Best No. 1 NFL draft picks of all time: Peyton Manning, John Elway top list

USA Today

14-04-2025

Best No. 1 NFL draft picks of all time: Peyton Manning, John Elway top list
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Packers GM Brian Gutekunst on Green Bay hosting 2025 NFL draft
Green Bay Packers general manager Brian Gutekunst said it's "neat" Green Bay is hosting the 2025 NFL draft, but his focus is fully on the Packers' draft planning.
Sports Illustrated - Green Bay Packers
The 2025 NFL draft will be the 90th edition of the event. It was first held in 1936, during which the Philadelphia Eagles selected running back Jay Berwanger with the top overall selection.
Since then, just 14 of the 89 players chosen with the top overall selection have gone on to become Hall of Fame players. Plenty are still active NFL players who well may join their counterparts in Canton, but to date, it hasn't always been easy to hit a home run with the No. 1 overall pick.
Of course, there have still be plenty of high-end talents to top the NFL draft. From franchise quarterbacks to top-tier running backs and a few quality top-notch players in the trenches, there are a lot of No. 1 overall picks who have carved out nice careers for themselves in the NFL.
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Below is a look at the 10 best players ever selected with the NFL draft's top overall selection.
Honorable mentions: Paul Hornung (Packers, 1957), Lee Roy Selmon (Buccaneers, 1976), Eli Manning (Giants, 2004), Matthew Stafford (Lions, 2009), Myles Garrett (Browns, 2017), Joe Burrow (Bengals, 2020)
10. Orlando Pace, 1997
Position : Offensive tackle
: Offensive tackle Team: St. Louis Rams
Offensive linemen don't always get the love they deserve, but Pace ended up being a key cog in the Rams' "Greatest Show on Turf" offense. He helped the team win Super Bowl 34 and thrived as a blind-side blocker for Kurt Warner.
Pace was named a Pro Bowler seven consecutive seasons from 1999 to 2005. He was an All-Pro first teamer in three of those seasons. He played 169 games across 13 seasons with the Rams and Chicago Bears and was became a Pro Football Hall of Famer in 2016.
9. Ron Yary, 1968
Position : Offensive tackle
: Offensive tackle Team: Minnesota Vikings
Here's another offensive tackle selection who deserves some love. The Vikings made Yary the No. 1 pick in the 1968 NFL draft and he went on to play 207 games across 15 seasons.
From 1971 to 1976, Yary made six consecutive All-Pro first teams. He was also a part of the Vikings' NFL championship-winning team in 1969, though the team was unable to beat the Kansas City Chiefs in Super Bowl 4.
Yary was enshrined in the Pro Football Hall of Fame in 2001.
8. Earl Campbell, 1978
Position : Running back
: Running back Team: Houston Oilers
Few players in NFL history opened their careers better than Campbell. The bruising runner led the league in rushing in each of his first three seasons, averaging 348 carries for 1,694 yards and 15 touchdowns while playing in 46 games.
Over that span, Campbell was named an All-Pro first teamer three times and never finished worst than second in NFL MVP voting. He won the award in 1979 one season after being named the NFL's Rookie of the Year.
Campbell played just eight NFL seasons with the Oilers and New Orleans Saints before retiring. He ended his career with 9,407 rushing yards and was inducted into the Pro Football Hall of Fame in 1991.
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7. Troy Aikman, 1989
Position : Quarterback
: Quarterback Team: Dallas Cowboys
Aikman famously lost all 11 of his starts as a rookie before developing into one of the best quarterbacks in Cowboys history. He helped lead Dallas to three Super Bowl wins and was named the MVP of Super Bowl 27 after racking up 273 yards and four touchdowns in Dallas' 52-17 rout of the Buffalo Bills.
Back and concussion problems ultimately ended Aikman's career after just 12 seasons, but he was a Pro Bowler in six of those seasons and is the Cowboys' all-time wins leader (94). He was inducted into the Pro Football Hall of Fame in 2006.
6. Terry Bradshaw, 1970
Position : Quarterback
: Quarterback Team: Pittsburgh Steelers
Bradshaw may not have the most impressive counting stats among Hall of Fame quarterbacks, but he was one of the first great game managers during an era that was less pass-heavy.
Bradshaw helped the Steelers win four Super Bowls in his 14 years with the team. He was the first quarterback ever to achieve that feat, which has only since been matched by Joe Montana and passed by Tom Brady (seven Super Bowl titles). Add in Bradshaw's impressive 14-5 postseason mark and strong 107-51 regular-season record and he clearly lived up to the expectations thrust upon him as the No. 1 pick.
5. Chuck Bednarik, 1949
Position : Linebacker/center
: Linebacker/center Team: Philadelphia Eagles
Bednarik enjoyed a remarkable NFL career and was one of the league's last high-volume two-way players. He established himself as a hard-hitting tackler at linebacker and notoriously knocked out New York Giants running back Frank Gifford on a vicious tackle in 1960. That play, which forced Gifford to retire for 18 months, is known simply as "The Hit."
Bednarik was also a tough force at center during his 14-year career with the Eagles. He was named to the All-Pro first team six times during his career and was named to the Pro Football Hall of Fame in 1967 after recording 20 interceptions and forcing 21 fumbles across 169 games.
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4. O.J. Simpson, 1969
Position : Running back
: Running back Team: Buffalo Bills
Simpson made just one Pro Bowl in his first three professional seasons before breaking out in 1972. He led the NFL in rushing yards that season, kickstarting a run of five consecutive All-Pro first team seasons.
During that run, Simpson became the first player in NFL history to eclipse the 2,000-yard mark. He racked up 2,003 rushing yards in 14 games while leading the league in carries (332) and rushing touchdowns (12).
Simpson finished his career with four seasons as the NFL's rushing leader, three as its carries leader and two as its rushing touchdown leader. He was inducted into the Pro Football Hall of Fame in 1985, five years after his 11-season professional career came to a close.
3. Bruce Smith, 1985
Position : Edge rusher
: Edge rusher Team: Buffalo Bills
Smith is clearly the best defensive player ever selected with the No. 1 overall pick, and a case could be made for him to the best the best of all.
Smith played 279 games over 19 seasons for Buffalo and Washington. He is the only player in NFL history to rack up 200 career sacks, and he was named an All-Pro first teamer a whopping eight times. He won two Defensive Player of the Year awards and had 13 seasons in which he racked up double-digit sacks.
Smith never won a Super Bowl during his NFL career but was a key part of the Bills defense that made four consecutive appearances in the Big Game. He was inducted into the Pro Football Hall of Fame in 2009.
2. John Elway, 1983
Position : Quarterback
: Quarterback Team: Baltimore Colts
Elway was the No. 1 pick in the 1983 NFL draft but never actually played for the Colts after making it clear he did not want to play for Baltimore. He was traded to the Broncos and blossomed into one of the greatest quarterbacks in NFL history.
Elway posted a 148-82-1 record across 16 seasons with the Denver Broncos. He was named the NFL MVP in 1987 and earned back-to-back Super Bowl wins in his final two seasons and was named the MVP of Super Bowl 33, his last-ever NFL game. He also famously led "The Drive" in the 1986 AFC championship game to lead the Broncos to an iconic come-from-behind victory over the Cleveland Browns.
Elway is still widely regarded as the best NFL draft quarterback prospect of all time. He backed it up with his stellar, 16-year career that ended with his 2004 enshrinement in the Pro Football Hall of Fame.
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1. Peyton Manning, 1998
Position : Quarterback
: Quarterback Team: Indianapolis Colts
The Colts were tasked with what was, on paper, a difficult decision with the first pick in the 1998 NFL draft. Would they take Manning or Ryan Leaf with the No. 1 overall pick?
Ultimately, Bill Polian and the Colts opted to roll with Manning as their top selection. It was unequivocally the right choice, as Manning turned the Colts from a middling franchise to a consistent AFC contender. The Tennessee product won an NFL record five MVP awards, was named an All-Pro first teamer seven times, won two Super Bowls and was inducted into the Pro Football Hall of Fame in 2021.
Manning posted a 186-79 record across 17 seasons with the Colts and Broncos. He set the NFL single-season touchdown record in 2013 by tossing 55 and his 539 career touchdown passes presently rank as the third-most in NFL history behind only Tom Brady (649) and Drew Brees (571).