2011 NFL Draft: Power Ranking the Previous 10 First Overall Picks
With the 2011 NFL draft fast approaching, there are a lot of rumors swirling as to whether Cam Newton will be the first overall pick to the Carolina Panthers. It would make sense since a quarterback has been taken first overall eight of the past 10 years.
There's an awful lot of baggage that comes with owning the first overall pick in the NFL draft. The team usually has plenty of needs to address, and there is usually a player rated higher than the best quarterback in the draft.
Also, what good is a quarterback without someone to throw to or hand off to, or at least a few solid offensive linemen to protect him?
Of course, not all first-round picks turn out to be busts. In fact, quite a few of them have turned out very well. Here's how I rank the previous 10 first overall picks.
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10. JaMarcus Russell
1 of 10
Shocked? Appalled? Don't be. Purple drank may have been the capstone of the downfall of Russell, but poor work ethic (read: sheer laziness) and a complete lack of talent around him led to his demise long before that off-field incident sealed it.
For crying out loud, the guy showed up to training camp at a whopping 300 pounds. I'm surprised he didn't make the roster...as a defensive tackle.
With a career completion percentage of 52.1, 18 touchdowns and 23 interceptions, Russell's ineffectiveness may have been enough to drive him off the field even if purple drank didn't do it for him.
To make matters worse for the Raiders, Calvin Johnson and Joe Thomas were taken with the very next two picks. Ouch.
9. David Carr
2 of 10
At least he tried.
Yes, David Carr is considered a monumental bust by pretty much everyone's standards. To go from the first overall pick to a journeyman backup in just five years is certainly testament to that.
He was surrounded by little to no talent throughout his career in Houston, though. He was harassed behind a lackluster offensive line to the tune of 208 sacks in his first four years, three times leading the league and setting an NFL record with 76 as a rookie. If that doesn't break your confidence, I don't know what will.
To make matters worse, Julius Peppers was taken with the next pick. Dwight Freeney was taken just 10 picks later.
Mel Kiper Jr. famously declared after the Texans made the pick that there was no way we'd look back on him three or four years down the line and call him a bust. Ha ha.
8. Alex Smith
3 of 10
The 49ers have had a lot of different head coaches during Alex Smith's tenure with the team. With that come a lot of different offensive philosophies. That fact has to be taken into account when grading Smith.
What must also be accounted for, though, is the fact that it never looked like he really grasped any of them.
The 49ers can take solace in knowing that none of the next six picks panned out either. Ronnie Brown has been consistent but has also been consistently injured. Other than that, it's a list of players that either never lived up to their potential (Braylon Edwards, Troy Williamson) or got into too much off-field trouble (Pacman Jones, Cedric Benson).
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7. Matthew Stafford
4 of 10
There's plenty of time for Stafford to improve his spot on this list. The reason he doesn't rank higher, obviously, is injuries. The past two years have been cut short by different injuries he sustained. He's only played a total of 13 games his first two years combined.
Of course, we've seen what happens when a less talented quarterback (Mark Sanchez) gets drafted to a more talented team with an All-Star offensive line. Sanchez has been to two AFC Championship Games. Still, I wouldn't put any of that on Stafford.
Luckily for the Lions, only a few of the top 10 picks from that year have panned out. This being the third year since that '09 draft, though, I'd expect that draft class to be heavily under the microscope. That will start with Matthew Stafford.
From what we've seen of him thus far, though, he has the makings to be a great quarterback in the NFL. Let's just hope for his sake and the Lions' sake that he can stay on the field.
6. Sam Bradford
5 of 10
To lead the previously 1-15 Rams to just one game shy of the playoffs the very next year is nothing short of miraculous. Of course, Bradford didn't do it all on his own and saw his fair share of bumps in the road along the way.
It's hard to put any kind of grade on a pick that happened just one year ago. Still, Bradford's efficient season of 60 percent completions, 3,512 yards, 18 touchdowns and 15 interceptions was clearly the catalyst for the Rams' change in fortune.
Many initially thought Steve Spagnuolo would salivate at the opportunity of having Ndamukong Suh bring a reign of terror to the middle of the trenches. The Rams should be comforted by the fact that most re-drafts still had them taking Bradford.
5. Mario Williams
6 of 10
"Super Mario" was a dubious pick, to say the very least. Picked in front of Reggie Bush and Texas darling Vince Young, this is arguably the pick that cost Charlie Casserly his job. My, what a difference a few years can make.
Reggie Bush is a role player in an explosive Saints offense—not nearly a franchise running back worth taking first overall. Vince Young is an emotional and depressed individual whose lack of confidence and poor attitude ultimately led to his demise in Tennessee after five arduous seasons.
Williams, however, is still harassing quarterbacks on a consistent basis. He has racked up 48 sacks in five years in the league. Those numbers could take a hit now that he's playing in Wade Phillips' 3-4, or maybe Phillips will take the leash off his ultra-talented penetrating defensive lineman.
4. Michael Vick
7 of 10
This was a very tough call, believe me. I couldn't forgive myself if I put him any higher on this list though. It has nothing to do with my love for dogs either.
Yes, Michael Vick has all the athleticism in the world. He's one of the fastest, most dynamic players to ever play quarterback. He really came into his own this past season too. He proved that he can beat defenses with his feet and his arm and made defenses pay for "forcing him to throw," as they so commonly did when he was with the Falcons.
But man, I bet the Falcons wish they had this one back. Their investment spent two years in prison, and the Falcons never got to see the best that Michael Vick has to offer. That pleasure belonged to the Eagles this past year. Still, based on what he's accomplished since his return, it's clear the Falcons knew what they were doing when they made this pick.
3. Eli Manning
8 of 10
This selection doesn't come without its fair share of circumstances. Of course, we're all aware of the draft-day trade that quickly sent Manning packing...erm, not packing, but sent him to the New York Giants instead of the San Diego Chargers. What none of us were aware of at the time was how that could potentially shape the NFL.
Make no mistake—Eli may have been the quarterback and may have been the MVP of Super Bowl XLII, but he isn't the reason the Giants knocked off the Patriots. That distinction belongs to the Giants defense. Regardless, the move was the right one for the Giants.
Manning has begun to come into his own over the past few seasons but still has rough patches where he looks mediocre and sometimes bad. One would hope that would be behind him at this point. Still, the fact that he's the only one on this list with a Super Bowl ring makes it hard to ignore him as one of the better No. 1 picks.
2. Carson Palmer
9 of 10
Another quarterback taken first overall, Palmer has been everything for the Bengals the past seven years. Literally, everything. That fact has him looking for a way out of Cincinnati now.
Prior to all that, drafting Palmer first overall in 2003 was the smart choice for sure. There really weren't any other players worthy of consideration that were taken in the top 10. Three top-10 choices that year are no longer in the league.
Palmer has led the Bengals to the playoffs twice, although the team was bounced out in the first round both times. He had an elite year in 2005, his third year in the league. However, since suffering an ACL injury in a playoff loss to the Steelers, he's never been the same.
1. Jake Long
10 of 10
A run-heavy offense needs dominant offensive linemen to run behind, and Jake Long has been just that for the Dolphins.
Long has been to every Pro Bowl since being drafted first overall. More importantly, he was a key component of the turnaround from 1-15 in '07 to 11-5 and a berth in the playoffs the very next year.
Not often is an offensive tackle taken No. 1 overall, and although Matt Ryan has arguably been a more successful pick, the stability on the offensive line is important for a franchise in flux, as the Dolphins were when the pick was made. He has been a key cog in their offense and will continue to make an impact long after the Tony Sparano era in Miami is over (because trust me, it's coming to an end sooner than you think).
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