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20 years of the NFL's #1 RB draft picks (1 Viewer)

David Yudkin

Footballguy
An offshoot of the WR thread . . .

1986 - Bo Jackson (1-1, Bucs)

Opted to play baseball and went back in the NFL draft and was picked up by OAK the next year. Uber talent but limited longevity.

1987 - Alonzo Highsmith (1-3, Oilers)

Did close to nothing.

1988 - Gaston Green (1-14, Rams)

Had one Pro Bowl year (with barely 1,000 rusing yards) for Denver.

1989 - Barry Sanders (1-3, Lions)

HOFer.

1990 - Blair Thomas (1-2, Jets)

Played 6 seasons, none with 1,000 rushing yards.

1991 - Leonard Russell (1-14, Pats)

Played 6 seasons, one with 1,000 rushing yards.

1992 - Tommy Vardell (1-9, Browns)

Played 8 years, none with 1,000 rushing yards.

1993 - Garrison Hearst (1-3, Cards)

2 Pro Bowls, four seasons with 1,000+ rushing yards.

1994 - Marshall Faulk (1-2, Colts)

Future HOFer.

1995 - Ki-Jana Carter (1-1, Bengals)

Lots of injuries. Played 6 years, no 1,000 yard rushing seasons.

1996 - Lawrence Phillips (1-6, Rams)

Played 3 years, no 1,000 yard rushing seasons.

1997 - Warrick Dunn (1-12, Bucs)

Steady but not spectacular. 3 Pro Bowls, four 1,000 yard seasons. Great humanitarian.

1998 - Curtis Enis (1-5, Bears)

3 years, no 1,000 yard rushing seasons.

1999 - Edgerrin James (1-4, Colts)

Building a HOF resume.

2000 - Jamal Lewis (1-5, Ravens)

Had three 1K seasons and another for 2K in 5 seasons played.

2001 - LaDainian Tomlinson (1-5, Chargers)

Seems to have fared better than Vick (who he was roundaboutly traded for).

2002 - William Green (1-16, Browns)

Never really panned out (at least to date).

2003 - Willis McGahee (1-23, Bills)

Two decent years in two tries.

2004 - Steven Jackson (1-24, Rams)

Did well in his one year as a starter.

2005 - Ronnie Brown (1-2, Dolphins)

Should do better if RW is out for the year.

2006 - Reggie Bush (1-1, Titans?)

Has the skills to be a star . . .

I count 9 busts of the 20. The rest were good to great.

 
1986 - Bo Jackson (1-1, Bucs)Opted to play baseball and went back in the NFL draft and was picked up by OAK the next year. Uber talent but limited longevity.
Why is this not considered the worst draft pick in NFL history? #1 overall pick and he never plays for your team?
 
There is an interesting story on why he didn't play for the Buc's. Hugh Culverhouse tricked BO into getting on a plane to visit Tampa. This made him ineligible for spring baseball at Auburn, something he still hadn't decided if he wanted to stay for. In return he screwed the Buc's out of our #1.

:thumbup: :thumbup: :thumbup: to Bo, our old owner was a jerk

 
Interesting that only one bust out of the last 7 years. Unless one of the most recent guys end of busting, still early for McGahee, Brown and Jackson but they look like the real deal.

 
1998 - Curtis Enis (1-5, Bears)3 years, no 1,000 yard rushing seasons.
arthritis in his knee after the torn ACL really ended his career, although it's most likely he would have been average at best anyway.
 
An offshoot of the WR thread . . .

1986 - Bo Jackson (1-1, Bucs)

Opted to play baseball and went back in the NFL draft and was picked up by OAK the next year. Uber talent but limited longevity.

1987 - Alonzo Highsmith (1-3, Oilers)

Did close to nothing.

1988 - Gaston Green (1-14, Rams)

Had one Pro Bowl year (with barely 1,000 rusing yards) for Denver.

1989 - Barry Sanders (1-3, Lions)

HOFer.

1990 - Blair Thomas (1-2, Jets)

Played 6 seasons, none with 1,000 rushing yards.

1991 - Leonard Russell (1-14, Pats)

Played 6 seasons, one with 1,000 rushing yards.

1992 - Tommy Vardell (1-9, Browns)

Played 8 years, none with 1,000 rushing yards.

1993 - Garrison Hearst (1-3, Cards)

2 Pro Bowls, four seasons with 1,000+ rushing yards.

1994 - Marshall Faulk (1-2, Colts)

Future HOFer.

1995 - Ki-Jana Carter (1-1, Bengals)

Lots of injuries. Played 6 years, no 1,000 yard rushing seasons.

1996 - Lawrence Phillips (1-6, Rams)

Played 3 years, no 1,000 yard rushing seasons.

1997 - Warrick Dunn (1-12, Bucs)

Steady but not spectacular. 3 Pro Bowls, four 1,000 yard seasons. Great humanitarian.

1998 - Curtis Enis (1-5, Bears)

3 years, no 1,000 yard rushing seasons.

1999 - Edgerrin James (1-4, Colts)

Building a HOF resume.

2000 - Jamal Lewis (1-5, Ravens)

Had three 1K seasons and another for 2K in 5 seasons played.

2001 - LaDainian Tomlinson (1-5, Chargers)

Seems to have fared better than Vick (who he was roundaboutly traded for).

2002 - William Green (1-16, Browns)

Never really panned out (at least to date).

2003 - Willis McGahee (1-23, Bills)

Two decent years in two tries.

2004 - Steven Jackson (1-24, Rams)

Did well in his one year as a starter.

2005 - Ronnie Brown (1-2, Dolphins)

Should do better if RW is out for the year.

2006 - Reggie Bush (1-1, Titans?)

Has the skills to be a star . . .

I count 9 busts of the 20. The rest were good to great.
And how many of those 9 busts were from Penn State?
 
Wow, hard to believe that Willis McGahee was the first RB taken all the way at #23. Larry Johnson was the only other RB taken in the first 2 rounds. Boy I wish the Bills had gone with LJ instead of McGahee.

I wonder what position actually has the highest success rate for the first guy picked at that position?

 
2001 - LaDainian Tomlinson (1-5, Chargers)

Seems to have fared better than Vick (who he was roundaboutly traded for).
LOL at managing to get a Vick jab in, while thread topic is about #1 RB's over past 20 years. :lmao:

 
...which is why naming Reggie Bush the #1 pick in fantasy next year is ridiculous.

Redraft, that is.

 
...which is why naming Reggie Bush the #1 pick in fantasy next year is ridiculous.

Redraft, that is.
Number one is crazy, but there was a guy in our league who drafted Edge in 1999 with the #4 pick and he finished as the #1 overall player, not just RB.
 
Rookie fantasy RB ranking:

Jackson - Didn't play

Highsmith - #86

Green - #108

Sanders - #4

Thomas - #39

Russell - #19

Vardell - #64

Hearst - #79

Faulk - #4

Carter - #34

Phillips - #38

Dunn - #13

Enis - #54

James - #1

Lewis - #16

Tomlinson - #7

Green - #27

McGahee - Didn't play

Jackson - #33

Brown - #23

 
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2001 - LaDainian Tomlinson (1-5, Chargers)

Seems to have fared better than Vick (who he was roundaboutly traded for).
LOL at managing to get a Vick jab in, while thread topic is about #1 RB's over past 20 years. :lmao:
I'm not seeing why this is so funny. LT has clearly played at an elite level while Vick has had isolated games of brilliance. Are you suggesting that Vick is in the same performance group as LT is? There really was no jab intended at Vick and I was only pointing out that LT and Vick will forever be linked together.
 
An offshoot of the WR thread . . .

2001 - LaDainian Tomlinson (1-5, Chargers)

Seems to have fared better than Vick (who he was roundaboutly traded for).
Pretty accurate shot on Vick! I agree!!
 
Top 20 all-time rookie RB fantasy performances:

1 (1st RB - 1-2) Eric Dickerson rb 1983 23 1 16 390 1808 4.64 18 341.20

2 (1st RB - 1-4) Edgerrin James rb 1999 21 1 16 369 1553 4.21 13 315.90

(4th RB - 2-19) Clinton Portis rb 2002 21 1 16 273 1508 5.52 15 289.20

(1st RB - 1-1) Billy Sims rb 1980 25 1 16 313 1303 4.16 13 288.40

(2nd RB - 1-9) Fred Taylor rb 1998 22 1 15 264 1223 4.63 14 266.40

(10th RB - 3-10) Curtis Martin rb 1995 22 1 16 368 1487 4.04 14 264.80

(1st RB - 1-2) Curt Warner rb 1983 22 1 16 335 1449 4.33 13 261.40

(1st RB - 1-3) Barry Sanders rb 1989 21 1 15 280 1470 5.25 14 259.20

(1st RB - 1-1) George Rogers rb 1981 23 1 15 378 1674 4.43 13 258.00

10  (3rd RB - 1-4) Gale Sayers rb 1965 22 1 14 166 867 5.22 14 257.40

11 (Undrafted) Mike Anderson rb 2000 27 1 14 297 1487 5.01 15 255.60

12  (1st RB - 1-2) Marshall Faulk rb 1994 21 1 16 314 1282 4.08 11 252.40

13  (1st RB - 1-8) Ottis Anderson rb 1979 22 1 16 331 1605 4.85 8 251.30

14 (USFL) Herschel Walker rb 1986 24 1 16 151 737 4.88 12 241.40

15  (6th RB - 2-1) Joe Cribbs rb 1980 22 1 16 306 1185 3.87 11 232.00

16 (Undrafted?) Cookie Gilchrist rb 1962 27 1 14 214 1096 5.12 13 231.50

17  (1st RB - 1-1) Earl Campbell rb 1978 23 1 15 302 1450 4.80 13 227.80

18  (1st RB - 1-5) LaDainian Tomlinson rb 2001 22 1 16 339 1236 3.65 10 220.30

19  (9th RB - 5-7) Abner Haynes rb 1960 23 1 14 156 875 5.61 9 217.10

20  (3rd RB - 1-18) Robert Edwards rb 1998 24 1 16 291 1115 3.83 9 216.60
 
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...which is why naming Reggie Bush the #1 pick in fantasy next year is ridiculous.

Redraft, that is.
Number one is crazy, but there was a guy in our league who drafted Edge in 1999 with the #4 pick and he finished as the #1 overall player, not just RB.
You're right; but that's the exception, not the rule.That's the proverbial carrot that dangles in front of anyone with the 1.1 pick.

 
2001 - LaDainian Tomlinson (1-5, Chargers)

Seems to have fared better than Vick (who he was roundaboutly traded for).
LOL at managing to get a Vick jab in, while thread topic is about #1 RB's over past 20 years. :lmao:
Personally, I thought this was kind of disrespecting Tomlinson. The guy is the best back in football and all that can be said about him is that he is better than a crummy QB?
 
2001 - LaDainian Tomlinson (1-5, Chargers)

Seems to have fared better than Vick (who he was roundaboutly traded for).
LOL at managing to get a Vick jab in, while thread topic is about #1 RB's over past 20 years. :lmao:
I'm not seeing why this is so funny. LT has clearly played at an elite level while Vick has had isolated games of brilliance. Are you suggesting that Vick is in the same performance group as LT is? There really was no jab intended at Vick and I was only pointing out that LT and Vick will forever be linked together.
I just thought it was funny to see what to me looked like a Vick jab, in a thread discussing the #1 drafted RB's over the past 20 years. Didn't have any deep meaning, just tickled my funny bone. :D
 
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Wow, hard to believe that Willis McGahee was the first RB taken all the way at #23. Larry Johnson was the only other RB taken in the first 2 rounds. Boy I wish the Bills had gone with LJ instead of McGahee.

I wonder what position actually has the highest success rate for the first guy picked at that position?
wouldn't be surprised to see LJ do worse than Mcgahee running behind that Bills O-line. If Mcgahee can run 4 back to back 1000yd seasons in Buffalo, who knows what he could have accomplished in KC
 
LT has clearly been a better Rb than Vick has in thier respective careers.

As pointed out by ctsu only 50% of the top rookie performances for Rbs were the 1st Rb drafted that year.

 
LT has clearly been a better Rb than Vick has in thier respective careers.

As pointed out by ctsu only 50% of the top rookie performances for Rbs were the 1st Rb drafted that year.
Maybe LT is the better passer, too. I bet his passer rating is better.
 
LT has clearly been a better Rb than Vick has in thier respective careers.

As pointed out by ctsu only 50% of the top rookie performances for Rbs were the 1st Rb drafted that year.
Maybe LT is the better passer, too. I bet his passer rating is better.
Agreed. :thumbup:
 
LT has clearly been a better Rb than Vick has in thier respective careers.

As pointed out by ctsu only 50% of the top rookie performances for Rbs were the 1st Rb drafted that year.
Maybe LT is the better passer, too. I bet his passer rating is better.
It's not even close...Vick - 75.8

Tomlinson - 153.3

 
LT has clearly been a better Rb than Vick has in thier respective careers.

As pointed out by ctsu only 50% of the top rookie performances for Rbs were the 1st Rb drafted that year.
Maybe LT is the better passer, too. I bet his passer rating is better.
It's not even close...Vick - 75.8

Tomlinson - 153.3
ah, the stupid comparison thread, can i add conference championship games attended?
 
LT has clearly been a better Rb than Vick has in thier respective careers.

As pointed out by ctsu only 50% of the top rookie performances for Rbs were the 1st Rb drafted that year.
Maybe LT is the better passer, too. I bet his passer rating is better.
:lmao: What are you going to bet on next? That water is wet? That the Sun will rise in the east?

 
LT has clearly been a better Rb than Vick has in thier respective careers.

As pointed out by ctsu only 50% of the top rookie performances for Rbs were the 1st Rb drafted that year.
Maybe LT is the better passer, too. I bet his passer rating is better.
It's not even close...Vick - 75.8

Tomlinson - 153.3
ah, the stupid comparison thread, can i add conference championship games attended?
Unless the difference is approaching the 80s, don't bother. Seeing it's only a difference of one, I can see why you introduced it with the "stupid comparison" comment.
 
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LT has clearly been a better Rb than Vick has in thier respective careers.

As pointed out by ctsu only 50% of the top rookie performances for Rbs were the 1st Rb drafted that year.
Maybe LT is the better passer, too. I bet his passer rating is better.
It's not even close...Vick - 75.8

Tomlinson - 153.3
ah, the stupid comparison thread, can i add conference championship games attended?
Unless the difference is approaching the 80s, don't bother. Seeing it's only a difference of one, I can see why you introduced it with the "stupid comparison" comment.
you're right, passer rating between a RB and QB makes much more sense. Thanks for setting me straight.
 
Great stuff as always David!

I still have a TON of Leonard Russell rookie cards. Actually, I have rookies for all these guys. :bag:

 

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