If history has taught us anything, it’s that the NFL draft either can steal your heart or break it–and it doesn’t matter if you’re picking first or 31st.
Want to know why San Diego has such cold feet about taking Eli Manning first overall Saturday? It’s because for every Peyton Manning (the No. 1 pick in 1998) or Orlando Pace (first in 1997), there’s a Courtney Brown (first in 2000) or a Ki-Jana Carter (’95).
And that’s just in the past decade at No. 1.
For every Marshall Faulk (No. 2 in ’94), there’s a Ryan Leaf (’98). For every Steve McNair (No. 3 in ’95), there’s an Akili Smith (’99).
It’ll be years before we learn the “booms” and “busts” of the 2004 draft. In the interim, we offer a look at the highlights and lowlights of the first round of every draft since the 1970 NFL-AFL merger, with a special emphasis on the top 10.
The names you will come across are unforgettable. Some, unfortunately, for the wrong reason.
This is a look at the best pick at each spot in the first round since the 1970 AFL-NFL merger.
There are some caveats, the biggest being that players who were traded before playing for the teams that drafted them aren’t considered. That’s why, for example, you won’t see John Elway or Bo Jackson mentioned. Elway was picked by Indianapolis but was traded to Denver before playing for the Colts, while Jackson was a Bucs pick but never suited up in those old creamsicle uniforms.
The other caveat: There had to be at least 15 picks to choose from. That’s why the list goes from 1 to 28, not 1-32.
No. 1 pick overall
Win: QB Terry Bradshaw (Louisiana Tech), 1970, Pittsburgh.
Place: DE Bruce Smith (Virginia Tech), 1985, Buffalo.
Show: QB Troy Aikman (UCLA), 1989, Dallas.
Honorable mention: RB Earl Campbell (Texas), 1978, Houston; OT Orlando Pace (Ohio State), 1997, St. Louis; QB Peyton Manning (Tennessee), 1998, Indianapolis.
Booby prize: DE Walt Patulski (Notre Dame), 1972, Buffalo.
The buzz: Bradshaw, Smith and Aikman combined for 11 Super Bowl appearances and seven championships. Patulski played four seasons and had no impact.
No. 2 pick
Win: LB Lawrence Taylor (North Carolina), 1981, N.Y. Giants.
Place: RB Tony Dorsett (Pittsburgh), 1977, Dallas.
Show: DT Randy White (Maryland), 1975, Dallas.
Honorable mention: RB Eric Dickerson (SMU), 1982, LA Rams; RB Marshall Faulk (San Diego State), 1994, Indianapolis; OT Tony Boselli (USC), 1995, Jacksonville.
Booby prize: QB Ryan Leaf (Washington State), 1998, San Diego.
The buzz: Some say “LT” is greatest defensive player of all time, while both Cowboys are in Hall of Fame.
No. 3 pick
Win: RB Barry Sanders (Oklahoma State), 1989, Detroit.
Place: OT Anthony Munoz (USC), 1980, Cincinnati.
Show: QB Steve McNair (Alcorn State), 1995, Tennessee.
Honorable mention: S Bennie Blades (Miami), 1988, Detroit; WR Wes Chandler (Florida), 1978, New Orleans; DT Cortez Kennedy (Miami), 1990, Seattle.
Booby prize: QB Heath Shuler (Tennessee), 1994, Washington.
The buzz: Sanders prematurely retired, adding to his aura. No one played left tackle better than Munoz. McNair gets annual MVP votes. Shuler was selling real estate three years after the draft.
No. 4 pick
Win: RB Walter Payton (Jackson State), Bears, 1975.
Place: G John Hannah (Alabama), 1973, New England.
Show: LB Derrick Thomas (Alabama), 1989, Kansas City.
Honorable mention: DT Dan Hampton (Arkansas), 1979, Bears; DE Chris Doleman (Pittsburgh), 1985, Minnesota; OT Jonathan Ogden (UCLA), 1996, Baltimore.
Booby prize: QB Art Schlichter (Ohio State), 1982, Baltimore.
The buzz: Payton and Hannah are two of the all-time greats, and Thomas was a top-flight linebacker for a decade. Schlichter was a compulsive gambler whose debts landed him in jail more than once.
No. 5 pick
Win: CB Deion Sanders (Florida State), 1989, Atlanta.
Place: LB Junior Seau (USC), 1990, San Diego.
Show: RB Jamal Lewis (Tennessee), 2000, Baltimore.
Honorable mention: CB Mike Haynes (Arizona State), 1976, New England; QB Jim McMahon (BYU), 1980, Bears; CB Terrell Buckley (FSU), 1992, Green Bay.
Booby prize: RB Curtis Enis (Penn State), 1998, Bears.
The buzz: Seau and Sanders were All-Decade performers in the ’90s, and Lewis rushed for 2,000 yards last season. Enis got fat and was never heard from again.
No. 6 pick
Win: RB John Riggins (Kansas), 1971, N.Y. Jets.
Place: WR James Lofton (Stanford), 1978, Green Bay.
Show: WR Tim Brown (Notre Dame), 1988, Oakland.
Booby prize: RB Lawrence Phillips (Nebraska), 1996, St. Louis
The buzz: Riggins, a Super Bowl MVP, and Lofton were stars with the teams that drafted them and the ones they were traded to. Phillips, one of the NFL’s all-time thugs, edged out Cincinnati QB David Klingler (’92) and St. Louis QB Kelly Stouffer (’87).
No. 7 pick
Win: QB Phil Simms (Morehead State), 1979, N.Y. Giants.
Place: CB Champ Bailey (Georgia), 1999, Washington.
Show: CB Troy Vincent (Wisconsin), 1992, Miami.
Booby prize: QB Andre Ware (Houston), 1990, Detroit.
The buzz: This might be the weakest of any pick of the top 10. Giants fans hated Simms at first, then loved him later. Bailey and Vincent became two of game’s best cover corners. Ware went nowhere.
No. 8 pick
Win: DB Ronnie Lott (USC), 1981, San Francisco.
Place: G Mike Munchak (Penn State), 1982, Houston.
Show: RB Ottis Anderson (Miami), 1979, St. Louis.
Honorable mention: DT Gary “Big Hands” Johnson (Grambling), 1975, San Diego; OT Willie Roaf (Louisiana Tech), 1993, New Orleans; OT Bob Whitfield (Stanford), Atlanta, 1992.
Booby prize: RB Larry Stegent (Texas A&M), 1970, St. Louis
The buzz: No one has come close to Lott as a safety. Munchak is in Canton. Anderson was a Super Bowl MVP with N.Y. Giants. Stegent was one of the worst first-round picks ever; he played in seven games, never had a carry and caught one pass.
No. 9 pick
Win: G Bruce Matthews (USC), 1983, Houston.
Place: DT Jerome Brown (Miami), 1987, Philadelphia.
Show: OT Richmond Webb (Texas A&M), 1990, Miami.
Booby prize: RB Tommy Vardell (Stanford), 1992, Cleveland.
The buzz: Matthews played 19 seasons. Brown’s life–and magnificent career–ended in a car accident. Webb protected Dan Marino’s backside. “Touchdown” Tommy Vardell turned into “Touch-and-Go-Down” Tommy Vardell.
No. 10 pick
Win: DB Rod Woodson (Purdue), 1987, Pittsburgh.
Place: RB Marcus Allen (USC), 1982, L.A. Raiders.
Show: RB Jerome Bettis (Notre Dame), 1993, L.A. Rams.
Booby prize: WR David Verser (Kansas), 1981, Cincinnati.
The buzz: Woodson was selected to the NFL’s 75th anniversary all-time team. Verser caught 29 passes as a rookie, then 36 for the rest of his six-year career.
The best of the rest of the first round
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PICK POS PLAYER SCHOOL YEAR TEAM
11. WR Michael Irvin Miami 1988 Dallas
12. DT Warren Sapp Miami 1995 Tampa Bay
13. RB Franco Harris Penn State 1972 Pittsburgh
14. QB Jim Kelly Miami 1983 Buffalo
15. WR Isaac Curtis San Diego St. 1973 Cincinnati
16. WR Jerry Rice Miss. Valley 1985 San Francisco
17. RB Emmitt Smith Florida 1990 Dallas
18. WR Art Monk Syracuse 1980 Washington
19. WR Marvin Harrison Syracuse 1995 Indianapolis
20. DE Jack Youngblood Florida 1971 L.A. Rams
21. WR Lynn Swann USC 1974 Pittsburgh
22. LB Jack Reynolds Tennessee 1970 L.A. Rams
23. P Ray Guy Southern Miss 1973 Oakland
24. LB Randy Gradishar Ohio State 1974 Denver
25. CB Bobby Butler Florida State 1981 Green Bay
26. LB Ray Lewis Miami 1996 Baltimore
27. QB Dan Marino Pittsburgh 1983 Miami
28. CB Darrell Green Texas A&I 1983 Washington
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