From Round 1 to Round 30: The Greatest NFL Draft Picks in History
Published on April 11th, 2026 8:46 pm ESTWritten By: Dave Manuel
The very first NFL draft took place on February 8th, 1936. There were a total of nine rounds and 81 selections. Over the years, the number of rounds swelled to over 30, before eventually being trimmed down to its current level of 7 rounds.
In this article, we'll take a look at the greatest picks in each round since the start of the Draft.
Round 1
There have been SO many excellent players taken in the first round of the NFL Draft over the years. You can't really go wrong with these three players:
Peyton Manning
Lawrence Taylor
Jim Brown
Peyton Manning won the MVP award five times and is widely considered to be one of the top three quarterbacks in the history of the game.
Lawrence Taylor won the Defensive Player of the Year award 3x and is probably the greatest defensive player of all time.
Jim Brown was an 8-time rushing champion and has an argument for being the best rusher of all time.
Round 2
The second round has produced some absolute monsters over the years. Here are the top three:
Brett Favre
Thurman Thomas
Rickey Jackson
Brett Favre was taken by Atlanta in the second round and went on to win three straight MVP awards - one of the most decorated careers in NFL history.
Thurman Thomas was a do-it-all running back who was at the center of those great Buffalo Bills teams in the early 90s. Five Pro Bowls and a Hall of Fame jacket to show for it.
Rickey Jackson doesn't get talked about enough. 136 career sacks out of the second round is absolutely ridiculous.
Round 3
This might be the single greatest round in the history of the NFL Draft. Two Hall of Fame quarterbacks and a cornerback who literally changed the rules of the game.
Joe Montana
Dan Fouts
Mel Blount
Joe Montana won four Super Bowls and three Super Bowl MVP awards. Third round. Let that sink in.
Dan Fouts was the engine behind the "Air Coryell" offense in San Diego and one of the most prolific passers of his era.
Mel Blount was so physically dominant at the line of scrimmage that the NFL actually changed its rules in 1978 specifically because of him. Not a bad legacy for a third-round pick.
Round 4
The fourth round is where teams start fishing for starters rather than stars - but history shows that stars can still be found here.
Andre Reed
Sonny Jurgensen
Jerry Kramer
Andre Reed put up over 13,000 receiving yards and seven Pro Bowls out of a small school that most scouts had barely heard of.
Sonny Jurgensen was one of the cleanest pure passers of his generation and earned a Hall of Fame spot.
Jerry Kramer was the anchor of Vince Lombardi's famous power sweep and was a five-time NFL champion. He waited decades for his Hall of Fame call but finally got it.
Round 5
Dexter Manley
Dick LeBeau
Stan Jones
Dexter Manley set the Washington single-season sack record at 18.5 in 1986. Not bad for a fifth-round pick.
Dick LeBeau had 62 career interceptions as a player and then went on to invent the modern zone blitz as a coach. Two Hall of Fame careers for the price of one.
Stan Jones might be the most underrated pick on this entire list. He was a Pro Bowler who also pioneered weight training in the NFL. The guy changed how players prepared for the game.
Round 6
One name makes this round impossible to top.
Tom Brady
Terrell Davis
Joe Klecko
Tom Brady. Sixth round. 199th overall. Seven Super Bowl rings. If you need any more evidence that the NFL Combine is an imperfect science, there it is.
Terrell Davis was the perfect fit for Mike Shanahan's zone-blocking scheme in Denver and was an MVP and two-time Super Bowl champion before injuries derailed him.
Joe Klecko made the Pro Bowl at three different positions - defensive end, defensive tackle, and nose guard. That's just freakish.
Round 7
The seventh round is the last round in the modern draft, and it's given us some genuinely great players.
Shannon Sharpe
Larry Wilson
Rayfield Wright
Shannon Sharpe fell to the seventh because scouts didn't know what to do with him size-wise. Denver figured it out pretty quick - 815 receptions and three Super Bowl rings later, he's in the Hall of Fame.
Larry Wilson invented the safety blitz. That's his legacy. Eight Pro Bowls out of the seventh round.
Rayfield Wright was actually drafted as a tight end before Tom Landry moved him to offensive tackle, where he made six Pro Bowls. Sometimes the best picks are the ones teams figure out after the fact.
Round 8
The draft used to go well beyond seven rounds, and some sneaky good players were found in the eighth.
Richard Dent
Larry Brown
Troy Brown
Richard Dent was the MVP of Super Bowl XX and finished with 137.5 career sacks. A steal doesn't even begin to cover it.
Larry Brown was a workhorse MVP for Washington back in 1972. Four Pro Bowls from the eighth round.
Troy Brown was the ultimate glue guy for the early New England Patriots dynasty - receiver, punt returner, and at one point even a cornerback in a pinch. Three Super Bowl rings from the eighth round.
Round 9
Ken Houston
Don Maynard
Dan Fortmann
Ken Houston was one of the greatest safeties in NFL history and 12 Pro Bowl selections from the ninth round is just stunning.
Don Maynard was the deep threat of the AFL and one of the foundational pieces of the early New York Jets.
Dan Fortmann was taken in the very first NFL Draft in 1936 and became a three-time NFL champion with the Bears. Ninth round of the inaugural draft.
Round 10
Roger Staubach
Dwight Clark
Chip Myers
Roger Staubach only fell to the tenth round because of a military commitment. Once he got to Dallas, he delivered two Super Bowl titles and a Hall of Fame career.
Dwight Clark's tenth-round selection is almost as famous as "The Catch" itself. Bill Walsh reportedly spotted him during a workout meant for someone else entirely.
Chip Myers had a solid pro career and proved tenth-round picks can contribute in real ways.
Round 11
Jeff Van Note
Jesse Sapolu
Jack Sphinx
Jeff Van Note played 18 seasons at center and made six Pro Bowls. The guy was a machine.
Jesse Sapolu was part of four San Francisco Super Bowl championship teams. Quiet contributor, massive winner.
Round 12
George Blanda
Paul Krause
John Tuggle
George Blanda played professional football in FOUR different decades. Just an absurd career from the twelfth round.
Paul Krause holds the all-time NFL record with 81 career interceptions. The record still stands today, taken from a twelfth-round AFL pick.
John Tuggle was the final pick of the entire 1983 Draft - "Mr. Irrelevant" - before tragically passing away from cancer not long after his selection. A poignant footnote to an otherwise remarkable draft class.
Round 13
By the 13th round, you're really into speculative territory. But Brian Sipe proved the outliers exist here too.
Brian Sipe
Charlie Greer
Bill Harris
Brian Sipe won the NFL MVP award in 1980 leading the "Kardiac Kids" in Cleveland. Thirteenth round. Nobody saw that coming.
Round 14
Deacon Jones
Gino Marchetti
Billy Shaw
Deacon Jones literally invented the word "sack," and he was taken in the fourteenth round. Eight Pro Bowls. Two Defensive Player of the Year awards. Hall of Fame. All from a 14th-round pick that most teams passed on thirteen times.
Gino Marchetti was an 11-time Pro Bowler and arguably one of the greatest defensive ends of the pre-merger era.
Round 15
Willie Davis
George Connor
Jeff Kuhman
Willie Davis accumulated over 100 unofficial sacks and was a cornerstone of Lombardi's dynasty in Green Bay. Five Pro Bowls out of the 15th round.
Round 16
Larry Cole
Andy Russell
Adin Brown
Andy Russell was one of the earliest building blocks of the "Steel Curtain" defense, earning seven Pro Bowl selections before Pittsburgh became a dynasty.
Larry Cole played 13 seasons for Dallas and won two Super Bowls. Sixteenth-round value at its finest.
Round 17
Bart Starr
Gene Brito
Steve Grady
Bart Starr is the greatest 17th-round pick in the history of the sport. Full stop. Five NFL championships, two Super Bowl MVP awards, and a Hall of Fame career - all from a pick most teams wouldn't even bother making today.
Gene Brito made five Pro Bowls from the same round. Remarkable company for a round that doesn't exist anymore.
Round 18
Chris Hanburger
Tom Pratt
Dave Smith
Chris Hanburger fell all the way to the 18th round and still managed nine Pro Bowl selections and a Hall of Fame career. One of the most underrated linebackers in NFL history.
Round 19
Andy Robustelli
Hal Prescott
Bill Bowman
Andy Robustelli was a technically elite defensive end who made seven Pro Bowls and six First-Team All-Pro squads out of the 19th round. In a different era, he'd have been a top-five pick.
Round 20
Raymond Berry
Tom Watkins
Al Jenkins
Raymond Berry had no business falling to the 20th round. Scouts saw a slow wide receiver and moved on. Berry responded by essentially inventing precision route running and catching enough passes to end up in the Hall of Fame.
Round 21
John Madden
Gene Chichowski
Joe Carter
John Madden was taken in the 21st round by Philadelphia but never played a down due to injury. He ended up spending his career on the sidelines instead - and winning a Super Bowl coaching Oakland before becoming the most famous voice in the history of football broadcasting. Not a bad consolation prize.
Round 22
Art Donovan
Charlie Anderson
Dick Maggard
Art Donovan bounced around due to franchise relocations before landing in Baltimore, where he became a five-time Pro Bowler and Hall of Fame defensive tackle. Taken in the 22nd round by the Giants and eventually enshrined with the Colts.
Rounds 23 Through 25
By this point in the draft, teams were essentially taking speculative flyers on players from regional schools and hoping something stuck. The overwhelming majority never played a meaningful NFL snap.
The one exception worth noting: Otto Schnellbacher (25th round) opted for the rival AAFC, merged into the NFL, and promptly led the league in interceptions in 1951 while earning two Pro Bowls. Even in the 25th round, value was out there if you knew where to look.
Round 26
Lou Creekmur
Ray Wietecha
Bob Stringer
Lou Creekmur is the headliner here - eight Pro Bowls and a Hall of Fame jacket for a 26th-round pick who initially returned to college before signing with Detroit. An ironman blocker who proved great offensive linemen can be found anywhere.
Round 27
Roosevelt Brown
Don Joyce
Tom Higgins
Roosevelt Brown is the greatest deep-round steal in the history of the NFL Draft. The New York Giants spotted his name in a newspaper - literally in a newspaper - and drafted him in the 27th round. He went on to make nine Pro Bowls, earn six First-Team All-Pro selections, and get inducted into the Hall of Fame. If that story doesn't make you question everything about scouting, nothing will.
Rounds 28 Through 30
At this depth, you're firmly in "filling out the roster for training camp" territory. Most picks in these rounds were local guys from schools with little national exposure, selected based on word of mouth or a regional newspaper clipping rather than any real scouting.
The names get thin here - Hal Turner (28th round), Harold Jackson (29th round), Ray Don Dillon (30th round) - but they represent something worth remembering. The draft in its 30-round form was a completely different animal than what we see today.
The whole exercise wrapped up with Ellis Horton in 1954, the "Mr. Irrelevant" of the longest era of NFL drafting.
Selected 30th round, 30th pick in that round - a piece of trivia that perfectly captures just how far the draft has come since those early days in Philadelphia back in 1936.
