20 of the best NFL Draft red carpet looks

First and foremost, Eli Apple's mother, Annie Apple, is a godsend. In this instance, she told her yet-to-be-drafted son, "Dude, you’re an unemployed college dropout. You will not be on TV with a Rolex." She also warned any girls who might soon slide into her son's DMs. Eli was drafted by the New York Giants at No. 10 overall, donning a very sharp suit, and Annie was quite impressively dressed as well.

Ezekiel Elliott developed a reputation as "The Half-Shirt Hero" as a national champion running back at Ohio State, and he carried that with him to the 2016 NFL Draft. All eyes would have be on him anyway, but he insured that everybody would notice him with his half-shirt look. He caught some flack for it, but it's probably a safe bet that anyone showing up to a nationally televised event in a half-shirt doesn't care what you think. In hindsight, the light blue makes it even better. Elliott was drafted by Dallas at No. 4 overall and went on to rush for 1,631 yards and 15 touchdowns.

University of California quarterback Jared Goff was not one of the more exciting No. 1 overall draft picks in NFL history, and his suit choice tells us that he wasn't going to try to be someone he was not just because he was going to be No. 1. Goff is the reigning No. 1 overall pick, having been selected by the Los Angeles Rams in 2016, and he went the traditional route with his draft day attire.

Defensive lineman Robert Nkemdiche took a defensive approach, not giving anybody any indication what he might be feeling while waiting to be drafted with blacked-out sunglasses. Ultimately, the Arizona Cardinals selected him at the end of the first round at No. 29 overall in 2016.

Yeah, yeah, his shoes were very loud and spiky. But can you honestly say you don't think they were just a little bit cool? Men, you don't even kind of wish you could pull something like that off? Either way, Jalen Ramsey made a fashion statement at the 2016 NFL Draft worthy of the No. 5 overall pick.

Maybe Bud Dupree's red velvet jacket was obnoxious to some, but I actually thought he pulled it off. The bow tie was a nice touch. Dupree, a linebacker out of Kentucky, was selected No. 22 overall by Pittsburgh in the 2015 NFL Draft.

Melvin Gordon and his mother owned the 2015 NFL Draft. Gordon was taken No. 15 overall by the then-San Diego Chargers out of Wisconsin, where he rewrote several NCAA rushing records, dressing to the nines in the process.

I am far from the foremost authority on men's style, but I really liked this from Trae Waynes. It's a loud pattern that somehow isn't screaming too loudly. There's a hint of Spartan green in there, too, which is a nice touch. Waynes, a cornerback out of Michigan State, was drafted in 2015 by the Minnesota Vikings at No. 11 overall.

Predictable, I know: One of the NFL's unofficial GQ spokesmen made this list. But actually, given the off-the-field flair and game cleats we've seen from New York Giants superstar wide receiver Odell Beckham Jr., this suit was fairly tame, a tasteful tame. Beckham Jr. was taken by the Giants at No. 12 overall in 2014 out of Louisiana State University. He went on to win Offensive Rookie of the Year. Since wearing this suit on NFL Draft Day, OBJ has 288 receptions for 4,122 yards and 35 touchdowns in his career.

I'm a sucker for purple accents, so I'll admit some bias here. But given some of the swings-and-misses we've seen players wear on draft day, this simple suit sticks out as slick. Jadeveon Clowney was the No. 1 overall pick in the 2014 NFL Draft by the Houston Texans after a stellar career as a South Carolina Gamecock defensive end. Clowney only saw four games in his rookie season but has shown flashes of his college persona in the two seasons since.

There's just something to be said for simple. Kyle Fuller was selected by the Chicago Bears out of Virginia Tech at No. 14 overall. Heading into the 2017 season, the cornerback's time in Chicago is under evaluation. Say what you want about his play on the field, but at least the man has good taste in attire.

When drafted at No. 62 overall out of Eastern Illinois in 2014 to be Tom Brady's backup in New England, Jimmy Garoppolo instantly found himself in headlines regarding which of the two quarterbacks is better looking instead of which quarterback should start. Everybody knows who Brady is now, but the five-time Super Bowl champion wasn't drafted until the sixth round in 2000. So by default, Garoppolo had the better draft day suit.

Dion Jordan, who had previously donned the flashiest uniforms in college football for four years at Oregon, was selected at No. 3 overall by the Miami Dolphins in 2013. The defensive end has since been released by Miami and is now a Seattle Seahawk, but his bow tie was a win at the drat, which accented the classic navy blue suit nicely.

We can't see the full outfit, but Dee Milliner's pastel pink color scheme and studded watch tell us enough. Milliner went with the Easter Sunday look, a lost art at the NFL Draft. The New York Jets picked Milliner at No. 9 overall out of Alabama in 2013. Since then, Milliner has been cut from the Jets and remains a free agent.

Eric Reid's suit was nice, and he's not out of place on this list, but the real winner here is his daughter, LeiLani, then three years old. Reid, a standout safety at LSU, was taken at No. 18 overall by San Francisco in 2013.

This was obviously before Von Miller's cowboy hat phase (see: recent Coachella outfit). Dig the wire-rimmed glasses, though. Miller, a linebacker out of Texas A&M, was taken at No. 2 overall by Denver in the 2011 NFL Draft. Since then, he has sacked a quarterback 73.5 times, been the Super Bowl 50 MVP and earned a massive six-year, $114.5 million contract extension.

With a last name like Best, you have to constantly bring it. At the 2010 NFL Draft, University of California running back Jahvid Best did not disappoint. The Detroit Lions traded up into the end of the first round to grab Best at No. 30 overall. Sadly, that was the highlight of Best's NFL career as he is now out of the league due to concussions (for which he has sued the NFL). Not so sad, though, is that Best made the 2016 Rio Olympics and raced against Usain Bolt in the 100 meters.

Michael Crabtree was a star wide receiver prospect coming out of Texas Tech in 2009, said at the time to easily be a top three pick. But the Oakland Raiders (ironically, Crabtree's current team) passed on him, and the San Francisco 49ers took him at No. 10 overall. His draft stock may have slipped, but his suit remained at the top of the draft.

Given the color of Mark Sanchez's tie, he must have had some kind of conscious or subconscious inkling that the New York Jets would take him at No. 5 overall in 2009. At the time, Sanchez was the latest and greatest in a long line of potential quarterback prospects out of the University of Southern California. Sanchez played (and buttfumbled) for the Jets until 2012 before going to the Philadelphia Eagles and then the Dallas Cowboys. He's now with the Chicago Bears.

We now know that Aaron Rodgers is one of the best quarterbacks to ever play in the NFL. But in 2005, he was snubbed by the San Francisco 49ers, who selected Alex Smith with the No. 1 overall pick instead of Rodgers. Rodgers was taken at No. 24 overall by the Green Bay Packers, which is still very respectable and obviously worked out very well for him (with 297 career touchdowns and a Super Bowl ring to prove it). But at the time, Rodgers was very clearly dressing for the job he wanted: No. 1 overall.