NFL Draft SMQ: Which school produces the most No. 1 picks?
By Zach Bigalke
Which pro teams get to draft first most often?
Determining which teams have earned the No. 1 overall draft pick the most times depends on whether one considers a specific team in location and time or a franchise on a continuum. Given the tendency for franchises to relocate in American sports, let’s look at the matter from a franchise standpoint. The top five franchises when it comes to the NFL Draft are:
1t. Baltimore/Indianapolis Colts (7)
1t. Cleveland/Los Angeles/St. Louis Rams (7)
3t. Boston/New England Patriots (5)
3t. Tampa Bay Buccaneers (5)
5t. Five teams tied (4)
When accounting for franchises which stayed in a single geographic location, the Patriots and Buccaneers lead the way. The Patriots changed their moniker after leaving Boston for Foxborough, but the franchise has consistently represented a single region. Tampa Bay, meanwhile, has remained anchored on the Gulf coast of Florida even as it has shifted from the NFC Central to the NFC South.
Atop the leaderboard in this category, though, are a pair of franchises well known for their relocations. The Baltimore Colts were one of the NFL’s storied franchises, helping launch the league to prominence thanks to their part in the league’s famous early championship telecasts. When they relocated to Indiana, they continued to land the No. 1 overall pick in the NFL Draft. On several occasions, they have used those picks on Stanford quarterbacks.
The Rams, though, might be the most interesting case study of the bunch
They are the only franchise to land the No. 1 overall pick in three different cities. Their first time picking first overall came in 1938, when the Cleveland Rams became the only franchise ever to pick a fullback with the No. 1 selection in the NFL Draft. Soon after relocating to Los Angeles, the Rams picked Bill Wade out of Vanderbilt first overall in 1952.
The Rams also had the first overall pick twice while in St. Louis, choosing Orlando Pace in 1997 and Sam Bradford in 2010. Two years ago, after relocating back to Los Angeles, they picked first overall again. With the selection, the Rams took quarterback Jared Goff from Cal.