Ranking Every No. 1 Pick in the NFL Draft Since 2000

Holding the No. 1 pick in the NFL draft yields a strange combination of problems, challenges, opportunities and excitement.

Barring a miracle prior trade that eventually resulted in the top selection, the franchise sitting at No. 1 overall usually stunk during the season leading up to the draft in question. That's the problem. While one player can reshape perception of a team, it's simply the next step in the process to become a Super Bowl contender.

Executives must be careful not to waste any chance to add a franchise-altering player. That's both the challenge and the opportunity. But the perfect pick can help lead to a Lombardi Trophy.

In the 2020 NFL draft, the Cincinnati Bengals will become the latest team to step into this situation. For their sake, hopefully the No. 1 selection will be more in line with the New York Giants than the Cleveland Browns.

20-18: JaMarcus Russell, Kyler Murray, Baker Mayfield

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20. JaMarcus Russell, QB (Oakland Raiders, 2007)

In 31 games with Oakland, the LSU product went 7-18 and tossed 18 touchdowns to 23 interceptions. Russell's 3-11 ratio in 2009 signaled the conclusion of his NFL career.

19. Kyler Murray, QB (Arizona Cardinals, 2019)

Murray is ranked here simply because of a brief career to date. Named the Offensive Rookie of the Year in 2019, Murray accounted for 4,266 total yards and 24 touchdowns. He's likely to rise in the rankings soon, but a higher spot on an assumption is unfair.

18. Baker Mayfield, QB (Cleveland Browns, 2018)

Like his former Oklahoma teammate Murray, Mayfield had a quality rookie year. He threw for 3,725 yards and 27 touchdowns in 2018. However, the next season wasn't as kind; Mayfield finished with 21 interceptions, second-most in the league.

17-15: Courtney Brown, David Carr, Myles Garrett

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17. Courtney Brown, DE (Cleveland Browns, 2000)

After an All-American career at Penn State, Brown enjoyed a good start in the NFL. He collected 69 tackles with 4.5 sacks as a rookie. From there, however, injury and poor performance plagued Brown, who managed 196 total tackles in 61 career games.

16. David Carr, QB (Houston Texans, 2002)

During his rookie campaign, Carr set an NFL record—for most sacks taken in a season with 76. The trend continued throughout his five-year Texans tenure, leading the category in both 2004 and 2005 as well. Carr won a Super Bowl as a backup with the New York Giants in 2011 but finished his 10-year career with 65 touchdowns to 71 interceptions.

15. Myles Garrett, DE (Cleveland Browns, 2017)

Garrett's career is off to a strong start. Since entering the league, his 30.5 sacks are the 11th-most in the league. While the six-game suspension to close 2019 is a big negative, Garrett has been a productive player when not swinging his helmet.

14-12: Sam Bradford, Jameis Winston, Jared Goff

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14. Sam Bradford, QB (St. Louis Rams, 2010)

Poor guy just couldn't stay healthy. He somehow kept getting paid, though! Ankle and knee injuries routinely put Bradford on the sideline, but he earned $130 million during a nine-year career. Bradford threw for 19,449 yards and 103 touchdowns.

13. Jameis Winston, QB (Tampa Bay Buccaneers, 2015)

In five years with Winston under center, Tampa managed one winning season. Winston led the NFL with 5,109 yards in 2019, but he also tossed a league-high 30 interceptions. He's enjoyed a higher peak than Bradford but is still seeking his first playoff appearance.

12. Jared Goff, QB (Los Angeles Rams, 2016)

After trading Bradford and moving to Los Angeles, the Rams started over with Goff. He struggled badly under Jeff Fisher but immediately thrived when Sean McVay took over. Goff, a two-time Pro Bowler, has helped the Rams win a pair of NFC West titles and reach the Super Bowl once.

11-9: Eric Fisher, Jadeveon Clowney, Jake Long

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11. Eric Fisher, OT (Kansas City Chiefs, 2013)

Since the Chiefs picked him, Fisher has started 98 of 112 possible regular-season games. Granted, he didn't perform well in the early portion of his career. But Fisher has steadily become a reliable blocker and earned a Pro Bowl nod in 2018.

10. Jadeveon Clowney, DE (Houston Texans, 2014)

Clowney hasn't developed into the world-wrecking force he suggested was possible at South Carolina, but he's still been plenty effective. Clowney is one of the NFL's premier run-stopping defensive ends and has 71 tackles for loss in 75 games.

9. Jake Long, OT (Miami Dolphins, 2008)

Long made an immediate impact in Miami, playing at a Pro Bowl level as the franchise won its first AFC East title in eight years. Although the Dolphins slunk into mediocrity, Long earned All-Pro status in 2010 to go along with three more Pro Bowl selections. Injuries began to complicate his career in 2013, and Long retired after the 2016 season.

8-6: Alex Smith, Andrew Luck, Matthew Stafford

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8. Alex Smith, QB (San Francisco 49ers, 2005)

Famously picked over Aaron Rodgers, Smith had a miserable rookie campaign with one touchdown and 11 interceptions. Perhaps that frustrating year led him to become to the ultra-safe quarterback he became—some will remember him as Captain Checkdown—but Smith has won 94 games and tossed 193 scores to 101 interceptions.

A three-time Pro Bowler, he started seven games in five playoff trips. Smith hasn't retired but is recovering from a gruesome leg injury that ended his 2018 season and sidelined him for all of 2019.

7. Andrew Luck, QB (Indianapolis Colts, 2012)

Will we remember Luck as one of the NFL's biggest what-if stories? The Stanford product led the Colts to 11-5 records in each of his first three seasons, winning two AFC South titles.

But then, injuries. The lacerated kidney and core muscle tear in 2015. The shoulder injury that ruined his 2016 and 2017. Luck thrived in 2018 and guided the Colts back to the playoffs, but he shocked the NFL world when he retired during the 2019 preseason. Luck made four Pro Bowls, throwing for 23,671 yards and 171 touchdowns.

6. Matthew Stafford, QB (Detroit Lions, 2009)

Lions fans generally have a love-hate relationship with Stafford as both the franchise's greatest QB and someone who hasn't carried Detroit to new heights. Still, he's an above-average 10-year starter with the 18th-most passing yards (41,025) in NFL history.

Stafford won the 2011 Comeback Player of the Year award after a shoulder injury, and he made the Pro Bowl in 2014.

5. Mario Williams, DE

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Drafted: Houston Texans, 2006

Although he officially earned just a single All-Pro honor, Mario Williams played at that elite level throughout much of an 11-year career.

The pass-rusher notched double-digit sacks in five seasons, including a career-high 14.5 in 2014. He retired after the 2016 campaign with 97.5 career sacks—a top-40 total in NFL history.

Williams spent six years in Houston, four on the Buffalo Bills and one with the Miami Dolphins, and he landed on two Pro Bowl teams at each of the former two stops.

4. Michael Vick, QB

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Drafted: Atlanta Falcons, 2001

When considering the impact a player had on the sport, Michael Vick deserves a higher spot. Never before had a quarterback offered his blend of arm talent and playmaking ability as a runner.

However, this order is strictly based on production.

Vick secured Atlanta's starting role in 2002 and made the Pro Bowl three times. In 2006, he became the first quarterback to run for 1,000 yards in a season. But after 74 games, his involvement in a dog-fighting ring led to 21 months in federal prison.

Upon his return, Vick joined the Philadelphia Eagles and won Comeback Player of the Year with a Pro Bowl trip in 2010.

Vick currently holds the NFL's all-time record for rushing yards (6,109) by a quarterback.

3. Carson Palmer, QB

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Drafted: Cincinnati Bengals, 2003

Carson Palmer never reached the pinnacle of the sport, but he put together a respectable 15-year career.

After sitting behind Jon Kitna as a rookie, Palmer took control of the offense in 2004. He earned Pro Bowl honors in 2005 and 2006 and topped the 4,000-yard mark in 2006 and 2007.

Though he initially retired after 2010, the Bengals dealt Palmer to the Raiders. That relationship soured within two years, and Oakland shipped him to the Arizona Cardinals.

The largest unanswered question of Palmer's career is the 2014 season. Arizona went 6-0 in his starts and opened the campaign 9-1 before a torn left ACL ended his year. The Cardinals reached the NFC Championship Game the next season.

Palmer retired with 46,247 passing yards and 294 touchdowns, which rank 14th and 13th, respectively, in league history.

2. Cam Newton, QB

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Drafted: Carolina Panthers, 2011

Here's the complete list of quarterbacks with 3,500-plus yards of total offense in each of their first eight seasons: Peyton Manning, Cam Newton and Russell Wilson.

Decent group, no?

In 2011, Newton threw for 4,000-plus yards and won Offensive Rookie of the Year. Four years later, he earned league MVP as he totaled 4,473 yards and 45 touchdowns, and the Panthers reached the Super Bowl that season. During that span, Newton headed to three Pro Bowls and garnered one All-Pro honor.

Shoulder and foot injuries led to his release from the Panthers this past offseason. Through nine years, Newton ranks 55th all-time with 29,041 passing yards and third in rushing yards (4,806) by a quarterback.

1. Eli Manning, QB

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Drafted: San Diego Chargers, 2004

Note: Manning refused to play for San Diego and forced a draft-day trade to the Giants in a memorable swap for Philip Rivers.

Of the 14 quarterbacks picked No. 1 overall since 2000, only Eli Manning won a Super Bowl as a starter. And he did it twice.

True, his inefficiency resulted in some rough seasons and early postseason exits. But in the 2007 and 2011 seasons, Manning led game-winning drives to defeat the New England Patriots. He accounted for 15 touchdowns and only two interceptions in those two playoff runs.

Along with two Super Bowl MVP awards, Manning has four Pro Bowl trips and three NFC East titles on his resume.

Manning retired after the 2019 season with the seventh-most yards (57,023) and touchdowns (366) in league history.