Best Draft picks in the past 25 years

[PATSNUTme]

Pro Football Weekly has an interesting little article by Jeff Reynolds in their Draft Guide . They list the top 6 draft picks for the 25 years.

#6 Derrick Thomas- Chiefs 4th overall in 1989
#5 Reggie White- Eagles 4th pick in the Supplemental Draft 1984
#4 Dan Marino -Dolphins 27th overall 1983
#3 Emmitt Smith - Cowboys 17th overall in 1990
#2 Lawrence Taylor - Giants 2nd overall 1981
#1 Tom Brady- Patriots 199th overall in 2000

The best pick in draft history was Joe Montana 82nd overall 1979

Tom could be on his way to claim the best ever.

 

[Ice Cold Bruschi]

what about Terrel Davis? 7th round

 

[363839]

I think Brady already has Montana beat on overall value.
I mean, come on. A sixth round pick gets 3 superbowls before he's what, 28 years old.

 

[Bostonian1962]

Ken Sims, #1, University of Texas, my friends. Duh!!!

 

[Mike the Brit]

Ken Sims, #1, University of Texas, my friends. Duh!!!

Yeah, right! Who needed that hyped-up pretty-boy Heismann trophy winner from USC ... let me see, what was his name? Oh yes, Marcus Allen. Wonder what ever happened to him?

And now a serious point about great draft picks. Brady was a great draft pick in one sense -- the cost/return ratio was extraordinary. But was it a great pick? I mean, the odds are that, like most late round QBs, Brady wouldn't go anywhere. I'm not saying that the Pats didn't do a great job in spotting Brady -- but, if it hadn't panned out, no one would have turned on the management as incompetent.

So I think that the great picks are the ones where the stakes are highest: a poor franchise has to tie up big money and make it pay. By those standards, Richard Seymour counts as a great pick (you agree, don't you, Ron?) but the best one I can think of in recent years is ... gulp! ... Peyton Manning. Like him or not, he turned the Colts around.

 

[JoeSixPat]

Wow! ...and all this time I just thought Brady's success was all due to the system. Turns out he's got some talent after all!

 

[Willie55]

1. Eugene Chung
1a. Chris Canty

 

[PATSNUTme]

what about Terrel Davis? 7th round

I agree that could be one- maybe 6a.

Reynolds wrote the article but the info he got was from talking to "several NFL scouts and GM's". They didn't want their names used in the article.

 

[PatsFanInVa]

This discussion can't be complete without mention of Ryan Leaf, Jeff George, Aikili Smith, Tim Couch, or Rick Mirer.

In all seriousness though, in most cases, you know the first rounders are most likely to pan out, so why are so many first rounders listed here? By luck or by insight, we should limit drafting "brilliance" to 2nd round-plus, big props if you get him second day.

PFnV

 

[Isaac]

what about Terrel Davis? 7th round

6th actually, IIRC.

 

[primetime]

1. Eugene Chung
1a. Chris Canty

Agnew, Singleton, and Dykes were far better.

 

[Caf]

Your'e right when you said Peyton Manning turned the Colts around............After two playoff games, he turned them around from Foxboro to Indianapolis.

 

[Mike the Brit]

Your'e right when you said Peyton Manning turned the Colts around............After two playoff games, he turned them around from Foxboro to Indianapolis.

Ha ha ha! Mmm, just remind me how close the Colts came to making the play-offs at all the year he got drafted?

 

[primetime]

Ha ha ha! Mmm, just remind me how close the Colts came to making the play-offs at all the year he got drafted?

The Patriots didn't make the playoffs the year Tom Brady was drafted either. What's that supposed to mean?

 

[Mike the Brit]

The Patriots didn't make the playoffs the year Tom Brady was drafted either. What's that supposed to mean?

It's supposed to mean that the fact that Manning hasn't taken the Colts to a Superbowl doesn't mean that he hasn't taken them a long way from where they were when he was taken as the number one pick in the entire draft.

From what I know about him, I don't like Peyton as a person and, as a player, I would want Brady any day of the week, but picking Manning (rather than Ryan Leaf) was a tough call for the Colts to make and they made it right.

 

[primetime]

Oh, ok, I get it.

 

[gomezcat]

They missed out Tony Mandarich who, IIRC, went one before Barry "who he?" Sanders. Also, couldn't one make a case for Jerry Rice, who came from a small college? I didn't follow the sport when he was drafted so I don't know how much of a surprise pick it was.

 

[DoubleDTrent]

Curtis Martin?

 

[jczxohn1]

...is what BB'Pioli better pull off this yr.

 

[RayClay]

Pro Football Weekly has an interesting little article by Jeff Reynolds in their Draft Guide . They list the top 6 draft picks for the 25 years.

#6 Derrick Thomas- Chiefs 4th overall in 1989
#5 Reggie White- Eagles 4th pick in the Supplemental Draft 1984
#4 Dan Marino -Dolphins 27th overall 1983
#3 Emmitt Smith - Cowboys 17th overall in 1990
#2 Lawrence Taylor - Giants 2nd overall 1981
#1 Tom Brady- Patriots 199th overall in 2000

The best pick in draft history was Joe Montana 82nd overall 1979

Tom could be on his way to claim the best ever.

Terrible list, by the way. Why is Derrick Thomas any better than other #4 picks. You're SUPPOSED to be great drafted that high.

No Rice, Terrel Davis.

How about David givens 7th. How about Troy Brown 8th.?? :rocker: