Who Were the Players Drafted One Pick Before Superstars?

you never really know how the wrong draft pit can impact the future of a franchise could we be talking about packers legend barry sanders did you know the raiders picked directly before four future hall of famers in the 2000s and imagine a world where jerry rice never played in san francisco let's take it back to 1985. 16th pick in the first round wide receiver jerry rice mississippi valley in case you didn't know rice was very nearly a dallas cowboy instead bill walsh and the 49ers traded up and snagged him with the 16th overall pick the rest is history rice won three super bowls earned 10 all-pro selections and broke every receiving record in the book but just a pick before the chiefs went with ethan horton the running back was all acc at north carolina but lasted just one season in kc horton landed with the raiders where he moved to tight end he actually made a pro bowl in 1991 but you can't put him in the same realm as jerry rice [Applause] mike orban using that left hand to keep the defender away gets his right hand on it what a catch fast forward to 1988 dallas found their star receiver at pick number 11. michael irvin was a three-time champion in a five-time pro bowler after 12 seasons he retired as the cowboys all-time receiving leader at 10th overall the giants went with offensive lineman eric moore while he did suit up for six seasons and start a super bowl with the g-men he was no playmaker giants fans saw firsthand how electrifying irvin could be a few picks earlier the raiders landed tim brown at number six the raiders have the ball a pass coming up schrader throws long downfield for brown and it is caught and he is in for the touchdown what a great play he made with two defensive backs downfield with him brown was consistent for 16 years in the silver and black the hall of famer amassed nine pro bowls 100 touchdowns and nearly 15 000 receiving yards but one slot before him that would be ricky dixon the bengals used their fifth overall pick on the oklahoma standout sadly the defensive back would start just 32 games over six seasons the top of the 89 draft was absolutely stacked four of the first five picks are hall of famers including this guy barry sanders off the pitch right field 45 breaks 40 buried 35 spins free 30 25 middle of the field 20 15 10. holy mackerel down and in touchdown lions what a run by barry sanders that one may be one of the all-time best the lions spent their third overall pick on a legend barry sanders rushed for over 15 000 yards in just 10 seasons he was a pro bowler every year he played and won mvp in 1997 but taken at number two that was tony manderich touted as the best offensive line prospect ever he decidedly wasn't manderick played in just six seasons and is considered an all-time bust the 1990 draft kept the legends coming san diego took junior seau at number five and were handsomely rewarded in motion right elway will roll right wants to throw steps up the throw pump fakes looks good intercepted it's intercepted by san diego yes they got the ball the linebacker made 12 straight pro bowls and earned six all-pro nods delivering san diego its only afc championship in the process tampa bay picked just before that but they went with the wrong linebacker keith mccants wound up playing defensive end for the bucks but failed to produce mccance was cut by tampa after three seasons leading to backup stints with the oilers and cardinals to add insult to injury mccance was sandwiched between two future hall of famers too seau and number three pick cortez kennedy who spent his entire 11 year career in seattle leaf looking stripped ball loose picked up on a return it'll be kennedy on the recovery and kennedy going all the way 36 yards for the touchdown the 300 pounder was a true do-it-all lineman he won defensive player of the year in 1992 totaling 14 sacks and retired with three all-pro selections before kennedy the jet took running back blair thomas despite the hype thomas couldn't stay healthy he'd earned just 533 career carries over six seasons heading into the 1994 draft many thought marshall falk should be the first off the board in hindsight the bengals would probably agree they opted instead for defensive tackle dan wilkinson he played 13 nfl seasons but never came close to falk's impact jack party called him yesterday a home run hitter it'll leave the park any hey you said something beasley you just said a whole lot inside the 40 inside the 30 and down to the 22-yard line falk was great for the colts but he became legendary in st louis a super bowl title league mvp and three straight offensive player of the year awards as one of history's best backs jumping to 1995 now and the newly formed jaguars picking second overall their choice tony baselli whose time in jacksonville was consistent and productive the future hall of famer earned three straight all-pro nods and five trips to the pro bowl a pick earlier since he whiffed on their top choice yet again kajana carter was a tantalizing prospect but injuries got the best of him carter showed flashes scoring 16 touchdowns from 1996 to 1997 but he couldn't stay healthy playing in just 28 more games tampa bay had two first-rounders in 1995 and they nailed both of them warren sapp went 12th overall and delivered a hall of fame career shovel pass kicked off touchdown set a key piece to a ferocious defense the miami hurricane amassed 96 and a half career sacks that all sounds great unless you're the vikings who opted for derrick alexander just one pick earlier alexander was a decent pass rusher but he never made the leap playing just five years with the 28th pick in that draft the bucks landed another star defender derek brooks was as versatile as they come the linebacker tallied at least 100 tackles in all but two of his 14 seasons in super bowl 37 he clinched tampa's first title in style again and looking again and looking again derek brooks 30. [Applause] derek brooks all the way touchdown tampa bay there it is the dagger's in we're gonna win the super bowl but taken before brooks was mark bruner the steelers tight end played 14 seasons primarily as a blocker but pittsburgh would have loved to have had another hall of fame linebacker in 1996 the colt nabbed an all-world receiver with pick number 19. come fake and they go along for the first time for harrison oh my lord one-handed tuck it in and he never used his left hand starting in 1999 marvin harrison posted over a thousand yards and double-digit scores in eight straight seasons he snagged 143 passes in 2002 shattering the single season record he won a ring in 2006 and is indy's all-time leading receiver meanwhile the rams opted for eddie kennison with pick number 18. kennison wasn't a household name but he also didn't get to spend an entire career with peyton manning instead he bounced around from one anemic offense to the next before a productive stretch in kansas city at the end of his career just eight picks later the newly minted ravens struck gold good protection intercepted by ray lewis and lewis is on his way he's going to go for a touchdown ray lewis was the nfl's best linebacker for over a decade he spent his entire career in baltimore where he collected seven all-pro selections two defensive player of the year awards and two super bowl titles right before lewis the eagles went with o lineman jermaine mayberry a pro bowler in 2002 mayberry was a stable player on one of the best teams in the league for nine years but he was nowhere near the star lewis turned into here's plumber into the flat picked off and here we go the other direction this will be the heisman trophy winner charles woodson his second interception in as many weeks his first touchdown in the national football league taking a defensive back early in the first rounds is always a gamble but the fourth overall pick in 1998 was a game breaker for 18 seasons charles woodson won defensive player of the year a super bowl in green bay and is tied for the most career defensive touchdowns the same can't be said for the previous pick andre wadsworth while we all remember ryan leaf as the biggest bust from the 1998 draft the cardinals third overall pick was just as big a miss before knee injuries ended his career wadsworth lasted just three years in the nfl and he is throwing it back to cunningham open is randy moss and in the end zone is a minnesota touchdown randy moss is arguably the most terrifying receiver of all time and he wasn't even drafted in the top 20. selected 21st overall by the vikings in the same 98 draft moss dominated the competition instantly and retired fourth all-time in receiving yards taken by detroit just to pick before terry fair dazzled as a kick returner as rookie season but it was all downhill from there as the cornerback was released after four years with the lions here's the handoff to james on the sweet right and he alludes a tackle still running brock marion kind of gave up on the play that is a touchdown edger and james is as complete a running back as we've seen coming to this league in quite some time in 1999 the colts plucked edran james fourth overall edge was an immediate success winning offensive rookie of the year james was a workhorse playing seven seasons in indy before leaving as the team's all-time leading rusher and the team that missed out on yet another first-round stud yeah it's the bengals again their third overall pick was an absolute bust quarterback akili smith would start just 17 games and throw five total touchdowns in cincy the ravens were at it again in 2002 this time it was their 24th pick that went on to stardom cobb throws endzone intercepted and reed's got it 10 yard line coming back he gets vodka at the 30-yard line sheds attack midfield interception return for a touchdown listed at 107 yards is a new nfl record few defensive players had a nose for the ball like ed reed fumbles picks blocked kicks it didn't matter the hall of famer ranks seventh all-time in career interceptions napoleon harris did much less for the raiders although he did start in a super bowl his rookie year the 23rd overall pick was shipped off after just three seasons in the silver and black but amassed nearly 500 tackles in his seven year career the expansion texans got the top pick in 2002 they should have gone with julius peppers back to throw mcmahon out of the shotgun avoids one sack pepper's got him again and there's a fumble the ball loose at about the 20-yard line oh julius peppers pounded mcmahon the number two pick in 2002 was an instant hit in carolina winning defensive rookie of the year peppers racked up 52 forced fumbles 160 sacks and nine pro bowl nods for three different teams instead houston opted for david carr it wasn't that carr lacked skill he mostly lacked protection rush is coming car thrown down once again more pressure and carr takes a seat again of the nine carr lever drops him carr absorbed a record 76 sacks his rookie year and never got the time he needed to settle into the pocket or the nfl the fresno state product managed just five full seasons as a starter luckily the texans were back in the saddle in 03 grabbing andre johnson third overall if there's an all-time texans moment johnson was probably involved he was a seven time pro bowler and holds every major franchise receiving record the same can't be said for charles rogers a tantalizing prospect taken just before andre rogers was oozing with talent but he wasn't the right fit for a lions team in constant flux he played just 15 games over three seasons fourteen picks later the steelers found a legend in troy polamalu here's collins back to pass again going deep down field into traffic and what an interception one-handed by troy polamalu wow the hall of famer was one of the most iconic players of the decade flying from sideline to sideline number 43 was the defensive player of the year in 2010 and collected two lombardi's and 12 seasons with the steelers now imagine a safety duo of polamalu and brian dawkins but instead the eagles went with pass rusher jerome mcdougall the miami product had the talent but he was almost always injured mcdougall never started a game in philly recording three career sacks as a backup so that brings us to 2004 and this first round was loaded arizona made a franchise defining pick at number three grabbing pit receiver larry fitzgerald [Applause] fitzgerald territory 30 20 10. arizona has the lead highlighted by the 2008 season that brought the cardinals inches away from a super bowl title larry's career was legendary over his 17 years in arizona fitz broke every major team receiving record and has the second most yards in nfl history then there's robert gallery the number two pick in 2004 was a disappointment compared to fitzgerald gallery was touted as a generational blocker but the raiders quickly learned otherwise the iowa product was serviceable for eight seasons but never made the impact of a number two pick if we're talking impact the steelers sure found their guy nine picks later ben roethlisberger went off the board and in less than two years he was a super bowl champ three years after that he out dueled fitzgerald's cardinals for another title [Music] big ben's backyard style made him a lethal playmaker could he have fared better than david carr with houston's o-line we'll never know because the texans took corner dante robinson at number 10. he was solid but never lived up to top 10 potential robinson stuck around for a decade but he failed to make a pro bowl in 2005 the cowboys landed a beast with their 11th overall pick [Applause] demarcus ware will go down as one of the best defensive players in cowboys history he earned four all-pro nods and is the team's all-time sack leader ware played 12 nfl seasons winning a title in denver the top 15 was oozing with future stars but the lion's 10th overall pick mike williams wasn't one of them after missing a year of college the usc wideout was shockingly selected by detroit their third straight receiver taken in the top ten williams lasted just two years with the lions and later found a glimmer of production in seattle but the biggest story of the 2005 draft was aaron rodgers initially believed to be the top pick rogers fell all the way to 24 and the rest is history rogers in trouble it's going to get there they turned 32 yesterday does he have a vintage moment in in the end zone it is caught for the win a game ender for the packers the four-time mvp has been nearly flawless in his 14 years as green bay starter and he shows no signs of slowing down rogers boasts the best touchdown to interception ratio of all time and led the packers to a super bowl title in 2010. who was picked before him the answer to that trivia question is fabian washington the nebraska coroner played three mediocre seasons in oakland and was out of the league by 2011. in 2007 detroit finally landed its premier receiver taking calvin johnson's second overall matthew rolls the pocket to the right pumps now comes back to the left looking deep throwing to the end zone wants calvin well covered he goes up he makes the catch are you kidding me oh megatronia did it again megatron earned three straight all-pro nods and set a then single-season receiving record in 2012. the hall of famer is considered one of the most dominant players in nfl history but the top overall pick that year it was jamarcus russell despite the hype russell and the raiders clashed immediately after a lengthy hold out his rookie season his career was over before it started russell won seven of 25 career starts and is considered an all-time draft bust bear with us raider nation we need to recap in the span of five years oakland somehow made the pick directly before ed reed larry fitzgerald aaron rodgers and calvin johnson ouch there was plenty of superstar talent left on the board in 2007 like 11th overall pick patrick willis he was arguably the best middle linebacker in the league throughout his eight-year career [Applause] and is intercepted by patrick willis makes a move on hasselbeck one man to beat [Applause] 86 yards on the return at pick number 10 the texans gambled on 19 year old defensive tackle imobi okoye the louisville prospect is still the youngest player ever to be drafted okoye showed promise but a rare brain condition stunted his career he played just six nfl seasons from 2007 to 2017 you did not ever want to visit rivas island intercepted by rivas and rebus has another turnover intercepted in the end zone by darrell rivas grievous is there and picked it off grievous island against randy moss and he came through the jets drafted a bonafide shutdown corner with the 14th pick in 2007. at his peak darrell rivas was regarded as the best corner in the league he made all-pro four times and is a sure-fire hall of famer adam carricker's career on the other hand was not exactly what the rams were hoping for the big man started all 16 games as a rookie but injuries took a toll he was traded to washington in 2010 where he finished his career with nine total sacks the 2011 draft is one of the best in recent memory but there were some real duds hidden in the first round the jags know all about that the 10th overall pick blaine gabber eventually found a home as tom brady's backup in tampa but he went just 5 and 22 during his three seasons as a starter in jacksonville to make matters worse the next pick was this here guy come again oh my goodness this is jj watt so not only did the jaguars miss on their franchise qb the following pick tormented them for the next decade jj watt was defensive player of the year three times in his first five seasons when healthy he's been the league's best defender to be part of a great team here's hilton blitzing off the slot again pastor hopkins oh my goodness did he catch that did he catch that that's the touchdown catch of the year if that's good that's unbelievable wow that's sick in 2013 the texans found another star pick at 27 deandre hopkins was a generational talent in houston he earned three all-pros and produced an insane highlight reel of catches and imagine if he had had aaron rodgers throwing him the ball instead the pack took dayton jones at number 26 the d-lineman never really developed into a first round talent and left green bay after four years it's wild to think that nine teams passed on patrick mahomes but it happened and when the chiefs grabbed him at number 10 they got something special here comes von miller oh how did he pull that off joe are you kidding me wow left-handed i've seen it all now joe mahomes has led the chiefs to the conference championship game in each of his four years as a starter he won nfl mvp in 2018 and followed that up with a lombardi trophy the next year and of course it was the bangles who were left second guessing they opted for speedster john ross just to pick earlier ross never caught more than 30 passes in any of his four seasons in cincy 21 picks later pittsburgh found a future sack champion hundley holds steps up hugh sacks tj what nfl history watt has tied michael strahan's single season record 22 and a half sacks like his brother tj watt turned into a nightmare for opposing quarterbacks the younger wisconsin stud already has three all-pro nods and he's just getting started watt tied the single season sack record in 2021 winning nfl defensive player of the year meanwhile the browns are still waiting on david and joku he's shown flashes here and there but the 28th pick has yet to make a major impact through his first five seasons down by one pressure coming cousins decked throws it up for jefferson finally there's justin jefferson the 22nd pick in 2020 he came flying out of the gates with 1400 yards as a rookie jefferson followed that up with a 1600 yard season in 2021 the sky seems to be the limit 21st overall pick jalen rhaegor has had a much bumpier start he's battled injuries and untimely drops as he continues to find his footing in philly well there you have it as we gear up for another unpredictable draft just remember that you'll never know where talent hides and which teams will come oh so close

Channel: NFL Throwback

Views: 636,102

Keywords: nfl, american football, nfl history, nfl highlights, nfl vault, nfl throwback

Id: FbczNoMxR60

Length: 23min 47sec (1427 seconds)

Published: Wed Apr 27 2022

Reddit Comments

[u/ofsquire]

Tony Mandarich was sandwiched in between 4 players who became Hall of Famers in 1989

[u/FreeWillie001]

It’s honestly wild how much smaller and yet more effective pads have become.

Tom Brown’s pads look laughably big at this point.

[u/LabCool6003]

Didnt the Jets take Calvin Pryor right before CJ Mosley was drafted? Imagine if we had Mosley.

[u/sloppifloppi]

The next 4 picks after Ebron in 2014 were Taylor Lewan, OBJ, Aaron Donald, and Kyle Fuller.

Lmao.

[u/LinuxF4n]

Packers legend Barry Sanders. Thank fuck that never happened.

[u/BuffaloWilliamses]

We took Torell Troup 1 pick before hometown future HoFer Rob Gronkowski.

[u/Seven2offsuit]

John Ross has 500 fewer yards than Chase

😭😂

😭

[u/StreetReporter]

The Giants took Sequon Barkley one pick before the GEQBUS

[u/diet_betis]

Jace Sternberger right before Terry McLaurin smh