Best No. 1 pick ever?
Drafting in the NFL is a lot like investing on Wall Street. No matter how extensive the research, there’s no telling what will happen once the money is plunked down for a Terry Bradshaw or Lawrence Taylor. Or for a Lawrence Phillips or Tony Mandarich.
It never hurts to try learning from history.
With that in mind, The Associated Press looked back at every player taken at each spot in the first round of the NFL draft since the “common draft” began in 1967. This pick-by-pick approach compared all the No. 1s to each other, the No. 2s ... all the way to the Nos. 32s.
What follows is a subjective list of the best pick made at each of the top 12 slots.
The research yielded some nuggets worth keeping in mind for this year’s draft.
The best news is for the Cincinnati Bengals, who pick fourth. History says that’s a juicy spot. Only No. 1 has produced more Hall of Famers. The eighth and 19th spots also have been bountiful, raising hopes for fans of the Tennessee Titans and New York Giants.
Sorry, San Francisco 49ers fans, but history shows seventh is a spot to avoid. It’s the first pick that features an overwhelming collection of clunkers. Since ‘67, no Hall of Famer has been drafted at No. 7, at least not yet. The same can be said of Nos. 12, 22, 24, 25 and 29-32, although the 29-32 grouping deserves an asterisk because those didn’t become first-rounders until the 1990s.
These results also validate several things fans already knew, such as wise drafting being a big part of the Steelers becoming such a perennial power. Pittsburgh claimed three of the top 11 “best” picks and five of the 32.
Let the debates begin.
No. 1Terry Bradshaw, QB, Pittsburgh Steelers, 1970, Louisiana TechJohn Elway, Troy Aikman and Peyton Manning were far more dazzling. Earl Campbell was far more feared. Yet teams draft players they think will help them win championships. Bradshaw guided the Steelers to four Super Bowl titles and was the MVP in two of those championship games.
No. 2Lawrence Taylor, LB, New York Giants, 1981, North Carolina
No. 3Anthony Munoz, T, Cincinnati Bengals, 1980, USC
No. 4Walter Payton, RB, Chicago Bears, 1975, Jackson State
No. 5Deion Sanders, CB, Atlanta Falcons, 1989, Florida State
No. 6Floyd Little, RB, Denver Broncos, 1967, Syracuse
No. 7Adrian Peterson, RB, Minnesota Vikings, 2007, Oklahoma
No. 8Ronnie Lott, DB, San Francisco 49ers, 1981, USC
No. 9Bruce Matthews, G, Houston Oilers, 1983, USC
No. 10Rod Woodson, DB, Pittsburgh Steelers, 1987, Purdue
No. 11Ben Roethlisberger, QB, Pittsburgh Steelers, 2004, Miami (Ohio)
No. 12Warren Sapp, DT, Tampa Bay Buccaneers, 1995, Miami (Fla.)
