The Best #1 NFL Draft Picks Of All Time
Who is the best #1 NFL draft pick of all time? Every No. 1 overall pick in the NFL draft is a potentially franchise-changing player. Sometimes that player leads his team to multiple Super Bowls like Terry Bradshaw and Troy Aikman, two of the best quarterbacks in NFL history. Other times, he leads another franchise to multiple Super Bowls like John Elway and Eli Manning, neither of whom played a snap for the team that drafted them.
Fourteen NFL Hall of Famers have been the top overall pick in the NFL draft and five league MVPs, most recently Cam Newton. Plenty of great NFL players have been #1 picks such as Peyton Manning, John Elway, and Earl Campbell. In 2021, Clemson's Trevor Lawrence was selected first overall.
But who has been the best No. 1 overall draft pick for his franchise. Stats below reflect only a player's time with the team that drafted him, unless otherwise noted, and that's how these players should be ranked. How much did they help the team that spent a No. 1 pick on them?
Draft year: 1998
Team: Indianapolis ColtsDraft year: 1983
Team: Baltimore ColtsDraft year: 1978
Team: Houston OilersDraft year: 1985
Team: Buffalo BillsDraft year: 1970
Team: Pittsburgh SteelersDraft year: 1986
Team: Tampa Bay BuccaneersDraft year: 1989
Team: Dallas CowboysDraft year: 1974
Team: Dallas CowboysDraft year: 2020
Team: Cincinnati BengalsDraft year: 2004
Team: San Diego ChargersDraft year: 1997
Team: St. Louis RamsDraft year: 1969
Team: Buffalo BillsDraft year: 1971
Team: New England PatriotsDraft year: 2012
Team: Indianapolis ColtsDraft year: 2009
Team: Detroit LionsDraft year: 1957
Team: Green Bay PackersDraft year: 1967
Team: Baltimore ColtsDraft year: 1949
Team: Philadelphia EaglesDraft year: 1976
Team: Tampa Bay BuccaneersDraft year: 2008
Team: Miami DolphinsDraft year: 1968
Team: Minnesota VikingsDraft year: 1966
Team: Atlanta FalconsDraft year: 2001
Team: Atlanta FalconsDraft year: 2017
Team: Cleveland BrownsDraft year: 1962
Team: Washington Redskins