For a fun idea on draft day, here’s a list of your team’s best draft day pick. It might not be the franchise’s best player ever. It could in fact be their best steal. Let it be known now, I did some research. The players’ years-played with the team that drafted them is in parenthesis.
Arizona Cardinals- Larry Fitzgerald is a great receiver with the most yards in team history. Adrian Wilson had some amazing years too. I almost went with Hall of Famer Dan Dierdorf. But Larry Wilson (1960-72) had 52 interceptions while wearing the Cardinal red. In the 7th round 1960 draft, the St. Louis Cardinals selected the former All-Pro safety with the 74th overall pick.
Atlanta Falcons- They only had Deon Sanders (1989-93) for five seasons. But with the 5th overall pick in the 1989 draft, the Falcons made a monumental decision. Four of the first five picks were Hall of Famers in that ’89 draft. None of the picks following Sanders would be. In 1992, “Neon Deon” had over 1,000 kick return yards. “Primetime” also intercepted 24 balls while dancing in Atlanta.
Baltimore Ravens- With the 26th pick in the 1st round of the NFL Draft, the Baltimore Ravens select Ray Lewis (1996-2013) from Miami. Two Super Bowls, a Super Bowl MVP, two-time Defensive Player of the year, 13 Pro Bowls, a 7-time All-Pro- that was all done while with the only team he ever played for, the Ravens.
Buffalo Bills- The Bills drafted Jim Kelly in 1983 but he left for the USFL. He later came back but that doesn’t equal a great pick. When Buffalo scooped up Thurman Thomas (1988-99) with the 40th overall pick in the 2nd round of the 1988 draft, they stole a Hall of Famer out of Oklahoma State. He rushed for nearly 12,000 yards as a Bills back. Without Thomas, there would be not one of those four appearances in a row at the Super Bowl in the ’90s.
Carolina Panthers- The young Panthers franchise would have little to show, other than a 2004 Super Bowl appearance, without #89. Steve Smith (2001- ) is the all-time leader for Carolina in every receiving category. He’s accumulated 772 receptions and 63 touchdowns while also completely missing the 04-05 season with injury. I’d say he is quite the steal since he was drafted in the 3rd round 74th overall in the 2001 draft.
Chicago Bears- You want to give this to arguably the best running back of all-time, Walter Payton. However, in 1964 the Bears had the number four and five pick in the 1st round! Who’d they get? With the fourth pick they took linebacker Dick Butkus (1965-73). With the fifth, they took Gale Sayers (1965-71). Those two were the only two Hall of Famers taken in the 1st round and both done so by Chicago. Butkus is a Chicago fan-favorite and is often in the discussion of greatest linebackers ever. If the type of surgical success we have now was around in the ’60s, when Sayers suffered two awful knee injuries, we might be talking about a very different all-time rushing record. Still, he managed just under 5,000 yards in 68 games.
Cincinnati Bengals- Ken Anderson has many of the Bengals passing records and started 172 games for Cincinnati. Boomer Esiason (1984-92, 97) started one more game. The first act was much better than what happened after the intermission in Boomer’s career. The 38th overall, 2nd round pick in 1984 was sensational in his first six seasons. But after some rough years in New York and a one-year stint with the Cardinals, Esiason finished it out with the Bungles in 1997, going 4-1.
Cleveland Browns- The Browns have made so many bad draft day decisions. In 1978, they made a great one. Ozzie Newsome (1978-90) was a stud tight end from Alabama. It took over ten years and a change in how the position is used before Shannon Sharpe broke Newsome’s all-time catch mark of 662 receptions. Many people today probably don’t remember a league where the tight end was mainly a blocker. What the 23rd overall pick in the 1st round in 1978 did was change how the game is played for tight ends. Now, he’s changing the mold for winning teams as General Manager of the Ravens.
Dallas Cowboys- I can already hear the screams and yells for this one. Emmitt Smith, Michael Irvin and Troy Aikmen have quite the ring collection. They were all big names and big 1st rounders. In 1964, it took a 10th round and 129th pick for Roger Staubach (1969-79) to find a home. Some call Tom Landry “God’s Coach.” That makes Staubach “God’s Quarterback.” With an outstanding 85-29 record, a 1.4 TD-INT ratio and nearly 23,000 passing yards in a league all about the run, he is truly the best draft day pick for the Cowboys.
Denver Broncos- If I could pick Rod Smith, I would. He wasn’t even drafted. Karl Mecklenburg was another great pick for Denver. Shannon Sharpe might be the best tight end ever. But we all know that the Broncos caught lightening in a bottle in the 6th round of the 1995 draft with the 196th overall pick. Terrell Davis (1995-01) had a shortened career with multiple knee injuries. That can’t take away from an average of 4.6 yards per career, 97.5 a game, 7,607 career yards and all of that accomplished in just 78 games. He will undoubtedly be a Hall of Famer someday.
Detroit Lions- Is it possible that Jason Hanson (1992-13) was a better draft day score than Barry Sanders? It is. No matter how bad the Lions have been over the past few decades, one part of their game has remained consistent. In the 1992 NFL Draft, Detroit shored up their kicker position for the next 20-plus years by selecting Jason Hanson in the 2nd round with the 56th overall pick. With Sanders, it was a no-brainer. Hanson took some thought. It was one great thought for the Lions. They’ll miss him this upcoming year.
Green Bay Packers- It’s not often that the 213th pick overall in the 7th round leads a franchise in nearly every receiving category. Tell that to Donald Driver (1999-13). With Sterling Sharpe and Antonio Freeman well out of the picture in the early ’00s, Brett Favre found his target. Aaron Rodgers might not have had as much chemistry with the aging Driver. That’s alright. He got his while #4 was around.
Houston Texans- Andre Johnson is still in the conversation of who is the best wideout in the league. What really can help a quarterback in this league is a good tight end. Owen Daniels (2006- ) was a steal in the 4th round of 2006 draft. The Texans snagged him at 98th overall. It’s really too early in this franchise to pick a “greatest draft day pickup.” It could be J.J. Watt at some point. Right now, I’ll stick with Daniels’ 361 catches in 95 games.
Indianapolis Colts- There was only one Hall of Famer taken in the 1955 NFL Draft. It happened in the 9th round with the 102nd pick overall. The Colts picked up Johnny Unitas (1956-72) with that selection. Andrew Luck looks like a great 1st overall pick, we know Payton Manning was too. Imagine if 101 guys went before those two. Unitas is largely recognized by his generation as the best quarterback of that era. He was 118-64-4 as a starter.
Jacksonville Jaguars- This is another franchise that hasn’t been around a long time. Couple that with little success, it’s hard to find a great draft day story. I’d love to give it to Jimmy Smith, the Jags all-time leader in all things receiving, but he was drafted by Dallas and then cut after Jerry Jones blamed him for being injured too much. Another kicker on my list comes from Louisiana Tech in the 5th round of the 2004 NFL Draft. Josh Scobee (2004- ) was picked 137th overall. He has made 80% of his FG attempts and kept subpar teams in games for almost a decade.
Kansas City Chiefs- If you look at the 1997 draft, there were many mediocre players taken. When the Chiefs made their 13th overall pick in the 1st round, they selected a safe bet and a future Hall of Famer. Tony Gonzalez (1997-2009) will go down as a first ballot Canton legend. His years in Atlanta were and continue to be in the hopes of bring home a ring. Still, he will forever be remembered as #88 in the lighter red at Arrowhead Stadium.
Miami Dolphins- Inspired by ESPN’s 30 for 30 documentary, Elway to Marino, it’s easy to decide what was the greatest Miami draft day moment. In 1983, the Dolphins stole Dan Marino (1983-99) with the 27th pick in the 1st round. He was the sixth gunslinger taken. He retired with nearly every passing statistic you can think of, just without any of those expensive rings they handout in February.
Minnesota Vikings- Cris Carter was taken by the Jets. Fran Tarkenton (1961-66, 72-78) was not. The Vikings took him in the 3rd round with the 29th overall pick in 1961. Although he had five seasons of nice success with the Giants, Tarkenton’s 13 years in Minnesota led to 91 wins and 239 touchdowns. No one is sure why, but he is rarely talked about when discussing the greatest QBs of all-time. His numbers do not lie and he’s surely the Vikings’ best draft day pick.
New England Patriots- Do we need to discuss Tom Brady (2000- )? His five Super Bowl appearances are equal only to John Elway’s total. Although, Elway only won two and he was a 1st overall pick. Brady was taken with the 199th pick in the 6th round of the 2000 NFL Draft. He’ll reside in Canton alongside Elway someday.
New Orleans Saints- Let me tell you a story about a man named Eric Martin (1985-93). The LSU wide receiver was taken by the Saints in the 1985 draft in the 7th round, 179th overall. In 143 games for New Orleans, he caught 532 balls and 48 touchdowns. He was also a part of the Saints first playoff team in 1987; they lost 44-10.
New York Giants- Running backs are important and so was Tiki Barber. Like Barber, Michael Strahan (1993-07) was taken in the second round. The all-time sacks leader was selected 40th overall in the 2nd round of the 1993 NFL Draft. Seven Pro-Bowls and a Super Bowl later, he is certainly one of the greatest defensive ends in NFL history.
New York Jets- Shaun Ellis has a lot of sacks in New York Jets history. Mark Gastineau (1979-88) has more and he wasn’t drafted in the 1st round like Ellis. It was with the 41st overall pick in the 2nd round of the ’79 draft that the Jets took Gastineau. He piled up 74 sacks in 137 games, which he played all of in NY. The five-time Pro-Bowler was a very nice snag.
Oakland Raiders- Al Davis was always obsessed with the fastest and strongest men available. No mistakes were made with taking Ken Stabler (1970-79) in 1968. The 2nd rounder from Alabama made many a defender miss as he moved around the pocket. He was often criticized for throwing too many interceptions. Still, in ten seasons with the Raiders he was 69-26-1 as a starter. That’s not too shabby for being selected 52nd overall.
Philadelphia Eagles- Much like with Denver and Terrell Davis, the Eagles stole a running back in the 6th round too. With the 154th pick overall came Wilbert Montgomery (1977-84) in 1977. He is still the Eagles all-time leading rusher. He spent eight of his nine seasons with the birds. Montgomery rushed for over 6,500 yards at 4.5 a carry. He came from the sixth round out of Jackson State. That, my friends, is a find.
Pittsburgh Steelers- The Terrible Towels are probably waving for Hines Ward here, a 3rd round pick. Pittsburgh historians should know who John Stallworth (1874-87) is. In 1974, the Steelers took the wideout from Alabama A&M with the 82nd overall pick in the 4th round. He was inducted into the Hall of Fame in 2002. Ward has edged him out in nearly every stat. But Terry Bradshaw’s favorite target deserves the nod with 63 touchdowns and 8,732 yards.
St. Louis Rams- The Rams have drafted some great players like Eric Dickerson, Jack Youngblood and Issac Bruce. But they also drafted an offensive tackle in 1976 with the 86th overall pick in the 3rd round. That man anchored their line for 20 years. Jackie Slater (1976-95) is the first offensive linemen on my list. In the 2013 draft, we’ll see 10s of linemen go in the first two rounds. Slater gave the Rams 259 solid games on the right side of the line. His number is retired in St. Louis. His name is etched into stone in Canton.
San Diego Chargers- Dan Fouts (1973-87) brought the Chargers a lot of success. The Oregon quarterback was selected in the 3rd round of the 1973 draft. Two Hall of Famers went in that draft and the other one was a lineman taken in the first round. Fouts was picked with the 64th overall pick. He won 86 games with 254 touchdown passes, a true San Diego great.
San Francisco 49ers- Two Hall of Fame defensive ends were taken in 1985 before the 16th pick in the 1st round went to the Niners. They picked up undoubtedly the best wide receiver of all-time in Jerry Rice (1985-00). His numbers are as immaculate in the record books as his hands were on a Sunday afternoon. Rice is not only the best wideout ever, many consider him to be the best player ever. San Fran made the right choice.
Seattle Seahawks- Chris Warren was an amazing draft day steal for the Seahawks. But my second lineman on this list is Walter Jones (1997-09). This big man stabilized a line for 12 years. He was a nine-time Pro-Bowler and four-time All-Pro. Jones’ number 71 was retired by the Seahawks following his retirement in 2009. He was taken in 1997 with the 6th overall pick in the 1st round.
Tampa Bay Buccaneers- The only fullback on my list was selected with the 35th overall pick in the 2nd round of the 1996 NFL Draft. Mike Alstott (1997-06) was a fan-favorte and an immovable object. When handed the ball, he was an unstoppable force. The Purdue grad was a six-time Pro-Bowler and three-time All-Pro. Many believe he is headed for the Hall of Fame.
Tennessee Titans- Eddie George (1996-03) was a great pick with the 14th overall pick in the 1st round of the 1997 NFL Draft. George struggled with injuries at the end of his career and sputtered out of the league following his final seasonm which was in Dallas. When Houston took George and received 10,009 yards in 128 games for the Oilers and Titans combined. They would never have reached the Super Bowl in 2000 without him.
Washington Redskins- The year 1983 brought the NFL Dan Marino, John Elway and Bruce Matthews. It also gave the Redskins Darrell Green (1983-02) with the 28th and final pick in the 1st round. That’s a Hall of Fame-type steal if I’ve ever heard one. The 54 interceptions, countless punt and kick returns and leadership for 295 games is unfathomable for a defensive back. The Skins will never forget #28, drafted 28th.
