Who Are The Highest Drafted Players at Each Position?

Published on April 8th, 2026 10:20 pm EST
Written By: Dave Manuel


With the NFL draft coming up, I think it might be interesting to take a look at which players have been the highest draft at each position since the start of the NFL.

In going through this list, we can see how the NFL has fundamentally changed over the years. For instance, a fullback would never go in the top 5 in the modern NFL, and the quarterback position has taken over the top of the NFL drafts.

Here are the players that went the highest at each position:

Quarterback

There have been many #1 picks over the years that have been quarterbacks, including Cam Ward, Trevor Lawrence, Joe Burrow and many more.

Running Back

The running back position has been devalued over the years. The last time that a running back was taken first overall was Ki-Jana Carter in 1995 (Cincinnati Bengals), and he ended up being a complete disaster. Before that, names such as O.J. Simpson and Earl Campbell were taken first overall.

Fullback

The Pittsburgh Steelers drafted fullback Ray Leftridge with the #3 pick in the 1966 NFL Draft. Leftridge was not good, rushing just 4 times for 17 yards in his rookie season, before ultimately getting cut before the 1967 season even started. A complete disaster.

Wide Receiver

Two wide receivers have gone #1 overall in the modern era. Irving Fryar went first overall to the New England Patriots in 1984, and Keyshawn Johnson went first overall to the New York Jets in 1996. Fryar turned into a five-time Pro Bowler. Johnson won a Super Bowl with Tampa Bay but managed to wear out his welcome at just about every stop in his career.

Tight End

No tight end has ever gone #1 overall, but two have gone #4 overall. Ron Kramer was taken fourth by the Green Bay Packers way back in 1957, and Kyle Pitts matched that in 2021 when the Atlanta Falcons grabbed him fourth overall.

Worth noting that Mike Ditka went #5 to the Chicago Bears in 1961 and ended up in the Hall of Fame. Pitts had a monster rookie season with over 1,000 receiving yards, but has been disappointing since.

Offensive Tackle

Offensive tackles have gone #1 overall several times. Ron Yary went first to the Minnesota Vikings in 1968, Orlando Pace went first to the Rams in 1997, Jake Long went first to the Dolphins in 2008, and Eric Fisher went first to the Chiefs in 2013. Yary and Pace are both Hall of Famers. Long and Fisher had solid careers but never quite lived up to being the top pick.

Offensive Guard

Bill Fralic went #2 overall to the Atlanta Falcons in the 1985 draft out of Pittsburgh. He was technically drafted as an offensive tackle before being moved to guard, so the distinction matters depending on how you look at it. Either way, no interior offensive lineman has ever been taken higher. He ended up being a four-time Pro Bowler and two-time All-Pro, so Atlanta got what they were looking for.

Center

Bob Johnson went #2 overall to the Cincinnati Bengals in 1968, making him the highest-drafted center in the modern era. He was actually the very first draft pick in Bengals history as an expansion franchise. Johnson made one Pro Bowl as a rookie and anchored the Cincinnati line for 12 seasons. His number 54 remains the only jersey number ever retired by the Bengals.

Defensive End

Several defensive ends have gone #1 overall over the years. Lee Roy Selmon went first to the Buccaneers in 1976, Bruce Smith went first to the Bills in 1985, Jadeveon Clowney went first to the Texans in 2014, and Myles Garrett went first to the Browns in 2017. Smith set the all-time NFL sack record with 200, while Garrett holds the single-season sack record. Selmon and Smith are both Hall of Famers.

Defensive Tackle

Multiple defensive tackles have gone #1 overall as well. Steve Emtman went first to the Indianapolis Colts in 1992 and is one of the more tragic stories in draft history - his career was essentially destroyed by knee injuries and he started just 19 games in six seasons. Russell Maryland went first to the Dallas Cowboys in 1991 and had a more respectable career, winning three Super Bowls with those Cowboys teams.

Linebacker

Chuck Bednarik went #1 overall in 1949 in the pre-modern draft era and became one of the greatest players in football history. In the modern common draft era, Lawrence Taylor went #2 overall to the New York Giants in 1981. Many people consider LT to be the greatest defensive player who ever lived. It is hard to argue. Derrick Thomas also went #4 overall to the Kansas City Chiefs in 1989 and was a Hall of Famer in his own right.

Cornerback

Bruce Pickens went #3 overall to the Atlanta Falcons in the 1991 draft out of Nebraska. He ended up with just two career interceptions, four career starts, and was out of the league within four seasons. A total bust.

Interestingly, those same Falcons took Deion Sanders #5 overall just two years earlier in 1989, and he became arguably the greatest cornerback in NFL history, winning two Super Bowls and walking straight into the Hall of Fame on the first ballot.

Safety

Eric Turner went #2 overall to the Cleveland Browns in 1991 out of UCLA, making him the highest-drafted safety in NFL history. He died tragically at age 31. Sean Taylor (#5 in 2004) and Eric Berry (#5 in 2010) are often cited as the benchmark for highly-drafted safeties, but Turner at #2 has them both beat. Taylor was on his way to being one of the all-time greats before he was murdered in 2007.

Placekicker

Charlie Gogolak went #6 overall to the Washington Redskins in 1966 out of Princeton, making him the highest-drafted kicker in NFL history. He was one of the first soccer-style kickers in the game, along with his brother Pete. His career field goal percentage was just 55.9%, which would get you cut in about five minutes in today's NFL. The most successful first-round kicker was Sebastian Janikowski, who went #17 overall to the Raiders in 2000 and kicked for 17 seasons with an 80.4% career field goal percentage.

Punter

Russell Erxleben holds the record for the highest-drafted punter at #11 overall, taken by the New Orleans Saints in 1979. He was drafted as a combo punter and kicker, and was a complete bust. He later served federal prison time for investment fraud, which is not exactly the legacy you want. Ray Guy, the highest-drafted pure punter, went #23 overall to the Oakland Raiders in 1973. Guy is the only punter in the Pro Football Hall of Fame and is widely considered the best to ever do it. The Raiders got tremendous value on that pick.

Long Snapper

Ryan Pontbriand was drafted in the fifth round, 142nd overall, by the Cleveland Browns in 2003, making him the highest-drafted long snapper in NFL history. He made two Pro Bowls and had a solid career. The reality is that long snappers are almost never drafted at all - the vast majority come in as undrafted free agents - so even a fifth-round pick for the position is considered a very high selection.