled, while others remained laughing stocks, during the last 25 years.

You can see exactly what picks helped organizations like Tampa Bay and Indianapolis go from complete jokes in the late 80s and early 90s, to powerhouses of the early 21st century.

You can see how Dallas and San Francisco actually screwed themselves out of even greater dynasties because of hubris and horrendous mistakes on Draft Day in both 1993 and 1995.

You can admire Green Bay's ridiculous run of late-round gems in the 90s, Denver's incredible non-first-round rushers under Mike Shanahan, or the consistency of the Eagles for more than two decades.

Here we're going to take a look at the biggest steals and best value picks that each team in the NFL has managed from 1982 to the present. Make sure to check back later to read my list of the biggest busts in recent draft history.

Without further ado:

Buffalo Bills - Andre Reed (Rd. 4, Pk. 86, 1985)
One of the deadliest rounds in the K-Gun, Andre Reed is currently the fourth-leading receiver in NFL history.

Miami Dolphins - Zach Thomas (Rd. 5, Pk. 154, 1996)
He was supposed to be too small. Instead he's gone to five Pro Bowls and was the defensive stud the Marino Era lacked.

New England Patriots - Tom Brady (Round 6, Pick 199, 2000)
If you don't know this story you must've been in an Afghani cave for the past five years.

New York Jets - Laveranues Coles (Rd. 3, Pk. 78, 2000)
>From 1982-2000 the Jets drafted 25 receivers. Only two (Al Toon, Keyshawn Johnson) have been better with New York.

Baltimore Ravens - Brandon Stokely (Rd. 4, Pk. 105, 1999)
Stokely currently carries the banner for white receivers, and had a monster Super Bowl for the Ravens.

Cincinnati Bengals - Tim Krumrie (Rd. 10, Pk. 276, 1983)
He didn't miss a game in twelve years; even after almost having his leg ripped off in Super Bowl XXIII.

Cleveland Browns - Earnest Byner (Rd. 10, Pk. 280, 1984)
Though "The Fumble" mars his career, Byner was the 35th running back taken in '84. He retired in the top 50 all-time in yards, attempts and touchdowns.

Pittsburgh Steelers - Hines Ward (Rd. 3, Pk. 92, 1998)
The reigning Super Bowl MVP will go down as one of the best all-around players in this storied franchise's history.

Houston Texans - Domanick Davis (Rd. 4, Pk. 101, 2003)
Reggie Bush will have to be great for a long time to match Davis from a Performance vs. Price standpoint.

Indianapolis Colts - Ray Buchanan (Rd. 3, Pk. 65, 1993)
He managed 47 interceptions in his distinguished 13-year career.

Jacksonville Jaguars - Josh Scobee (Rd. 5, Pk. 137, 2004)
Not much to choose from for the Jags. Scobee averages 100 points a season.

Tennessee Titans - Steve Tasker (Rd. 9, Pk. 226 1985)
Tasker, who revolutionized special teams, played in almost as many Pro Bowls (7) as he did games for the Oilers (9).

Denver Broncos - Shannon Sharpe (Rd. 7, Pk. 192, 1990)
Karl Mecklenburg (12th round), Tom Nalen (7th) and Terrell Davis (6th) were all close, but the nod goes to The Mouth.

Kansas City Chiefs - Will Shields (Rd. 3, Pk. 74, 1993)
The Chiefs also got Joe Horn in Rd. 5 in 1996, but Shields has been a stud on that dominating line for a decade.

Oakland Raiders - Bo Jackson (Rd. 7, Pk. 183, 1987)
His four-year career was cut short, but I couldn't leave Bo off the list.

San Diego Chargers - Rodney Harrison (Rd. 5, Pk. 145, 1995)
One of the best defensive players in Chargers history, Harrison now has two SB rings and maybe a HOF resume.

Dallas Cowboys - Leon Lett (Rd. 7, Pk. 173, 1991)
Cowboys scored six solid starters in the '91 draft, but none have more memories - good and bad - attached to them than Lett.

New York Giants - Jessie Armstead (Rd. 8, Pk. 207, 1993)
Had 100+ tackles, 3+ sacks, and 1+ interception in five straight seasons for the G-Men.

Philadelphia Eagles - Seth Joyner (Rd. 8, Pk. 208) and Clyde Simmons (Rd. 9, Pk. 233)
The Eagles grabbed two staples of Gang Green in back-to-back rounds in 1986. They got Jerome Brown the following year and the foundation was set.

Washington Redskins - Stephen Davis (Rd. 4, Pk. 102, 1996)
Averaged 1,284 yards and 12 TD's from '99-'03. Too bad Steve Spurrier didn't realize what a horse he was.

Chicago Bears - Richard Dent (Rd. 8, Pk. 203, 1983)
The MVP of Super Bowl XX, Dent finished his career with 137.5 sacks and was one of the best pass rushers ever.

Detroit Lions - Cory Schlesinger (Rd. 6, Pk. 192, 1995)
Bulldog fullback overcame like 182 concussions to lead the Lions running game.

Green Bay Packers -
The Packers are by far the best late-drafting team of the last 25 years. From 1992-2000 alone they grabbed: Mark Chmura (Rd. 6, '92), Mark Brunell (Rd. 5, '93), Dorsey Levens (Rd. 5, '94), Adam Timmerman (Rd. 7, '95), Marco Rivera (Rd. 6, '96), Keith McKenzie (Rd. 7, '96), Matt Hasselbeck (Rd. 6, '98), Aaron Brooks (Rd. 4, '99), Donald Driver (Rd. 7, '99), and Kabeer Gbaja-Biamila (Rd. 5, '00).

Minnesota Vikings - Matt Birk (Rd. 6, Pk. 173, 1998)
Though injuries are derailing his career, Birk has been a Pro Bowl-caliber center for several years.

Atlanta Falcons - Jamal Anderson (Rd. 7, Pk. 201, 1994)
Went over 1,000 yard four times between 1996-2000, and they still dance the Dirty Bird in Atlanta.

Carolina Panthers - Steve Smith (Rd. 3, Pk. 74, 2001)
Probably the best pick in Carolina's brief history.

New Orleans Saints - Lorenzo Neal (Rd. 4, Pk. 89, 1993)
One of the best blocking fullbacks of the last 25 years, Neal gets the nod over Marc Bulger (Rd. 6, 2000).

Tampa Bay Buccaneers - John Lynch (Rd. 3, Pk. 82, 1993)
The linchpin of some outstanding defenses, the selection of Lynch helped this franchise turn the corner.

Arizona Cardinals - Larry Centers (Rd. 5, Pk. 115, 1990)
Ricky Proehl was a second-round pick in this same draft. Centers went on to become the best receiving running back ever, ranking 10th on the all-time catches list with 827.

San Francisco 49ers - Charles Haley (Rd. 4, Pk. 96, 1986)
San Fran had one of the best drafts ever in 1986, without a No. 1 pick no less. They scored Tom Rathman (56th), Tim McKyer (64th), John Taylor (76th), Haley (96th) and Kevin Fagan (102nd).

Seattle Seahawks - Lofa Tatupu (Rd. 2, Pk. 45, 2005)
For a team with such an atrocious draft record, this was a great pick. Made better by the fact that so many people ripped the Hawks for it at the time.

St. Louis Rams - Bill Goldberg (Rd. 11, Pk. 301, 1990)
Yeah, it's that Goldberg. It's not often that you get a future WWF Champion this late in the draft.

Questions or comments for Robert? E-mail him at robert@docsports.com or check out his Insider Page here.