These 10 all-time Philly draft picks were worth the wait

The dice roll that is draft night has been a wait-and-see, prove me wrong or prove me right kind of event. For every first-round bust, there’s the late-round gamble who transformed a franchise, or at least one who proved the pundits don’t always get it right.

In Philly, there are a fair number of those athletes, guys whom people either doubted (think when the Dirty 30 met Donovan McNabb) or were selected late only to change the narrative around who they are and the impact they’d make.

Here’s our list of 10 to remember:

When Andre Blake was selected by the Union in the 2014 MLS draft in Philly, fans had little faith in the Union’s goalkeeping situation — and very little knowledge of the UConn standout from May Pen, Jamaica. Blake shrugged off the scrutiny and became one of Major League Soccer’s best goalkeepers. He was the first to be named goalkeeper of the year three times, in addition to being a three-time MLS All-Star and leading the Union to their first-ever MLS Cup final appearance in 2022.

» READ MORE: Andre Blake is far from finished, but he’s already the most important player in Union history.

You could say we’re still waiting to see with Jordan Mailata, but after the last two seasons the offensive tackle from Australia has had, it would stir quite the debate. The Aussie who played rugby before making the Eagles was a seventh-round pick in the 2018 NFL draft. After missing the 2019 season with a back injury and most of 2020 because of COVID-19 and a concussion, he came back in 2021 to lead the team in fewest sacks allowed. Fast-forward to 2023 and some still wonder how he was only a Pro Bowl alternate after being a key piece of the offense, one that spearheaded a run to Super Bowl LVII.

» READ MORE: Jason Kelce, Jordan Mailata, and Lane Johnson are back in the recording studio. Is another Eagles Christmas album in the works?

OK, he wasn’t actually drafted, but his journey to the Phillies was worth the wait. Chris Coste’s MLB debut occurred when he was 33 years, 111 days old. The catcher went on to make 299 major league appearances in four seasons (including 43 games with the Houston Astros in 2009) and was instrumental in the Phillies’ 2008 run to a World Series title. What makes his story a great one is that Coste had toiled in the minors since 2000.

If you call yourself a Flyers fan and you don’t love “Hexy,” are you really a Flyers fan? Selected by Philly in the sixth round of the 1982 NHL draft, Hextall would make his NHL debut four years later, the start of a 13-year NHL career, with 11 of those seasons in Philly. He made the NHL’s all-rookie team, winning the Conn Smythe and the Vezina Trophy during the 1986-87 season, and became an NHL All-Star. He’s also remembered for one of the best goalie scraps in NHL history. Roll the tape …

Foles, the consummate backup, made the most of his opportunity, leading the Eagles to their first-ever Super Bowl crown in the 2017 season and being named MVP of the game. He’ll never have to buy a meal in this town again. It would be tough to find anyone who envisioned that when he was drafted in the third round by the Eagles in 2012 — except maybe Foles himself. Besides Jason Kelce, you’re not going to find a more beloved Eagle over the last 10 years. This brings us to No. 5 …

» READ MORE: Former Eagles quarterback Nick Foles gets personal about his future

Jason Kelce, drafted in the sixth round in 2011, might have proved that the center position should be valued more. He’s been the man snapping the ball to multiple Eagles quarterbacks and in that time has been to two Super Bowls, winning one alongside Foles in addition to being a five-time All-Pro and making six Pro Bowl appearances.

» READ MORE: Here's how a knee injury helped Jason Kelce fall in love with Sea Isle

Utley wasn’t a late-rounder like Ryan Howard. In fact, he was a first-round pick by the Phillies in the 2000 MLB draft. But Phillies fans wouldn’t see what he was made of in the majors until 2003, when he made his debut. The cerebral second baseman went on to be a six-time All-Star, a four-time Silver Slugger, and a “world [expletive] champion” as a member of the 2008 team.

» READ MORE: Chase Utley: Philadelphia sports icon

Sure, Lindros was the No. 1 pick in the 1991 NHL draft, by the Quebec Nordiques, for whom he refused to play. After conflicting trades, as Inquirer columnist Mike Sielski recalled, “there was a lot of bated breath as Flyers fans waited to see if the arbitrator would award the rights to Lindros to the Flyers or the [New York] Rangers.” If Lindros had headed to Madison Square Garden, we’d be talking about a 13-year career that found the two-time NHL All-Star, Hart Trophy winner (1994-95), and NHL Hall of Famer (2016) getting all of that success for one of the Flyers’ most hated division rivals.

» READ MORE: Eric Lindros changed the course of the Flyers franchise

The big man has battled through injury after injury, “the Process,” and naysayers, and competing with Denver Nuggets great Nikola Jokić when it comes to NBA MVP honors, to be the most dominant big man in the league last season. Not too shabby for someone who played just 20 games in college and even as a first-rounder still had Sixers fans wondering what this 7-footer from Cameroon would amount to. Spoiler alert: He was a good choice.

» READ MORE: Process to MVP: Joel Embiid’s uncommon path and those who helped him reach stardom

In his 13 seasons after being selected in the fifth round of MLB’s 2001 draft out of Missouri State, Ryan Howard helped the Phillies win the 2008 World Series and his personal accolades are as follows: National League MVP (2006), NL rookie of the year (2005), NLCS MVP (2009), three-time All-Star (2006, 2009, 2010), and a Silver Slugger (2009) — and those are just the major titles.