NFL teams with best recent first-round draft picks

All eyes will be on Carolina Panthers rookie QB Bryce Young this season, as the No. 1 overall pick jumps into the NFL fray.

The Panthers did pretty well the only other time they picked a quarterback No. 1 overall, taking Cam Newton in 2011. Picks like that can make a team look good; picks such as quarterback JaMarcus Russell (No. 1 overall in 2007) become eternal memes for NFL busts.

That begs the question: Which teams have had the best first-round picks in recent years? As Young and the rest of his fellow rookies begin their NFL careers, let’s take a look at the teams that have made the most of their first-round picks. We’ll go back to 2002, when the Houston Texans became the NFL’s newest franchise.

5. Minnesota Vikings

Pro Bowl players drafted in first round since 2002: 12

Best Picks

• RB Adrian Peterson (2007): Former NFL MVP, almost 15,000 rushing yards and 126 TDs, Canton is calling.
• WR Justin Jefferson (2020): Could be one of best ever before he’s done, a great bargain with the No. 22 pick.
• DT Kevin Williams (2003): Five-time first-team All-Pro.

Notes: The Vikings have had inordinate success with their first-round picks dating to the franchise’s start in 1961. In one three-year period, from 2012 through 2014, GM Rick Spielman and the Vikings selected six future Pro Bowl players in the first round, including S Harrison Smith, CB Xavier Rhodes, LB Anthony Barr and QB Teddy Bridgewater.

4. Carolina Panthers

Pro Bowl players drafted in first round since 2002: 10

Best Picks

• DE Julius Peppers (2002): A lock for Hall of Fame, fourth on career sacks list.
• LB Luke Kuechly (2012): Seven Pro Bowls, Defensive Player of Year in 2013, an almost certain HOF member.
• QB Cam Newton (2011): 2015 NFL MVP.

Notes: It’s hard to believe this team hasn’t had more success on the field, striking draft gold so consistently. Christian McCaffrey went No. 8 overall in 2017, and some analysts thought the Panthers reached. Edge rusher Brian Burns (2019) has become one of the NFL’s top defensive players. Other notable first-round picks included T Jordan Gross and linebackers Thomas Davis and Jon Beason, all three-time Pro Bowl selections. RB DeAngelo Williams (2006) had 8,096 career rushing yards (4.7 yards per carry). DB Chris Gamble (No. 28 overall in 2004) is the franchise’s all-time interceptions leader.

3. Baltimore Ravens

Pro Bowl players drafted in first round since 2002: 8

Best Picks

• S Ed Reed (2002): Hall of Famer, eight-time All-Pro and former Defensive Player of the Year.
• LB Terrell Suggs (2003) NFL DPOY in 2011, seven Pro Bowls.
• QB Lamar Jackson (2018): Final pick of the first round won NFL MVP a year later.

Notes: Reed and Suggs, along with five-time All-Pro DT Haloti Ngata (2006), spearheaded the strong Ravens defense that capped the 2012 season with a Super Bowl trophy. Quarterback Joe Flacco (No. 18 overall in 2008) led the offense that year, and was an 11-year starter at QB. The Ravens have mined all this talent despite terrible draft positions. They’ve had only two top-10 picks since 2002, and their first pick has been 20th or later 12 times.

2. Pittsburgh Steelers

Pro Bowl players drafted in first round since 2002: 10

Best Picks

• QB Ben Roethlisberger (2004): Two Super Bowl wins, franchise cornerstone for 18 years, future Hall of Famer.
• S Troy Polamalu (2003): Roethlisberger’s equivalent on the defense, entered Hall of Fame in first year of eligibility.
• C Maurkice Pouncey (2010): Went to nine Pro Bowls, should make the HOF.

Notes: The franchise that once seemed to draft a couple of future Hall of Famers a year back in the early 1970s hasn’t lost its touch in the 21st century. Other notable picks must start with edge rushing beast T.J. Watt, the 2021 NFL DPOY and a steal with the 30th overall pick in 2017. The Steelers got a couple of gems back-to-back in 2011-12, drafting six-time Pro Bowl players DT Cameron Heyward and G David DeCastro.

1. Dallas Cowboys

Pro Bowl players drafted in first round since 2002: 14

Best Picks

• LB DeMarcus Ware (2005): Hall of Famer went No. 11 overall.
• RB Ezekiel Elliott (2016): Face of the Cowboys for several seasons, led NFL in rushing twice.
• LB Micah Parsons (2021) Sky is still the limit for his career.

Notes: Offensive linemen Tyron Smith, Travis Frederick and Zack Martin, all selected between 2011 and 2014, have made a combined 21 Pro Bowl appearances. WR Dez Bryant, a late first-rounder in 2010, posted some prolific numbers from 2011-14. Fourth-year wideout CeeDee Lamb is on pace to match that. It seems fitting that the Cowboys top this list. The late Gil Brandt, the team’s director of player personnel from its inception in 1960 through 1988, pioneered the comprehensive scouting and player analytics used in the NFL today.

Honorable Mention

Houston Texans: The 2002 expansion franchise whiffed on its first-ever selection, taking QB David Carr No. 1 overall that year. But Houston has had some big hits since, including three-time Defensive Player of the Year J.J. Watt in 2011, and star wide receivers Andre Johnson (2003) and DeAndre Hopkins (2013). Defensive linemen Mario Williams (2006) and Jadeveon Clowney (2014) went No. 1 overall, and each has made multiple Pro Bowls, even if they haven’t lived up to their huge draft expectations.