Ranking Greatest NFL Players All Time by Draft Selection

by Julian Spivey

​1. Peyton Manning (1998)
You would think it would be hard to pick the greatest No. 1 overall draft pick in NFL history but it truly wasn’t. It was obviously Peyton Manning, whom the Indianapolis Colts took first overall out of the University of Tennessee in 1998. In nearly 90 years of the NFL Draft, there have shockingly only been 14 No. 1 picks that have gone on to Pro Football Hall of Fame careers. While those 13 other Hall of Famers are certainly legends of the game, like John Elway, Bruce Smith, Chuck Bednarik and more, Manning put up the biggest numbers in one of the game’s most successful and competitive eras in league history. Manning helped lead two franchises to Super Bowl titles: Colts in 2007 and Denver Broncos in 2016. He was a five-time league MVP (2003, 2004, 2008, 2009 & 2013). He holds the all-time single-season records for both touchdown passes and passing yardage. He was a 14-time Pro Bowler and has had his No. 18 jersey retired by both the Colts and Broncos. The remarkable thing about Manning is he put up these numbers while playing against one of the greatest dynasties in the New England Patriots and fellow QBs in Tom Brady for nearly all of his career. Manning was named a member of the 100th-anniversary all-time team in 2019. He was inducted into the Pro Football Hall of Fame in 2021.

2. Lawrence Taylor (1981)
Lawrence Taylor is widely considered the greatest defensive player in NFL history. He’s also the greatest number-two overall pick in NFL Draft history after being selected by the New York Giants in the 1981 draft out of the University of North Carolina. Taylor was a three-time Defensive Player of the Year winner and became just the second defensive player to win the league’s Most Valuable Player (after Alan Page) in 1986. The feared linebacker helped lead the Giants to two Super Bowl wins in 1987 and 1991. The 10-time Pro Bowler was named to the league’s 75th and 100th anniversary All-Time teams. His No. 56 jersey is retired by the Giants franchise. Taylor was inducted into the Pro Football Hall of Fame in 1999. In 2010, the NFL Network ranked Taylor as the third greatest player in league history behind only Jerry Rice and Jim Brown.

3. Dick Butkus (1965)
Dick Butkus was one of the most feared defensive players in the history of the NFL. He’s also the greatest number three overall pick in NFL Draft history. Butkus was selected third overall by the Chicago Bears in the 1965 draft out of the University of Illinois. Butkus would win back-to-back NFL Defensive Player of the Year honors in 1969 and 1970. The eight-time Pro Bowler was named to both the ‘60s and ‘70s All-Decade teams despite only playing from ’65-’73 and was selected as a member of the 100th anniversary team. Butkus was inducted into the Pro Football Hall of Fame in 1979 and his No. 51 jersey has been retired by the Bears franchise.

4. Walter Payton (1975)
Walter Payton was the fourth overall selection in the 1975 NFL Draft by the Chicago Bears out of Jackson State University. He would go on to be the game’s most prolific rusher of his era. The nine-time Pro Bowler would win NFL Most Valuable Player in 1977 and help lead the Bears to the Super Bowl XX title in the mid-‘80s. Payton was named to the league’s All-Decade teams in both the ‘70s (despite only playing half a decade) and ‘80s and in 2019 was a member of the 100th anniversary team. He retired as the all-time leading rusher in league history. His No. 34 jersey has been retired by the Bears franchise. Payton was inducted into the Pro Football Hall of Fame in 1993.

5. Deion Sanders (1989)
Deion Sanders was selected fifth overall by the Atlanta Falcons in the 1989 NFL Draft out of Florida State University and became one of the greatest defensive backs in league history despite also playing professional baseball throughout much of his career. Sanders, perhaps the game’s flashiest and most exciting player of his era, would win two Super Bowls in his career: San Francisco 49ers (1995) and Dallas Cowboys (1996). He was the league’s Defensive Player of the Year in 1994 and an eight-time Pro Bowler. Sanders was named as a member of the 100th anniversary team in 2019. He was inducted into the Pro Football Hall of Fame in 2011.

6. Jim Brown (1957)
Jim Brown is considered by some to be the greatest player in the history of the NFL. He is the greatest sixth-overall selection in NFL Draft history. The Cleveland Browns took Brown out of Syracuse with the sixth pick in the 1957 Draft. Brown would win NFL MVP three times (including his rookie season) and led the Browns to the 1965 NFL championship. He led the league in rushing in eight of his nine seasons and retired holding most of the rushing records in league history. Had he not retired at an early age there’s no telling where he’d currently be in the rushing record books. Brown was named a member of the league’s 50th, 75th and 100th anniversary All-Time teams and the NFL Network ranked him as the second greatest player in NFL history in 2010 behind only Jerry Rice. Brown was inducted into the Pro Football Hall of Fame in 1971.

7. Champ Bailey (1999)
No offense to Champ Bailey. The guy is a Pro Football Hall of Famer (inducted in 2019 in his first year of eligibility) and is considered one of the game’s all-time great cornerbacks but it’s also a bit wild that he’s the greatest seventh overall pick in NFL Draft history. Bailey was taken seventh in the 1999 draft out of the University of Georgia by the Washington football team. Bailey is one of only two players from that draft (Edgerrin James) to be inducted into the Hall of Fame thus far. He was a 12-time Pro Bowler (most ever for his position) over 15 seasons with Washington and the Denver Broncos.  

8. Ronnie Lott (1981)
Ronnie Lott is arguably the greatest defensive back in the history of the NFL, which makes him a rather obvious pick as the greatest eighth-overall selection in NFL Draft history. Lott was taken by the San Francisco 49ers out of USC in 1981. That ’81 Draft included some of the greatest defensive players to ever play the game, including Lawrence Taylor, and Mike Singletary, whom the Chicago Bears took in the second round. Lott was one of the fiercest defensive players in league history helping the 49ers to four Super Bowl titles in the decade. The 10-time Pro Bowler was named to both the league’s 75th and 100th-anniversary All-Time teams. He was inducted into the Pro Football Hall of Fame in 2000.

9. Bruce Matthews (1983)
Bruce Matthews is primarily known for two things: spending his entire 19-season career with one franchise – the Houston Oilers/Tennessee Titans – and for being one of the greatest offensive linemen to ever play the game. He’s also the greatest ninth overall draft pick in league history being selected by the Oilers in 1983 out of USC. The 14-time Pro Bowler was named to the league’s 100th anniversary All-Time team in 2019. Matthews was inducted into the Pro Football Hall of Fame in 2007 and his No. 74 is retired by the Titans.

10. Rod Woodson (1987)
The Pittsburgh Steelers drafted cornerback Rod Woodson with the 10th overall pick of the 1987 NFL Draft out of Purdue. Woodson would go on to become one of the greatest defensive players on a team known for having great defensive players throughout its history from ’87-1996, which included winning the league’s Defensive Player of the Year honor in 1993. The 11-time Pro Bowler would also spend time with the San Francisco 49ers, Baltimore Ravens and Oakland Raiders during his career, which included a Super Bowl win with Baltimore in 2001. Woodson was named to the league’s 75th-anniversary and 100th-anniversary All-Time teams. He was inducted into the Pro Football Hall of Fame in 2009.

11. Paul Warfield (1964)
Paul Warfield was the 11th overall pick in the 1964 NFL Draft out of Ohio State by the Cleveland Browns. The eight-time Pro Bowl wide receiver would spend the first six years of his career with Cleveland, which included leading the league in touchdown catches in 1968, before being traded to the Miami Dolphins in 1970. In Miami, Warfield would become the main target of quarterback Bob Griese and help lead the Dolphins to back-to-back Super Bowl titles, including the perfect 1972 season. Warfield was inducted into the Pro Football Hall of Fame in 1983.

12. Herb Adderley (1961)
Herb Adderley was selected with the 12th overall pick in the 1961 NFL Draft by the Green Bay Packers. One of the game’s greatest cornerbacks, Adderley would spend most of his career with the Packers, winning Super Bowls I and II with the team, before going to the Dallas Cowboys in 1970 and helping them when their first Super Bowl in franchise history in 1972. Adderley was also drafted 10th overall out of Michigan State by the New York Titans in the AFL Draft. Adderley was inducted into the Pro Football Hall of Fame in 1980.

13. Bob Lilly (1961)
The all-time greatest 12 and 13th draft picks in NFL history came back-to-back in the 1961 NFL Draft. With the very next pick after the Green Bay Packers took Herb Adderley, the Dallas Cowboys selected defensive tackle Bob Lilly 13th overall out of Texas Christian University. He was also drafted 14th overall in the AFL Draft by the Dallas Texans. Lilly played his entire 14-season career with the Cowboys and never missed a single game. He helped Dallas win Super Bowl VI in 1972 and made the NFL’s 1960s and 1970s All-Decade Teams (and he only played for half of the ‘70s). Lilly was inducted into the Pro Football Hall of Fame in 1980.

14. Gino Marchetti (1952)
Gino Marchetti was selected with the 14th overall pick (first pick of the second round) by the New York Yanks in the 1952 NFL Draft. During Marchetti’s rookie season, the Yanks would become the Dallas Texans and then in 1953, they became the Baltimore Colts. Marchetti was already in his mid-20s by the team his NFL career began – this was seven years after he’d fought in the Battle of the Bulge in World War II. Marchetti would win back-to-back NFL championships with the Colts in 1958 and 1959. He’s one of just a few players to make the NFL’s All-Time 50th, 75th and 100th-anniversary teams. The 11-time Pro Bowler was inducted into the Pro Football Hall of Fame in 1972.

15. Alan Page (1967)
Alan Page was so damn impressive as a football player he was one of only two defensive players to win MVP in league history when he did so in 1971. Page was selected 15th overall in the 1967 NFL Draft by the Minnesota Vikings out of Notre Dame. Page would win NFL Defensive Players of the Year twice in his career (1971 & 1973), make nine Pro Bowls and be named to the league’s 100th anniversary All-Time team in 2019. The Vikings retired his No. 88. Page was inducted into the Pro Football Hall of Fame in 1988. 

16. Jerry Rice (1985)
Many fans and historians consider Jerry Rice to be the greatest player in the history of the NFL. He’s without a doubt the greatest wide receiver to ever play the game. Rice was selected with the 16th overall pick in the 1985 NFL Draft by the San Francisco 49ers out of Mississippi Valley State. Rice quickly became the No. 1 target for already legendary 49ers quarterback Joe Montana and the two would lead the franchise to Super Bowl wins in 1989 and 1990. Rice would win another, this time with Steve Young as his QB, in 1995. Rice holds most of the career receiving records in NFL history, including 197 touchdowns and almost 23,000 receiving yards. Rice was inducted into the Pro Football Hall of Fame in 2010. He was named the greatest player in NFL history by the NFL Network in 2010.

17. Emmitt Smith (1990)
Emmitt Smith holds a couple of the greatest records in NFL history with his 18,000-plus rushing yards and his 164 rushing touchdowns. Smith was selected out of the University of Florida with the 17th overall pick in the 1990 NFL Draft by the Dallas Cowboys, whom he’d spent the majority of his career with. Smith would help lead a powerful Cowboys offense to three Super Bowl wins in the ‘90s. Smith, the 1993 NFL MVP, was inducted into the Pro Football Hall of Fame in 2010. He was added to the league’s 100th anniversary All-Time team in 2019.  

18. Paul Krause (1964)
Paul Krause, who would go on to be one of the greatest defensive backs in NFL history, was selected with the 18th overall pick of the 1964 draft by the Washington football franchise with the fourth pick of the second round. The 1964 NFL Draft is the single draft with the most hall of famers taken in league history with 11. Krause would play the first few years of his career with Washington before being traded to the Minnesota Vikings in 1968. Krause’s 81 career interceptions are an NFL record. The eight-time Pro Bowler was inducted into the Pro Football Hall of Fame in 1998.

19. John Mackey (1963)
John Mackey, one of the greatest tight ends in NFL history, was selected with the 19th pick overall out of Syracuse in the 1963 draft as the fifth pick of the second round by the Baltimore Colts. Mackey would play the majority of his career for the Colts, helping them win Super Bowl V in 1971. The five-time Pro Bowler was both a member of the NFL’s 50th Anniversary and 100th Anniversary All-Time squads. Mackey was inducted into the Pro Football Hall of Fame in 1992.

20. Forrest Gregg (1956)
Forrest Gregg was one of the greatest offensive linemen to ever play in the NFL. He was selected with the 20th overall pick in the second round (seventh pick of the round) of the 1956 NFL Draft by the Green Bay Packers. Gregg would go on to win five NFL Championships with the Packers and then end his career with one more with the Dallas Cowboys. Gregg was inducted into the Pro Football Hall of Fame in 1977 and was named to the league’s 100th anniversary All-Time Team in 2019.

21. Randy Moss (1998)
It’s somewhat hard to believe that one of the most electric wide receivers to ever play the game of football slipped to the 21st overall pick of the first round but that’s exactly where the Minnesota Vikings took Randy Moss out of Marshall University in 1998. Moss would go on to lead the league in touchdown receptions five times and holds the single-season NFL record for most touchdown catches with 23. Moss was inducted into the Pro Football Hall of Fame in 2018 and was named as part of the league’s 100th Anniversary All-Time Team in 2019.

22. Ernie Stautner (1950)
Ernie Stautner may not be a household name today among football fans but the hall-of-fame defensive tackle was one of the league’s best defenders in the 1950s. Stautner was taken with the 22nd pick overall (eighth pick of the second round) in the 1950 draft by the Pittsburgh Steelers. Stautner would play his entire career with the Steelers and became the first player to formally have his number (No. 70) retired by the franchise. Stautner was inducted into the Pro Football Hall of Fame in 1969.

23. Ozzie Newsome (1978)
Ozzie Newsome was selected by the Cleveland Browns out of the University of Alabama with the 23rd overall pick in the 1978 NFL Draft. Newsome would play his entire 13-year career with the Browns and become one of the greatest tight ends in league history. Newsome, one of four hall of famers selected in the 1978 NFL Draft, would be named to the league’s 1980s All-Decade Team. When he retired in 1990, he was the all-time leader in receptions and yards among tight ends. He was inducted into the Pro Football Hall of Fame in 1999.

24. Ed Reed (2002)
The Baltimore Ravens have had great luck selecting defensive players out of the University of Miami in the first round of the NFL Draft, as you’ll see not only here but at No. 26 on the list. In the 2002 draft, the Ravens selected safety Ed Reed 24th overall. Reed would help lead the Ravens to a Super Bowl title in 2013 and was named the league’s Defensive Player of the Year in 2004. Reed was a nine-time Pro Bowler and was named to the NFL’s 2000s All-Decade team. He holds the NFL record for most interception return yards at 1,590. He was inducted into the Pro Football Hall of Fame in 2019.

25. Ted Washington (1991)
It’s almost unfathomable that after nearly 90 years of the NFL Draft, there has never been a single Hall of Fame player selected with the 25th overall pick. It’s the only draft spot in the first round that has never had a Hall of Famer taken. Is it a cursed pick? For our selection of the greatest No. 25 draft pick in NFL history we’ll go with the gargantuan nose tackle Ted Washington, who was selected by the San Francisco 49ers out of Louisville in 1991. The 1991 draft was rather anemic when it comes to Hall of Famers overall with only Brett Favre and Aeneas Williams being enshrined from that year’s class. Washington, a four-time Pro Bowler, spent 17 seasons in the league with seven teams and won Super Bowl XXXVIII in his only season with the New England Patriots.

26. Ray Lewis (1996)
Ray Lewis was selected out of the University of Miami with the 26th overall pick in the 1996 NFL Draft by the Baltimore Ravens. He was the second future hall of famer selected by the Ravens in that round as they took offensive lineman Jonathan Ogden with the fourth overall pick. Lewis would make a name for himself as one of the most feared defensive players in league history helping lead Baltimore to two Super Bowl titles. Lewis was a two-time NFL Defensive Player of the Year winner in 2000 and 2003 and holds the league record for both most combined and solo tackles of all time.  He was inducted into the Pro Football Hall of Fame in 2018.

27. Dan Marino (1983)
Dan Marino was one of the coveted quarterbacks chosen in the famous 1983 NFL Draft, which saw six QBs go in the first round. Marino was selected 27th overall by the Miami Dolphins out of the University of Pittsburgh with the penultimate selection in the first round. To this day, the Kansas City Chiefs (Todd Blackledge), New England Patriots (Tony Eason) and New York Jets (Ken O’Brien) must be kicking themselves for choosing QBs ahead of Marino. When Marino retired after his entire career with the Dolphins in 1999 he held many of the game’s all-time passing records, though he’s likely most known today as perhaps the greatest player in NFL history to never win a championship. Marino was inducted into the Pro Football Hall of Fame in 2005.

28. Darrell Green (1983)
Darrell Green, one of the greatest cornerbacks to ever play the game, was selected 28th overall out of Texas A&M-Kingsville in the first round of the 1983 NFL Draft by the Washington football team. Green would help lead the Washington defense to two Super Bowl titles in 1988 and 1992 and was a seven-time Pro Bowler. Green, a member of the 1990s All-Decade Team, holds the NFL record for most consecutive seasons with an interception at 19 (a record that very well could stand the test of time). Green was inducted into the Pro Football Hall of Fame in 2008. 

29. Fran Tarkenton (1961)
Fran Tarkenton, one of the most exciting quarterbacks and players of his era, was selected in both the NFL and AFL Drafts in 1961 out of the University of Georgia. He was taken 29th overall by the Minnesota Vikings in the NFL Draft with the first pick of the third round. He was also chosen in the fifth round (35th overall) by the Boston Patriots. He chose to play for Minnesota. The nine-time Pro Bowler would go on to win the league’s Most Valuable Player honor in 1975, a year he led the league in touchdown passes. The Vikings have retired his No. 10 jersey. At the time of his retirement in 1978 he owned many of the league’s passing records. Tarkenton was inducted into the Pro Football Hall of Fame in 1986.

30. Sam Huff (1956)
Sam Huff was the 30th overall pick in the 1956 NFL Draft out of West Virginia by the New York Giants, which was the fifth pick of the third round. The five-time Pro Bowl linebacker would win the championship in his rookie year with the Giants and would go on to have his name honored in both the Giants and Washington Commanders Ring of Honor/Fame. Huff, one of five hall of famers in his draft class, was inducted into the Pro Football Hall of Fame in 1982.

31. Curley Culp (1968)
Defensive end Curley Culp was selected by the Denver Broncos with the 31st overall pick in the 1968 NFL/AFL Draft, the second year in which the two held a joint draft. He was the fourth overall pick of the second round and one of eight Pro Football Hall of Famers drafted that year. Culp, however, never played a game with the Broncos. The franchise considered him too small to play defensive end in the league at 6’1’’ and 265 pounds and when they failed to convert him to an offensive guard they traded him to the Kansas City Chiefs, where he spent the first half of his career and helped lead the team to a Super Bowl IV title. He would spend most of the second half of his career with the Houston Oilers, where he would win NFL Defensive Player of the Year in 1975. He was inducted into the Hall of Fame in 2013.

32. Drew Brees (2001)
Drew Brees went from slipping out of the first round of the 2001 NFL Draft to becoming one of the most prolific touchdown passers in league history. Brees was selected out of Purdue as the 32nd overall pick in 2001, the first pick of the second round by the San Diego Chargers. Brees would spend the first five seasons of his career with the Chargers before signing with the New Orleans Saints in 2006 as a free agent and forming the bulk of his Hall of Fame credentials as the greatest player in Saints franchise history.