Best First Round In NFL Draft History

Filed in archive NFL Draft on February 18, 2008

The NFL draft is fascinating because it holds the potential to either skyrocket or cripple your team's fate for the immediate future. This is especially true if your team is drafting in the top five, with enormous amounts of money being doled out before these players have proven a thing. That said, let's look at arguably the best year of top 5 picks, and the best first round in draft history.

Best Top 5 - 1989

1. QB Troy Aikman
2. OT Tony Mandarich
3. RB Barry Sanders
4. LB/DE Derrick Thomas
5. DB Deion Sanders

Okay, so one of the biggest busts in draft history - Mandarich - resides here. That doesn't change the fact that at least three, and probably four, current or future Hall of Famers were taken. Aikman and Barry Sanders are already enshrined. Derrick Thomas has been in the finals for a couple years, and though Deion is not yet eligible, there's no doubt he will have a bust of his head in Canton.

Best First Round - 1983

The first round of the 1983 NFL draft has to be considered the best ever. A total of six of the 28 players selected in that round went on to the Hall of Fame: John Elway and Eric Dickerson were taken 1st and 2nd overall, respectively, Bruce Matthews was taken 9th, Jim Kelly was taken 14th, Dan Marino went 27th while Darrell Green went 28th.

Not only were there six Hall of Fame players, but 17 of the 28 players selected were either All-Pro or Pro Bowl players at some point in their careers.

(Photo: Flickr)