NFL Draft 2011: Power Ranking the 25 Best First-Round Picks in NFC History
There is nothing quite like the first round of the NFL draft. While teams know that Pro Bowlers are found in later rounds and busts can happen in the first round (just ask Ryan Leaf and every Lions pick in the Matt Millen era), but no other round brings the best chance of draft gold like the premier talent of the first round.
Since the NFC has been around (1970 officially), its teams have had their fair share of first-round failures (Tony Mandarich, Heath Shuler, David Terrell…and that’s just recent memory), but more importantly they have had their share of first-round successes.
So I scoured every draft from 1970 to 2010 and searched every first-round NFC pick for best players drafted in the first round. Some are still active, while others are long gone. As with any list of this nature, they may be an omission or two, so if you see someone that should have been on here, let me know.
If they meet the criteria I’ll add them to the honorable mention section.
Honorable Mention: Orlando Pace, OT St. Louis Rams
1 of 26
Year: 1997
Pick: 1
It’s not every day that the No. 1 pick works out. Going back over the last 40 years, the top prize in the draft hasn’t always been the first guy taken.
But for the St. Louis Rams, they struck gold with Orlando Pace. This Ohio State graduate played offensive line during the Rams' most prosperous and successful era. For 12 seasons he anchored an offensive line that protected two-time MVP Kurt Warner and a Hall of Fame running back in Marshall Faulk.
Pace was the lynchpin in “The Greatest Show on Turf” and was selected to five All-Pro teams and seven Pro Bowls. After the Rams released him, he was picked up by the Chicago Bears, but let’s not talk about that.
He had a great career before those dark days at Solider Field. That’s how we’ll remember him.
25. Julius Peppers, DE, Carolina Panthers DE
2 of 26
Year: 2002
Pick: 2
You think if the Houston Texans could go back in time they would have taken Julius Peppers first over David Carr? You think they would have taken anyone else first?
Julius Peppers has been known as a "freak of nature." It’s a label he’ll wear proudly and for good reason. Not only was he a standout in college playing for North Carolina, but he was also a very good basketball player, having played with the Tar Heels in a Final Four.
Perhaps it’s that insane athleticism that has allowed Peppers to have blocked 10 special teams kicks. Nonetheless, when the Panthers picked him up, they got a winner.
In all but two seasons he’s recorded double-digit sacks. He’s been to five Pro Bowls thus far and three All-Pro teams. He was the 2002 defensive rookie of the year and has been an elite defensive end since coming into the league.
Houston lies awake at night dreaming what could have been had they taken Julius Peppers.
24. Aaron Rodgers, QB, Green Bay Packers
3 of 26
Year: 2005
Pick: 24
Aaron Rodgers makes this list, but barely. While he hasn’t built the resume that some in his class have, he should get the nod as one of the smartest first-round picks in the history of the Green Bay Packers.
Before the 2005 draft there were those who thought that Rodgers would go first overall. The question was whether him or Alex Smith would go first.
Alex Smith was selected by the 49ers allowing Aaron Rodgers to free-fall for 23 spots until the Packers picked him up with the No. 24 pick.
For years Rodgers would sit and watch as the NFL’s all-time iron man, Brett Favre, played in front of him, but when he finally got the chance he didn’t disappoint.
He has quickly become one of the elite quarterbacks in the game and has already matched the Super Bowl rings won by Favre.
I suppose Rodgers ended the Smith-or-Rodgers debate once and for all.
23. Warren Sapp, DT Tampa Bay Buccaneers
4 of 26
Year: 1995
Pick: 12
There’s no question that it’s easy to hate Warren Sapp. There was the domestic battery arrest in 2010 (which charges were later dropped). Then there was altercation with NFL referees in 2007, the incident where he skipped (yes, a grown man skipped) through warm-ups against the Steelers and the Colts, and the list goes on.
But the man could play ball.
One of the fiercest defensive tackles in the history of the NFL, he was exactly what the Tampa 2—the famed defense that won Tampa their 2002 Super Bowl—needed to work.
Without a top-of-the-line three-technique tackle up front, the Tampa 2 was just a vulnerable defense, but with a guy like Sapp up front, it was as effective as any defense during its time.
This seven-time Pro Bowler is still second on the all-time list for most sacks at his position.
You can hate on him all you want, but Tampa Bay got this first-round pick right on the money.
22. James Lofton, WR, Green Bay Packers
5 of 26
Year: 1978
Pick: 6
Had James Lofton stuck around the NFL any longer he might have been able to collect a pension while still on an active roster.
Still, while his career resembled that of a journeyman, it had more highlights than any ordinary career could ever have.
Drafted by the Packers with the sixth pick in the 1978 NFL draft, Lofton played for eight seasons in Green Bay before a transition year with the Raiders, and then the glory days with the Buffalo Bills.
During 16 seasons that saw him in three Super Bowls, he was selected to eight Pro-Bowls and four All-Pro teams. He had over 14,000 receiving yards and caught a touchdown pass in three different decades.
His career was often overshadowed by the greats of his time, but Green Bay got it right when they selected this Hall of Famer.
21. Larry Fitzgerald, WR Arizona Cardinals
6 of 26
Year: 2004
Pick: 3
Larry Fitzgerald was a special player coming into the league. It’s the reason why head coach Dennis Green selected Fitzgerald third overall, and hasn’t been disappointed.
Since becoming a member of the Cardinals he has been one of the best receivers in the NFL have caught 601 passes, elected to five Pro Bowls and two All-Pro teams.
What’s more is that Fitzgerald might be one of the hardest working stars in the league. His summer WR camps are legendary and it’s shown by his flawless conditioning. The only things stopping Fitzgerald from moving up on the list is a quarterback to throw him the ball.
20. Adrian Peterson, RB Minnesota Vikings
7 of 26
Year: 2007
Pick: 7
Plenty of teams had a chance to take Peterson in the first round of the 2007 draft. Minnesota didn’t pick till No. 7.
Most notably, the Oakland Raiders had a chance to draft Peterson with the first overall pick, but instead they went with the colossal bust JaMarcus Russell.
Peterson went on to be one of the best backs in the NFL. In his short time in the league he’s already amassed almost 6,000 yards, and has been selected to two Pro Bowls.
The Vikings have rebuilt there team and the pieces fell into place the moment they picked up the stud of the 2007 NFL draft.
19. Art Monk, WR, Washington Redskins
8 of 26
Year: 1980
Pick: 18
As a kid growing up I can remember Art Monk as a “compiler.” Monk never seemed to put up big numbers, just the same numbers with stunning consistency.
From the day he was drafted by the Washington Redskins, Monk continued to put up numbers that would perfect for Jerry Rice to later shatter. Still, Monk, for all his workmanlike performances, broke records as a Redskin. He was the first receiver to have 100 catches in a season. He set the all-time reception record.
Monk never blew anyone away, so maybe it’s why it took him so long to get into the Hall of Fame, but nonetheless when he got there he was appreciated. Upon his arrival into the Pro Football Hall of Fame, he was given the longest standing ovation in NFL history.
18. Brian Urlacher, LB, Chicago Bears
9 of 26
Year: 2000
Pick 9
When the Chicago Bears had the ninth pick in the 2000 draft, they had a radical idea.
“Let’s take a free safety who is going to be too slow for that position in the NFL, and move him to our middle linebacker spot.”
It’s a move that the Bears usually fail with, but with Urlacher they were right on the money. What they found out is that while he might have been a step slow at safety, he displayed a lateral quickness that the position had never seen before.
While there are some that are quick to call Urlacher overrated, he’s been selected to seven and four Pro Bowls and All-Pro teams respectively. He was the defensive rookie of the year and a former defensive player of the year.
The Bears got it right when they drafted him.
17. Dan Hampton, DE/DT, Chicago Bears
10 of 26
Year: 1979
Pick: 4
The famed “Monsters of the Midway” were known as much for their players as they were for their menacing defense.
Dan Hampton was one of the faces of arguably the greatest single-season defense of all time. This Hall of Famer is often forgotten amongst other Chicago Bear defensive greats like Dick Butkus, Mike Singletary and Brian Urlacher, but Hampton was as good as they came in his day.
Hampton earned four trips to the Pro Bowl, and four selections to the All-Pro team. He would have more than likely earned more trips had he stuck to one position his whole career, but he was able to slip seamlessly from defensive end to tackle.
The man was nicknamed the “Danimal” for being one of the toughest and meanest players on the field. He retired due to knee troubles after 11 seasons and in 2002 was inducted into the Pro Football Hall of Fame.
16. Michael Irvin, WR, Dallas Cowboys
11 of 26
Year: 1988
Pick: 11
When Jimmy Johnson took over the head coaching duties for the Dallas Cowboys, he knew he needed the right kind of talent in his stable. He knew he had just that when former Hurricanes receiver Michael Irvin was drafted as the No. 11 pick in the 1988 draft.
Irvin was considered a can’t-miss with great hands, tremendous body control and excellent after-the-catch skills.
Irvin didn’t disappoint. While he was not always the model citizen during his Dallas days, he was the model player on the field.
In addition to helping give Dallas the passing threat they needed, he was also responsible for helping bring three Super Bowl rings to Dallas and 750 career receptions.
He was a five-time Pro Bowler and had a single All-Pro selection. He has been honored by both the Pro Football Hall of Fame and the Cowboys Ring of Honor.
15. Randall McDaniel, G, Minnesota Vikings
12 of 26
Year: 1988
Pick: 19
Occasionally offensive lineman get the full credit they deserve. In 2009, Randall McDaniel was elected to the Pro Football Hall of Fame and got his due credit.
A powerhouse guard out of Arizona State, McDaniel was picked in the middle of the first round by Minnesota. Guys like Ricky Dixon and Gaston Green were picked ahead of him, but McDaniel ended up being one of two current Hall of Famers picked in this first round.
In his time with the Vikings he was a starter in 12 consecutive Pro Bowls and was elected to seven All-Pro teams. Simply put, in his time as a pro player, there was no one better at the position than him.
14. Jack Youngblood, DE, Los Angeles Rams
13 of 26
Year: 1970
Pick 20
When talking about Jack Youngblood, it’s tough to figure out where to start.
Do you talk about the back-to-back defensive player of the year awards he won?
Do you talk about the seven Pro Bowls or the five-time All-Pro teams?
Or should you mention the fact that he was the only one in the 1970 first round to make it to the Hall of Fame?
Or perhaps you can talk about his 151.5 career sacks which is second on the all-time list?
Why not just say it all?
13. Randy White, DT, Dallas Cowboys
14 of 26
Year: 1975
Pick: 2
Randy White is easy to forget if you weren’t around for that era, or you don’t have the Cowboys star inked somewhere on your person, but one look at the career of this lifetime Cowboy and there is no question that he was a first-round slam dunk.
Out of Maryland, Randy White was drafted in 1975 as the second overall pick. No one likes second place, but White was anything but a consolation prize. His contribution to Dallas included nine Pro Bowl and All-Pro selections, a Super Bowl MVP and 111 career sacks.
White was an absolute terror on opposing offenses and it’s no wonder that upon retirement he was selected to the Dallas Cowboys Ring of Honor.
12. Troy Aikman, QB, Dallas Cowboys
15 of 26
Year: 1989
Pick: 1
Jimmy Johnson had one order of business when he had the No. 1 overall pick in the 1989 NFL draft. That was to get himself a marquee quarterback.
Troy Aikman was that guy.
A standout in college, Aikman lived up to the billing in the pros as he led the Cowboys to three Super Bowls and put himself in very rare company as a quarterback.
He amassed 32,000 yards as pro and was a six time Pro-Bowler. He was inducted into the Pro Football Hall of Fame in 2006.
There are those who won’t put Aikman very high on their list of all-time greats, but with three rings it’s hard to leave him out. There’s no question that they wouldn’t have won those rings without him.
11. Tony Dorsett,RB, Dallas Cowboys
16 of 26
Year: 1977
Pick: 2
Tony Dorsett is a winner in the truest sense of the word. In his last year in college, at Pittsburgh, he won the national championship. Upon being drafted by the Cowboys with the second pick in the NFL draft of 1977, he would go on and win a Super Bowl in his rookie year.
Of course, Dorsett was the recipient of good fortune—he was also blessed with a God-given ability to run the ball. In his career, most of which was with the Cowboys, Dorsett had over 12,000 yards rushing and 92 career touchdowns.
When it was time to vote him into the Pro Football Hall of Fame, the choice was easy, and in 1994 he was inducted.
10. Randy Moss, WR, Minnesota Vikings
17 of 26
Year: 1998
Pick: 21
Randy Moss is the guy you wish you had. He’s the guy you hate on the other team and the guy that frustrates you on your team.
You know when he’s happy he’s going to be amazing. When he’s sad he’s going to be problematic.
But you’re willing to take the bad days with the good days because a singular talent like him are a rare breed.
He had dropped to the lower half of the NFL draft in 1998 amid character issues. While they were on the money to have concern, the Vikings knew that the good outweighed the bad.
For the first six years he was in Minnesota he was nothing short of amazing. The only crime about Moss was the idea that he wasn’t even performing at his best. Had he put his mind to it, there is no telling just how good he could have really been.
9. Darrell Green, DB, Washington Redskins
18 of 26
Year: 1983
Pick: 28
Darrell Green reinvented the word “fast” in the NFL. He was also a model of how to age gracefully and still be effective.
Green was the last man selected by the Washington Redskins in the 1983 draft.
This blazing track star made the most of the legs he was given and tracked down runners and blanketed receivers.
He was a two-time Super Bowl champ and a four-time All-Pro selection.
The “ageless wonder” would play well past his prime but you wouldn’t have known it to watch him play. He’s a model for the NFL past, present and future.
8. Eric Dickerson, RB, Los Angeles Rams
19 of 26
Year: 1983
Pick: 2
When the Los Angeles Rams drafted Eric Dickerson with the second pick in the 1983 NFL draft, they knew he was good, but they never could have imagined he’d be as good as he was.
In his rookie season he rushed for 1,808 yards and scored 18 touchdowns.
His second season made his rookie campaign seem like a warm-up. That season he set the record for most rushing yards by gaining 2,105. To say he was a force isn’t giving him nearly enough credit.
The sad thing was that Dickerson was also a pioneer of sorts, having been one of the first big-name stars to leave his team over a contract dispute. So after four great seasons in Los Angeles he was traded to the Indianapolis Colts.
Dickerson ended up rushing for just over 13,000 yards and 90 touchdowns. To say the Rams were blessed to have him would have been an understatement.
7. Deion Sanders, DB, Atlanta Falcons
20 of 26
Year: 1989
Pick: 5
Deion Sanders was as important as anyone for the flash and sizzle that permeated the NFL in the 1990’s.
Prime Time was more than a player—he was a personality. His flash, his penchant for showboating, and his allergic reaction to anything resembling a tackle made him someone who was as fun to follow as he was to watch play.
Still, for all his flash, Deion Sanders was good enough to back it up. He was where the term “shutdown corner” came from. He was an eight-time Pro-Bowler, a six-time All-Pro and the defensive player of the year.
With two Super Bowl rings and a bust in Canton, it’s safe to say Sanders was more substance than flash, but the flash was fun to watch.
6. Emmitt Smith, RB, Dallas Cowboys
21 of 26
Year: 1990
Pick: 17
The Cowboys had to trade up to get to the No. 17 pick in the draft, but when they got their man they never looked back.
Smith had gotten the rep coming out of college that he was too small and too slow, but Jimmy Johnson—who had seen plenty of Emmitt Smith in college—wasn’t buying it.
What happened next was a career modeled on substance and without flash. Smith never dazzled, but always delivered. His innate ability to dart through holes and take whatever the line was giving him allowed him to make consistent progress for the Cowboys.
Emmitt was a four-time All-Pro, three-time Super Bowl champion and a first-ballot Hall of Famer. But he also has one honor that might mean more to him than anything else. In 2002 he became the game's all-time leading rusher.
Not a bad career for a guy who was too small and too slow.
5. Ronnie Lott, DB/S, San Francisco 49ers
22 of 26
Year: 1981
Pick: 8
As a kid, Ronnie Lott was the first guy I ever really remember being the essence of the word “tough.” I had never seen a guy who could punish someone with a hit the way that Lott could. He was as vicious on the field as they came.
In his 15 seasons in the NFL, Lott was a 10-time Pro-Bowler and eight-time All-Pro, and came away with four Super Bowl rings. He was a top-level cornerback and moved into the safety position after four years. All things considered, he was the best at both positions when he played.
It wasn’t just his brute strength, but his skill that made him otherworldly. He was a lock for the Hall of Fame and a lock for this list.
4. Barry Sanders, RB, Detroit Lions
23 of 26
Year: 1989
Pick: 3
You’ll see guys like Emmitt Smith and Walter Payton for years, but you will never see another Barry Sanders. No running back to play has ever been quite like the Oklahoma State standout.
In his short 10-year career he rushed for 15,000 yards and was well on pace to shatter Walter Payton’s all-time record. To put it in perspective: Had Sanders rushed for a modest 800 yards a season for five more seasons (equal to the number of years Emmitt Smith played) he would still be atop the leader board with over 19,000 career rushing yards.
Sanders was as elusive as any back to have ever played. Good offensive line, bad offensive line—it never mattered. His ability to juke defenders and make them miss was unparalleled.
There may be backs better than Barry Sanders in past or the future, but you’ll never see anyone like him again.
3. Walter Payton, RB, Chicago Bears
24 of 26
Year: 1975
Pick: 4
The Chicago Bears couldn’t tell you who went ahead of Walter Payton in the 1975 draft, but then again, they probably could care less.
Payton was everything that the city of Chicago was. He was hard-working, spending grueling months in the offseason running up the infamous hill to build his leg strength.
He wasn’t flashy. “Sweetness” didn’t have top speed and wasn’t as elusive as some of his contemporaries.
He was tough. His style wasn’t to make you miss, but to hit you head on and make you pay. His style of play was why he was adored in Chicago and was revered nationally.
But with all that hard work came results; when he retired not only was he a mortal lock for the Hall of Fame, but was the NFL’s all-time leading rusher.
2. Lawrence Taylor, LB, New York Giants
25 of 26
Year: 1981
Pick: 3
Lawrence Taylor was a 10-time Pro Bowler and a nine-time All-Pro. He was a three-time defensive player of the year. He was an NFL MVP and a two-time Super Bowl champion.
None of those stats explain the acclaim Lawrence Taylor deserves.
He wasn’t just a great linebacker, but maybe the single greatest linebacker in NFL history. He embodied the word “scary.” On the blitz, he was as devastating as any linebacker had ever been. It’s no wonder that right out of the draft the Giants wanted to sign him to an unheard-of $250,000 contract.
There is no question that during his time there was no better defensive player, but there was a sadder side to him too. The young man who had a squeaky-clean image out of college eventually found his way to drugs. It’s not certain that it altered his play, but it’s scary to think how much better he could have been had he had complete focus.
Still, even with some lapses in judgment, to put him lower than two on this list would have been an injustice.
1. Jerry Rice, WR, San Francisco 49ers
26 of 26
Year: 1985
Pick: 16
Jerry Rice ran a reported 4.7 40 in the NFL scouting combine. This kept him from being a top-10 pick in the draft. Shows how much the combine matters.
For the San Francisco 49ers, they couldn’t have been happier that the combine produced such concern.
They were so intent on getting him they traded up to grab him before the Dallas Cowboys could. Rice, of course, never disappointed.
There are debates that rage over who was the best at a position. When it comes to the wide receiver position, there is Jerry Rice, and then there is everyone else.
He doesn’t own some receiving records, he owns almost all of them. His 1,549 receptions, 208 touchdowns and 22,895 receiving yards are all records that could take decades to break, even in a high-scoring, pass-happy league.
He might be the greatest player to ever play the game. He had to make the top of this list.
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