Every year hundreds of players are chosen in the NFL Draft. However, who is the one that stands out among them all, respectively, each year, in the Super Bowl era?
1967: Alan Page (Vikings, No. 15 pick)
Alan Page didn’t win a Super Bowl, like every other Viking. He simply was a Purple People Eater who played on one of the legendary defenses in NFL history. Class personified. Greatness on the field and brilliance off it.
1968: Larry Csonka (No. 8)
Gonna give Larry Csonka the slightest of nods over Ken Stabler. You could go either way and not be wrong. Csonka was the power and force in the Miami backfield.
1969: Ted Hendricks (33)
Ted Hendricks, aka The Mad Stork, was one of the most unique cats to play the game. Tall and strong and long on Raiders attitude, Hendricks defined the Silver and Black. This could have easily been Mean Joe Greene. As you will see, Steelers are all over this list. Oh, and if you are wondering, O.J. Simpson is on the exempt list for any honors.
1970: Terry Bradshaw (1)
A four-time undefeated Super Bowl champ makes this a clear-cut call. Terry Bradshaw led the Steelers’ offense and was a huge part of turning around a struggling franchise.
1971: Jack Ham (34)
One of the reasons Penn State became known as Linebacker U, Jack Ham may not have been as scary as another Jack, Lambert, but he was blessed with talent and brains to play the position like few others.
1972: Franco Harris (13)
Franco Harris came out of Penn State and into the Pittsburgh backfield. He was a star and did far more than save a season with an Immaculate Reception.
1973: Ray Guy (23)
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Ray Guy defined punting. You don’t get into the Hall of Fame as a punter unless you are one-of-a-kind and that’s exactly the kind of greatness Guy brought to the Oakland Raiders.
1974: Jack Lambert (46)
As fierce and ferocious as they come, Jack Lambert was one of the absolute diamonds in the Steel Curtain. A linebacker’s linebacker.
1975: Walter Payton (4)
The brilliant Chicago Bears running back Walter Payton was class and brilliance. A thrilling player to watch who sports and the world lost far too soon.
1976: Lee Roy Selmon (1)
Lee Roy Selmon gets the edge over Steve Largent. Both played their college careers in Oklahoma, Selmon at OU and Largent at Tulsa. Both went on to brilliant NFL careers. Selmon gets a tight nod for being the face of Tampa Bay for years before Derrick Brooks took the baton.
1977: Tony Dorsett (2)
Tony Dorsett came out of Pitt into the NFL and Dallas Cowboys and didn’t stop running for years. A Super Bowl champ and four-time Pro Bowler he rushed for 12,739 yards.
1978: Earl Campbell (1)
Earl Campbell, the Tyler Rose, gets the nod over Ozzie Newsome. Could not go wrong with either the great Oilers’ RB or the TE from Alabama who starred for the Browns.
1979: Joe Montana (82)
Kellen Winslow simply picked the wrong draft class. Can’t go with anyone but Joe Montana, whose greatness out of Notre Dame for the Niners was amazing.
1980: Anthony Munoz (3)
Anthony Munoz protected the blind side and every side of everyone on the Cincinnati Bengals’ offense unlike many other offensive linemen.
1981: Lawrence Taylor (2)
The NFL has seen few players with the ability to impact a game the way Lawrence Taylor did.
1982: Marcus Allen (10)
Marcus Allen was the definition of a running back. Great speeed, sleek, strong and smart. He came out of USC and ran into the hearts of the Silver and Black fans.
1983: John Elway (1)
So you have to choose between John Elway and Eric Dickerson? Yikes. The rings become the thing when this decision is announced.
1984: Reggie White (4, supplemental)
The Minister of Defense, Reggie White starred in Philly and Green Bay. He was the definition of a force on defense and another player who could affect a game.
1985: Jerry Rice (16)
The G.O.A.T. of WRs.
1986: Bo Jackson (1)
Bo Jackson. What might have been had injuries not derailed this unique and powerful two-sport star. Bo Jackson’s speed and strength were mind-boggling.
1987: Rod Woodson (10)
Rod Woodson was an 11-time Pro Bowler and a Super Bowl champion. It didn’t matter where he played, you did not want to pick on him. Seventy-one interceptions tell you how dangerous his DB game was.
1988: Randall McDaniel (19)
It would be too easy to pick either Tim Brown or Michael Irvin, both wonderful wide receivers. However, Randall McDaniel deserves the call here for a stunning career that saw him a 12-time Pro Bowler, 10-time All-NFC and nine-time All-Pro.
1989: Barry Sanders (3)
Barry Sanders was dazzling in Detroit. Try and stop the former Oklahoma State star. Good luck. He left on his own terms and left us with many memories of incredible runs. Four of the first five picks in this draft wound up in Canton.
1990: Emmitt Smith (17)
Talk about tough. Emmitt Smith is the game’s all-time leading rusher and has multiple Super Bowls. He’s in a three-horse race to the wire with Junior Seau and Shannon Sharpe and gets the bob on the line.
1991: Brett Favre (33)
Another legendary quarterback whose grit and game made him far and away the best of this class.
1992: Jason Hanson (56)
We’ll get our kicks by picking Jason Hanson, who never made it to a Super Bowl but was the heart and soul of the Lions for so many years. Don’t blame any of their failures on this marvelous kicker.
1993: Michael Strahan (40)
Pretty darn impressive for a lineman from Texas Southern to steal the show from all the other players drafted in 1993. A Hall of Famer and true gamer. He has gone on to an amazing career on many different levels of television.
1994: Marshall Faulk (2)
Marshall Faulk could run, catch and was an integral part of the “Greatest Show on Turf,” one of the most exciting teams the NFL has seen.
1995: Derrick Brooks 28)
A leader and a fantastic player, Derrick Brooks came out of Florida State and was the Tampa Bay Bucs for many years.
1996: Terrell Owens (89)
The controlversial Terrell Owens gets the slimmets of edges in a year that gave the NFL Ray Lewis, Brian Dawkins, Marvin Harrison and Jonathan Ogden.
1997: Tony Gonzalez (13)
Tony Gonzalez defined tight ends in so many ways. Could run, catch and do it all. A wonderful pro.
1998: Peyton Manning (1)
Another easy call. Peyton Manning rules this class and will be on his way to Canton.
1999: Champ Bailey (7)
A 12-time Pro Bowler, Champ Bailey excelled for the Redskins in the beginning of his career and then starred for Denver. An absolute gem in the secondary. Test him at your own risk.
2000: Tom Brady (1999)
No explanation needed for the G.O.A.T.
2001: Drew Brees (32)
This is a tough one. Drew Brees gets the edge because he has a Super Bowl and LaDainian Tomlinson sadly didn’t get one. Both are exceptional players and defined their teams in many ways. Imagine if they actually had played together in San Diego for much of their career? Astonishing that one team picked both players in the 2001 draft.
2002: Ed Reed (24)
Ed Reed is one of the great defensive backs to play in any generation. Fierce, smart and a great lead on the field and in the locker room. A rare commodity.
2003: Troy Polamalu (16)
Without the presence of Terrell Suggs, the Steelers’ Troy Polamalu would be, um, head and shoulders above the rest of this class. As is, he’s still the best.
2004: Larry Fitzgerald (3)
It would be too easy to select one of the three quarterbacks taken in this draft in the first round, Peyton Manning, Philip Rivers or Ben Roethlisberger, However, Larry Fitzgerald deserves the accolade as he is all that is good with sports and the game. A class act with the gift of grab.
2005: Aaron Rodgers (24)
Once Aaron Rodgers got on the field, he absolutely was stunning. A brilliant quarterback and great leader, Rodgers is a no-brainer.
2006: Devin Hester (57)
A personal favorite as Devin Hester could be the last iconic returner in NFL history, with all the rule changes. A threat to take it back any way anytime he got his hands on the ball. A brilliant artist in a form that sadly is going away.
2007: Calvin Johnson (2)
Calvin Johnson, like Rob Gronkowksi, leaves the game younger that we would have liked. However, what he did for the Lions is iconic and gives him the edge over Adrian Peterson and Darrelle Revis.
2008: Matt Ryan (3)
Thought about going with Jamaal Charles over Matt Ryan. However, the bulk of Charles’ success came over five seasons. He averages 5.4 yards per carry but has missed so much time. Ryan, meanwhile, simply is a passing machine. There wouldn’t have been any question if the Falcons had maintained their lead over the Patriots in that Super Bowl.
2009: Clay Matthews (26)
Clay Matthews has traded the Frozen Tundra for Hollywood and the Rams. His flow locks are seemingly always in someone’s face, whether a QB, WR or RB. A force all over the field.
2010: Rob Gronkowski (42)
One of the great tight ends of all-time leaves the game after his third Super Bowl championship. The Patriots traded up with the Raiders to get Rob Gronkowski and wound up with an absolute masterpiece.
2011: Von Miller (2)
A great class here with Von Miller, the terrorizing pass rusher for the Broncos outlasting A.J. Green, Patrick Peterson and Richard Sherman in quite the battle. Miller is brilliant and no one wants to face him.
2012: Russell Wilson (75)
Russell Wilson shows the world that one doesn’t have to be tall and wide to lead a team to great success. He’s done it all for Seattle and is on a pace to wind up in Canton. Andrew Luck and Luke Kuechly are not slouches, either. They both need to fight off being injured.
2013: DeAndre Hopkins (27)
DeAndre Hopkins is arguably the best receiver in the game. He’ll have a tug-of-war with Michael Thomas over the title. Travis Frederick has been sensational as a Cowboys lineman and Le’Veon Bell was brilliant but loses ground after sitting out 2018.
2014: Aaron Donald (13)
Aaron Donald gets the slimmest of edges over Khalil Mack because he was able to help lead the Rams to a Super Bowl, albeit a loss. ODB is also in this class and a nod to the Cowboys’ Zack Martin. Offensive linemen may not be sexy but he is top-shelf.
2015: Todd Gurley (10)
Todd Gurley has 4,547 yards on the ground and another 1,883 via pass receptions. He also apparently has some knee woes so this position could be precarious. Melvin Gordon of the other Los Angeles team has some impressive numbers and needs to stay healthy, too.
2016: Michael Thomas (47)
Battle of the Buckeyes in the 2016 draft. Michael Thomas has been unstoppable. Week in and week out the Saints’ star WR gets it done all over the field. Ezekiel Elliott is a close second. He might have been No. 1 had it not been for a six-game suspension in 2017.
2017: Patrick Mahomes (10)
A 5,000-yard, 50-TD season in his first year as a starter makes Patrick Mahomes the hands down pick for this class thus far. Christian McCaffrey of the Panthers isn’t too far behind.
2018: Saquon Barkley (2)
The rookie year was dazzling for Saquon Barkley after being chosen second overall out of Penn State. He can run, he can catch. He can do it all. Star!
