Best Draft Picks of All Time – The College Angle

Here at Saurian Sagacity we are college fans, but with the wall-to-wall coverage of this weekend’s NFL draft we didn’t want to be left entirely out of the discussion. But, what to discuss?

Well, Charles Robinson of Yahoo! Sports wrote a recent article in which he picked the “Best all-time first-round picks”. In making his list, he picked the best pick by draft position – not merely the best picks overall.

I am not an NFL fan, and have little personal opinion about his selections. When I think of the NFL at all, it is mostly as a retirement program for talented college players. Robinson mentions other candidates at each draft slot, and says a few current players (such as Peyton Manning) may eventually eclipse his current pick at some slots.

I have no quibble with his selections. In looking at his list of the top 32 per draft position, what I saw was not great NFL players, but colleges. A list of colleges in fact.

A list that showed where the best NFL talent has come from.

According to Robinson, the 32 best players per draft selection are –

1 John Elway – 1983
2 Lawrence Taylor – 1981
3 Barry Sanders – 1989
4 Walter Payton – 1975
5 Deion Sanders – 1989
6 Richard Seymour – 2001
7 Champ Bailey – 1999
8 Ronnie Lott – 1981
9 Bruce Matthews – 1983
10 Rod Woodson – 1987
11 Michael Irvin – 1988
12 Warren Sapp – 1995
13 Franco Harris – 1972
14 Jim Kelly – 1983
15 John Mobley – 1996
16 Jerry Rice – 1985
17 Emmittt Smith – 1990
18 Art Monk – 1980
19 Randall McDaniel – 1988
20 Jack Youngblood – 1971
21 Lynn Swann – 1974
22 Andre Rison – 1989
23 Ozzie Newsome – 1978
25 Ed Reed – 2002
25 Ted Washington – 1991
26 Ray Lewis – 1996
27 Dan Marino – 1983
28 Darrell Green – 1983
29 Derrick Alexander - 1994
30 Reggie Wayne - 2001
31 Al Wilson – 1999
32 Logan Mankins - 2005

The last 4 – and in particular pick 32 – are less insightful, as the picks have been added only since the respective number of teams existed in the NFL. There have been fourteen 29th picks, twelve 30th’s, nine 31st’s and only six 32nd’s.

Once again, as a “collegecentric” fan, I see the schools the players came from when I look at a list like this. To me, I see –

Stanford
UNC
Oklahoma State
Jackson State
FSU
Georgia
Georgia
USC
USC
Purdue
Miami
Miami
Penn State
Miami
Kutztown
Mississippi Valley State
Florida
Syracuse
Arizona State
Florida
USC
Michigan State
Alabama
Miami
Louisville
Miami
Pittsburgh
Texas A&M
Michigan
Miami
Tennessee
Fresno State

It’s obvious which school really stands out here – and that is the University of Miami.

Of the schools which have 2 or more of the “best NFL draft picks”, we have –

Miami – 6 picks
USC – 3 picks
Florida – 2 picks
Georgia – 2 picks

And that is all.

The overall list comprises picks from as early as 1971 to as recent as a few years ago. USC’s 3 picks are all from well over twenty years past - Ronnie Lott, Bruce Matthews and Lynn Swann, of 1981, 1983 and 1974 respectively. Florida’s two picks are widely spread apart – 1971 for NFL Hall of Fame member Jack Youngblood to 1990 for Emmitt Smith. Georgia picks are very close in time – Richard Seymour in 2001, and Champ Bailey in 1999.

Miami’s impressive list spans a time of 20 years -

Jim Kelly – 1983
Michael Irvin – 1988
Warren Sapp – 1995
Ray Lewis – 1996
Reggie Wayne – 2001
Ed Reed – 2002


Once again, you can argue whether any individual spot in Robinson’s article should have been assigned to any particular player. However, it is hard to argue with the talent that has come out of Miami since the early 1980’s.

And, in a larger sense, it is hard to argue with the level of talent that comes from schools in the state of Florida overall. Looking back at the colleges list, you see an incredible 9 players (when you include FSU's Sanders) that are considered “all time best draft picks” that played for Florida schools, or 28% of the total. Only Jack Youngblood in 1971 has not come within the last 20 years.

With over 1 in 4 of the “all-time” NFL greats having played their college ball in Florida, the "Sunshine State" might more properly be named "The NFL's Farm League".