Your Franchise's Ten Greatest Ever Draft Picks! (1 Viewer)

[OldMilwaukee]

Reich was as solid a backup as any could want and he certainly pulled the Bills ### outta the fire a couple of times but Kelly is a main reason the Bills had all that success in the late 80's/early 90's. t sayin

You have that backwords, sir!!!a Bill's Fan

 

[Chase Stuart]

An alternative argument could be that Kelly wasn't a good draft pick because the Bills could have selected Marino. I don't really agree with that one though, or that he was a worse draft pick than Reich.

well, I guess we can remove Reich from my list. I wouldn't have a problem with that.I could go either way on Kelly being included in the top-10 picks or not, but I'm leaning towards not including him.

 

[JohnnyU]

1) Jim Parker (OL) - 1957 - R1 (#8 overall)2) Peyton Manning (QB) - 1998 - R1 (#1 overall)3) Lenny Moore (RB) - 1956 - R1 (#9 overall)4) Marvin Harrison (WR) - 1996 - R1 (#19 overall)5) Raymond Berry (WR) - 1954 - R206) John Mackey (TE) - 1963 - R27) Mike Curtis (LB) - 1965 - R1 as a FB8) Bubba Smith (DE) - 1967 R1 (#1 overall AFL)9) Bert Jones (QB) - 1973 - R1 (#2 overall)10) Ted Hendricks (LB) - 1969 - R2

Was Lydell Mitchell was #11?

I loved Mitchell, and he would be in the next 5 somewhere. He was a great all-purpose RB. I've since edited my original post to include the round and # overall for the RD 1 picks.

What about Mr. 25.9 yards per catch? .... top 15?

If it's Roger Carr you speak of, he was one of my favorite Colts of all time. I'm not sure where I would rank him though. I haven't thought beyond the top 10. Carr only had 1 season over 1000+ yds and 1 season with double digit tds. As a matter of fact the most he had in one year was 6 after the 11. That 25.9 ypc was in 1976 with 1100+ yds and 11 tds..

 

[kellumsboys]

Kind of hard to narrow it down to 10.1961 - Bob Lilly - DT - R11963 - Lee Roy Jordan - LB -R11964 - Mel Renfro - CB - R21964 - Bob Hayes - WR - R71964 - Roger Staubach - QB - R101965 - Jethro Pugh - DT - R111966 - John Niland - OG - R11967 - Rayfield Wright - OT - R41968 - Blaine Nye - OT - R51973 - Harvey Martin - DE - R31974 - Ed "Too Tall" Jones - DE - R11975 - Randy White - DT - R11977 - Tony Dorsett - RB - R11977 - Tony Hill - WR - R31985 - Herschel Walker - RB - R51988 - Michael Irvin - WR - R11989 - Troy Aikman - QB - R11989 - Darryl Johnston - FB - R21990 - Emmitt Smith - RB - R11991 - Leon Lett - DT - R71992 - Darren Woodson - S - R21994 - Larry Allen - OG - R22005 - Demarcus Ware - LB/DE - R1ETA: And then there is this guy who was not drafted: 3-time pro-bowler Drew Pearson (5-time top 11 FF WR).

great list !my first thought was Emmitt, being a late 1st rounder, but some others must be considered.Bob Hayes in the 7th round ? WOW !Rayfield Wright in the 4th. sweet !Jethro Pugh in the 11th round. now that is digging deep.Herschel Walker in the 5th. between his production and all the draft picks he was traded for, wow, what a steal.but the best easily has to be :Roger Staubach in the 10th round ? boy, was it worth the wait.

 

[dutch]

Reich was as solid a backup as any could want and he certainly pulled the Bills ### outta the fire a couple of times but Kelly is a main reason the Bills had all that success in the late 80's/early 90's. t sayin

You have that backwords, sir!!!a Bill's Fan

I await you explanation.

 

[Michael Fox Fan]

Green Bay Packers

1941: Tony Canadeo (9th round)

1953: Jim Ringo (7th round)

1956: Bart Starr (17th round)

1958: Ray Nitschke (3rd round)

1985: Brian Noble (5th round)

1995: William Henderson (3rd round)

1995: Adam Timmermann (7th round)

1998: Matt Hasselbeck (6th round)

2000: Mark Tauscher (7th round)

2002: Aaron Kampmann (5th round)

Honorable mention:

Don Hutson (no NFL draft until 1936)

Willie Wood (free agent in 1960 - when the draft was ridiculously long)

Sterling Sharpe, James Lofton, Paul Hornung, Forrest Gregg, LeRoy Butler (all were 1st or 2nd round picks)

 

[JohnnyU]

Green Bay Packers

1941: Tony Canadeo (9th round)

1953: Jim Ringo (7th round)

1956: Bart Starr (17th round)

1958: Ray Nitschke (3rd round)

1985: Brian Noble (5th round)

1995: William Henderson (3rd round)

1995: Adam Timmermann (7th round)

1998: Matt Hasselbeck (6th round)

2000: Mark Tauscher (7th round)

2002: Aaron Kampmann (5th round)

Honorable mention:

Don Hutson (no NFL draft until 1936)

Willie Wood (free agent in 1960 - when the draft was ridiculously long)

Sterling Sharpe, James Lofton, Paul Hornung, Forrest Gregg, LeRoy Butler (all were 1st or 2nd round picks)

How could Hornung and Gregg not be in the top 10? Hell, both are top 5.

 

[Michael Fox Fan]

Green Bay Packers

1941: Tony Canadeo (9th round)

1953: Jim Ringo (7th round)

1956: Bart Starr (17th round)

1958: Ray Nitschke (3rd round)

1985: Brian Noble (5th round)

1995: William Henderson (3rd round)

1995: Adam Timmermann (7th round)

1998: Matt Hasselbeck (6th round)

2000: Mark Tauscher (7th round)

2002: Aaron Kampmann (5th round)

Honorable mention:

Don Hutson (no NFL draft until 1936)

Willie Wood (free agent in 1960 - when the draft was ridiculously long)

Sterling Sharpe, James Lofton, Paul Hornung, Forrest Gregg, LeRoy Butler (all were 1st or 2nd round picks)

How could Hornung and Gregg not be in the top 10? Hell, both are top 5.

Similar to Rudnicki, I found it boring to have a top-1o that was essentially top 10 all time players. That's why I specifically included them in honorable mention. But yeah, agreed that they (along with Lofton and Sharpe, possibly Butler) were top-10 players. It's more interesting to look at successful later round picks...

 

[JohnnyU]

Green Bay Packers

1941: Tony Canadeo (9th round)

1953: Jim Ringo (7th round)

1956: Bart Starr (17th round)

1958: Ray Nitschke (3rd round)

1985: Brian Noble (5th round)

1995: William Henderson (3rd round)

1995: Adam Timmermann (7th round)

1998: Matt Hasselbeck (6th round)

2000: Mark Tauscher (7th round)

2002: Aaron Kampmann (5th round)

Honorable mention:

Don Hutson (no NFL draft until 1936)

Willie Wood (free agent in 1960 - when the draft was ridiculously long)

Sterling Sharpe, James Lofton, Paul Hornung, Forrest Gregg, LeRoy Butler (all were 1st or 2nd round picks)

How could Hornung and Gregg not be in the top 10? Hell, both are top 5.

Similar to Rudnicki, I found it boring to have a top-1o that was essentially top 10 all time players. That's why I specifically included them in honorable mention. But yeah, agreed that they (along with Lofton and Sharpe, possibly Butler) were top-10 players. It's more interesting to look at successful later round picks...

Well, when you are talking about Hall of Fame players like Hornung and Gregg, you have to put both in the top 10 greatest picks for their franchise. Now if someone wants to start a thread on top 10 steal picks of all-time for their franchise, that's a different story. I guess I missed the point of the thead.

 

[Pat Patriot]

1965: Joe Namath

1967: John Elliott

1977: Joe Klecko

1979: Marty Lyons

1979: Mark Gastineau

1981: Freeman McNeil

1983: Ken O'Brien

1991: Mo Lewis

1994: Aaron Glenn

2000: Chad Pennington

This is off the top of my head, so it's certainly possible that I'm missing some obvious ones. Players like Keyshawn, Abraham, Ellis, Vilma, Salaam, and Toon were all pretty solid players, too. Chrebet and Green might have made the team, but both were undrafted.

Sorry, Joe Namath was drafted by the St. Louis Cardinals and then Traded to the Jets

Joe Namath might be the most famous draft pick of all time. He was drafted during the height of the AFL-NFL battle, and was drafted by both the Cardinals and the Jets. At the time, most highly sought after college athletes (and Namath was as highly sought after as you get - he had just won a National Championship and was an incredible collegiate athlete) went to the NFL. The Jets offered Namath the richest contract in the history of pro football. He was nicknamed "The $400,000 QB", and was given a $427,000 contract ($400K + a new car). Namath's signing marked a signal that the AFL could compete with the NFL, and obviously, Namath would later signal that again.

There was never a trade.

Yes, Patriots and Jets fans agree: the AFL pwns!

Its easy to agree on something that is factual. Its generally your off the wall opinions that I find issue with.

 

[Pat Patriot]

Houston Texans

Andre Johnson

Dominic Davis

DeMeco Ryans

Dunta Robinson

Mario Williams

Jerome Mathis

No Oilers that history is gone to Tennesse

I'm kind of on Aaron's side in this argument, although I did include 1st rounders (I dont think any were #1 overall). There are 2 factors for me in determining whether a pick is good or not. Obviously value by round but also who was available when you were picking. Picking Mario Williams over Reggie Bush can in no way be determined a good draft pick. Even if Mario Williams is a good player (IF).

 

[Michael Fox Fan]

Green Bay Packers

1941: Tony Canadeo (9th round)

1953: Jim Ringo (7th round)

1956: Bart Starr (17th round)

1958: Ray Nitschke (3rd round)

1985: Brian Noble (5th round)

1995: William Henderson (3rd round)

1995: Adam Timmermann (7th round)

1998: Matt Hasselbeck (6th round)

2000: Mark Tauscher (7th round)

2002: Aaron Kampmann (5th round)

Honorable mention:

Don Hutson (no NFL draft until 1936)

Willie Wood (free agent in 1960 - when the draft was ridiculously long)

Sterling Sharpe, James Lofton, Paul Hornung, Forrest Gregg, LeRoy Butler (all were 1st or 2nd round picks)

How could Hornung and Gregg not be in the top 10? Hell, both are top 5.

Similar to Rudnicki, I found it boring to have a top-1o that was essentially top 10 all time players. That's why I specifically included them in honorable mention. But yeah, agreed that they (along with Lofton and Sharpe, possibly Butler) were top-10 players. It's more interesting to look at successful later round picks...

Well, when you are talking about Hall of Fame players like Hornung and Gregg, you have to put both in the top 10 greatest picks for their franchise. Now if someone wants to start a thread on top 10 steal picks of all-time for their franchise, that's a different story. I guess I missed the point of the thead.

Fair enough Johnny. I shouldn't debate someone who has been around long enough to have witnessed all of these drafts. Given Green Bay's history of poor 1st round picks, I probably should have celebrated the times when we actually picked a solid player. In fact, the list of 1st round busts is a ton more fun: Rich Campbell, Mandarich, Vinnie Clark, etc.

 

[The Man With No Name]

I'm not following you on the "From a purely value standpoint" thought. Even IF he was selected 1.01, he would still a value play.

Harold Carmichael was a 4-time pro-bowler; He played in an era where 67 receptions led the league, and still finished with 590 career receptions, 8985 yards and 79 TDs (still top 20 all-time).

At 6'8", 225, Carmichael was a physical freak back in the day. As a Cowboy fan, it's sad to review their 1971 draft and wonder what could have been. Save the Bill Gregory pick in the 3rd, the 1971 Cowboy draft was horrible. Even I don't know who the hell first-rounder Tody Smith was.

I remember when he played for the Oilers. He's Bubba Smith's brother.

 

[Billy1x]

CardinalsTHE BIG THREE (left for SD and then Redskins)Don Coryell - 1973 Head Coach (traded to chargers)Joe Gibbs - 1973 Offensive CoordJim Hanifan - 1973 Offensvie Line CoachJoe Namath QB - 1965 (traded to jets)Dan Dierdorf T - 1971Joe Bostic T - 1979 (traded to redskins)Conrad Dobler G - 1972Tom Banks C - 1970Terry Metcalf RB - 1973Otis Anderson RB - 1979 (traded to giants)Thomas Jones & Garrison Hearst RB- honorable mentionsLarry Fitzgerald - WRAnquan Boldin - WRAhmad Rashad WR - 1972 traded to VikingsJackie Smith TE - traded to CowboysJay Novack TE - 1985 traded to CowboysMel Gray WR - 1971 (rumoured to run a 4.1sec 40 yard dash)Def Back - Roger Wehrlifinally made Hall of Fame in 2007Def Back - 1960 Larry Wilson

I would add Mel Gray to your list. Only 351 career receptions, but a career 18.9 ypc is an eye-opener; 46 TDs was pretty good too. As a Cowboy fan in the 70's, I hated Mel Gray. 4-time pro-bowler to boot.

Added. He was the Joey Galloway of the day. Blinding speed. I don't remember him ever getting caught from behind. My dad started taking me to the Cardinals games in 1974. It was a great 3 year run until the big loss to Miami in 77. Things went downhill after that but for that short period of time it was exiting to be a Cardinal fan and the Cowboys / Redskin games were always nail biters.

 

[alg]

if a player is drafted 1st overall like Bruce Smith, he's SUPPOSED to be great. not really a great draft pick, IMO.

True, but Smith gave you quite a lot more than the average of Mario Williams, Courtney Brown, Dan Wilkinson, Steve Emtman, Russell Maryland, Kenneth Sims, Lee Roy Selmon, Ed "Too Tall" Jones, John Matuszak and Walt Patulski.

none of those guys were taken in the same year as Bruce Smith (best Bills player of all time, IMO).Bill Polian drafting Bruce Smith and Peyton Manning doesn't make him a genius. A monkey could make those picks.

Actually, at the time of the draft it was not a forgone conclusion that Smith was the best player on the board. The late great Joel Baushbaum (sp) refereed to him as a king kong in shoulder pads or a complete bust. He was fat and lazy, and did not give complete assurance to the contrary his 1st or 2nd year in the league. Buffalo made the right call, but it far from a no-brainier. He was not even the consensus #1 DE choice like Mario Williams (Childress went #2 to Houston.) Don't even recall him being as universally and as highly touted as Mario for that matter.Same could be said for Kelly. Remember, he was the 3rd QB of 6 taken in the 1st that year. Ruben Brown was an OG taken around 8-10, very high for a guard. But look at the draft that year. Butler pulled him out of a huge pile of busts, and it looks like he found the gem regardless of position.OJ is another thing. He was that year's 'Reggie Bush" with a couple of extra exclamation points. Consensus superstar and easily the 1st pick in the draft. At the time, and perhaps for all time, he was the most highly rated college player ever. And that in an era that valued RBs much more then now. So on this one I'll cut you some slack. Still, we did take Patulski. Not being stupid is sometimes good enough...

 

[prymetyme25]

Houston Texans

Andre Johnson

Dominic Davis

DeMeco Ryans

Dunta Robinson

Mario Williams

Jerome Mathis

No Oilers that history is gone to Tennesse

I'm kind of on Aaron's side in this argument, although I did include 1st rounders (I dont think any were #1 overall). There are 2 factors for me in determining whether a pick is good or not. Obviously value by round but also who was available when you were picking. Picking Mario Williams over Reggie Bush can in no way be determined a good draft pick. Even if Mario Williams is a good player (IF).

come on man cut me some slack I didnt even have 10 people to put up there.

 

[Aaron Rudnicki]

if a player is drafted 1st overall like Bruce Smith, he's SUPPOSED to be great. not really a great draft pick, IMO.

True, but Smith gave you quite a lot more than the average of Mario Williams, Courtney Brown, Dan Wilkinson, Steve Emtman, Russell Maryland, Kenneth Sims, Lee Roy Selmon, Ed "Too Tall" Jones, John Matuszak and Walt Patulski.

none of those guys were taken in the same year as Bruce Smith (best Bills player of all time, IMO).Bill Polian drafting Bruce Smith and Peyton Manning doesn't make him a genius. A monkey could make those picks.

Actually, at the time of the draft it was not a forgone conclusion that Smith was the best player on the board. The late great Joel Baushbaum (sp) refereed to him as a king kong in shoulder pads or a complete bust. He was fat and lazy, and did not give complete assurance to the contrary his 1st or 2nd year in the league. Buffalo made the right call, but it far from a no-brainier. He was not even the consensus #1 DE choice like Mario Williams (Childress went #2 to Houston.) Don't even recall him being as universally and as highly touted as Mario for that matter.Same could be said for Kelly. Remember, he was the 3rd QB of 6 taken in the 1st that year. Ruben Brown was an OG taken around 8-10, very high for a guard. But look at the draft that year. Butler pulled him out of a huge pile of busts, and it looks like he found the gem regardless of position.OJ is another thing. He was that year's 'Reggie Bush" with a couple of extra exclamation points. Consensus superstar and easily the 1st pick in the draft. At the time, and perhaps for all time, he was the most highly rated college player ever. And that in an era that valued RBs much more then now. So on this one I'll cut you some slack. Still, we did take Patulski. Not being stupid is sometimes good enough...

I'll give you that Bruce might not have been the no-brainer I made him out to be, but I still am not convinced it was a top-10 draft pick in Bills history. Like I said, when a player goes #1 overall, he's expected to be great. There were quite a few great players in that draft class so their chances of grabbing one was pretty good, but I'd agree it probably deserves more consideration as a great pick than I initially gave it.1985 NFL DRAFTSel# Team Player Pos. School 1 Buffalo Bruce Smith DE Virginia Tech 2 Atlanta Bill Fralic G Pittsburgh 3 Houston Ray Childress DT Texas A&M 4 Minnesota Chris Doleman DE Pittsburgh 5 Indianapolis Duane Bickett OLB Southern California 6 Detroit Lomas Brown T Florida 7 Green Bay Ken Ruettgers T Southern California 8 Tampa Bay Ron Holmes DE Washington 9 Philadelphia Kevin Allen T Indiana 10 N.Y. Jets Al Toon WR Wisconsin 11 Houston Richard Johnson CB Wisconsin 12 San Diego Jim Lachey T Ohio State 13 Cincinnati Eddie Brown WR Miami 14 Buffalo Derrick Burroughs CB Memphis 15 Kansas City Ethan Horton TE North Carolina 16 San Francisco Jerry Rice WR Mississippi Valley As for Reuben Brown, he has had a very good career and wound up being a very good pick for the Bills. But, they did take him at #14 overall and when you take a guard that high, I think it's expected that he'll be a dominant player. They passed on Korey Stringer, who played at a similar level but at a more important position, OT. They also could have had Ty Law or Derrick Brooks with that pick if we're going to evaluate the pick with the benefit of hindsight.

 

[obxlegends]

Although we've only been a franchise for only 10 years, we've got a great start. Here goes...

Baltimore Ravens:

Ogden, Jonathan 1996

Lewis, Ray 1996

Boulware, Peter 1997

Sharper, Jamie 1997

McAlister, Chris 1999

Lewis, Jamal 2000

Thomas, Adalius 2000

Heap, Todd 2001

Reed, Edward 2002

Suggs, Terrell 2003

 

[Obie Wan]

also, Jim Kelly almost didn't play for the Bills. went to the USFL for 2 years and that pick could have wound up being worthless if the USFL didn't collapse.

Yep, thats precisley why I put him waaayyyyy ahead of Reich on a best draftee list for the Bills. Kelly missed two years and Still gave Buffalo a hall of fame career and a bunch of sb appearances. Reich was a good pick but was replacable; Jim Kelly put the K in K-Gun.

Dan Marino was available when the Bills picked Kelly.what if they had Marino and Thurman? maybe they actually could have won a Super Bowl or two.btw, Bills don't get to 1 of those Super Bowls without Reich.

Aaron, can't do the nested quote yet so I'll respond to both you and Chase at the same time. My personal opinion is Kelly would go with whatever gave his team the best chance to win whether it was run or pass. I dont thinkl Marino would have had the sam discipline and with tthat I'm not sure he and Marv last long enough to win anything for Buffalo. Its all speculation but thats my 2 cents.

I agree.Thurman would have been just another guy because Marino would have never given him the ball. Marino was all about his stats more than the team winning.

 

[Obie Wan]

Rudnicki didn't include any first rounders, so it's safe to assume that he's placing a significant emphasis on draft position when determining the best picks. That's understandable, but I don't think you could leave Kelly, Smith or Simpson off a list of the Bills best all time draft picks. We're talking about all time NFL greats.

what's the point of including them?might as well just list the 10 best players in the franchise's history. If we were doing that, Bruce, OJ, and Kelly would all be in the top-5 for sure.if a player is drafted 1st overall like Bruce Smith, he's SUPPOSED to be great. not really a great draft pick, IMO.

sounds like there should be 2 lists - one for the best production and a second for the best value for where they were picked.Here's a list of possible candidatesRound Year Name Position College1 1969 O.J. Simpson RB USC1 1973 Joe Delamielleure G Michigan State1 1979 Jerry Butler WR Clemson1 1983 Jim Kelly QB Miami (FL)1 1985 Bruce Smith DE Virginia Tech1 1986 Will Wolford T Vanderbilt1 1995 Reuben Brown G Pittsburgh2 1961 Billy Shaw G Georgia Tech2 1972 Reggie McKenzie G Michigan2 1979 Fred Smerlas DT Boston College2 1979 Jim Haslett LB Indiana (PA)2 1980 Joe Cribbs RB Auburn2 1983 Darryl Talley LB West Virginia2 1987 Nate Odomes DB Wisconsin2 1988 Thurman Thomas RB Oklahoma State2 1991 Phil Hansen DE North Dakota State2 1998 Sam Cowart LB Florida State2 2001 Aaron Schobel DE Texas Christian3 1973 Joe Ferguson QB Arkansas4 1985 Andre Reed WR Kutztown (PA)4 2003 Terrence McGee DB Northwestern State5 1971 Don Green T Purdue7 1971 Bob Chandler WR USC8 1988 Jeff Wright DT Central Missouri State9 1987 Keith McKeller TE Jacksonville State9 1988 Carlton Bailey LB North Carolina10 1975 Roland Hooks RB North Carolina State10 1990 Mike Lodish DT UCLA12 1977 Charles Romes DB North Carolina Central

 

[Aaron Rudnicki]

2 1961 Billy Shaw G Georgia Tech

He certainly belongs on the list. I misread the draft list and thought he was taken #2 overall, but he was actually the first pick of the 2nd round in the 1961 AFL draft.

 

[bshipper]

I'll take a shot for the Bengals.

(chronolgical order)

Top 10

Bob Trumpy 1968 R12

Ken Riley 1969 R6

Ken Anderson 1971 R3

Isaac Curtis 1973 R1

Anthony Munoz 1980 R1

Tim Krumrie 1983 R10

Boomer Esiason 1984 R2

Willie Anderson 1996 R1

Chad Johnson 2001 R2

Carson Palmer 2003 R1

Others

Larry Kinnebrew 1983 R6

Bruce Kozerski 1984 R9

Eddie Brown 1985 R1

David Fulcher 1986 R3

James Francis 1990 R1

Corey Dillon 1997 R2

Kelly Gregg 1999 R6 (now in BAL)

Neil Rackers 2000 R6 (now in ARZ)

Justin Smith 2001 R1

Rudi Johnson 2001 R4

TJ Houshmanzadeh 2001 R7

Levi Jones 2002 R1

Eric Steinbach 2003 R2 (now in CLE)

 

[Warpig]

Not alot of history for my franchise, but there are some solid picks in here.

Jacksonville Jaguars:

1) Tony Boselli

2) Fred Taylor

3) Kevin Hardy

4) Tony Brackens

5) Marcus Stroud

6) John Henderson

7) Brad Meester

8) Byron Leftwich (starting to reach here)

9) Donovin Darius

10) Rashean Mathis

 

[Ramblin Wreck]

Houston Texans

Andre Johnson

Dominic Davis

DeMeco Ryans

Dunta Robinson

Mario Williams

Jerome Mathis

No Oilers that history is gone to Tennesse

http://www.drafthistory.com/teams/texans.htmlMan they have done an awful job in their small history of drafting.

 

[Facecow]

Vikings

1961 Tarkenton

1998 Moss

1988 R.McDaniel

1973 Foreman

1985 Doleman

1964 Eller

1967 Page

1983 Browner

1968 R.Yary

That's only 9 and I'm sure I'm forgetting someone that's great. I'll just go with this until I can recall:

1987 DJ Dozier

 

[Ty Webb]

My cut at the Eagles top 10 with nobody in rounds 1 or 2. Maybe missing some really old guys:'43 - rd 5 - Al Wistert '57 - rd 3 - Tommy Mcdonald'57 - rd 4 - Sonny Jurgensen'71 - rd 7 - Harold Carmichael'72 - rd 10 - John Bunting'77 - rd 6 - Wilbert Montgomery '86 - rd 8 - Seth Joyner'86 - rd 9 - Clyde Simmons'97 - rd 3 - Duce Staley'02 - rd 3 - Brian Westbrook

I'd probably take off Staley and put on Carl Hairston (1976, round 7)

 

[Bada Bing]

Atlanta Falcons

1966 - Tommy Nobis

1968 - Claude Humphrey

1969 - Jeff Van Note

1975 - Steve Bartkowski

1979 - William Andrews

1989 - Deion Sanders

1991 - Brett Favre

1994 - Jamal Anderson

2001 - Alge Crumpler

2001 - Michael Vick???

 

[coolnerd]

Houston Texans

Andre Johnson

Dominic Davis

DeMeco Ryans

Dunta Robinson

Mario Williams

Jerome Mathis

No Oilers that history is gone to Tennesse

I'm kind of on Aaron's side in this argument, although I did include 1st rounders (I dont think any were #1 overall). There are 2 factors for me in determining whether a pick is good or not. Obviously value by round but also who was available when you were picking. Picking Mario Williams over Reggie Bush can in no way be determined a good draft pick. Even if Mario Williams is a good player (IF).

come on man cut me some slack I didnt even have 10 people to put up there.

As a Texans' fan, I was very willing to sit on the sidelines for this conversasion. I need no fresh reminders that there are probably not 10 starters on the team currently who were original Texans picks. Heck there may not be 10 starters in the entire NFL who were originally Texans picks.

 

[-OZ-]

Rudnicki didn't include any first rounders, so it's safe to assume that he's placing a significant emphasis on draft position when determining the best picks. That's understandable, but I don't think you could leave Kelly, Smith or Simpson off a list of the Bills best all time draft picks. We're talking about all time NFL greats.

what's the point of including them?might as well just list the 10 best players in the franchise's history. If we were doing that, Bruce, OJ, and Kelly would all be in the top-5 for sure.if a player is drafted 1st overall like Bruce Smith, he's SUPPOSED to be great. not really a great draft pick, IMO.

I get you now. I disagree but I get you. When it comes to Smith, Reed, Thomas and Kelly you're talking about the most pivotal group of Buffalo draftees EVAH! Hiow many Mandarichs, Leafs, Spurriers have flamed out royaly even with the annointment of "First Overall Draft Pick!"? remeber Tom Cousaneou(sp)? As for OJ, he WAS the Bills for a decade. That looms large for me in this discussion. I'm thinking along the lines of Barry Sanders here.

I happen to agree with Dutch here, which is why I would include Barry in my top 10 picks for the Lions.Difficult to do an "ever" list, so I'll go with top 5 since 1982:1985: 2 34 Kevin Glover C Maryland 1988: 2 29 Chris Spielman ILB Ohio State 1989: 1 3 Barry Sanders RB Oklahoma State 1995: 6 192 Cory Schlesinger FB Nebraska *2000: 3 81 Reuben Droughns RB Oregon 2001: 2 61 Shaun Rogers DT Texas Not a lot to choose from.

 

[5Rings]

This is a pretty ambigous question, so I''ll break it down by early Rds (1-3) and Late Rounds (4 and on). I don't really see the need for listing 1.01 picks like Bob Lilly, Peyton Manning, et al. I read the question moreso as a "value" listing, so here goes:

2005-3rd Frank Gore

1996-3rd Terrell Owens

1994-1st Bryant Young

1991-2nd Ricky Watters

1985-1st Jerry Rice

1981-1st Ronnie Lott

1981-2nd Eric Wright

1980-2nd Keena Turner

1979-3rd Joe Montana

1961-1st Jimmy Johnson

1994-6th Lee Woodall

1991-5th Merton Hanks

1986-4th Charles Haley

1986-4th Steve Wallace

1986-4th Kevin Fagan

1986-6th Don Griffin

1984-4th Michael Carter

1984-5th Jeff Fuller

1983-8th Jesse Sapolu

1979-10th Dwight Clark

1978-7th Fred Quillan

1976-8th John Ayers

1968-10th Tommy Hart

1964-9th Howard Mudd

 

[Ty Webb]

Houston Texans

Andre Johnson

Dominic Davis

DeMeco Ryans

Dunta Robinson

Mario Williams

Jerome Mathis

No Oilers that history is gone to Tennesse

I'm kind of on Aaron's side in this argument, although I did include 1st rounders (I dont think any were #1 overall). There are 2 factors for me in determining whether a pick is good or not. Obviously value by round but also who was available when you were picking. Picking Mario Williams over Reggie Bush can in no way be determined a good draft pick. Even if Mario Williams is a good player (IF).

come on man cut me some slack I didnt even have 10 people to put up there.

As a Texans' fan, I was very willing to sit on the sidelines for this conversasion. I need no fresh reminders that there are probably not 10 starters on the team currently who were original Texans picks. Heck there may not be 10 starters in the entire NFL who were originally Texans picks.

Jabar Gaffney?

 

[prymetyme25]

Houston Texans

Andre Johnson

Dominic Davis

DeMeco Ryans

Dunta Robinson

Mario Williams

Jerome Mathis

No Oilers that history is gone to Tennesse

I'm kind of on Aaron's side in this argument, although I did include 1st rounders (I dont think any were #1 overall). There are 2 factors for me in determining whether a pick is good or not. Obviously value by round but also who was available when you were picking. Picking Mario Williams over Reggie Bush can in no way be determined a good draft pick. Even if Mario Williams is a good player (IF).

come on man cut me some slack I didnt even have 10 people to put up there.

As a Texans' fan, I was very willing to sit on the sidelines for this conversasion. I need no fresh reminders that there are probably not 10 starters on the team currently who were original Texans picks. Heck there may not be 10 starters in the entire NFL who were originally Texans picks.

I was gonna sit it out too but hell its not a secret that Casserly screwed us. I'd say that McNair has some blame too as he only wanted choir boys here and I think they tried to make too many safe conservative character picks instead of just getting really good football players. But on the other hand last years draft was one of our best drafts(with exeption of lundy i thought that was a bad pick imo) so hopefully its a sign of things to come.

 

[Tornacl]

As a Lions fan, I'm having a hard time coming up with 10, not with narrowing it down to 10. I'll admit, I'm not that good with the old guys. I was surprised that the Lions didn't draft Bobbie Lane.

1. Barry Sanders - 1989

2. Fred Biletnikoff - 1965 (I was surprised by this, didn't know the Lions drafted him)

3. Y.A. Tittle - 1948

4. Otto Graham - 1944

5. Billy Sims - 1980

6. Lomas Brown - 1985

7.Chris Spielman - best steal - 1988

8.Herman Moore - 1991

9. Charlie Sanders - 1968

10. Jason Hanson - 1992

 

[Pat Patriot]

Not alot of history for my franchise, but there are some solid picks in here.Jacksonville Jaguars:1) Tony Boselli2) Fred Taylor3) Kevin Hardy4) Tony Brackens5) Marcus Stroud6) John Henderson7) Brad Meester8) Byron Leftwich (starting to reach here)9) Donovin Darius10) Rashean Mathis

If those are supposed to be in order, I think Kevin Hardy is misplaced. He was picked 3rd overall and never did much.

 

[MSULions]

Lions:

1) Barry Sanders 1989

2) Otto Graham 1944

3) Y.A. Tittle 1948

4) Billy Sims 1980

5) Alex Karras 1958

6) Chris Spielman 1988

7) Charlie Sanders 1968

8) Herman Moore 1991

9) Lomas Brown 1985

10) Al Baker 1978

interesting....looks like we're on pace to draft someone great in 2008

 

[Festivus]

Houston Texans

Andre Johnson

Dominic Davis

DeMeco Ryans

Dunta Robinson

Mario Williams

Jerome Mathis

No Oilers that history is gone to Tennesse

I'm kind of on Aaron's side in this argument, although I did include 1st rounders (I dont think any were #1 overall). There are 2 factors for me in determining whether a pick is good or not. Obviously value by round but also who was available when you were picking. Picking Mario Williams over Reggie Bush can in no way be determined a good draft pick. Even if Mario Williams is a good player (IF).

come on man cut me some slack I didnt even have 10 people to put up there.

Here are a few more to consider David Carr, 1st overall

Jason Babin 27th overall (after trading 40th, 71st, and 103rd for this pick)

Bennie Joppru 41st overall

Travis Johnson 16th overall

Jabar Gafney 33rd overall

Tony Hollings, 2nd round supplemental

Phillip Buchanon 47th and 73rd overall

 

[prymetyme25]

Houston Texans

Andre Johnson

Dominic Davis

DeMeco Ryans

Dunta Robinson

Mario Williams

Jerome Mathis

No Oilers that history is gone to Tennesse

I'm kind of on Aaron's side in this argument, although I did include 1st rounders (I dont think any were #1 overall). There are 2 factors for me in determining whether a pick is good or not. Obviously value by round but also who was available when you were picking. Picking Mario Williams over Reggie Bush can in no way be determined a good draft pick. Even if Mario Williams is a good player (IF).

come on man cut me some slack I didnt even have 10 people to put up there.

Here are a few more to consider David Carr, 1st overall

Jason Babin 27th overall (after trading 40th, 71st, and 103rd for this pick)

Bennie Joppru 41st overall

Travis Johnson 16th overall

Jabar Gafney 33rd overall

Tony Hollings, 2nd round supplemental

Phillip Buchanon 47th and 73rd overall

not funny

 

[SSOG]

Denver Broncos. An emphasis is placed on value (so a 7th rounder that succeeded was a better pick than a 1st rounder that succeeded).

Also, you might notice that Elway doesn't make the list. There have only been two QBs drafted in the first round in Denver, and they are... Jay Cutler and Tommy Maddox. Now, if we start a best TRADES ever discussion, that's a whole other can of worms.

Anyway, the list...

#1- Shannon Sharpe. 7th round pick in 1990 is a no-brainer first-ballot HoFer.

#2- Tom Nalen. 7th round pick in 1994 is another potential HoFer (for my money, with apologies to Mr. Mawae, he's the best center of his generation, and if he doesn't get in it's a crime).

#3- Terrell Davis. 6th rounder in 1995 won League MVP, superbowl MVP, and posted the most dominant 3-year stretch in the history of football (while his team posted the most wins during a 3-year span in the history of football, including 2 SB titles). Whether he makes the HoF or not, that's more than enough.

#4- Karl Mecklenberg. 12th round pick in 1983 made 6 pro bowls.

#5- Gary Kubiak. 8th rounder in 1983, didn't accomplish much as a player, but if Denver never drafted him, he never would have become close with Shanahan, which means he never would have become the offensive coordinator, which means Denver may never have finally won those two SB titles. In the end, blasphemous as it sounds, he might have done as much to shape Denver's history as that OTHER rookie QB who came to town in 1983.

#6- Randy Gradisher. A first rounder in 1974, but he set a standard for excellence in Denver, leading them from their status as the league joke to their first SB appearance and later winning a Defensive PoY award (as well as making 7 pro bowls). It's ridiculous that he's not in the HoF yet.

#7- Floyd Little. Another first rounder, this time in 1967. Led the team in rushing for a team-record 7 straight years and pretty much WAS the Broncos franchise during that span. Another player who would probably already be in the Hall of Fame if he had played for Dallas, Pittsburgh, or Miami- for some reason, the HoF voters have this inexplicable blind spot for Denver- a team with only 1 HoFer, despite the fact that they're the only team in the league that has more SB appearances than losing seasons since 1973.

#8- Clinton Portis. A second rounder in 2002, not only did he give Denver two years of All-Pro type production, but when he was done he also got Denver a second round pick and the best defensive player in the entire NFL.

#9- Rick Upchurch. A fourth rounder in 1975, his listed position was WR, but he did little of his damage in the passing game (outside of a 63/937/7 season in 1979, he only three times managed to break 500 yards, and never 640 yards). Instead, he made his presence known on special teams, as the original Dante Hall, four times making the pro bowl as a returner.

#10- Mike Anderson. A 6th rounder in 2000, his offensive rookie of the year performance would probably be enough to get him on this list, but in addition he also gave many other years of selfless service to the organization, culminating in the 2005 season, when he had another 1,000 yard season (with 12 TDs) after 3 years of playing primarily as a blocking back.

 

[JAA]

Hall Of Famers drafted by the Browns-DE Willie Davis 1956 round 15T Doug Atkins 1953 round 1RB Jim Brown 1957 round 1DT Henry Jordan 1957 round 5G Gene Hickerson 1957 round 7RB Bobby Mitchell 1958 round 7HB Paul Warfield 1964 round 1RB Leroy Kelly 1964 round 8TE Ozzie Newsome 1978 round 1Someone else can do a more extensive list if they want. Not positive I got all the HOFers either.

Nothing past 78?

 

[JaxBill]

Not alot of history for my franchise, but there are some solid picks in here.Jacksonville Jaguars:1) Tony Boselli2) Fred Taylor3) Kevin Hardy4) Tony Brackens5) Marcus Stroud6) John Henderson7) Brad Meester8) Byron Leftwich (starting to reach here)9) Donovin Darius10) Rashean Mathis

If those are supposed to be in order, I think Kevin Hardy is misplaced. He was picked 3rd overall and never did much.

He might not have lived up to his draft status but he was a very good player whose career was never the same after his knee injury. From Wikipedia:

Jacksonville JaguarsHardy was selected by the Jacksonville Jaguars with the second overall selection in the 1996 NFL Draft. Hardy's fellow linebacker at Illinois, Simeon Rice, was chosen with the third overall selection. Hardy played six seasons for the Jaguars, which included four trips to the NFL playoffs. Hardy was named to the NFL All-Rookie team in 1996. In 1998, Hardy set the Jaguars team record with 186 tackles. Hardy led all AFC linebackers with 10.5 sacks in 1999, and again led the Jaguars in tackles with 153. His play helped lead the Jaguars to a 14-win season, and Hardy was selected to the Pro Bowl. In 2001, Hardy injured his knee in the ninth game of the season, his last game with the Jaguars.

 

[LionsFan78]

I'll try here for my Lions. Honestly, I couldn't find one draft pick over the past ten years that makes this list! Here's my list in chronological order. Many legendary HOFers weren't drafted by the Lions, so they aren't on the list. I probably missed some of the early years, but here goes...

1. 1949-Round 1, Doak Walker*, RB-SMU

2. 1958-Round 1, Alex Karras, DT-IOWA

3. 1967-Round 2, Lem Barney*, DB-Jackson State

4. 1968-Round 3, Charlie Sanders*, TE-Minnesota

5. 1980-Round 1 Billy Sims, RB-Oklahoma

6. 1985-Round 1, Lomas Brown, T-Florida

7. 1988-Round 2 Chris Spielman, LB-OSU

8. 1989- Round 1 Barry Sanders*, RB-Oklahoma State

9. 1991-Round 1, Herman Moore, WR-Virginia

10. 1995 – Round 6 Cory Schlesinger, FB-NEB

*=HOF

Honorable Mention: 1989-Round 3, Mike Utley, OL-WSU. I had a tough time deciding where he would fit on this list. His on-field achievements were severely limited by a tragic injury. However, his story has meant so much to this franchise, and served as inspiration for so many.

 

[Warpig]

Not alot of history for my franchise, but there are some solid picks in here.Jacksonville Jaguars:1) Tony Boselli2) Fred Taylor3) Kevin Hardy4) Tony Brackens5) Marcus Stroud6) John Henderson7) Brad Meester8) Byron Leftwich (starting to reach here)9) Donovin Darius10) Rashean Mathis

If those are supposed to be in order, I think Kevin Hardy is misplaced. He was picked 3rd overall and never did much.

He might not have lived up to his draft status but he was a very good player whose career was never the same after his knee injury. From Wikipedia:

Jacksonville JaguarsHardy was selected by the Jacksonville Jaguars with the second overall selection in the 1996 NFL Draft. Hardy's fellow linebacker at Illinois, Simeon Rice, was chosen with the third overall selection. Hardy played six seasons for the Jaguars, which included four trips to the NFL playoffs. Hardy was named to the NFL All-Rookie team in 1996. In 1998, Hardy set the Jaguars team record with 186 tackles. Hardy led all AFC linebackers with 10.5 sacks in 1999, and again led the Jaguars in tackles with 153. His play helped lead the Jaguars to a 14-win season, and Hardy was selected to the Pro Bowl. In 2001, Hardy injured his knee in the ninth game of the season, his last game with the Jaguars.

I didn't really put them in any specific order. You could order them however you see fit. Since they've had a short history it was hard to come up with 10 players that even should be mentioned. I think that list is as good as they can be at this point in time. There are one or two more you could argue should be on the list (Marlon McCree, Mike Logan, Aaron Beasley) but I think this list is solid for now.Hardy was a very productive LB for the Jags. Between him and Brackens offensive coordinators didn't sleep well.

 

[Bull Dozier]

Here's mine for the Vikings. I also excluded 1st round picks, which eliminated a whole bunch of candidates. I'm not an expert on the pre-80s Vikes, so I'm sure I missed a bunch of guys at these player's levels:

Fran Tarkenton (3)

Matt Birk (6)

Terry Allen (9)

Scott Studwell (9)

Brad Johnson (9)

Henry Thomas (3)

Kirk Lowdermilk (3)

Carl Lee (7)

Tim Irwin (3)

Ed McDaniel (5)

Pretty sad, actually.

 

[moleculo]

Denver Broncos. An emphasis is placed on value (so a 7th rounder that succeeded was a better pick than a 1st rounder that succeeded).Also, you might notice that Elway doesn't make the list. There have only been two QBs drafted in the first round in Denver, and they are... Jay Cutler and Tommy Maddox. Now, if we start a best TRADES ever discussion, that's a whole other can of worms.Anyway, the list...#1- Shannon Sharpe. 7th round pick in 1990 is a no-brainer first-ballot HoFer.#2- Tom Nalen. 7th round pick in 1994 is another potential HoFer (for my money, with apologies to Mr. Mawae, he's the best center of his generation, and if he doesn't get in it's a crime).#3- Terrell Davis. 6th rounder in 1995 won League MVP, superbowl MVP, and posted the most dominant 3-year stretch in the history of football (while his team posted the most wins during a 3-year span in the history of football, including 2 SB titles). Whether he makes the HoF or not, that's more than enough.#4- Karl Mecklenberg. 12th round pick in 1983 made 6 pro bowls.#5- Gary Kubiak. 8th rounder in 1983, didn't accomplish much as a player, but if Denver never drafted him, he never would have become close with Shanahan, which means he never would have become the offensive coordinator, which means Denver may never have finally won those two SB titles. In the end, blasphemous as it sounds, he might have done as much to shape Denver's history as that OTHER rookie QB who came to town in 1983.#6- Randy Gradisher. A first rounder in 1974, but he set a standard for excellence in Denver, leading them from their status as the league joke to their first SB appearance and later winning a Defensive PoY award (as well as making 7 pro bowls). It's ridiculous that he's not in the HoF yet.#7- Floyd Little. Another first rounder, this time in 1967. Led the team in rushing for a team-record 7 straight years and pretty much WAS the Broncos franchise during that span. Another player who would probably already be in the Hall of Fame if he had played for Dallas, Pittsburgh, or Miami- for some reason, the HoF voters have this inexplicable blind spot for Denver- a team with only 1 HoFer, despite the fact that they're the only team in the league that has more SB appearances than losing seasons since 1973.#8- Clinton Portis. A second rounder in 2002, not only did he give Denver two years of All-Pro type production, but when he was done he also got Denver a second round pick and the best defensive player in the entire NFL.#9- Rick Upchurch. A fourth rounder in 1975, his listed position was WR, but he did little of his damage in the passing game (outside of a 63/937/7 season in 1979, he only three times managed to break 500 yards, and never 640 yards). Instead, he made his presence known on special teams, as the original Dante Hall, four times making the pro bowl as a returner.#10- Mike Anderson. A 6th rounder in 2000, his offensive rookie of the year performance would probably be enough to get him on this list, but in addition he also gave many other years of selfless service to the organization, culminating in the 2005 season, when he had another 1,000 yard season (with 12 TDs) after 3 years of playing primarily as a blocking back.

not bad. i'd scratch MA, Upchurch, and consider some of the following:Tyrone Braxton: 1987 12th round: played for 13 seasons including 3 SB's. Led league in ints in 1996.Steve Atwater: 1989 1st round. played for 11 years, 8x pro-bowl, 6x all-pro. in SBXXXII, he is credited with six solo tackles, one sack, two passes defensed and a forced fumble and many think that Atwater should have been named MVP.Dennis Smith: 1981 1st round. played for 14 years, 6x pro-bowls, 6x all-pro, 3 SB appearances.Tom Jackson: 1973 4th round. played for 14 years. 3x pro-bowl, 2x all-pro. Anchored Orange Crush defense with Gradishar which brought Denver to respectability.

 

[turkishkamel]

Lions:1) Barry Sanders 19892) Otto Graham 19443) Y.A. Tittle 19484) Billy Sims 19805) Alex Karras 19586) Chris Spielman 19887) Charlie Sanders 19688) Herman Moore 19919) Lomas Brown 198510) Al Baker 1978interesting....looks like we're on pace to draft someone great in 2008

this is a near perfect list. some honorable mention goes to robert porcher, shaun rogers, jason hanson and kevin glover. no doubt barry was the best pick the lions ever made, doesnt matter that it was high pick (3rd overall). that 89 draft was loaded with busts and considering the questions about sanders coming out (size, speed, durability) that was clearly the franchises shining draft moment.

 

[The Man With No Name]

Hall Of Famers drafted by the Browns-DE Willie Davis 1956 round 15T Doug Atkins 1953 round 1RB Jim Brown 1957 round 1DT Henry Jordan 1957 round 5G Gene Hickerson 1957 round 7RB Bobby Mitchell 1958 round 7HB Paul Warfield 1964 round 1RB Leroy Kelly 1964 round 8TE Ozzie Newsome 1978 round 1Someone else can do a more extensive list if they want. Not positive I got all the HOFers either.

Nothing past 78?

That's only 11 years where they could have drafted a Hall of Famer. 1989 is the most recent class that anyone has been enshrined from.They also drafted Hall Of Famers Don Shula and Chuck Noll as players.

 

[KoolKat]

Denver Broncos. An emphasis is placed on value (so a 7th rounder that succeeded was a better pick than a 1st rounder that succeeded).Also, you might notice that Elway doesn't make the list. There have only been two QBs drafted in the first round in Denver, and they are... Jay Cutler and Tommy Maddox. Now, if we start a best TRADES ever discussion, that's a whole other can of worms.Anyway, the list...#1- Shannon Sharpe. 7th round pick in 1990 is a no-brainer first-ballot HoFer.#2- Tom Nalen. 7th round pick in 1994 is another potential HoFer (for my money, with apologies to Mr. Mawae, he's the best center of his generation, and if he doesn't get in it's a crime).#3- Terrell Davis. 6th rounder in 1995 won League MVP, superbowl MVP, and posted the most dominant 3-year stretch in the history of football (while his team posted the most wins during a 3-year span in the history of football, including 2 SB titles). Whether he makes the HoF or not, that's more than enough.#4- Karl Mecklenberg. 12th round pick in 1983 made 6 pro bowls.#5- Gary Kubiak. 8th rounder in 1983, didn't accomplish much as a player, but if Denver never drafted him, he never would have become close with Shanahan, which means he never would have become the offensive coordinator, which means Denver may never have finally won those two SB titles. In the end, blasphemous as it sounds, he might have done as much to shape Denver's history as that OTHER rookie QB who came to town in 1983.#6- Randy Gradisher. A first rounder in 1974, but he set a standard for excellence in Denver, leading them from their status as the league joke to their first SB appearance and later winning a Defensive PoY award (as well as making 7 pro bowls). It's ridiculous that he's not in the HoF yet.#7- Floyd Little. Another first rounder, this time in 1967. Led the team in rushing for a team-record 7 straight years and pretty much WAS the Broncos franchise during that span. Another player who would probably already be in the Hall of Fame if he had played for Dallas, Pittsburgh, or Miami- for some reason, the HoF voters have this inexplicable blind spot for Denver- a team with only 1 HoFer, despite the fact that they're the only team in the league that has more SB appearances than losing seasons since 1973.#8- Clinton Portis. A second rounder in 2002, not only did he give Denver two years of All-Pro type production, but when he was done he also got Denver a second round pick and the best defensive player in the entire NFL.#9- Rick Upchurch. A fourth rounder in 1975, his listed position was WR, but he did little of his damage in the passing game (outside of a 63/937/7 season in 1979, he only three times managed to break 500 yards, and never 640 yards). Instead, he made his presence known on special teams, as the original Dante Hall, four times making the pro bowl as a returner.#10- Mike Anderson. A 6th rounder in 2000, his offensive rookie of the year performance would probably be enough to get him on this list, but in addition he also gave many other years of selfless service to the organization, culminating in the 2005 season, when he had another 1,000 yard season (with 12 TDs) after 3 years of playing primarily as a blocking back.

Othersan Neil 3rdSteve Atwater 1stAl Wilson 1stTrevor Pryce 1stReggie Hayward 3rdKeith Traylor 3rdDesmond Clark 6thLyle Alzado 1stByron Chamberlain 7thJason Elam 3rd Steve Foley 8th

 

[KoolKat]

Forgot Tom Jackson 4th

 

[The Man With No Name]

Denver Broncos. An emphasis is placed on value (so a 7th rounder that succeeded was a better pick than a 1st rounder that succeeded).Also, you might notice that Elway doesn't make the list. There have only been two QBs drafted in the first round in Denver, and they are... Jay Cutler and Tommy Maddox. Now, if we start a best TRADES ever discussion, that's a whole other can of worms.Anyway, the list...#1- Shannon Sharpe. 7th round pick in 1990 is a no-brainer first-ballot HoFer.#2- Tom Nalen. 7th round pick in 1994 is another potential HoFer (for my money, with apologies to Mr. Mawae, he's the best center of his generation, and if he doesn't get in it's a crime).#3- Terrell Davis. 6th rounder in 1995 won League MVP, superbowl MVP, and posted the most dominant 3-year stretch in the history of football (while his team posted the most wins during a 3-year span in the history of football, including 2 SB titles). Whether he makes the HoF or not, that's more than enough.#4- Karl Mecklenberg. 12th round pick in 1983 made 6 pro bowls.#5- Gary Kubiak. 8th rounder in 1983, didn't accomplish much as a player, but if Denver never drafted him, he never would have become close with Shanahan, which means he never would have become the offensive coordinator, which means Denver may never have finally won those two SB titles. In the end, blasphemous as it sounds, he might have done as much to shape Denver's history as that OTHER rookie QB who came to town in 1983.#6- Randy Gradisher. A first rounder in 1974, but he set a standard for excellence in Denver, leading them from their status as the league joke to their first SB appearance and later winning a Defensive PoY award (as well as making 7 pro bowls). It's ridiculous that he's not in the HoF yet.#7- Floyd Little. Another first rounder, this time in 1967. Led the team in rushing for a team-record 7 straight years and pretty much WAS the Broncos franchise during that span. Another player who would probably already be in the Hall of Fame if he had played for Dallas, Pittsburgh, or Miami- for some reason, the HoF voters have this inexplicable blind spot for Denver- a team with only 1 HoFer, despite the fact that they're the only team in the league that has more SB appearances than losing seasons since 1973.#8- Clinton Portis. A second rounder in 2002, not only did he give Denver two years of All-Pro type production, but when he was done he also got Denver a second round pick and the best defensive player in the entire NFL.#9- Rick Upchurch. A fourth rounder in 1975, his listed position was WR, but he did little of his damage in the passing game (outside of a 63/937/7 season in 1979, he only three times managed to break 500 yards, and never 640 yards). Instead, he made his presence known on special teams, as the original Dante Hall, four times making the pro bowl as a returner.#10- Mike Anderson. A 6th rounder in 2000, his offensive rookie of the year performance would probably be enough to get him on this list, but in addition he also gave many other years of selfless service to the organization, culminating in the 2005 season, when he had another 1,000 yard season (with 12 TDs) after 3 years of playing primarily as a blocking back.

Othersan Neil 3rdSteve Atwater 1stAl Wilson 1stTrevor Pryce 1stReggie Hayward 3rdKeith Traylor 3rdDesmond Clark 6thLyle Alzado 1stByron Chamberlain 7thJason Elam 3rd Steve Foley 8th

Alzado was a 4th round pick

 

[Sister Havana]

No Bears yet? I'll do it, then.

Hall of Famers:

(numbers go year, round, pick, and player #)

1981 2 10 38 Mike Singletary LB Baylor 1998

1979 1 4 4 Dan Hampton DT Arkansas 2002

1975 1 4 4 Walter Payton RB Jackson State 1993

1965 1 3 3 **** Butkus LB Illinois 1979

1965 1 4 4 Gale Sayers RB Kansas 1977

1961 1 5 5 Mike Ditka TE Pittsburgh 1988

1953 5 5 54 Stan Jones T Maryland 1991

1951 2 9 23 Bill George T Wake Forest 1974

1949 12 8 119 George Blanda QB Kentucky 1981

1948 1 3 3 Bobby Layne QB Texas 1967

1940 1 7 7 Clyde (Bulldog) Turner C Hardin-Simmons 1966

1939 1 2 2 Sid Luckman QB Columbia 1965

Some good picks of more recent vintage:

2000 - Brian Urlacher (1st)

2000 - Mike Brown (2nd)

1998 - Olin Kreutz (3rd)

1998 - Patrick Mannelly (6th)

2002 - Alex Brown (4th)