The first overall selection in the NFL Draft grabs most of the spotlight. However, the second choice sometimes gets lost in the shuffle. The San Francisco 49ers chose Ohio State defensive lineman Nick Bosa after Kyler Murray went to the Arizona Cardinals. How have other picks fared when they have come up second best?
2018: Saquon Barkley
The Giants got a gem when they chose Saquon Barkley out of Penn State. The running back was the NFL Offensive Rookie of the Year. He earned it by rushing for 1,307 yards and catching 91 passes for another 721 yards.
2017: Mitchell Trubisky
Heads snapped when the Chicago Bears traded up to draft North Carolina’s Mitchell Trubisky after giving Mike Glennon a massive free-agent deal. The move is looking sweet as the Bears won the NFC North in 2018 and Trubisky blossomed.
2016: Carson Wentz
Carson Wentz has a Super Bowl ring. That came with Nick Foles leading the Eagles after Foles, drafted out of North Dakota State, was lost for the season with a wrecked knee. He was injured again in 2018. He feels like a “winner,” but they key is going to be the ability to stay on the field.
2015: Marcus Mariota
Marcus Mariota won the Heisman Trophy at Oregon and was taken after Tampa Bay selected Jameis Winston. After four seasons, the results are mediocre. Mariota is often banged-up and when he has started for the Titans, they are 27-28. Getting close to make-or-break when it comes to if he is a franchise quarterback.
2014: Greg Robinson
Greg Robinson did not pan out in his three seasons with the Rams after being chosen from Auburn. He then went to Detroit for a year and spent last season with the Browns.
2013: Luke Joeckel
Another lineman a team had great hopes for coming out of the draft. Texas A&M’s Luke Joeckel was considered for the No. 1 overall pick. He was chosen by Jacksonville in the second slot. He’s been sidelined by injuries and didn’t develop as hoped in Jacksonville. He made 11 starts for Seattle last season.
2012: Robert Griffin III
Robert Griffin lit the NFL up in his first season out of Baylor. The Redskins thought they had a mega-star as the QB threw for 3,200 yards and rushed for another 815. It has been all downhill from there. Plagued by injuries, Griffin wound up exiting Washington, heading to Cleveland and then to Baltimore, where he basically was a third-stringer behind Lamar Jackson and Joe Flacco.
2011: Von Miller
Von Miller has proven to be one of the best selections in the two slot. He’s an unstoppable force for the Denver defense at his linebacker position. Ninety-eight sacks in eight seasons, seven of them double-digit years.
2010: Ndamunkong Suh
Always seeming to be in the middle of controversy in Detroit, Ndamukong Suh came to the Lions out of Nebraska. He is durable, always ready to start. After Motown, there were three seasons in Miami before moving on to the Rams last season and making it to the Super Bowl, where they lost to the Patriots.
2009: Jason Smith
Jason Smith was 6-foot-4 and 305 pounds and drafted out of Baylor by the Rams. Like Greg Robinson, another offensive lineman in the two slot that did not work out. He spent three years with the Rams, another with the Jets and then was gone.
2008: Chris Long
Chris Long is one of the coolest and most accomplished players in the NFL. He’s a forced on and off the field. The Virginia star spent eight years with the Rams, went to the Eagles (where he won a Super Bowl) and then to New England, where he earned another ring.
2007: Calvin Johnson
One of the best receivers of any generation, the Lions plucked Calvin Johnson out of Georgia Tech. He played all nine seasons for Detroit and made 731 catches, many spectacular. They went for 11,619 yards and 83 touchdowns.
2006: Reggie Bush
Reggie Bush headed to New Orleans out of USC and the expectations were sky-high. It didn’t pan out as the Saints believed. He spent five years in New Orleans with his rookie season his best as he accounted for almost 1,300 yards rushing and receiving. He did have two 1,000-yard seasons — one each with Detroit and Miami — and wound up playing for five teams.
2005: Ronnie Brown
Ronnie Brown spent six seasons in Miami after being drafted out of Auburn. He rushed for 4,815 yards and 36 touchdowns as a Dolphin. He played for the Chargers, Texans and Eagles with little output for those teams.
2004: Robert Gallery
Robert Gallery came to the Raiders from Iowa and the belief was they had a generational offensive lineman. He started 103 of the 104 games he played — one year with Seattle — but was not a difference-maker.
2003: Charles Rogers
Drafted out of Michigan State, Charles Rogers found trouble everywhere he turned in a sad pro career. He played a total of 15 games, made 36 catches and was far better known for abuse issues he battled.
2002: Julius Peppers
Julius Peppers was a stud defensive lineman. He delivered big time for the Carolina Panthers when drafted out of North Carolina. He has 159.5 sacks over a career that ended following last season. He forced 51 fumbles (second most all-time) made 21 fumble recoveries, 11 interceptions, and scored six defensive touchdowns in what certainly will land him in Canton.
2001: Leonard Davis
Leonard Davis was drafted by the Cardinals out of Texas. He played six years for them and four more for the Cowboys. Davis was durable, starting 155 of 171 games he played.
2000: LaVar Arrington
LaVar Arrington came to the Redskins out of Penn State — then known as Linebacker U. He was a three-time Pro Bowler and eventually left Washington for NFC East rival New York. A ruptured Achilles shortened his career. He was out of football after 2006.
