The Five Best First Overall Selections In The NFL Draft

The 2010 NFL Draft will commence on Thursday, April 22, at Radio City Music Hall in New York City.

In tribute to the upcoming draft, below are the five best number one overall selections made by franchises over the course of the past quarter-century.

1)      Peyton Manning (Quarterback)- The Indianapolis Colts chose Manning out of the University of Tennessee with the top selection in the 1998 draft.

Manning, a four-time AP NFL MVP and five-time First-Team All-Pro selection, led the Colts to a 29-17 victory over the Chicago Bears in Super Bowl XLI.

Manning, who was voted onto the NFL 2000s All-Decade team, was named the Super Bowl's Most Valuable Player after he completed 25 of 38 passes for 247 yards and a touchdown.

After 12 seasons as a professional, the legendary signal-caller has already thrown in excess of 50,000 yards in the air and has tossed 366 touchdowns.

At only 33-years-old, Manning is expected to break every meaningful passing record in NFL history before he hangs up his cleats.

Peyton Manning is simply one of the greatest quarterback’s in the annals of football.

2)      Bruce Smith (Defensive End)- The Buffalo Bills selected Smith out of Virginia Tech University with the first pick in the 1985 draft.

Smith, a 2009 Hall of Fame inductee who was ranked number 58 on The Sporting News ’ list of the 100 Greatest Football Players ever, immediately dominated NFL offensive linemen and he owns the record for the most career sacks (200).

Smith, a nine-time First-Team All-Pro and 11-time Pro-Bowl selection, was incredibly featured on both the 1980s and 1990s All-Decade Teams.

The Bills somehow lost four consecutive Super Bowls from 1990-1993.

Nevertheless, without the former Virginia Tech standout wreaking havoc on the line, the Bills wouldn’t have even qualified to compete for a championship sans the services of Smith.

3)      Troy Aikman (Quarterback)- The Dallas Cowboys picked Aikman out of UCLA with the first overall selection in the 1989 draft.

Aikman, a six-time Pro Bowler who was inducted into the NFL Hall of Fame in 2006, guided the Cowboys to three Super Bowl Championships.

In the Cowboys 52-17 destruction of the Bills in Super Bowl XXVII, Aikman was deservedly awarded the game’s MVP after he completed 22 of 30 passes for 273 yards and four touchdowns.

The former Bruins great retired in 2000 after he amassed 32,942 yards and 165 touchdowns in the air.

4)      Orlando Pace (Offensive Tackle)- The St. Louis Rams nabbed Pace with the first choice in the 1997 NFL Draft out of Ohio State University.

Pace, a five-time First-Team All-Pro and seven-time Pro Bowl selection, was an instrumental piece of the Rams vaunted “Greatest Show on Turf” high-powered offense.

Pace, a member of the NFL 2000s All-Decade Team, is a tremendous blocker and his contributions to the Rams were vital to their appearances in Super Bowls XXXIV and XXXVI.

Currently, Pace is employed with the Bears and, at 34, should be an intimidating presence on their line for a few more years to come.

5)      Mario Williams (Defensive End)-  The Houston Texans controversially picked Williams with the top selection in the 2006 draft out of North Carolina State University.

In only four years as a professional, Williams is already a three-time Pro Bowler and two-time First-Team All-Pro selection.

In 2007, Williams established the Texans’ single-season sack record with 14.

At only 25, Williams, a genuinely freakish athletic specimen, should dominate the gridiron for the next decade.

Honorable mention-

Eli Manning- Manning, 29, was drafted by the New York Giants out of Mississippi with the top choice in the 2004 draft.

Manning, a Pro-Bowl selection in 2008, helped lead the Giants to a 17-14 triumph over the heavily-favored New England Patriots in Super Bowl XLIII.

Manning is a very solid player, however he does not belong in this list.

The individuals that were ranked number one through four on this list are all either already in the Hall of Fame or they are destined to be invited to Canton once they decide to retire from the game.

Mario Williams, in two less seasons, has made more Pro-Bowls than Manning and he was prestigiously honored twice as a First-Team All-Pro.

Mario Williams is simply a more accomplished professional football player at this juncture than Eli Manning is.