The first pick in the NFL Draft guarantees a college star … and not much else. A look at how the teams did in the first season after they kicked off the selection process. Did they improve, falter, or run in place?
1967: Baltimore Colts: Bubba Smith
The NFL’s expansion team that would start play in 1967, the New Orleans Saints, swapped the No. 1 pick to Baltimore eight days before the draft. The Saints got backup quarterback Gary Cuozzo and Baltimore landed Michigan State defensive end Bubba Smith. The Colts had gone 9-5 in the 1966 season. They followed with an 11-1-2 mark in ’67, the only loss occurring in the final week of the regular season to the Los Angeles Rams.
1968: Minnesota Vikings: Ron Yary
The 1967 Minnesota Vikings went 3-8-3 and chose USC tackle Ron Yary at the top of the draft. How did a team with three wins and three ties get the No. 1 pick, you ask? The Vikings had traded quarterback Fran Tarkenton to the New York Giants in March and received first- and second-round picks in 1967, a first-round pick in 1968 and a second-round pick in 1969. A year later, they went 8-6 and were a playoff team.
1969: Buffalo Bills: O.J. Simpson
O.J. Simpson was the Heisman winner from USC every team coveted. The Buffalo Bills did the most to get him by going 1-12-1 in 1968. In Simpson’s rookie season, Buffalo improved to 4-10.
1970: Pittsburgh Steelers: Terry Bradshaw
The Pittsburgh Steelers finished 1-13 in 1969 and their reward was selecting Louisiana Tech QB Terry Bradshaw with the top pick. The Steelers picked it up to 5-9 in 1970 and were gradually improving into an NFL power.
1971: New England Patriots: Jim Plunkett
Anothe year, another quarterback was craved by the NFL. The New England Patriots won the right to draft Jim Plunkett by losing 12 of 14 games in 1970. Plunkett never became the star the Pats hoped he would be for them. In his rookie season, New England went 6-8.
1972: Buffalo Bills: Walt Patulski
Buffalo was back at the top of the order and it started a run of three defensive linemen who went as the top pick in the draft. Notre Dame’s Walt Patulski was chosen after the Bills went 1-13 in 1971. The next season saw a record of 4-9-1.
1973: Houston Oilers: John Matuszak
The Houston Oilers finished 1-13 in 1972 and grabbed the controversial and colorful John Matuszak from Tampa. He had all sorts of contractual battles but did play as a rookie on a team that also went 1-13.
1974: Dallas Cowboys: Ed Jones
The Cowboys finished 10-4 in 1973 but wound up with the top pick by virtue of a trade that saw the Houston Oilers send Dallas had the first pick in the 1974, as well as the first pick of the third round, #53 overall, for defensive end Tody Smith and wide receiver Billy Parks. Dallas used the two picks to select two future Pro Bowlers, defensive end Ed “Too Tall” Jones and quarterback Danny White.The 1974 Cowboys actually regressed to 8-6.
1975: Atlanta Falcons: Steve Bartkowski
Cal quarterback Steve Bartkowski was the prize for the Atlanta Falcons finishing the 1974 season with a record of 3-11. Bartkowski started 11 games as a rookie, going 4-7 and Atlanta finished 4-10.
1976: Tampa Bay Bucs: Lee Roy Selmon
Oklahoma’s Lee Roy Selmon was chosen by Tampa Bay, which earned the top pick in the draft by virtue of being an expansion team. Seattle went second. Selmon went on to a storied career with Tampa Bay.
1977: Tampa Bay Bucs: Ricky Bell
USC running back Ricky Bell was chosen by Tampa Bay, which was coached and run by former Trojan boss John McKay. The Bucs went first again, failing to win in 1976 and going 0-14 to earn the chance at Bell.
1978: Houston Oilers: Earl Campbell
The Houston Oilers were atop the draft heap and that was splendid for the state of Texas. The No. 1 overall pick was Earl Campbell of the Longhorns. The Oilers were 8-6 in 1977. They had the first overall pick because of a trade with Tampa Bay, which sent it to to the Oilers for tight end Jimmie Giles and the Oilers’ first- and second-round picks in the 1978 draft, and their third- and fifth-round picks in 1979. Houston went 10-6 in 1978, the first season of a 16-game regular campaign.
1979: Buffalo Bills: Tom Cousineau
The 1978 Buffalo Bills went 5-11 but managed to wrangle the first pick by virtue of a trade that sent O.J. Simpson to the San Francisco 49ers. The Bills’ selection at No. 1, Ohio State linebacker Tom Cousineau (pictured, No. 50), refused to sign with the team, taking a lucrative deal with the Montreal Alouettes of the Canadian Football League. The ’78 Bills went 5-11, a year later sans Cousineau, they went 7-9.
1980: Detroit Lions: Billy Sims
Oklahoma running back Billy Sims went to the Detroit Lions, who finished 2-14 in 1979. A season later, the Lions were 9-7 as Sims rushed for 1,303 yards in a scintillating rookie season.
1981: New Orleans Saints: George Rogers
George Rogers went to South Carolina before going to the New Orleans Saints, who chose him first overall ahead of Lawrence Taylor. The Saints earned the first pick with a 1-15 mark in 1980. They upped the win column to three in Rogers’ rookie season.
1982: New England Patriots: Kenneth Sims
Kenneth Sims was the pick for the Pats as they chose first in 1982 and grabbed the big defensive lineman from Texas. The Patriots went 2-14 and were a different team the next year, which was striked-shortened. New England finished Sims’ rookie year at 5-4.
1983: Baltimore Colts: John Elway
Well, John Elway was taken first out of Stanford by the Colts, a la Andrew Luck many years later. However, luck was not on the Colts’ side and Elway never played a down for a team that had gone 0-8-1 in 1982. He forced a trade and went to Denver. The 1983 Colts actually improved, going 7-9.
1984: New England Patriots: Irving Fryar
Nebraska’s Irving Fryar went to the New England Patriots, who finished 8-8 in 1983 but wound up with the first choice in the draft via a couple trades. First, Jack Thompson went from to the Buccaneers for a 1984 first-round pick. Then, the Bengals sent the pick to New England for a 1984 first-round pick (#16-Pete Koch), another first (#28-Brian Blados), a 10th-rounder (#265-Brent Ziegler) and a fifth-rounder in 1985 fifth round pick (#129-Lee Davis). The 1984 Pats finished 9-7.
1985: Buffalo Bills: Bruce Smith
Bruce Smith was one of the great sackmasters in NFL history. The Virginia Tech star was selected by the Buffalo Bills, who had gone 2-14 in 1984. Guess what, they did it again in ’85, finishing with 14 more losses.
1986: Tampa Bay Bucs: Bo Jackson
The Bucs went 2-14 in 1985. Bo Jackson said, “No,” when asked if he would play for the Bucs after a TB flight cost him baseball eligibility. The Bucs drafted him anyway and Bo stuck to his word. Tampa Bay wound up drafting first again after a 2-14 season in 1986.
1987: Tampa Bay Bucs: Vinny Testaverde
The Bucs went back-to-back after the selection of Bo Jackson went awry. They remained in-state and chose Miami QB Vinny Testaverde. Things didn’t pan out as Testaverde had a long career best known for journeyman status. Tampa Bay went 2-14 in 1986 and followed with a 4-11 season.
1988: Atlanta Falcons: Aundray Bruce
Aundray Bruce went from Auburn to Atlanta, which held the top pick in 1988 by virtue of a 3-12 record in 1987. The defensive star saw the Falcons improve by two games to 5-11 in his rookie season.
1989: Dallas Cowboys: Troy Aikman
Troy Aikman came to the Dallas Cowboys from UCLA and proved a gem of a pick. The 1989 Cowboys were 3-13 and they followed that with a 1-15 mark before the tide turned.
1990: Indianapolis Colts: Jeff George
Dallas would have picked first here but it selected Steve Walsh of Miami in the supplemental draft, thereby forfeiting its first-round pick. The choice wound up with Indy, which acquired it from Atlanta. The Colts finished the 1989 season with a 8-8 mark. They lost nine games in 1990 before collapsing to 1-15 in 1991.
1991: Dallas Cowboys: Russell Maryland
Russell Maryland was taken by Dallas out of Miami after the Cowboys finished 1990 with a 7-9 mark. He was the first overall pick in the 1991 NFL Draft by the Dallas Cowboys after the initial No. 1 prospect Raghib Ismail decided to sign with the Toronto Argonauts. After the New England Patriots failed to sign Ismail, the Cowboys attempted to do so by trading for the first overall pick, sending the Patriots Eugene Lockhart, Ron Francis, David Howard, a 1991 first-round pick (#11 Pat Harlow) and a 1991 second-round pick (#41 Jerome Henderson). When they could not get Ismail, they drafted Maryland. A year later, Dallas was 11-5.
1992: Indianapolis Colts: Steve Emtman
Steve Emtman was a mountain out of Washington who became the first pick in 1992 for the Colts. They had gone 1-15 in ’91 to put themselves in position to take Emtman, whose pro career was damaged by knee injuries. The ’92 Colts went 9-7.
1993: New England Patriots: Drew Bledsoe
The Patriots were 2-14 in 1992 and that paved the way for them to draft Washington State quarterback Drew Bledsoe. The Pats, who were coached by Bill Parcells in ’93, went 5-11 in Bledsoe’s rookie campaign.
1994: Cincinnati Bengals: Dan Wilkinson
Ohio State lineman remained in the Buckeye State as the Bengals picked first following a season that saw them go 3-13 in 1993. Wilkinson’s presence did not help much as Cincy went 3-13 again in 1994.
1995: Cincinnati Bengals: Ki-Jana Carter
The Bengals went first for the second straight year in 1995. They chose Ki-Jana Carter, a Penn State running back, atop the draft. The ’94 Bengals went 3-13. They improved to 7-9 in 1995. However, Carter suffered a knee injury, the first of many that ruined his pro career.
1996: New York Jets: Keyshawn Johnson
The Jets had the first pick in 1996 thanks to a 3-13 mark. They actually went backward, winning only one game in Keyshawn Johnson’s rookie season. The gifted wideout from USC did have 63 catches for 844 yards.
1997: St. Louis Rams: Orlando Pace
Orlando Pace was taken by the Rams out of Ohio State with the first pick in 1997. The massive offensive tackle was quite the prize for a team coming off a 6-10 season. However, the swung a trade with the Jets to get the top pick. New York eventually chose James Farrior. The Rams went from 10 losses to 11 defeats in 1997.
1998: Indianapolis Colts: Peyton Manning
This one turned out great in the long run for the Colts, who were 3-13 in 1997 and followed with the same mark in 1998. However, things turned around and Peyton Manning became of the greats of the game.
1999: Cleveland Browns: Tim Couch
The first pick of the reincarnation of the Cleveland Browns, Tim Couch suffered the fate of many rookie quarterbacks on teams with little hope. He was a speedbag for defensive lines. The 2000 Browns went 3-13 in their return to the NFL.
2000: Cleveland Browns: Courtney Brown
Welcome back to the Cleveland Browns, who were picking first for the second straight season. They chose Penn State defensive lineman Courtney Brown, the first of picks that saw Nittany Lions go 1-2 as LaVar Arrington went second to Washington. The Browns went from 2-14 to 3-13.
2001: Atlanta Falcons: Michael Vick
Atlanta was thrilled to have a chance to choose Michael Vick of Virginia Tech. The dual-threat quarterback was believed to be a major game-changer. The Falcons got the right by going 4-12 in 2000. They acquired the top choice in a trade with the San Diego Chargers. The Falcons went up three in the win column, going 7-9 in 2001.
2002: Houston Texans: David Carr
David Carr was chosen out of Fresno State by the Houston Texans, who were an expansion team. They went 4-12 in 2002 but Carr paid a stiff price as he was under siege and sacked frequently.
2003: Cincinnati Bengals: Carson Palmer
A USC star went to the Midwest as the Cincinnati Bengals looked to the future with Carson Palmer following a season that saw the team go 2-14 in 2002. Progress was immediate as Cincy went 8-8 in 2003.
2004: San Diego Chargers: Eli Manning
This is one where it gets tricky. The Chargers drafted Eli Manning first after finishing 4-12 in 2003. However, he wanted no part of San Diego and was swiftly moved to the New York Giants in a trade that brought Philip Rivers West. The Chargers went from four wins to 12-4 in 2004. However, the QB in all but one of those wins was Drew Brees.
2005: San Francisco 49ers: Alex Smith
Utah QB Alex Smith was the choice as San Francisco led off the 2005 NFL Draft following a 2-14 season in 2004. The Niners picked up a couple more wins the next season, going 4-12.
2006: Houston Texans: Mario Williams
Mario Williams of North Carolina State was selected by the Texans with thee first pick in 2006 after Houston finished 2-14 in 2005. Under new coach Gary Kubiak, the Texans improved to 6-10 in 2006.
2007: Oakland Raiders: JaMarcus Russell
One of the biggest busts out of the top slot was JaMarcus Russell of LSU. The Raiders were in position to choose the QB because they went 2-14 in 2006. A year later there wasn’t much improvement as the team went 4-12.
2008: Miami Dolphins: Jake Long
The Dolphins went the offensive lineman route in 2008, choosing Jake Long first overall on the heels of a 1-15 season in 2007 under Cam Cameron. Change was swift under Tony Sparano as Miami improved to 11-5.
2009: Detroit Lions: Matthew Stafford
Georgia’s Matthew Stafford was chosen by the Detroit Lions first overall after they went 0-16 in 2008. Progress was slow as the quarterback’s rookie season saw the Lions finish 2-14.
2010: St. Louis Rams: Sam Bradford
The 2009 Rams were a putrid 1-15. They started three quarterbacks and none were successful. Hence, go to the draft and pluck Sam Bradford of Oklahoma first overall. The Rams wound up improving six games to 7-9 in 2010.
2011: Carolina Panthers: Cam Newton
Cam Newton was much-heralded out of Auburn and the Panthers corraled the Heisman winner with the top pick after a 2010 season saw them go 2-14. In Newton’s rookie season, the Panthers finished 6-10.
2012: Indianapolis Colts: Andrew Luck
Andrew Luck of Stanford went to the Indianapolis Colts with the top pick after they went 2-14 in 2011. That was the year minus an injured Peyton Manning. As a rookie, Luck was grand and the Colts went 11-5.
2013: Kansas City Chiefs: Eric Fisher
A big offensive lineman from a MAC school, Central Michigan, Eric Fisher, was the Chiefs’ top choice in 2013. They were 2-14 in 2012 under Romeo Crennel and quickly flipped to 11-5 for Andy Reid in 2013.
2014: Houston Texans: Jadeveon Clowney
Jadeveon Clowney was a phenom in college at South Carolina. The Texans were thrilled to have a chance to draft the defensive lineman first overall. They earned the right by finish 2-14 in 2013. A year later, they were 9-7, the first of three straight years with that mark.
2015: Tampa Bay Bucs: Jameis Winston
Tampa Bay stayed in-state and drafted Heisman winner Jameis Winston from Florida State with the first pick. The Bucs went 2-14 in 2014 and improved to 6-10 in Winston’s rookie season.
2016: Los Angeles Rams: Jared Goff
The Rams went 7-9 in 2015 and wound up with the top pick in the draft because of a trade with the Tennessee Titans. The deal saw the Rams send their first-round pick, two second-round picks, a third-round pick, a 2017 first-round pick and a 2017 third-round pick to the Titans in exchange for the No. 1 overall pick, a fourth-round pick and a sixth-round pick. They selected Cal QB Jared Goff and the team dropped to 4-12 in Goff’s rookie season.
2017: Cleveland Browns: Myles Garrett
The Browns were in the No. 1 slot by virtue of a 1-15 season in 2016. That led them to choose Texas A&M defensive lineman Myles Garrett. His rookie season was unforgettable for all the wrong reasons. Cleveland went 0-16.
2018: Cleveland Browns: Baker Mayfield
Baker Mayfield won the Heisman Trophy at Oklahoma in 2017 and his reward was being the top pick of the Cleveland Browns, who were coming off an 0-16 season. That was on top of a 1-15 mark the year before. Mayfield took over as quarterback during the season and led the Browns to a 7-8-1 mark.
2019: Arizona Cardinals: Kyler Murray
The Arizona Cardinals grabbed Heisman Trophy winner Kyler Murray from Oklahoma after a 3-13 season in 2018. Murray stepped in and took over at quarterback. After a sluggish start, the team came on toward the end of the season to finish 5-10-1.
2020: Cincinnati Bengals: ???????
The Cincinnati Bengals earned the top pick in the upcoming draft with a 2-14 mark in 2019. Will they take LSU quarterback Joe Burrow? And if they do will he survive the bumps and bruises many top overall picks have felt after being taken as franchise quarterbacks.
