ESPN ranks best player ever drafted at every slot in first round

Every year, fans tune into the NFL Draft, hopeful to watch their team select the league’s next star. While true legends rarely come through the NFL, the league has seen its fair share of icons since the draft began in 1936.

Some of these legends, like Deion Sanders, entered the league as stars and lived up to their billing. However, other Hall-of-Famers like Tom Brady pleasantly surprised fans after going relatively unnoticed through the draft process.

On Thursday, ESPN ranked the best player ever drafted with each pick in the NFL Draft. ESPN’s Ben Solak considered multiple factors in his selection process, including talent, team success and career path. With 32 first-round picks to cover, let’s dive into ESPN’s list.

1. Peyton Manning, QB (1998)

ESPN had plenty of standout success stories to choose from for the No. 1 pick, however, nobody outshined Peyton Manning. Manning had an 18-season NFL career, in which he won two Super Bowls, one for the Indianapolis Colts and the other for the Denver Broncos.

He won a record-high five MVP awards during his career, and was named a First-Team All-Pro seven times and a Pro Bowl selection 14 times. Manning was inducted into the Pro Football Hall of Fame in 2021, and is still extremely influential in the football community.

2. Lawrence Taylor, OLB (1981)

Lawrence Taylor is widely-regarded as the greatest defensive football player of all time, and for good reason. Taylor made an immediate impact on the league, and is still the only player to ever win the AP NFL Defensive Player of the Year Award as a rookie.

Alas, he didn’t stop there. Taylor went on to record double-digit sacks each season from 1984 through 1990, including a career-high of 20.5 in 1986. For his efforts, he became just the second defensive player to win the MVP award. He was an eight-time First-Team All-Pro.

3. Barry Sanders, RB (1989)

There have been plenty of great players to grace the NFL who were the third overall pick of their respective draft. Nevertheless, none of them have dominated quite like Barry Sanders.

In just a 10-season career, Sanders the NFL in rushing yards four times and in rushing touchdowns once. He was named the 1997 NFL MVP after racking up 2,053 rushing yards in the regular season. He also was the AP NFL Offensive Player of the Year that year, his second time winning the award.

4. Walter Payton, RB (1975)

Sanders isn’t the only legendary running back who expected to be great from the moment they stepped in the league. Walter Payton was the No. 4 overall pick in the 1975 NFL Draft, and didn’t waste a moment building his illustrious legacy.

By his third year in the NFL, Payton was named the NFL MVP. Eight years later in 1985, Payton guided the Chicago Bears to their first and only Super Bowl victory since the NFL-AFL merger in 1970. Payton has the second-most rushing yards in NFL history, among numerous other career accomplishments.

5. Deion Sanders, DB (1989)

With players like Ja’Marr Chase and LaDainian Tomlinson also being No. 5 picks, Deion Sanders had stiff competition for his spot on ESPN’s list. Yet, it wouldn’t right to exclude Prime Time when discussing the all-time greats.

Before ever making waves in the college coaching scene, Sanders was giving his opponents headaches on the gridiron. He is a two-time Super Bowl champion and was the 1994 NFL Defensive Player of the Year. After crushing home runs for the New York Yankees, Sanders would fly to Atlanta and shut down WR1’s. There was nobody like him and, for that reason alone, he deserves his claim to the No. 5 spot.

6. Walter Jones, OT (1997)

Walter Jones is one of two offensive tackles who made ESPN’s list in the Top 10 picks. Jones played all 12 seasons of his NFL career for the Seattle Seahawks. He was four-time First-Team All-Pro and two-time Second-Team selection.

He was selected to play in the Pro Bowl in nine of his 12 NFL seasons. Jones started in each of his 180 appearances for Seattle, and only gave up 23 sacks on over 5,500 career pass blocks. He was penalized for holding just nine times in his career. There are few NFL offensive linemen who have embodied “consistency” more than Walter Jones.

7. Adrian Peterson, RB (2007)

Adrian Peterson is arguably the best running back to play in the 21st century. He electrified fans with his powerhouse running style that left defenders dreading meeting him in the A-gap. Of course, Peterson didn’t lack speed, either.

The 6-foot-1, 220-pound locomotive was a three-time NFL rushing leader (2008, 2012, 2015) and was named the NFL Offensive Player of the Year and league MVP in 2012. Peterson’s 2012 campaign was especially spectacular considering he had torn his ACL and MCL in a game late in 2011.

8. Ronnie Lott, S (1981)

Ronnie Lott was known for his toughness on the field. After all, he once amputated a portion of his pinkie finger to return to a game. However, he was far more than a gritty journeyman. Lott is one of the best NFL safeties of all time.

He is a four-time Super Bowl champion and was an eight-time First-Team All-Pro selection. He was the NFL interceptions leader twice, including in 1986 when he tallied a career-best 10 interceptions, while recording 77 tackles, three forced fumbles, and two sacks.

9. Bruce Matthews, OT (1983)

If Walter Jones embodied consistency, Bruce Matthews embodied longevity. In his 19-year career, Matthew was a 14-time Pro Bowler and nine-time All-Pro honoree. He spent all 19 season of his career playing for the Houston Oilers/Tennessee Titans.

Matthews did it all for the organization, playing every position on the offensive line throughout his career, and also taking snaps on special teams. Matthews never missed a game in his career, collecting 293 starts, the third-most in NFL history.

10. Patrick Mahomes, QB (2017)

Patrick Mahomes is the only player currently playing in ESPN’s Top 10, it’d be a fool’s errand to leave out the three-time Super Bowl champion. Mahomes is the motor behind the most successful dynasty in the NFL since Tom Brady’s New England Patriots, and he has plenty more time to build on his legacy.

Mahomes has already won the MVP award twice, been named the NFL Offensive Player of the Year and led the league in passing yards and passing touchdowns. He’s been at the forefront of every NFL conversation for nearly eight years and, if ESPN’s list is any indications, fans shouldn’t expect to stop hearing his name anytime soon.

11. J.J. Watt, DE/OLB (2011)
12. Warren Sapp, DT (1995)
13. Aaron Donald, DT (2014)
14. Darrelle Revis, CB (2007)
15. Alan Page, DT (1967)
16. Jerry Rice, WR (1985)
17. Emmitt Smith, RB (1990)
18. Art Monk, WR (1980)
19. Marvin Harrison, WR (1996)
20. Jack Youngblood, DE (1971)
21. Randy Moss, WR (1998)
22. Justin Jefferson, WR (2020)
23. Ty Law, CB (1995)
24. Ed Reed, S (2002)
25. Dont’a Hightower, LB (2012)
26. Ray Lewis, LB (1996)
27. Dan Marino, QB (1983)
28. Derrick Brooks, LB (1995)
29. Steve Wisniewski, G (1989)
30. Eric Allen, CB (1988)
31. Cameron Heyward, DT (2011)
32. Drew Brees, QB (2001)