The NFL Draft is an annual exercise in soothsaying, and while all teams make picks they wish they could have back, every franchise hits a home run as well. Here, we lay out the best draft pick for every NFL team since 2000.
While the Cardinals have drafted some good players recently, nothing tops the impact of taking Fitzgerald third overall in the 2004 draft. It was a franchise-altering move that helped lead to a Super Bowl appearance in the 2008-09 season, and Fitzgerald has arguably been the organization's best all-time player.
Atlanta paid dearly for the right to draft Jones with the sixth pick in 2011, giving Cleveland five draft picks, including two first-rounders. Jones has emerged as one of the NFL's truly elite wide receivers, making seven Pro Bowls and accumulating over 12,000 yards receiving in nine seasons.
Jackson appropriately replaced Joe Flacco as the Ravens starter in 2018 and also is their best draft pick since 2000. He went 6-1 in his rookie season, followed by winning the league MVP in 2019 with 36 touchdown passes and over 1,200 yards rushing. The future is bright for Jackson and the Ravens.
There really isn't much to brag about among the past 20 years of Bills drafts, but Williams was a terrific pick. Williams is their best draft choice as a fifth-round value in 2006, becoming a defensive stalwart who has made six Pro Bowls in 13 NFL seasons.
A transformational player in both college and now the NFL, Newton was as advertised after going first overall in the 2011 draft. Newton led the Panthers to a 15-1 regular-season record in 2015 before they lost in Super Bowl 50. He won league MVP and has made three Pro Bowls in nine seasons before the Panthers moved on in 2020.
The Bears had several picks in the early 2000s that were outstanding, but Briggs was their best value. Briggs made the Pro Bowl in seven straight seasons from 2005-11 after being drafted in the third round in 2003. He was at the core of the Chicago defense that went to Super Bowl XLI. Among Chicago's other great picks are Brian Urlacher, Charles Tillman and Matt Forte.
Atkins has been Cincinnati's best value pick since 2000, a 2010 fourth-rounder who has made the Pro Bowl in eight out of 10 NFL seasons. Other great recent picks include Rey Maualuga, Carlos Dunlap, A.J. Green and Andy Dalton, while their brilliant 2001 draft that included Justin Smith, Chad Johnson, Rudi Johnson and T.J. Houshmandzadeh is also worthy of mention.
It's difficult to find a great pick for the Browns over the last 20 years, but one does stand out. Notorious for embarrassing draft results, the Browns have made some good first-round selections at lower-impact positions. Thomas is a surefire Hall of Famer despite his team, making the Pro Bowl in 10 of his 11 NFL seasons and being named First-Team All-Pro six times.
Witten has an argument as the greatest Cowboy ever, even as his team has mostly struggled during his time. The 2003 third-rounder has missed only one game over his career and has made 11 Pro Bowls over 16 seasons, with a brief stop in the "Monday Night Football" both in between. He recently signed a one-year deal to play for the Las Vegas Raiders.
The second overall pick in 2011, Miller was the centerpiece of the defense that led the Broncos to a Super Bowl 50 win. Brandon Marshall was the organization's best value as a fourth-rounder in 2006, but the Pro Bowl wideout played only four seasons with the Broncos.
At his peak, Johnson was perhaps the best wide receiver ever. He had nearly 2,000 receiving yards in 2012 and made the Pro Bowl six straight times before retiring after the 2015 season. With usually high draft spots, the Lions also were able to get Matthew Stafford, Ndamukong Suh and Ziggy Ansah in recent seasons.
The Packers watched Rodgers slide in the 2005 draft and pounced with the 24th pick. The rest is history. Rodgers eventually took the reins from Brett Favre in 2008, has been to eight Pro Bowls, won two MVPs and led the Packers to victory in Super Bowl XLV.
Watt dropped to 11th overall in the 2011 draft and is now one of the faces of the NFL. He was an All-Pro in four straight years with 69 sacks over that time before missing most of 2016 due to injury but regained All-Pro status in 2018. DeAndre Hopkins and Deshaun Watson have been two other outstanding first-round picks by the franchise in recent years.
The Colts had the good fortune of having the first overall pick when Luck was available. Even a caveman could have made the pick, but that doesn't make it any less strong. Luck had a disappointing career overall before retiring in the 2019 preseason due to injury but still made four Pro Bowls while appearing in six NFL seasons.
The Jags have made some truly awful picks in their infancy, but Jones-Drew was an exception to the rule. The versatile back never won with Jacksonville, but he was highly productive after being taken in the second round in 2006. MJD finished his career with 8,167 rushing yards and 2,944 receiving yards, leading the league in rushing yards in 2011.
With an honorable mention to 2008 third-round running back Jamaal Charles, Mahomes is clearly the team's best pick of the century, if not all time. The Chiefs traded up to the 10th overall spot to select Mahomes in 2017, and he's gone on to win league MVP in 2018 and the Super Bowl in 2019. He's on a historical career trajectory.
The Raiders have had some downright pitiful drafts since 2000, to put it bluntly. A rare exception was Mack in 2014, who became a superstar in four seasons with the Raiders before getting traded to Chicago. Mack has 61.5 career sacks and has been a Pro Bowler in five straight years.
San Diego had perhaps the greatest first two picks in the history of the draft in 2001, taking LT fifth overall followed by Drew Brees with the 32nd pick. Most of Brees' success has come in New Orleans, but both players are sure Hall of Famers, with Tomlinson getting the nod officially in 2016. Eli Manning was also a Chargers draftee in 2004 before getting traded for Philip Rivers.
Donald has become arguably the best defensive player of his era through six seasons. During that time, the monstrous defensive tackle has won three Defensive Player of the Year Awards and been an All-Pro in five straight seasons with 72 sacks for his career.
The Dolphins had some truly horrific drafts in the 2000s, so there really isn't much to choose from on this list. Based on the start of his career, Landry is among their best picks after going in the second round in 2014. The receiver played four seasons in Miami, making three Pro Bowls before going to Cleveland and making two more.
The Vikings' list starts and ends with Peterson, one of the greatest running backs of all time. The four-time All-Pro has led the NFL in rushing three times and rushed for 2,097 yards in 2012. No one else in Minnesota's drafts comes close to this 2007 first-round pick.
The greatest draft steal ever, Brady went in the sixth round in 2000. Among his numerous accomplishments are nine Super Bowl appearances, six Super Bowl wins, three MVPs and 14 Pro Bowl appearances. He's arguably the greatest quarterback in history.
Jordan has become the face of the Saints defense during his nine seasons since being drafted in the first round of the 2011 draft. The star defensive end has never missed a game, making five Pro Bowls with 87 total sacks.
The 2014 draft had historic wide receiver talent, and Beckham Jr. might have been the best of them all. It didn't take long for him to become a star in the NFL, making the Pro Bowl in his first three seasons. Beckham was traded to Cleveland in 2019.
The 14th overall pick in 2007, Revis was the best cover corner of his era. All but three of his 11 seasons came with the Jets. He made seven Pro Bowls and was a four-time All-Pro during his career.
The Eagles' drafts have been a mix of good and bad since 2000, but McCoy was one of their gems as a second-rounder in 2009. He made three Pro Bowls and was an All-Pro twice with the Eagles, but Chip Kelly forced him out after the 2014 season. McCoy made three more Pro Bowls as a member of the Bills.
Quite a debate can be had between Big Ben in the first round of the 2004 draft and Antonio Brown as a sixth-rounder in 2010. Big Ben has led the Steelers to two Super Bowl victories and made six Pro Bowls for his time. Brown was the top wideout in the NFL for much of his Pittsburgh career, but his time with the team ended unceremoniously after the 2018 season.
The 49ers found themselves a future Hall of Fame running back when they selected Gore in the third round in 2005 out of Miami. The durable runner made five Pro Bowls in 10 seasons with the team and his historic career has continued with more than 15,000 career rushing yards in 15 seasons.
While the Seahawks have made some incredible defensive picks that built their Super Bowl-winning team, they wouldn't have gotten there without taking Russell Wilson in the third round in 2012. Wilson has made the Pro Bowl six times in eight seasons as one of the elite quarterbacks in football. Drafting Richard Sherman in the fifth round of the 2011 draft is a close second on the list.
McCoy has been one of the NFL's top defensive tackles over his 10-year career, making six straight Pro Bowls from 2012-2018. Team and player finally parted ways following the 2018 season, and McCoy has continued his career with Carolina and Dallas.
Johnson's prime was much too short, but he put himself in the history books by rushing for 2,006 yards in 2009. He made the Pro Bowl in each of his first three seasons and rushed for nearly 8,000 yards in six seasons with Tennessee. A first-rounder after running a record-breaking 40, Johnson was considered an unknown risk out of East Carolina. 2016 second-round pick Derrick Henry has started to challenge Johnson's status, leading the NFL in rushing during the 2019 season.
Washington's drafts have been a mix of some good and a lot of bad. Williams has been an exception, matching the hype after going fourth overall in 2010. He made seven consecutive Pro Bowls before holding out for all of 2019.
Seth Trachtman is a fantasy sports expert and diehard Kansas City Chiefs fan. He doesn't often Tweet, but when he does, you can find him on Twitter @sethroto.
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