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Much has changed since the first NFL Draft in 1936. It was originally held in a hotel conference room without prospects present, cameras, media, or anyone knowing about it. Now it’s the highlight of the offseason, a three-day event, months of media coverage, and the casual fans watch it on television.
While much has changed over the 87 years since the first NFL Draft, one thing has remained the same – the No. 1 pick is not a sure thing. Sometimes that player becomes a Hall of Famer like Peyton Manning, John Elway, or Terry Bradshaw. Other times, the top pick is a massive bust like Ki-Jana Carter, Tim Couch, and JaMarcus Russell.
Let’s look at every No. 1 NFL Draft pick in league history, breaking it down by the decade.
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The 1930’s
- Jay Berwanger selected by the Philadelphia Eagles in 1936
- Sam Francis selected by the Philadelphia Eagles in 1937
- Corbett Davis selected by the Cleveland Rams in 1938
- Ki Aldrich selected by the Chicago Cardinals in 1939
Biggest Bust: Corbett Davis - He only played four years before enlisting to serve in World War II.
Best Pick: Ki Aldrich - He made the All-Star Game (now known as the Pro Bowl) in 1939 and 1942.
The 1940’s
- George Cafego selected by the Chicago Cardinals in 1940
- Tom Harmon selected by the Chicago Bears in 1941
- Bill Budley selected by the Pittsburgh Steelers in 1942
- Frank Sinkwich selected by the Detroit Lions in 1943
- Angelo Bertelli selected by the Boston Yanks in 1944
- Charley Trippi selected by the Chicago Cardinals in 1945
- Frank Dancewicz selected by the Boston Yanks in 1946
- Bob Fenimore selected by the Chicago Bears in 1947
- Harry Gilmer selected by the Washington Redskins in 1948
- Chuck Bednarik selected by the Philadelphia Eagles in 1949
Biggest Bust: Bob Fenimore - He only played one year in the NFL, totaling 10 games in 1947.
Best Pick: Chuck Bednarik - He made the Pro Bowl eight times and joined the Hall of Fame in 1967.
OTD 1951
Chuck Bednarik picks off Bob Waterfield in the first #ProBowl #Eagles#FlyEaglesFly
pic.twitter.com/4yZUxVT1cf— Old Time Football 🏈 (@Ol_TimeFootball) January 14, 2024
The 1950’s
- Leon Hart selected by the Detroit Lions in 1950
- Kyle Rote selected by the New York Giants in 1951
- Bill Wade selected by the Los Angeles Rams in 1952
- Harry Babcock selected by the San Francisco 49ers in 1953
- Bobby Garrett selected by the Cleveland Browns in 1954
- George Shaw selected by the Baltimore Colts in 1955
- Gary Glick selected by the Pittsburgh Steelers in 1956
- Paul Hornung selected by the Green Bay Packers in 1957
- King Hill selected by the Chicago Cardinals in 1958
- Randy Duncan selected by the Green Bay Packers in 1959
Biggest Bust: Bobby Garrett - He never played for the Browns. Instead, Garrett played only nine career games for the Green Bay Packers.
Best Pick: Paul Hornung - He made the Pro Bowl twice in his career, won three NFL Championships (1961, 1962, 1965), and one Super Bowl (1961).
The 1960’s
- Bill Cannon selected by the Los Angeles Rams in 1960
- Tommy Mason selected by the Minnesota Vikings in 1961
- Ernie Davis selected by the Washington Redskins in 1962
- Terry Baker selected by the Los Angeles Rams in 1963
- Dave Parks selected by the San Francisco 49ers in 1964
- Tucker Frederickson selected by the New York Giants in 1965
- Tommy Nobis selected by the Atlanta Falcons in 1966
- Bubba Smith selected by the Baltimore Colts in 1967
- Ron Yary selected by the Minnesota Vikings in 1968
- O.J. Simpson selected by the Buffalo Bills in 1969
Biggest Bust: Ernie Davis - He never got to play in the NFL, dying a year after getting drafted.
Best Pick: O.J. Simpson - He made several Pro Bowl teams, is in the Hall of Fame, and was one of the top running backs in NFL history.
𝓖𝓻𝓸𝓾𝓷𝓭 𝓫𝓻𝓮𝓪𝓴𝓮𝓻
60 years ago today, Ernie Davis made history.https://t.co/viHom3hJjE pic.twitter.com/DkP9CY57CB
— Syracuse Football (@CuseFootball) December 6, 2021
The 1970’s
- Terry Bradshaw selected by the Pittsburgh Steelers in 1970
- Jim Plunkett selected by the New England Patriots in 1971
- Walk Patulski selected by the Buffalo Bills in 1972
- John Matuszak selected by the Houston Olider in 1973
- Ed Jones selected by the Dallas Cowboys in 1974
- Steve Bartkowski selected by the Atlanta Falcons in 1975
- Lee Roy Selmon selected by the Tampa Bay Buccaneers in 1976
- Ricky Bell selected by the Tampa Bay Buccaneers in 1977
- Earl Campbell selected by the Houston Oilers in 1978
- Tom Cousineau selected by the Buffalo Bills in 1979
Biggest Bust: Ricky Bell - He never lived up to his draft pick, going ahead of Tony Dorsett. His career ended after only five years,
Best Pick: Terry Bradshaw - He made several Pro Bowl teams, is a member of the Hall of Fame, and is a four-team Super Bowl champion.
The first overall pick in the 1970 NFL Draft Terry Bradshaw. https://t.co/B3AEOod2rp pic.twitter.com/GP3IaOpN9i
— Billy Hartford (@BudDupreeFan) January 16, 2024
The 1980’s
- Billy Sims selected by the Detroit Lions in 1980
- George Rogers selected by the New Orleans Saints in 1981
- Kenneth Sims selected by the New England Patriot in 1982
- John Elway selected by the Baltimore Colts in 1983
- Irving Fryar selected by the New England Patriots in 1984
- Bruce Smith selected by the Buffalo Bills in 1985
- Bo Jackson selected by the Tampa Bay Buccaneers in 1986
- Vinny Testaverde selected by the Tampa Bay Buccaneers in 1987
- Aundray Bruce selected by the Atlanta Falcons in 1988
- Troy Aikman selected by the Dallas Cowboys in 1989
Biggest Bust: Kenneth Sims - He was one of only two No. 1 picks in the 1980s not to make a Pro Bowl roster. Unfortunately, injuries and off-the-field issues derailed his career.
Best Pick: John Elway - He is a two-time Super Bowl champion and MVP. Elway is also a member of the 2004 Hall of Fame class.
The 1990’s
- Jeff George selected by the Indianapolis Colts in 1990
- Russell Maryland selected by the Dallas Cowboys in 1991
- Steve Emtman selected by the Indianapolis Colts in 1992
- Drew Bledsoe selected by the New England Patriots in 1993
- Dan Wilkinson selected by the Cincinnati Bengals in 1994
- Ki-Jana Carter selected by the Cincinnati Bengals in 1995
- Keyshawn Johnson selected by the New York Jets in 1996
- Orlando Pace selected by the St. Louis Rams in 1997
- Peyton Manning selected by the Indianapolis Colts in 1998
- Tim Couch selected by the Cleveland Browns in 1999
Biggest Bust: Ki-Jana Carter - He struggled with injuries for most of his career, suffering multiple season-ending injuries in the 1990s.
Best Pick: Peyton Manning - He made the Pro Bowl 14 times, is a two-time Super Bowl champion, five-time NFL MVP, and was a first-ballot Hall of Famer.
The 2000’s
- Courtney Brown selected by the Cleveland Browns in 2000
- Michael Vick selected by the Atlanta Falcons in 2001
- David Carr selected by the Houston Texans in 2002
- Carson Palmer selected by the Cincinnati Bengals in 2003
- Eli Manning selected by the San Diego Chargers in 2004
- Alex Smith selected by the San Francisco 49ers in 2005
- Mario Williams selected by the Houston Texans in 2006
- JaMarcus Russell selected by the Oakland Raiders in 2007
- Jake Long selected by the Miami Dolphins in 2008
- Matthew Stafford selected by the Detroit Lions in 2009
Biggest Bust: JaMarcus Russell - He was supposed to be the next generational quarterback prospect. Instead, he lasted three years in the NFL, totaling 18 passing touchdowns to 23 interceptions.
Best Pick: Eli Manning - While he wasn't as good as his brother, Manning was a two-time Super Bowl champion and MVP.
16 years ago, JaMarcus Russell was selected #1 in the 2007 NFL Draft.
Russell averaged $2M per touchdown, given he threw 18 TDs in his career and made over $36 million.
But check this out... pic.twitter.com/Cj5INaFWCF
— Andrew Petcash (@AndrewPetcash) April 18, 2023
The 2010’s
- Sam Bradford selected by the St. Louis Rams in 2010
- Cam Newton selected by the Carolina Panthers in 2011
- Andrew Luck selected by the Indianapolis Colts in 2012
- Eric Fisher selected by the Kansas City Chiefs in 2013
- Jadeveon Clowney selected by the Houston Texans in 2014
- Jameis Winston selected by the Tampa Bay Buccaneers in 2015
- Jared Goff selected by the Los Angeles Rams in 2016
- Myles Garrett selected by the Cleveland Browns in 2017
- Baker Mayfield selected by the Cleveland Browns in 2018
- Kyler Murray selected by the Arizona Cardinals in 2019
Biggest Bust: Jameis Winston - He is most famous for his 30-interception season in 2019. After a few seasons as a starting quarterback, Winston has been a career backup for the past several years.
Best Pick: Myles Garrett - He has made the Pro Bowl four times in his career and is considered one of the top defensive players in the NFL.
Myles Garrett: PFF's 2023 Defensive Player of the Year 🏆 pic.twitter.com/2Gg5Qr0Wu8
— PFF (@PFF) January 11, 2024
The 2020’s
- Joe Burrow selected by the Cincinnati Bengals in 2020
- Trevor Lawrence selected by the Jacksonville Jaguars in 2021
- Travon Walker selected by the Jacksonville Jaguars in 2022
- Bryce Young selected by the Carolina Panthers in 2023
Biggest Bust: Bryce Young - While it's still too early to call him a bust, Young looks destined to fail in the NFL with the Panthers.
Best Pick: Joe Burrow - He made the Pro Bowl in 2022 and led the Bengals to the Super Bowl in 2021.
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