Four Hall of Fame quarterbacks rank among the 25 best first overall NFL Draft picks of all-time.
There have been 85 No. 1 overall picks in the NFL Draft to date, some according to plan, some never quite panning out and getting labeled as a bust. But throughout the history of the NFL Draft, there have been some extremely well-accomplished No. 1 overall picks.
The talent at the college level doesn’t exactly translate at the professional level quite the same, leaving a lot of question marks when it comes to taking players with the first pick.
A lot goes into the drafting strategy for an NFL team. Do they go with the best available? Which player should we take at this position? Who is the safest pick for our organization? There are many questions to be answered in the draft room.
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But for these 25 No. 1 overall picks, these guys had their game translate over to the NFL extremely well, making them some of the most memorable picks in the draft history, etching their names in the record books.
Some guys didn’t find their success right away, but eventually they went on to find success, whether that might have been through Pro Bowls, All-Pro selections, MVP’s or Super Bowl rings.
These guys were able to sustain a successful career, entering a franchise that was likely in the dumps after receiving the No. 1 overall pick. From there, these guys were able to turn things around and right the ship, leading their team to victory.
After reading through the list, please leave your thoughts and opinions in the comments to continue the conversation.
Without further delay, here are the 25 best first overall picks in NFL Draft history.
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Honorable Mentions
Of course, there are more great No. 1 overall picks in NFL history, many of which could not make the initial 25. But here are a few other notable guys who went first in the NFL Draft, finding success at the next level throughout their career and leading their team to victory.
Eli Manning: As the most sought out prospect in the 2004 NFL Draft and the San Diego Chargers on the clock, the Manning family expressed their sincere disinterest in playing for the Chargers, forcing a trade that led him to the New York Giants where he has played out his entire career thus far. He’s since won two Super Bowls, adding Super Bowl MVP’s for each of those wins as well.
Vinny Testaverde: Vinny was a journeyman in the NFL, playing for eight different NFL teams over the span of his 20- year career. He started out with Tampa Bay following the 1987 NFL Draft and has since become their franchise leader in pass attempts, yards and interceptions. He also played a bulk of his career with the New York Jets, with his best season coming in 1998, earning Pro Bowl bid and owning the AFC Passer Rating record for that season.
Andrew Luck: The heir apparent to Peyton Manning, many believed that the Colts tanked to finish with the No. 1 overall pick in 2012 in order to obtain Andrew Luck, one of the most highly regarded quarterback prospects in draft history. He’s led the Colts to the playoffs in each of his first three years, advancing further each season. A Super Bowl victory is imminent for Luck.
Bubba Smith: A huge body out of Michigan State, checking in at 6’7″ 265-pounds, Smith was selected first overall by the Baltimore Colts, where he played for four seasons and helped lead the team to a victory in Super Bowl V. He was named to two Pro Bowls, playing in 111 career games throughout his 10 season career.
Russell Maryland: A 300-pound defensive tackle out of Miami was selected first by the Dallas Cowboys in 1991. That 300-pound defensive tackle then went on to win three Super Bowls for the Cowboys. He went on to play for the Oakland Raiders and Green Bay Packers as well. To end his career has brought down 375 ball carriers, accumulated 24.5 sacks and forced nine fumbles.
Carson Palmer: The USC quarterback landed himself a home in Cincinnati with the Bengals after the 2003 NFL Draft, playing there until 2011. Then he made the switch to the Oakland Raiders for two quick seasons, not finding nearly as much success as he had in Cincinnati, but could lead the Arizona Cardinals to a Super Bowl before his career is over.
Palmer has risen like a phoenix out in the desert, having three of the best seasons of his career with the Arizona Cardinals. This past season, Cam Newton was the runaway MVP candidate, but not too far behind him was Carson Palmer. Palmer has been selected to three Pro Bowls and has broken numerous records for the Arizona Cardinals and Cincinnati Bengals.
Next: 25. Jim Plunkett
Just a bay area kid who took his talents to Stanford, ending as one of the most successful quarterbacks at the collegiate level, hoisting the Heisman Trophy in 1970 and earning Rose Bowl MVP honors that season as well.
Ending his career on a high note at Stanford, that projected him to the No. 1 overall pick in the 1971 NFL Draft. He was taken by the New England Patriots but only played four seasons with his original team. He had a short stint with the San Francisco 49ers and then played out the final eight years of his career for the Raiders.
He ended up winning two Super Bowl four seasons apart from each other. Super Bowl XV and XVIII. While he will always have two Super Bowl rings on his fingers, the ultimate measuring stick of success for quarterbacks, he wasn’t that great of a quarterback when you look at his statistics.
He threw 164 touchdowns to 198 interceptions, resulting in a 67.5 quarterback rating, which would likely be much lower than any quarterback to ever be labeled as one of the greatest.
Still, he has his two rings and you cannot argue that.
Next: 24. Drew Bledsoe
In 1993, the New Patriots were first on the clock for the NFL Draft. You might be able to say that selecting Drew Bledsoe, a 6’5” 238-pound quarterback out of Washington State, was just the beginning of the Patriots winning ways.
While he’ll always be remembered as a Patriot, and the quarterback before Tom Brady, he went on to play for the Buffalo Bills and Dallas Cowboys before hanging them up in 2006, ending a 13-year career.
But during that 13-year span, he was able to capture two AFC Championships, pulling in a championship ring after taking Super Bowl XXXVI. He was also named to four Pro Bowls during his time and was later inducted into the New England Patriots Hall of Fame in 2011.
Next: 23. Buck Buchanan
A 6’7” 270-pound behemoth emerged from Grambling State, coming out to complete a 12-year career, with all 12 years being played in Kansas City. He played in a total of 182 games throughout his time in the league.
When you take a kid with the No. 1 pick in the draft, you better be darn sure he’s going to be cracked up to what he’s projected to be, able to overcome the hype and prove his worth. When a guy comes from Grambling State, the questions surface about how this guy will do against legitimate NFL talent day in and day out.
Turns out Buchanan would turn out to be just fine. He was an AFL All-Star and All-AFL selection for six consecutive seasons, spanning from 1964-1969, through the first seven years of his career. Along the way, he also helped the Chiefs capture Super Bowl IV.
Since then his number, 86, has been retired by the Chiefs, he was named AFL All-Time Second Team and has been inducted into both the College and Pro Football Hall of Fame.
Next: 22. Ed Jones
Another massive human being playing defensive end was taken first overall in the 1974 NFL Draft in Ed “Too Tall” Jones. How’d he get that nickname “Too Tall”? He stood at 6’9” 271-pounds, making him a terror on the edge for any poor offensive tackle.
The Dallas Cowboys took the man out of Tennessee State, another smaller school that might worry scouts about production at the NFL level. But once again, there were no regrets with this pick.
During his 15 year career in Dallas, he was named to the Pro Bowl and All-Pro three times, from 1981-1983. During that span was also when he helped lead the Cowboys to Super Bowl XII.
Statistics weren’t as prominent back then, which explains his skewed numbers. Officially, Ed “Too Tall” Jones recorded 57.5 sacks throughout his career, but unofficially, he recorded 106 sacks.
How there’s that much parody, we’ll never know. But still, all you need to know was that he was closer to seven feet than he was six feet and was a terror at defensive end for the Dallas Cowboys.
Next: 21. George Rogers
A South Carolina Gamecock who left his mark as one of the greatest to ever play in Columbia, South Carolina. He came in and produced immediately for the Gamecocks, built like a man at the ripe age of 18. Checking at 6’2” 228-pounds, this was a kid you didn’t want to mess with.
He ended up winning the Heisman Trophy in 1980 and earning Consensus first-team All-American honors. From there, the New Orleans Saints took him first in the 1981 NFL Draft.
Rogers exploded onto the scene to win NFL Offensive Rookie of the Year and was named to the Pro Bowl for each of his first two seasons with the Saints.
He then went on to win Super Bowl XXII. His career in New Orleans ended after just four seasons, which led him to Washington where he was never quite as productive. He lasted for three seasons before calling it quits.
While he had a short NFL career, even shorter than your limelight running back, his success translated into the professional level and will go down as a top running back in this league.
Next: 20. Billy Cannon
Coming out of LSU, Cannon was one of the most decorated players in SEC history. He captured the Heisman Trophy and Walter Camp Memorial Trophy in 1959. He was also named First-team All-American and SEC Player of the Year in both 1958 and 1959, winning a national championship in 1958.
He was taken first overall in 1960 as a no-brainer, taken by the Houston Oilers. From there he ended up playing a total of 10 years with three different teams. Most of his years came in Oakland with the Raiders ending his career in Kansas City after playing for the Chiefs for one season.
Back then, Cannon helped lead the Oilers to two consecutive AFL Championships in 1960 and 1961, also earning 1961 AFL All-Star honors as well as the AFL rushing leader title.
His production dipped off a bit, which is how found himself with the Raiders, where he continued to produce, but not until later in his career. He helped the Raiders to an AFC Championship in 1967 and was named an AFL All-Star once again in 1969.
He served as a dual-threat running back, finishing his career with 2,455 rushing yards and 17 touchdowns. He also hauled in 236 passes for 3,656 yards and 47 touchdowns.
While his better days were in college at LSU, he was still a productive back that helped the Oilers bounce back and contributed immediately, resulting multiple AFC Championships.
Next: 19. Charley Trippi
Charley Trippi was a true dual-threat quarterback, who might have been the first of his kind in the NFL. Serving as a quarterback and running back, Trippi played his college ball at Georgia, earning consensus All-American honors and was later inducted into the College Football Hall of Fame.
In 1945, the Chicago Cardinals landed him, where he served all nine seasons of his career. There he made an immediate impact, leading the Cardinals to an NFL Championship his rookie season. He was named All-Pro that season, as well as the 1948 and 1952 seasons.
He accumulated 3,506 yards on the ground with 23 touchdowns. He also threw for 2,547 yards and 16 touchdowns. But his work didn’t stop there; he also hauled in 1,321 receiving yards and 11 touchdowns.
With all his work on the offensive side of the ball, Charley Trippi will go down as one of the best utility players in NFL history.
Next: 18. Bill Dudley
An extremely well-built running back during the 1940’s, checking in at 5’10” 185-pounds. After his time at The University of Virginia, he was selected first in the 1942 NFL Draft by the Pittsburgh Steelers. He was the swiss-army knife for every team he played for, serving as a running back and kicker.
World War II was taking place and Dudley enlisted in the US Army Air Corps, taking a three-year hiatus from football. But he would return to the Steelers in 1945 to play out another two seasons with the franchise. During that two-year span, he was the NFL rushing champion and named NFL MVP.
He went on to play three years with the Detroit Lions but didn’t find the same success. He later played another three seasons with Washington Redskins, where he picked up where he left off in Pittsburgh.
In two years with the Redskins, he earned two Pro Bowl selections. He then took some time off to start working as an insurance salesman but came back to football in 1953 for his final season with the Washington Redskins.
He finished his career with 3,057 rushing yards, 1,383 receiving yards, 7,304 punting yards, 23 interceptions, 44 touchdowns and 33 field goals.
Next: 17. Keyshawn Johnson
After earning Consensus All-American honors at USC back in 1995, the 6’4” 212-pound receiver found himself atop the draft board for the New York Jets in the 1996 NFL Draft.
While he bounced around quite a bit after the Jets, playing with the Buccaneers for four seasons, the Cowboys for two and the Panthers for one, he was productive with all four teams, so it’s hard to tell which team he found the most success with. He earned Pro Bowl honors twice with Jets and once with the Buccaneers and won Super Bowl XXXVII with the Tampa Bay Buccaneers.
Johnson was just a physical receiver who loved to talk through the facemask, getting under the skin of his opponents. He ended up with 814 receptions and 10,571 yards in his career, adding 64 touchdowns.
Next: 16. Michael Vick
One of the most elusive quarterbacks to ever play the game, the lefty out of Virginia Tech was taken No. 1 overall in the 2001 NFL Draft by the Atlanta Falcons who traded up with the San Diego Chargers to get him.
This is easily where he had the most success of his career, after being derailed by his dog fighting rings and sent to prison for 21 months.
With the Falcons, he was a three-time Pro Bowler, also winning the Best NFL Player ESPY back in 2003. After his prison sentence, he signed with the Philadelphia Eagles, where he was named to another Pro Bowl and won the Ed Block Courage Award and NFL Comeback Player of the year of the Year in 2010.
He had a short stint with the New York Jets for a season and played a backup role with the Pittsburgh Steelers in 2015.
Vick ended his career with 22,464 passing yards and 6,109 rushing yards. He threw 133 touchdowns to 88 interceptions and added 36 touchdowns on the ground. Boasting an 80.5 passer rating, Vick will go down as one of the most electrifying athletes in NFL history.
Next: 15. Irving Fryar
The New England Patriots were on the clock first in 1984, taking Irving Fryar, a 6’0″ 200-pound receiver out of Nebraska. While he was a Consensus First-Team All-American in Lincoln, his better days were in the NFL.
He played the bulk of his career in New England, earning Pro Bowl honors in his second NFL season. He played in Super Bowl XX with the Patriots, scoring the lone touchdown for the Patriots in a 46-10 loss to the Chicago Bears.
He later moved in with the division foe Miami Dolphins, where he played for four seasons, earning two more Pro Bowl selections, as well as an AP Second-Team All-Pro selection.
After his time in Philadelphia, he moved onto to the Philadelphia Eagles, where he earned tow more Pro Bowl selections. After spending 17 years in the league, he called it quits, finishing with 851 receptions and 12,785 yards and 84 touchdowns.
Next: 14. Tommy Nobis
Tommy Nobis was the No. 1 pick in the 1996 NFL Draft, taken by the Atlanta Falcons, where he would play his entire 10 year career.
Out of Texas, he was the recipient of the Outland Trophy and Maxwell Award, which solidified his spot in the draft. Although Tom Mack, NFL Hall of Famer, was taken at No. 2 by the Los Angeles Rams.
But Nobis found success immediately in the NFL. He was named Defensive Rookie of the Year in 1996, racking up 294 tackles as a rookie, an NFL record to this day. He was named to three consecutive Pro Bowls in his three seasons as a professional. He went on to earn two more Pro Bowl selections.
His production certainly dropped off as he aged but still, he was named to the NFL 1960’s All-Decade Team, which accounted for his first four years in the league, and arguably his best. His number, 60, has since been retired by both the Atlanta Falcons and Texas Longhorns.
Next: 13. Cam Newton
Slowly but surely, Cam Newton has improved his game since he was taken with the No. 1 overall pick back in 2011. He had a long road to get to where he is today; a quick sting at Florida, then to Blinn College and finally Auburn, where he led the Tigers to a 13-0 season, capturing the Heisman Trophy and National Championship in the same year.
Since 2011, he’s slowly been a catalyst for the culture change in Carolina. You could see he had the physical attributes to be a successful quarterback in the NFL.
He’s a guy who is built like a tight end, has the speed of a running back and the arm of an elite quarterback. With measurables like that and his film from Auburn, it’s hard to imagine that Blaine Gabbert was actually considered to be the best prospect in the draft that year.
In 2015, Newton finally pieced it all together. You see the work in progress over the years, but this time, you could see Newton’s body of work as a whole.
He led the Panthers to a 15-1 regular season record, pushing them through the playoffs, taking a pretty rough path to get to the Super Bowl, only to fall short to Peyton Manning, another name on this list, and the Denver Broncos.
He’ll slowly cement his legacy in the NFL as one of the great quarterbacks of this era and if this list was compiled five years from now would definitely rank much higher.
Next: 12. Lee Roy Selmon
Lee Roy Selmon did it all at the collegiate level with the Oklahoma Sooners. In 1975, he was named UPI Lineman of the Year and won the Outland Trophy and Lombardi Award. That catapulted him into the No. 1 spot in the NFL Draft, selected by the Tampa Bay Buccaneers in 1976.
He only played in the league for eight seasons, but he made the most of his years and produced like no other. He racked up 742 tackles, 78.5 sacks, and 28.5 forced fumbles in his eight-year career. This led to accolades, a lot of them.
A six-time Pro Bowler and First-team All-NFC selection, three-time First-team All-Pro selection and was later selected as a member of the NFL 1980’s All-Decade team. He has also been inducted into both the College and Pro Football Hall of Fame.
Next: 11. Ron Yary
The 6’5″ 255-pound offensive tackle out of USC was the first pick in the 1968 NFL Draft, taken by the Minnesota Vikings. He served in the league for 15 seasons, all but one with the Vikings. His final season of his career was with the Los Angles Rams.
During his career, he had quite a bit on his resume, with his peak years being between 1970-1977. In that span, he was selected to the Pro Bowl seven times, earned six First-team All-pro selections and eight All-NFC selections as well. From 1973-1975, he was named NFLPA NFC Offensive Lineman of the Year, dominating the trenches.
The first offensive tackle to go first overall led the Minnesota Vikings to three NFC Championship and won an NFL championship in 1969, his second season in the league.
He played in 207 games, starting 180 of them. He has since been inducted into the Pro Football Hall of Fame and was named to the NFL 1970’s All-Decade Team.
Next: 10. Paul Hornung
Paul Hornung was the utility man for the Green Bay Packers, after being selected first overall in the 1957 NFL Draft. He was the first one in pro football history to win the Heisman Trophy, be selected No. 1 overall in the NFL Draft, win an NFL MVP award, as well as being inducted into the both Pro and College Football Hall of Fame.
He played out his entire career with the Packers, playing halfback, quarterback and serving as the placekicker. He was the utility guy for the Packers, who led them to so much success during his time.
Two Pro Bowl selections, two First-Team All-Pro selections, four NFL Championships and one Super Bowl win, the very first Super Bowl to ever be played.
There is now a college football award, the Paul Hornung Award, awarded to the top running back in the nation. He finished his career with 3,711 rushing yards and 1,480 receiving yards, with a total of 72 touchdowns in his eight-year career.
Next: 9. Earl Campbell
The Houston Oilers selected one of the best running backs of all time with their first pick in the 1978 NFL Draft out of Texas. The 5’11” 245-pound running back was one of the most decorated college athletes of all time, winning the Heisman Trophy award, being named First-team All-American twice, to go along with his player of the year awards.
But his success quickly translated to the NFL, getting things started his rookie season. He was named Offensive Rooke of the Year in 1978, as well as the NFL MVP award. Then he went on to win NFL Offensive Player of the Year in 1979.
In 1979, he won the NFL MVP award once again and in 1980, he won the NFL Offensive Player of the Year award as well. He ended his career with five Pro Bowl selections, three AP First-team All-Pro selections, three NFL rushing titles and many more awards.
According to NFL.com, they rank him as the 55th best player in NFL History. Totaling 10,213 yards in his career and 74 touchdowns certainly makes him deserving of that title.
Next: 8. Troy Aikman
The transfer from Oklahoma to UCLA served to be a pretty good move for Troy Aikman. After a stellar career for the Bruins, Aikman secured his spot as the No. 1 overall pick in the 1989 NFL Draft, taken by Dallas, where he would play out all 11 years of his career.
Aikman was just your prototypical quarterback, hailing from West Covina, California, standing in at 6’4″ 200-pounds, a size that scouts drool over. In Dallas, he was the man. He continued the winning foundation of the Cowboys, delivering the team their last their Super Bowls in franchise history. In Super Bowl XXVII, a homecoming for Aikman, he was named MVP after routing the Buffalo Bills by a final score of 52-17.
In Super Bowl XXVII, a homecoming for Aikman, he was named MVP after routing the Buffalo Bills by a final score of 52-17.
Aikman was a six-time Pro Bowl selection and was also named the Walter Payton Man of the Year in 1996. He eventually hung up the cleats after the 2000 season, securing his spot in the College and Pro Football Hall of Fame, boasting a 62 percent completion percentage and 81.6 QB rating, far above average.
Next: 7. Orlando Pace
Easily one of the best offensive linemen to ever play the game, Orlando Pace was drafted first overall in the 1997 NFL Draft by the St. Louis Rams, playing all the way through 2009. His size is startling, checking in at 6’7″ 325-pounds during his playing days, serving as a stone wall for his quarterbacks and running backs.
At Ohio State, he had a memorable 1996 season, finishing fourth in the Heisman Trophy. It hadn’t been since 1973 since an offensive lineman finished that high in the voting. Since then, no offensive lineman has been a finalist for the award.
On his resumé, he can add seven-time Pro Bowler, three-time First-team All-Pro and Super Bowl XXXIV Champion. His Super Bowl win came against the Tennessee Titans in one of the most memorable games in NFL history.
He played in 169 games throughout his career, starting in all but four. He has since been inducted into the College and Pro Football Hall of Fame.
Next: 6. Terry Bradshaw
The Pittsburgh Steelers didn’t know exactly what they were getting from a quarterback out of Louisiana Tech when they drafted him back in 1970, but they’re sure glad they did.
Taking Terry Bradshaw with the No. 1 overall pick shaped the Steelers winning culture, leading the organization to four of their six Super Bowls. In two of those Super Bowls, he was named the Super Bowl MVP.
Bradshaw was the first quarterback to ever win three and four Super Bowls in NFL history. Since then, Joe Montana and Tom Brady are the only quarterbacks to reach four Super Bowl wins. Both Joe Montana and Terry Bradshaw are undefeated when playing in the Super Bowl.
Despite winning Super Bowls, Bradshaw won’t exactly go down as one of the greatest quarterbacks to ever play the game. He only completed 51.9 percent of his passes and had 212 touchdowns to 210 interceptions in his career.
He was only named First-team All-Pro once and named to the Pro Bowl three times in his career, his success was found in the playoffs and will be defined by the measuring stick for quarterbacks, Super Bowl rings.
Next: 5. Bruce Smith
This is now Virginia Tech’s second product to make this list, the third from the state of Virginia as a whole. Taken No. 1 overall in the 1985 draft by the Buffalo Bills, Bruce Smith will go down as one of the greatest defensive linemen to ever play the game. The 6’4″ 265-pound defensive end was a terror for opposing offenses, mastering power moves to get to the backfield.
He is the NFL’s all-time leading sacker with 200, two more than Reggie White and 40 more than Kevin Green. He also added 1,225 tackles, the most of any defensive linemen in league history.
He served in the league for 18 seasons and was just as effective in his first year as he was in his last year, named to both the 1980’s and 1990’s All-Decade Team. His list of accolades also includes 11 Pro Bowls, nine First-team All-Pro selections, four AFC Championships and two Defensive Player of the Year Awards.
He has since been inducted into both the College and Pro Football Hall of Fame.
Next: 4. O.J. Simpson
One of the most decorated players at both the collegiate and professional level, O.J. Simpson simply did it all at USC, earning him the honors of being selected first in the 1969 NFL Draft.
For the Trojans, he won the Walter Camp Award, UPI Player of the Year award twice, the Maxwell award and Heisman Trophy. His performance led to his induction into the College Football Hall of Fame.
But the success didn’t stop in Los Angeles. He was selected by the Buffalo Bills, heading all the way across the country in what would be the start of one of the best careers for an NFL running back.
He averaged nearly five yards a carry throughout his career (4.7) and totaled 11,236 yards through his ten-year career, adding 61 touchdowns as well. In his rookie season, he was named to the Pro Bowl, the first of his six selections. From years 1972-1976, he was named AP First-Team All-Pro. That doesn’t mention his four rushing champion seasons for
From years 1972-1976, he was named AP First-Team All-Pro. That doesn’t mention his four rushing champion seasons in 1972, 1973, 1975 and 1976.
He was a rare combination of speed and power, proving to be stronger and faster than his Ford Bronco on the freeway.
Next: 3. John Elway
John Elway comes in as one of the most accomplished players at both the college and professional ranks. A consensus All-American at Stanford and Pac-10 Player of the Year in 1982 surged Elway to the top of draft boards, landing him a new home with the Denver Broncos.
Elway would play out his entire 15-year career in Denver, who has now developed into the general manager and executive vice president of football operations. During his career with the Broncos, he won five AFC Championships, going on to win two Super Bowls. He was named NFL MVP in 1987 and selected to the Pro Bowl nine times.
As his career came to an end, he would later be inducted into the Pro Football Hall of Fame, as well as the College Football Hall of Fame.
Next: 2. Chuck Bednarik
The Philadelphia Eagles landed one of the greatest defensive players to ever play in the NFL back in the 1949 draft. But his talents didn’t stop on the defensive side of the ball. He also played center throughout his career, becoming one of the most dominant two-way players to ever play the game.
With the Philadelphia Eagles, he won two championships. He was selected to the Pro Bowl and was named All-Pro 10 times throughout his career.
Bednarik had a reputation as being a hard-nosed guy, serving 14 years in the league, only missing a total of three games. His number, 60, has been retired by the Philadelphia Eagles, one of only eight in the history of the illustrious franchise.
At the college ranks, hailing from the University of Pennsylvania, he made such an impact that there is now an award in his honor, given to the best defensive player in college.
Next: 1. Peyton Manning
In 1998, the Indianapolis Colts had the choice of selecting between Peyton Manning and Ryan Leaf with the No. 1 overall pick in the NFL Draft.
The Colts with Peyton Manning, the four-year starter out of Knoxville, Tennessee. During that span, Manning won 39 of 45 games, breaking the SEC record for career wins, as well as becoming Tennessee’s all-time leading passer in yards and touchdowns.
His success in college translated well into the NFL, turning out to be one of the best draft decisions in NFL history. While Ryan Leaf’s career ending after just 21 starts in the span of four seasons, Manning was just getting started in the record books.
Manning ended up playing 17 seasons in the NFL, which ultimately resulted in 14 Pro Bowl selections, five AP MVP selections, four AFC Championships and two Super Bowl titles, the first with the Colts and his second with the Denver Broncos. While he had some great receivers surrounding him at both Indianapolis and Denver, he made everyone around him great.
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His meticulous dedication to the game and film room made him a field general. Picking out defenses, rerouting plays and calling audibles, Manning knew exactly what to do to succeed. There will always be the argument about who the greatest quarterback of all time is, but you can’t have the conversation without mentioning Peyton Manning’s name.