Too small. Too slow. Average foot skills. Lacking agility.The likes of Caleb Daniel, Nick Smith, Corey Enright and Shane Mumford had their share of doubters when they first pursued their AFL dreams.Now they shape as some of the most important players in the finals, and among the best draft steals of the modern era.There is perhaps no better story of a player overcoming his perceived weaknesses than the diminutive Daniel, who has quickly become one of the best young footballers in the competition.The 168cm Western Bulldogs midfielder is the smallest player in the AFL but more than makes up for it with his class, tenacity and ball-winning ability.Runner-up for the Rising Star award, Daniel has played 22 games this year and become a central part of the Dogs slick midfield.The 20-year-old was taken at pick 46 in the 2014 draft but could easily have been selected much earlier if he had a few more centimetres to his name.I cant control it. So Ive always thought Ive had nothing to lose by putting my head over the ball and cracking in, Daniel told the AFL players website last year.Being small doesnt dawn on me when Im out there on the ground - I like to think I play big.Arguably the player of the finals so far, versatile Bulldogs midfielder Liam Picken was taken as a mature-aged rookie in 2009.Picken tops a list of quality Dogs who slipped through to the rookie draft, including onballer Luke Dahlhaus, playmaker Jason Johannisen and All-Australian Matthew Boyd.Geelongs best draft steal dates all the way back to 1999, when they nabbed Corey Enright at pick 47.The Cats took a punt on the relatively-unknown South Australian after seeing videos of him playing for Port Adelaides under-18 side in the SANFL.It paid off handsomely, with the six-time All-Australian becoming one of the best half-backs of his generation and helping the Cats to three premierships.The Cats had another win when they took former steeplechaser Mark Blicavs in the 2012 rookie draft.Influential big man Shane Mumford was dismissed by scouts as lacking the agility required for a modern-day ruckman before he was taken by Geelong as a rookie selection in 2008.A premiership star at Sydney in 2012, Mumford now shapes as a key player for the Giants and stands out as a late pick on a list dominated by talented first-rounders.Sydney have benefited from academy picks and a cost of living allowance which helped them to land the competitions biggest star in Lance Franklin.But the Swans have also thrown in some astute drafting.Overlooked in the 2007 draft, Nick Smith was taken by Sydney as a rookie selection and has since become one of the games most reliable small defenders, earning All-Australian selection in 2014.Partner-in-crime Dane Rampe spent three years playing in the seconds in Melbourne and Sydney before the Swans took him in the 2013 rookie draft.Rampe has since cemented his place in the Swans best 22 and was named in a back pocket in this years All-Australian team.The Swans also picked up co-captain Kieren Jack in the 2006 rookie draft and stole gun onballer Luke Parker at pick 40 in 2010.THE DRAFT STEALS WHO WILL SHAPE THE AFL FINALSGEELONGCorey Enright (pick 47, 1999)Mark Blicavs (rookie pick, 2012)GREATER WESTERN SYDNEYShane Mumford (rookie pick, 2008 - ex-Geelong/Sydney)SYDNEYKieren Jack (rookie pick, 2006)Nick Smith (rookie pick, 2007)Luke Parker (pick 40, 2010)Dane Rampe (rookie pick, 2013)WESTERN BULLDOGSCaleb Daniel (pick 46, 2014)Liam Picken (rookie pick, 2009)Luke Dahlhaus (rookie pick, 2011) Anthony Davis Jersey . Badenhop was 2-3 with a 3.47 ERA in 63 relief appearances for Milwaukee this season. He is 18-20 in his career with three saves and a 3. Kyle Kuzma Jersey . Just as Montreal was settling into the first full working week of a new year, the Impact announced the appointment of their new head coach. http://www.lakersbasketballshop.com/Elgin-Baylor-Jersey/ .com) - Rafael Nadal, Andy Murray and Roger Federer were easy first-round winners Tuesday at the Australian Open. Robert Horry Lakers Jersey . -- The proud fathers huddled near the Dallas Stars dressing room, smiling, laughing and telling stories while wearing replica green sweaters of their sons team. Jerry West Jersey .Y. -- Knicks coach Mike Woodson said Wednesday that J. The San Diego Chargers wore their powder blue alternate uniforms on Sunday. As you know, one of the sports worlds most iron-clad rules states that whenever this uniform is worn, countless fans will respond by saying: They should go back to wearing their original powder blues from the 1960s. Those were the best football uniforms ever!And those fans are right -- mostly. The Chargers original powder blues were gorgeous. What many fans dont realize, though, is that the teams original powder blue period, which ran from 1960 through 1973, actually featured a surprisingly large number of variations, with many of the uniforms key elements -- the helmet, the pants, and even the shade of blue used on the jerseys -- in constant flux. So when people talk about the Chargers original powder blues, theyre actually referring to a wider range of uniforms than they probably realize.Lets look at some of those variations, one uniform element at a time:1. The shade of blue. The Chargers actually used four different blue tones from 1960 through 1973. All of them looked pretty good, but only the final one, in use from 1968 through 73, could be described as a true powder blue.The color that the team uses for its current powder blue alternates -- the uniform set worn this past Sunday -- is lighter than any of those original shades of blue.2. The helmet bolts. The lightning bolts on the Chargers helmets have always been gold, right? Wrong. The bolts were blue for the teams inaugural season in 1960 (and so were the bolts on the blue jersey that year). After changing to gold in 1961, the helmet bolts were blue again in 1966 (but the bolts on the blue jersey stayed gold that time around).3. The pants. When you think of the Chargers powder blue era, which pants do you instinctively envision them wearing? Its a trickier question than youu might think, because the Chargers wore four different pant designs from 1960 through 1973: white with blue lightning bolts down the sides; white with gold bolts; gold with blue bolts; and gold with conventional striping.ddddddddddddThe reality, of course, is that all of these uniform combinations looked good on the field (and so did their assorted white-jerseyed counterparts, for that matter), so you could mix and match just about any of these elements and it would still turn out fine. Still, its interesting to see just how much variety there was in such a short time period.Meanwhile, theres one other detail from the Chargers early days thats worth mentioning: In 1962, San Diego was among the recipients of the All-America City Award, a civic honor bestowed annually on 10 communities around the nation. The Chargers responded to this by wearing a commemorative decal on the crown of their helmets in 1963.That decal has never been included on a Chargers throwback uni. Wouldnt it be cool to see it on the field again? Hey, team owner Alex Spanos: Make it happen, capn.(Special thanks to William Schaefer of the Gridiron Uniform Database for his research assistance.)Would you like to nominate a uniform or uni element to be showcased in a future Friday Flashback installment? Send your suggestions herePaul Lukas wishes the Chargers would restore the uniform numbers to the sides of their helmets. If you like this column, youll probably like his Uni Watch Blog, plus you can follow him on Twitter and Facebook. Want to learn about his Uni Watch Membership Program, be added to his mailing list so youll always know when a new column has been posted or just ask him a question? Contact him here. ' ' '