HEROSPORTS
  • Home
  • FCS
    • FCS Home
    • Big South-OVC
    • Big Sky
    • CAA
    • Ivy
    • MEAC
    • MVFC
    • NEC
    • Patriot
    • Pioneer
    • SoCon
    • Southland
    • SWAC
    • UAC
  • FBS
    • FBS Home
    • AAC Football
    • CUSA Football
    • MAC Football
    • Mountain West Football
    • Pac-12 Football
    • Sun Belt Football
  • College Basketball
  • Register at BetMGM
  • BetMGM Promotions
  • More
    • About HERO Sports
    • Contact
No Result
View All Result
  • Home
  • FCS
    • FCS Home
    • Big South-OVC
    • Big Sky
    • CAA
    • Ivy
    • MEAC
    • MVFC
    • NEC
    • Patriot
    • Pioneer
    • SoCon
    • Southland
    • SWAC
    • UAC
  • FBS
    • FBS Home
    • AAC Football
    • CUSA Football
    • MAC Football
    • Mountain West Football
    • Pac-12 Football
    • Sun Belt Football
  • College Basketball
  • Register at BetMGM
  • BetMGM Promotions
  • More
    • About HERO Sports
    • Contact
No Result
View All Result
HEROSPORTS
No Result
View All Result

Perfect NFL Draft: Best Player Drafted with Picks 1-224 in NFL History

HERO Sports by HERO Sports
April 19, 2018
Perfect NFL Draft: Best Player Drafted with Picks 1-224 in NFL History

What if a single draft resulted in pick after pick of future Hall of Famers and career legends? That's what we're attempting to compile by creating the NFL Draft — the best player drafted with each pick of a seven-round draft.

[divider]2018 NFL DRAFT:
Draft Home | Compare Draft Prospects | Prospect Rankings
Compare NFL Teams | Compare NFL Players[divider]

Using Sports Reference's Career AV statistic — which attempts to put a single number to determine the value of a player's career on a season-by-season basis — we've assembled a list of the most successful players at every single draft pick in NFL history, the players who've accumulated the highest total Career AV.

MORE: Highest NFL Draft Pick in the History of Each FBS Team

A couple of notes:

1. This lists the player at each pick from 1-224 who has the highest Career AV, per Sports Reference. I did not take any liberties and elevate a player who wasn't the No. 1 Career AV total from that draft slot. Don't @ me when you see who's on this list instead of Walter Payton at pick No. 4.

2. Because the NFL Draft has changed over time based on the number of teams in the league, we're simply looking at which pick the player was drafted with and applying that to today's standards. That means many of the players on this list were drafted in different rounds than they'll be slotted (Example: Kevin Greene is a Hall of Fame linebacker selected with the 113th pick of the 1985 NFL Draft. The 113th pick is a 4th-rounder in our draft even though he was a 5th-round pick in real life.)

3. Career AV is a cumulative stat that adds up after every season. That's why this list favors players who have finished their careers and only features fewer current players.

4. We only looked at the NFL Draft. That means if a player was selected in both the NFL and AFL Drafts, their NFL Draft slot was used, even if their AFL Draft slot was higher. It also means no supplementary picks are used (Sorry Reggie White, who was the 4th pick in the 1984 Supplementary Draft and has the sixth-best Career AV in NFL history).

So that's the methodology!

Here's a look at the most successful player selected at each draft pick from No. 1 to No. 224 over the course of NFL Draft history.

MORE: NFL Draft Perfect First Round: Best Player Drafted with Picks 1-32 in NFL History

[divider]

1st Round

[credit]Peyton-Manning Julie Jacobson AP PhotoPeyton Manning has the highest Career AV of any first-round draft pick in NFL history. Julie Jacobson/AP Photo[/credit]

Rnd Pick Year Tm Player Pos College Career AV
1 1 1998 IND Peyton Manning QB Tennessee 177
1 2 1981 NYG Lawrence Taylor (HOF) LB North Carolina 137
1 3 1980 CIN Anthony Munoz (HOF) T USC 133
1 4 2004 NYG Philip Rivers QB NC State 134
1 5 2001 SDG LaDainian Tomlinson (HOF) RB TCU 128
1 6 1964 MIN Carl Eller (HOF) DE Minnesota 123
1 7 1999 WAS Champ Bailey DB Georgia 111
1 8 1981 SFO Ronnie Lott (HOF) DB USC 118
1 9 1983 HOU Bruce Matthews (HOF) G USC 134
1 10 1987 PIT Rod Woodson (HOF) DB Purdue 140
1 11 2004 PIT Ben Roethlisberger QB Miami (OH) 120
1 12 1995 TAM Warren Sapp (HOF) DT Miami (FL) 117
1 13 1961 DAL Bob Lilly (HOF) DT TCU 108
1 14 1983 BUF Jim Kelly (HOF) QB Miami (FL) 103
1 15 1967 MIN Alan Page (HOF) DT Notre Dame 135
1 16 1985 SFO Jerry Rice (HOF) WR Miss. Valley St. 159
1 17 1990 DAL Emmitt Smith (HOF) RB Florida 129
1 18 1964 WAS Paul Krause (HOF) DB Iowa 113
1 19 1996 IND Marvin Harrison (HOF) WR Syracuse 124
1 20 1971 RAM Jack Youngblood (HOF) DE Florida 105
1 21 1998 MIN Randy Moss (HOF) WR Marshall 123
1 22 1970 RAM Jack Reynolds LB Tennessee 79
1 23 1959 CLE Dick Schafrath T Ohio State 89
1 24 2005 GNB Aaron Rodgers QB California 128
1 25 1991 SFO Ted Washington NT Louisville 91
1 26 1996 BAL Ray Lewis (HOF) LB Miami (FL) 158
1 27 1983 MIA Dan Marino (HOF) QB Pittsburgh 145
1 28 1995 TAM Derrick Brooks (HOF) LB Florida State 141
1 29 1961 MIN Fran Tarkenton (HOF) QB Georgia 149
1 30 2001 IND Reggie Wayne WR Miami (FL) 117
1 31 1969 CIN Bill Bergey LB Arkansas State 84
1 32 2001 SDG Drew Brees QB Purdue 159

MORE: In-Depth Look at the Perfect First Round

[divider]

2nd Round

[credit]favreBrett Favre has the highest Career AV of any second-round draft pick in NFL history, using today's draft standards. Jim Oxley/HERO Sports[/credit]

<tr style="height

split-fbo-6-23-25
Previous Post

Jalen Hurts Would Be ‘Biggest Free Agent in College Football History’

Next Post

NFL Draft Perfect 1st Round: Best Player Drafted with Picks 1-32 in NFL History

Next Post
NFL Draft Perfect 1st Round: Best Player Drafted with Picks 1-32 in NFL History

NFL Draft Perfect 1st Round: Best Player Drafted with Picks 1-32 in NFL History

No Result
View All Result

Recent Posts

  • 2025 FCS Jersey Countdown: The Best Returning Player For Each Number
  • 2025 Bowling Green Football Preview: Prediction, Betting Odds & Schedule
  • 2025 FAU Football Preview: Prediction, Betting Odds & Schedule

HERO Sports is the go-to website for FBS and FCS football news, analysis, and predictions.

Gambling problem? Call 1-800-GAMBLER (Available in the US)
877-8-HOPENY or text HOPENY (467369) (NY)
1-800-327-5050 (MA), 1-800-NEXT-STEP (AZ), 1-800-BETS-OFF (IA), 1-800-981-0023 (PR)

For new customer offers, Bonus Bets expire in seven days. One New Customer Offer only. Add'l terms. For existing customers, Bonus Bets expire in seven days. Add'l terms.

21+ only. Please Gamble Responsibly. See BetMGM.com for Terms. First Bet Offer for new customers only (if applicable). Subject to eligibility requirements. Bonus bets are non-withdrawable. In partnership with Kansas Crossing Casino and Hotel. This promotional offer is not available in DC, Mississippi, New York, Nevada, Ontario, or Puerto Rico.

Welcome Offer Bet $10, $150 in Bonus Bets

GAMBLING PROBLEM? CALL 1-800-GAMBLER (AVAILABLE IN THE US). 21+ ONLY. CO, MI, NJ, PA, WV ONLY. PLEASE GAMBLE RESPONSIBLY. SEE BETMGM.COM FOR TERMS. THIS PROMOTIONAL OFFER IS FOR NEW PLAYERS ONLY. SUBJECT TO ELIGIBILITY REQUIREMENTS. BONUS BETS ARE NON-WITHDRAWABLE. US PROMOTIONAL OFFERS NOT AVAILABLE IN MISSISSIPPI, NEVADA, NEW YORK, ONTARIO AND PUERTO RICO.

  • About HERO Sports
  • Contact
  • Privacy Policy

© 2022 HERO SPORTS.

No Result
View All Result
  • Home
  • FCS
    • FCS Home
    • Big South-OVC
    • Big Sky
    • CAA
    • Ivy
    • MEAC
    • MVFC
    • NEC
    • Patriot
    • Pioneer
    • SoCon
    • Southland
    • SWAC
    • UAC
  • FBS
    • FBS Home
    • AAC Football
    • CUSA Football
    • MAC Football
    • Mountain West Football
    • Pac-12 Football
    • Sun Belt Football
  • College Basketball
  • Register at BetMGM
  • BetMGM Promotions
  • More
    • About HERO Sports
    • Contact

© 2022 HERO SPORTS.

Rnd Pick Year Tm Player Pos College Career AV
2 33 1991 ATL Brett Favre (HOF) QB Southern Miss 156
2 34 1971 PIT Jack Ham (HOF) LB Penn St. 114
2 35 1974 SFO Keith Fahnhorst T Minnesota 75
2 36 1992 DAL Jimmy Smith WR Jackson St. 109
2 37 1985 PHI Randall Cunningham QB UNLV 107
2 38 1981 CHI Mike Singletary (HOF) LB Baylor 123
2 39 1965 DET Fred Biletnikoff (HOF) WR Florida State 89
2 40 1993 NYG Michael Strahan (HOF) DE Texas Southern 121
2 41 1982 NWE Andre Tippett (HOF) LB Iowa 90
2 42 1976 SFO Randy Cross G UCLA 87
2 43 1957 PHI Sonny Jurgensen (HOF) QB Duke 107
2 44 1960 CLE Jim Marshall DE Ohio State 98
2 45 1991 SFO Ricky Watters RB Notre Dame 102
2 46 1974 PIT Jack Lambert (HOF) LB Kent St. 110
2 47 2007 NYJ David Harris LB Michigan 82
2 48 1981 OAK Howie Long (HOF) DE Villanova 95
2 49 1983 SFO Roger Craig RB Nebraska 95
2 50 1961 STL Ron McDole DE Nebraska 91
2 51 1981 NOR Rickey Jackson (HOF) LB Pittsburgh 113
2 52* 1957 CLE Henry Jordan (HOF) DT Virginia 94
2 52* 1968 OAK Ken Stabler (HOF) QB Alabama 94
2 53 1970 PIT Mel Blount (HOF) DB Southern 101
2 54 2003 ARI Anquan Boldin WR Florida State 86