GRADING EVERY NFL 1ST OVERALL PICK SINCE 1970

in this video i'm going to grade every first overall pick in the nfl draft since 1970. each grade will be for what that player did for that franchise and not their entire career now that that's settled sit back relax and enjoy the list 1970 terry bradshaw pittsburgh bradshaw's career stats are nothing special but he was one of the best quarterbacks in the nfl during the latter half of the 1970s including winning mvp in 1978 bradshaw earned his grade in the postseason where he won four super bowls and two super bowl mvps he played well in every super bowl he was in and his playoff numbers for his era are amazing he's easily the best tb12 on a throw by throw basis in playoff history grade a plus 1971 jim plunkett new england plunkett would go on to win multiple super bowls with the raiders and even garner some hall of fame buzz but his five years with the patriots left a lot to be desired as he finished with just 62 touchdowns 87 interceptions and a 23-38 record grade d-minus 1972 walt patulski buffalo the six foot six mammoth all-american defensive end out of notre dame was expected to wreck defenses for the entire decade but instead all buffalo got out of him was four years and 21 and a half sacks grade f 1973 john matuzak houston he would later go on to play sloth in the goonies and win multiple super bowls with the raiders as a solid if not spectacular role player but he lasted just one season with houston giving them just four sack war being traded to kansas city grade f 1974 ed two tall jones dallas one of super bowl racked up 106 sacks made three pro bowls and one all pro team in 15 seasons with dallas never quite became the dominant game record many expected given his physical tools but he will always be a memorable and respected cowboy grade b plus 1975 steve bartkowski atlanta looked like a lost cause and a major bust after five seasons having just 47 touchdowns and 75 interceptions to that point but he rebounded to become one of the best quarterbacks in the league from 1980 to 1984. led the nfl in touchdowns pass the rating and completion percentage at various points of his career overall his time with atlanta evens out to be about average to slightly above average raid c plus 1976 leroy selman tampa bay a hall of famer who made six pro bowls and an all-pro team in nine years with buck he was named defensive player of the year in 1979 which was the same year tampa made the nfc championship game he didn't have monster numbers but his peers and opponents absolutely swear by him and his greatness grade a 1977 ricky bell tampa bay bell had one very good season in 1979 racking up over 1200 yards rushing but his other four seasons in tampa were filled with disappointment and it didn't help that tampa chose him over future hall of fame running back tony dorsett who was taken with the very next pick by dallas grade f 1978 earl campbell houston a hall of famer who made five pro bowls three all pro teams and one 1979 mvp he led the nfl and rushing yards in each of his first three seasons and led the nfl in touchdowns twice he helped houston make two afc championship games in a row unfortunately he didn't have much longevity due to massive usage early in his career and his extremely bruising style of play but he remains arguably the greatest power back in nfl history grade a 1979 tom cousina buffalo he never played it down in buffalo opting to instead play in canada for a few years he didn't make his nfl debut until 1982 with cleveland where he became a good player but not one worthy of the first overall pick grade f 1980 billy sims detroit made the pro bowl in each of his first three seasons and appeared to be on track for the hall of fame before suffering a career ending knee injury in 1985 the original great running back in detroit who wore number 20 before barry sanders grade b 1971 george rogers new orleans made first team all pro and led the league in rushing yards as a rookie but drug issues severely stunted his potential and he only lasted five years in new orleans it also doesn't help matters that the next player off the board after rogers in the 1981 draft was laurence taylor yikes grade c 1982 kenneth sims new england lasted eight years in new england but never came close to justifying his first overall pick status finishing with just 17 sacks and missing a ton of games hall of famers mike munchak and marcus allen went later in the first round that same draft but new england atoned for their sims mistake by taking future hall of famer andre tiffen in the second round grade d-minus 1983 john elway baltimore elway is one of the best quarterbacks in nfl history but he ended up throwing as many touchdown passes for the colts as you and me grade f 1984 irving fryer new england lasted nine years and made a pro bowl in new england racking up 5 726 yards and 38 touchdowns a solid if not spectacular player he wasn't a bust but when you take a wide receiver first overall you expect them to be a superstar and fire never became that he actually had his best seasons after leaving new england grade c 1985 bruce smith buffalo the nfl's all-time sack leader and one of the greatest players of all time do i even have to say more grade a plus 1986 bo jackson tampa bay never played a single down for the buccaneers grade f 1987 vinnie testaverde tampa bay played six years in tampa and threw for 77 touchdowns 112 interceptions and had a 24 and 48 record would end up becoming a respectable nfl qb who played forever with a few very good seasons sprinkled in but his tenure with tampa can be described as nothing but an abject failure which might say more about the franchise than testa verdi himself grade f 1988 andre bruce atlanta he was hyped up as the next lawrence taylor and he lasted just four years with atlanta and recorded just 16 sacks he went on to play seven more years with the raiders but never came close to justifying his first overall pick status grade f 1989 troy aikman dallas a hall of famer who made six pro bowls won three super bowls and a super bowl mvp many believe he's overrated due to his mediocre counting stats and playing on loaded teams but his postseason performances from to 1995 are arguably the best extended stretch of postseason play any quarterback has ever had and for that he deserves his problem grade a 1990 jeff george indianapolis george was a known head case with a rocket arm and not much else and it showed in his four years in indy where he threw 41 touchdowns 46 interceptions and compiled a 14-35 record he would actually go on to have some very good seasons in atlanta open the minnesota but will always be known as the poster boy for wasted talent at the quarterback position grade f 1991 russell maryland dallas he made a pro bowl and won three super bowls in five years with dallas but never became a dominating force one expects the first overall pick to be grade c 1992 steve emtman indianapolis one of the most dominant defensive lineman in college football history who looked like he would become a stud in the nfl but repeated injuries limited him to just 18 games and five sacks with indy sad grade f 1993 drew bledsoe new england he's most remembered nowadays for being replaced by tom brady after nearly dying but bledsoe was a top 5-10 quarterback for a few years there in the late 90s he helped lead new england to super bowl 31 and revitalized the region's interest in football following some terrible years in off-field trouble in the early 90s he also earned his ring with new england in 2001 after taking over a qb in the 2001 afc championship game once brady went down he was essentially the matthew stafford of the 90s grade b 1994 dan wilkinson cincinnati lasted four years and since seeing racked up 25 sacks lasted 13 years in the nfl overall but never made a pro bowl or an all-pro team a monumental tease who should have been a perennial all-pro defensive tackle but he was content with making money being a solid defensive tackle grade d 1995 kajana carter cincinnati injuries derailed a promising career before it could even start he lasted five years in cincy but appeared in just 35 games and had just 747 rushing yards players like steve mcnair ty law warren zapp and derek brooks were available instead for cincy to pick grade f 1996 keyshawn johnson new york jets a good wide receiver who thought he was much better than he was he made two pro bowls with the jets and helped get them to the 1998 nfc championship game but he lasted just four years there and he's not even a top two wide receiver from his own draft class as guys like tara owens and marvin harrison blow his career out of the water grade c plus 1997 orlando pace st louis a hall of famer who made seven pro bowls three all pro teams and one super bowl with the rams seems like a pretty [ __ ] good pick to me grade a plus 1998 peyton manning indianapolis the sheriff made 11 pro bowls five all pros one four mvps a super bowl and a super bowl mvp with the colts arguably the best quarterback of all time and the most valuable player in nfl history grade a plus 1999 tim couch cleveland had the unenviable task of leading an expansion franchise with little talent and the results were unsurprisingly not good he lasted five years and threw for 64 touchdowns 67 interceptions and a 22-37 record unlike other quarterback busts i do think couch had some talent and if he had been drafted into a better situation he could have potentially been a good quarterback so much of a qb success is really about the situation they land into grade d 2000 courtney brown cleveland lasted just five injury-filled years with the browns recording 19 sacks never approached the dominance he showed in college at penn state grade f 2001 michael vick atlanta probably the hardest player to rank on this list no nfl player has ever had more of a culture impact than vic did he was beyond exciting and fun to watch but the truth is his best season in atlanta was in 2002 and he admittedly wasn't much of a worker back in those days and never improved off of his impressive second season then in 2007 he left the franchise in disgrace with the dog fighting fiasco vic would thankfully rebound both professionally and in his life after getting out of prison but his chapter with atlanta remains about unfulfilled promise grade c minus 2002 david carr houston similar to tim couch a few years prior carr was tasked with leading an expansion team and in five years with houston he finished with 59 touchdowns 65 interceptions and a dreadful 22-53 record unlike couch i never really thought much of carr as a quarterback and after going back and watching a lot of the sacks he took were more on him holding onto the ball forever as opposed to his offensive line very handsome though can't deny that 2003 carson palmer cincinnati palmer racked up 22 694 yards 154 touchdowns and 100 interceptions and a 46 and 51 record in eight years in cincinnati he looked like he was going to be an elite quarterback early on then he tore his acl in the 2005 playoffs had major elbow surgery in 2008 and was never quite as good again he never played for cincy after 2010 because he hated team owner mike brown in the beginning the palmer era in cincinnati held major promise but in the end it ended with zero playoff wins grade b-minus 2004 eli manning san diego similar to john elway in 1983 eli refused to play for the team that drafted him first overall so therefore the team who picked him first overall literally got nothing out of him warranting an f grade 2005 alex smith san francisco smith lasted eight seasons in san fran and up until around 2010 he was looking like one of the biggest busts in nfl history then jim harbach came to town revitalized smith's career and helped get san fran to the 2011 nfc championship game smith would get hurt in the midst of his best season in 2012 get replaced by colin kaepernick then after the season was over got traded to kansas city and made a few pro bowls there props to smith for turning it around but there's no way around it drafting smith with aaron rodgers on the board in the 2005 draft was a colossal mistake by san fran and possibly cost him a few super bowls grade c minus 2006 mario williams houston lasted six years in houston and made a few pro bowls a very odd career for a first overall pick was a good player but not a great one and never really generated a bunch of attention turned out to be the right choice over reggie bush and vince young though grade b minus 2007 jamarcus russell oakland arguably the biggest bust literally and figuratively in nfl history lasted just three years in the nfl putting up 18 touchdowns 23 interceptions and a 7-18 record he was so bad that he never even got a second opportunity after oakland cut him which says a lot grade f 2008 jake long miami lasted five years in miami making four pro bowls and one all-pro team before injuries ruined his career if he had played longer without all the injuries he could have possibly become a hall of famer but instead he'll just be remembered as a good player for a few years life isn't fair grade b minus 2009 matthew stafford detroit in 12 years with detroit stafford put up 45 000 yards 282 touchdowns 144 interceptions and a 74-90 record he went 0-3 in the playoffs he's a solid to slightly above average quarterback who has always seemed to struggle against good opponents but he gave the lions stability at the quarterback position for a long time and a few good seasons which is saying a lot when talking about that cesspool of a franchise grade b 2010 sam bradford st louis bradford won the 2010 rookie of the year thanks to a high volume low efficiency season then he just seemed to keep getting hurt all the time he finished his five years with the rams with 59 touchdowns 38 interceptions and an 18 30 in one record a legendary thief when it comes to stealing money though grade d-minus 2011 cam newton carolina cam made three pro bowls and won the 2015 mvp with carolina while also leading them to super bowl 50. he also helped revitalize the franchise after a few bad years he's never been a great passer even in his prime that's just the truth but his threat as a runner in short yardage goal line situations normally atoned for most of that while i continue to think overall he's been overrated there's no question he gave carolina exactly what they needed for the better part of a decade and was the correct choice at number one grade b-plus 2012 andrew luck indianapolis i feel like giving an incomplete grade for luck since that's what his career will always be incomplete arguably the most hyped quarterback prospect to enter the nfl in decades luck finished his seven years in indy with four pro bowls almost 24 000 passing yards 171 touchdowns 83 interceptions and a 53 and 33 record he was better than his stats and his stats were good he was a rare qb capable of carrying a subpar roster then right as indies seemed to finally be building a good nucleus of support around him he retired there's no question he was the right choice and would have made the hall of fame if he kept playing but man it still hurts that he's not playing grade b plus 2013 eric fisher kansas city a two-time pro bowler and super bowl champ who provided consistent performance along casey's line for eight years his absence was felt big time in super bowl 55. he might not be a hall of famer you want out of a first overall pick but kc could have done much worse grade c plus 2014 janevion clowney houston made three pro bowls in his five years in houston but never reached the all-pro heights many expected of him coming out of college especially playing next to jj watt in his prime but those damn injuries prevented that from coming to fruition is now on his third team in his many years a good player whose career has undoubtedly been a little underwhelming raid b minor 2015 jameis winston tampa bay the most volatile quarterback in nfl history finished his five years in tampa with almost 20 000 passing yards 121 touchdowns 88 interceptions and a 28 and 42 record he never made the playoffs and will be known forever for his 30 interception season in 2019 not exactly what tampa wanted when picking him first overall in 2015. he got his chance to start in 2021 with new orleans and looked pretty good but an acl injury ended his season prematurely we shall see how the rest of his career unfolds it should be interesting braid c-minus 2016 jared goff los angeles had one of the worst rookie seasons ever by quarterback in 2016 then got rescued by the hiring of sean mcvay and put up two very good seasons in 2017 and 2018 even leading la to super bowl 53 with the help of the ref in 2018 where they lost 13-3 he started to decline in 2019 and 2020 however and before long he was traded to detroit overall in five years with la he put up over 18 000 passing yards 107 touchdowns 55 interceptions and a 42 and 27 record he had too many good moments to be considered a bus but certainly not worthy of the first overall pick either grade c 2017 miles garrett cleveland is currently the most terrifying defensive end in football entering his prime has already made two pro bowls and an all-pro team and barring injuries he is bound to rack up a bunch more of them outside of a fiasco where he nearly killed the guy with a helmet he's been everything cleveland could have possibly hoped for as the first overall pick grade a plus 2018 baker mayfield cleveland what a roller coaster career thus far for baker he had a great rookie year in 2018 then was awful in 2019. he bounced back with a good season in 2020 and now in 2021 he's looked terrible playing through injuries he's the best quarterback cleveland has had since the 80s but that's not really saying much and it's fair to say cleveland would have been better off taking josh allen or lamar jackson first overall they could do it over again if this is baker's last year in cleveland and he will be remembered not as a bus but as a tease grade c 2019 kyler murray arizona after a few good but not great seasons to start his career kyler has erupted into mvp talks in year three a dynamic talent and a small body just like my ex-wife if he stays healthy he should keep arizona relevant for a very long time grade a 2020 joe bro cincinnati had an overrated injury shortened rookie year but has improved noticeably in year two and looks like he's going to be a legitimate signal caller for cincinnati for many years home grade b-minus 2021 trevor lawrence jacksonville lawrence's rookie season has been disappointing but due to his terrible situation coaching and small sample size i'm not yet willing to make any grand declarations but i must admit i expected more from him by now hopefully he makes a leap in year two like burrow did grade incomplete

Channel: Barry McCockiner

Views: 405,446

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Id: PcaUIOIrUY4

Length: 16min 50sec (1010 seconds)

Published: Fri Dec 03 2021