All-Time Best First Round
 

Okay, so here's a thing.

Let's try and put together the best possible first round of all time.

For example, if you think Peyton Manning (1998) is the best #1 overall pick of all time, he'd be the first pick. Marshall Faulk (1994) might be your pick for the best #2 of all time, and so on.

(Actually, maybe "all-time" should just be "since the merger" because the draft was a much different animal before the modern era, I think.)

Let's do it! I think Manning/Faulk is debatable, so I'll leave those blank for now, but #3 and #4 seem pretty obvious to me.

Updating as people suggest picks, but all of these slots are still open to debate.

1. Peyton Manning, Indianapolis Colts (1998)
2. Lawrence Taylor, New York Giants (1981)
3. Barry Sanders, Detroit Lions (1989)
4. Derrick Thomas, Kansas City Chiefs (1989)
5. Deion Sanders, Atlanta Falcons (1995)
6. John Riggins, New York Jets (1971)
7. Adrian Peterson, Minnesota Vikings (1997)
8.
9. Brian Urlacher, Chicago Bears (2000)
10.
11.
12. Warren Sapp, Tampa Bay Buccaneers (1995)
13. Tony Gonzalez, Kansas City Chiefs (1997)
14. Jim Kelly, Buffalo Bills (1983)
15.
16. Jerry Rice, San Francisco 49ers (1985)
17. Emmitt Smith, Dallas Cowboys (1991)
18.
19.
20.
21. Randy Moss, Minnesota Vikings (1998)
22.
23.
24. Aaron Rodgers, Green Bay Packers (2005)
25.
26. Ray Lewis, Baltimore Ravens (1996)
27. Dan Marino, Miami Dolphins (1983)
28.
29.
30.
31.
32.

glen dorsey definitely number 5

Blackledge at 7.

Deion Sanders @5

89 draft was tha bomb

When we get to the 32nd pick, does it have to be the 1st round, or could it be the 2nd round and 6th pick back in the days when there were only 26 teams?

Deion Sanders at 5?

edit: beaten to it. sorry Deberg

All due respect to Todd Marinovich, I think Aaron Rodgers probably has 24 wrapped up. Honorable mentions to Ed Reed and Steven Jackson.

#2 Lawrence Taylor

Dag, yo, yeah.

Hmm, good question. My instinct is to stick with first rounders so that it's a true All-Time First Round, but I suppose I could be swayed.

Emmitt Smith @ 17

#7 Rothlesshamburger.

Randy Moss @ 21?

Dude you should already have #16 pick up there and if you don't know who that is shame on you all!

He was actually #11

Marino was the 26th pick, right? Hard to beat that.

Could argue Walter Payton, Otto Graham, Mean Joe Greene @ #4

Ray Lewis #26

Hint.....1985 draft.....

Damn....all time best value in the 1st ever.....Well maybe Rodgers since he actually won a title.

#30 Reggie Wayne

Pretty handy resource right here:

http://football.about.com/library/we...l_hofdraft.htm

(Avoid it if you're in this for the thrill of the hunt, though.)

#29 Fran Tarkenton

Champ Bailey @ 7?

#13 Tony Gonzalez

#28 Derrick Brooks

Darrell Green?

#27 Dan Marino

You could make this a series of polls and entertain us all off-season.

Let's start with the #32 pick. The candidates are:

Al Wistert, 1943
Bob St. Clair, 1953
Don Meredith, 1960
Willie Brown, 1964
Fred Smerlas, 1979
Ray Donaldson, 1980
Henry Ellard, 1983
Drew Brees, 2001
Logan Mankins, 2005

**** Chump Bailey and any Donko suggested.

You've gone with an FSU and a Georgia guy. Very magnanimous of you. :D

Was just about to suggest he gets a homer nod.

Considered Green but I'd give the nod to Brooks.

Green was a 7x Pro Bowler and 4x All Pro.

Brooks was a 11x Pro Bowler and 9x All Pro.

#8 Ronnie Lott

#25 is tough... Ted Washington?

heh, we should do one of these for every round of the draft and see how much tougher it is to dig up names once you get into the lower rounds.

Candidates at #31

Bear Bryant, 1936 (okay, he probably didn't play much, but it's cool.)
Bill Forester, 1953
Rosey Grier, 1955
Tommy McDonald, 1957
Curley Culp, 1968
Bill Bergey, 1969
Carl Pickens, 1992
Nnamdi Asomugha, 2003

#1 Buck Buchanan and not debatable

#23 Bill George - never heard of him but he's a HOF, 8x All Pro, 8x Pro Bowl

Boyd Dowler, 1959
Stanley Morgan, 1977
Ted Washington, 1991
Jon Beason, 2007

I'd go with Morgan, but Washington is close.

#20 Jack Youngblood

Hmmm, I might just do this...

Rod Woodson @ 10?

#19 Randall McDaniel or Marvin Harrison

Demarcus Ware @ 11?

#18 Paul Krause

#1 Jeff George/jwitlock

Doug Atkins, Leo Nomellini, Michael Irvin, Paul Warfield, Wilber Marshall, Fred Biletnikoff, Frank Gifford, Ben Roethlisberger, Patrick Willis

Jack Youngblood #20
Ozzie Newsome #23

30th pick

Sam Huff, 1956
Dan Ross, 1979
Reggie Wayne, 2001

Not a lot of options here.

If I made this a series of polls, what do you guys think about the following stipulations:

1. "All-time" actually just means "since the 1970 merger"
2. They have to have been drafted in the 1st round at the time, so for example Drew Brees wouldn't qualify because there were only 31 teams when he was drafted 32.

Hmm? Good, bad, no, yes?

#16 Jerry Rice

I might go Irvin here...

#15 Alan Page

#14 I don't know Bob Lilly or Gino Marchetti but I do know Jim Kelly

Sorry Chiefs fans but #4 has to be Walter Payton

Elway #1, Lawrence Taylor #2, Len Dawson #3, Walter Payton #4, Deion Sanders #5, Tim Brow #6, Champ Baily #7,Ronnie Lot #8, Brian Urlacher #9,Marcus Allen #10 My top 10... #11 Poe... haha joking what a waste

noooooooooo :(

Ray Ray #26

29th pick

Jim Taylor, 1956
Fran Tarkenton, 1961
Dave Wilcox, 1964
Joe Cribbs, 1980
Chris Spielman, 1988
Steve Wisniewski, 1989 (reported despite the fact that he was a dirty player who deserves no recognition)

#12 Warren Sapp

#20 Dale Carter or Tamba Hali

**** Steve Atwater but he was a beast.

I'd probably go Warfield, though I've heard that Doug Atkins was an absolute beast.

Whoa, 'beast' was used independently on two posts in a row.

#10 Rod Woodson (ahead of my fav. Marcus Allen)

#9 Dick Butkus or Bruce Matthews

NO Buck Buchanan #1

#28

Ralph Neely, 1965
Darrell Green, 1983
Derrick Brooks, 1995
Trevor Pryce, 1997

#8 Ronnie Lott

#12 Geno Smith

#6 Jim Brown

lololol

Q post 33 :D

#27

Julius Adams, 1971
Dan Marino, 1983
Larry Johnson, 2003 (shrug)
Roddy White, 2005

Ben Rothlesbeergersadfadsfe @ pick 11

Jim Kelly @ 14

#26

Joe Delamielleure, 1973
Dana Stubblefield, 1993
Ray Lewis, 1996
Alan Faneca, 1998

Ray Lewis #26

Darrell Green #28

Reggie Wayne #30
Ted Washington #25
Ozzie Newsome #23
Jack Youngblood #20
Art Monk #18
Warren Sapp #12
Bruce Mathews #9

Terry Bradshaw #1 overall #1

Or Otto Graham.

#6 Sammy Baugh