rynesandbergfan23
Bench Warmer
When it comes to draft picks, it's not always fair to say that the guy your team chose first overall when they were 2-14 the year before is automatically a brilliant selection.
Besides, it'd be a relatively boring exercise.
With that in mind, we'll honor both the best overall draft pick each team made regardless of position, as well as the pick which represented the best bang for a team's buck.
Baltimore Ravens
Best overall pick: T Jonathan Ogden, Round 1, Pick 4, 1996
The Ravens first-ever selection is still their best, eleven years later; and yes, he's a better pick than Ray Lewis, drafted by the Ravens later in the first round. While Lewis is perceived as the better player because of his mouth, he was the best linebacker in the league for all of one season before he was usurped by Derrick Brooks. He only really returned to his Pro Bowl form last year and, even then, he'd lost a step. Ogden's been trading the moniker of best tackle in the league with Walter Jones and Orlando Pace for a decade now, and should be a first-ballot Hall of Famer.
Best value pick: LB Adalius Thomas, Round 6, Pick 186, 2000
Even if you buy the line of thought that suggests Thomas' performance has been inflated so far by the defense that surrounds him, Thomas was just as good as his Baltimore predecessor, Peter Boulware, but he came 182 picks later.
Worst pick: WR Travis Taylor, Round 1, Pick 10, 2000
Taylor being here is due to the combination of the Ravens being excellent in the draft and only having existed for eleven years. Taylor was a serviceable wide receiver and was even miscast as a No. 1 target for a couple of years, but he's another data point in the case against SEC wide receivers. An easy cheat sheet, kids: SEC running backs good. SEC wide receivers ... not so good.
Buffalo Bills
Best overall pick: DE Bruce Smith, Round 1, Pick 1, 1985
Well, you say, it was the only time they had the first overall pick, so it should be the best pick. That's true, but keep in mind that the top 10 also featured people named Ron Holmes and Kevin Allen, who I believe may actually be pseudonyms as part of some bust protection program. It's easy to blow a pick, and the Bills grabbed the best player in the draft with the first pick, the way they're supposed to. That's a good job.
Best value pick: S Kurt Schulz, Round 7, Pick 195, 1992
While the teams of the glory years didn't feature many later picks at all, the teams that followed featured Schulz, who started for the Bills until 1999.
Worst pick: WR Perry Tuttle, Round 1, Pick 19, 1982
You could make a case here for Tom Cousineau, who went first overall in 1979 but then felt insulted by the Bills offer and went to play in Montreal for three years — the thing is, when he went back to the NFL, he signed with the Cleveland Browns. The Browns gave the Bills their first-round pick, which the Bills used to draft Jim Kelly. So, in the long run, it was a pretty successful pick. Tuttle had 25 catches in four seasons with the Bills.
Cincinnati Bengals
Best overall pick: T Anthony Munoz, Round 1, Pick 3, 1980
The man, the myth, the mustache. The best offensive lineman in NFL history? Very possibly. On the Bengals, though, being only the best overall pick in team history slights him some. He needs to be best-everest or something to point out how far he is above the rest of the pool
Best value pick: WR T.J. Houshmandzadeh, Round 7, Pick 204, 2001
I am tempted to award this to 1982 ninth-rounder Samoa Samoa solely for his name. Houshmandzadeh, though, has matured into a No. 2 wide receiver nonpareil, with talent enough to be a No. 1 on a good amount of teams.
Worst pick: QB Jack Thompson, Round 1, Pick 3, 1979
Why this quarterback selected third overall by the Bengals over the one selected twenty years later, Akili Smith? Well, Smith was the slightest bit better. He lasted an extra season on the Bengals roster and threw 100 or so more passes at about the same level of efficiency that Thompson did. Of course, you could view that as him struggling longer, and give Thompson the nod. Either way, they were both busts. One of the problems with failed picks like this is that teams will spend another high pick years later to make up for their earlier mistake. The Bengals' replacements for Thompson and Smith, respectively, were Boomer Esiason and Carson Palmer. Not half bad, actually.
Cleveland Browns
Best overall pick: LB Clay Matthews, Round 1, Pick 12, 1978
The Browns really have not drafted well over the last thirty years. Matthews was a good-to-very good linebacker for a number of years in the league, but he wasn't even the best player of his generation ... within his family.
Best value pick: RB Earnest Byner, Round 10, Pick 280, 1984
OK, so maybe Browns fans are a little bitter about The Fumble. Regardless, Byner still ran for over eight thousand yards. In Round 11 of this draft, the Bears chose **** Butkus' son, Mark. That should show you what was being tossed around this late — Byner may have a case for being the best value of any selection in the 1980s.
Worst pick: DE Courtney Brown, Round 1, Pick 1, 2000
Kellen Winslow's stellar 2006 season saves him from showing up here. A full list of defensive linemen better than Brown who went in the 2000 draft: Corey Simon, Shaun Ellis, John Abraham, Chris Hovan, Darren Howard, Cornelius Griffin, Fred Robbins, Darwin Walker, Kendrick Clancy, Robaire Smith, and Kabeer Gbaja-Bjamila. That's also being generous and not putting guys like Junior Ioane over Brown.
Denver Broncos
Best overall pick: S Steve Atwater, Round 1, Pick 20, 1989
The heart of the Broncos defense (along with the player below) for 10 years. Remember, they didn't draft John Elway.
Best value pick: LB Karl Mecklenburg, Round 12, Pick 310, 1983
You expected a running back? Sure, the Broncos are good at finding those, but if they still had a Round 12 in the draft today, people would be allowed to text a number and determine which player their favorite team would pick. Mecklenburg went to six Pro Bowls. Grabbing Shannon Sharpe and Tom Nalen in the seventh round were fantastic moves in their own right, and had Terrell Davis featured for one more year, he'd probably be worth more than Mecklenburg. Rod Smith, on the other hand, wasn't drafted. If he had been, he'd probably be their best value. There's also about 10-15 other guys in the nineties alone who would qualify on this list for most teams. The point: the Broncos are really, really good on Draft Day
Worst pick: DB Willie Middlebrooks, Round 1, Pick 24, 2001
Middlebrooks is one of the better "worst picks" a franchise can have, relative to guys like Curtis Enis or Tony Smith. Middlebrooks had a five-year career, but he was never the corner the Broncos wanted; then again, neither was Deltha O'Neal until he went to Cincinnati. Eventually, the Broncos decided to just let the league develop cornerbacks for them and, instead, developed players who could do most everything else.
Houston Texans
Best overall pick: WR Andre Johnson, Round 1, Pick 3, 2003
Imagine how good he'll be now that the Texans will let him run routes longer than seven yards. Of course, that doesn't change the fact that their quarterback might be on the ground at that point. Do you think Matt Schaub will find particular parts of the field he likes getting sacked on more than other parts? Do you think David Carr will just pass on that info?
Best value pick: QB Drew Henson, Round 6, Pick 192, 2003
The Texans got a third round pick for him, and turning a six into a three is always a good move. Of course, they spent the pick on Vernand Morency, which wasn't, but small victories. It's only been five years.
Worst pick: LB Jason Babin, Round 1, Pick 27, 2004
I think David Carr needs a chance to play elsewhere before we can say he's a total bust. Babin was drafted to provide pressure on the outside and has compiled 13 sacks in three seasons. On the other hand, he goes up against the Texans offensive line in practice, so it's not as if he has to work that hard.
Besides, it'd be a relatively boring exercise.
With that in mind, we'll honor both the best overall draft pick each team made regardless of position, as well as the pick which represented the best bang for a team's buck.
Baltimore Ravens
Best overall pick: T Jonathan Ogden, Round 1, Pick 4, 1996
The Ravens first-ever selection is still their best, eleven years later; and yes, he's a better pick than Ray Lewis, drafted by the Ravens later in the first round. While Lewis is perceived as the better player because of his mouth, he was the best linebacker in the league for all of one season before he was usurped by Derrick Brooks. He only really returned to his Pro Bowl form last year and, even then, he'd lost a step. Ogden's been trading the moniker of best tackle in the league with Walter Jones and Orlando Pace for a decade now, and should be a first-ballot Hall of Famer.
Best value pick: LB Adalius Thomas, Round 6, Pick 186, 2000
Even if you buy the line of thought that suggests Thomas' performance has been inflated so far by the defense that surrounds him, Thomas was just as good as his Baltimore predecessor, Peter Boulware, but he came 182 picks later.
Worst pick: WR Travis Taylor, Round 1, Pick 10, 2000
Taylor being here is due to the combination of the Ravens being excellent in the draft and only having existed for eleven years. Taylor was a serviceable wide receiver and was even miscast as a No. 1 target for a couple of years, but he's another data point in the case against SEC wide receivers. An easy cheat sheet, kids: SEC running backs good. SEC wide receivers ... not so good.
Buffalo Bills
Best overall pick: DE Bruce Smith, Round 1, Pick 1, 1985
Well, you say, it was the only time they had the first overall pick, so it should be the best pick. That's true, but keep in mind that the top 10 also featured people named Ron Holmes and Kevin Allen, who I believe may actually be pseudonyms as part of some bust protection program. It's easy to blow a pick, and the Bills grabbed the best player in the draft with the first pick, the way they're supposed to. That's a good job.
Best value pick: S Kurt Schulz, Round 7, Pick 195, 1992
While the teams of the glory years didn't feature many later picks at all, the teams that followed featured Schulz, who started for the Bills until 1999.
Worst pick: WR Perry Tuttle, Round 1, Pick 19, 1982
You could make a case here for Tom Cousineau, who went first overall in 1979 but then felt insulted by the Bills offer and went to play in Montreal for three years — the thing is, when he went back to the NFL, he signed with the Cleveland Browns. The Browns gave the Bills their first-round pick, which the Bills used to draft Jim Kelly. So, in the long run, it was a pretty successful pick. Tuttle had 25 catches in four seasons with the Bills.
Cincinnati Bengals
Best overall pick: T Anthony Munoz, Round 1, Pick 3, 1980
The man, the myth, the mustache. The best offensive lineman in NFL history? Very possibly. On the Bengals, though, being only the best overall pick in team history slights him some. He needs to be best-everest or something to point out how far he is above the rest of the pool
Best value pick: WR T.J. Houshmandzadeh, Round 7, Pick 204, 2001
I am tempted to award this to 1982 ninth-rounder Samoa Samoa solely for his name. Houshmandzadeh, though, has matured into a No. 2 wide receiver nonpareil, with talent enough to be a No. 1 on a good amount of teams.
Worst pick: QB Jack Thompson, Round 1, Pick 3, 1979
Why this quarterback selected third overall by the Bengals over the one selected twenty years later, Akili Smith? Well, Smith was the slightest bit better. He lasted an extra season on the Bengals roster and threw 100 or so more passes at about the same level of efficiency that Thompson did. Of course, you could view that as him struggling longer, and give Thompson the nod. Either way, they were both busts. One of the problems with failed picks like this is that teams will spend another high pick years later to make up for their earlier mistake. The Bengals' replacements for Thompson and Smith, respectively, were Boomer Esiason and Carson Palmer. Not half bad, actually.
Cleveland Browns
Best overall pick: LB Clay Matthews, Round 1, Pick 12, 1978
The Browns really have not drafted well over the last thirty years. Matthews was a good-to-very good linebacker for a number of years in the league, but he wasn't even the best player of his generation ... within his family.
Best value pick: RB Earnest Byner, Round 10, Pick 280, 1984
OK, so maybe Browns fans are a little bitter about The Fumble. Regardless, Byner still ran for over eight thousand yards. In Round 11 of this draft, the Bears chose **** Butkus' son, Mark. That should show you what was being tossed around this late — Byner may have a case for being the best value of any selection in the 1980s.
Worst pick: DE Courtney Brown, Round 1, Pick 1, 2000
Kellen Winslow's stellar 2006 season saves him from showing up here. A full list of defensive linemen better than Brown who went in the 2000 draft: Corey Simon, Shaun Ellis, John Abraham, Chris Hovan, Darren Howard, Cornelius Griffin, Fred Robbins, Darwin Walker, Kendrick Clancy, Robaire Smith, and Kabeer Gbaja-Bjamila. That's also being generous and not putting guys like Junior Ioane over Brown.
Denver Broncos
Best overall pick: S Steve Atwater, Round 1, Pick 20, 1989
The heart of the Broncos defense (along with the player below) for 10 years. Remember, they didn't draft John Elway.
Best value pick: LB Karl Mecklenburg, Round 12, Pick 310, 1983
You expected a running back? Sure, the Broncos are good at finding those, but if they still had a Round 12 in the draft today, people would be allowed to text a number and determine which player their favorite team would pick. Mecklenburg went to six Pro Bowls. Grabbing Shannon Sharpe and Tom Nalen in the seventh round were fantastic moves in their own right, and had Terrell Davis featured for one more year, he'd probably be worth more than Mecklenburg. Rod Smith, on the other hand, wasn't drafted. If he had been, he'd probably be their best value. There's also about 10-15 other guys in the nineties alone who would qualify on this list for most teams. The point: the Broncos are really, really good on Draft Day
Worst pick: DB Willie Middlebrooks, Round 1, Pick 24, 2001
Middlebrooks is one of the better "worst picks" a franchise can have, relative to guys like Curtis Enis or Tony Smith. Middlebrooks had a five-year career, but he was never the corner the Broncos wanted; then again, neither was Deltha O'Neal until he went to Cincinnati. Eventually, the Broncos decided to just let the league develop cornerbacks for them and, instead, developed players who could do most everything else.
Houston Texans
Best overall pick: WR Andre Johnson, Round 1, Pick 3, 2003
Imagine how good he'll be now that the Texans will let him run routes longer than seven yards. Of course, that doesn't change the fact that their quarterback might be on the ground at that point. Do you think Matt Schaub will find particular parts of the field he likes getting sacked on more than other parts? Do you think David Carr will just pass on that info?
Best value pick: QB Drew Henson, Round 6, Pick 192, 2003
The Texans got a third round pick for him, and turning a six into a three is always a good move. Of course, they spent the pick on Vernand Morency, which wasn't, but small victories. It's only been five years.
Worst pick: LB Jason Babin, Round 1, Pick 27, 2004
I think David Carr needs a chance to play elsewhere before we can say he's a total bust. Babin was drafted to provide pressure on the outside and has compiled 13 sacks in three seasons. On the other hand, he goes up against the Texans offensive line in practice, so it's not as if he has to work that hard.
