The Best and Worst of Past NFL Drafts

The best thing about the NFL draft is second-guessing it. Line up your team’s draft record against, say, the Bill Walsh-era San Francisco 49ers and let ‘er rip. It’s fun. For those of us who were unprivileged enough to follow the Cardinals during their pathetic 28-year run in St. Louis, draft-bashing was about the only fun we had. So with our hindsight set firmly on 20-20, we take a look at the best and the busts of the draft from 1970, the first season of the AFL-NFL merger, to 1996:

BEST DRAFTS

1. The 49ers, 1986. Walsh looked like, well, a genius, at least compared with the teams he snookered. When draft day dawned, he was looking at eight picks over 12 rounds. When the day ended, he had made six trades, and in five of them he got additional draft choices. He wound up with 13 players, including eight future Super Bowl starters, and acquired additional No. 1 and No. 2 picks for 1987. Among the ’86 draftees were Larry Roberts (No. 2), Tom Rathman (3a), Tim McKyer (3b), John Taylor (3c), Charles Haley (4a), Steve Wallace (4b), Kevin Fagan (4c) and Don Griffin (6). This was the core of a team that won titles after the 1988 and ’89 seasons.

2. Pittsburgh Steelers, 1974. Though this group outdoes the ’86 Niners in regard to Hall of Fame players, it doesn’t have the overall numbers. Thirteen of the Steelers’ 21 picks never played for the team. However, four of their first five picks were Lynn Swann (No. 1), Jack Lambert (No. 2), John Stallworth (No. 4) and Mike Webster (No. 5). Lambert is in the Hall, Webster is going in this year, and Swann and Stallworth are annual candidates.

3.Dallas Cowboys, 1991. The Cowboys picked three future Pro Bowl players (Russell Maryland, Erik Williams, Leon Lett), three other starters (Alvin Harper, Dixon Edwards and Larry Brown) and a part-time player (Godfrey Myles). Thank you, Mike Lynn.

WORST DRAFTS

1. Cardinals, 1975. The first-round pick, cornerback Tim Gray, was awful and traded after one year. The No. 2 pick, Jim Germany, never played for the team. Of the 15 picks, only linebacker Mike McGraw (No. 10) and running back Jerry Latin (No. 11) were with the team in ’76. Neither amounted to anything.

2, New Orleans Saints, 1974. Truly bad, especially when you consider the Steelers’ draft that year. Only four of 16 picks lasted as long as three seasons with New Orleans. Linebacker Rick Middleton--who, as the 13th pick in the first round, was chosen directly in front of Ohio State teammate Randy Gradishar--disappeared after two seasons. No. 2 pick Paul Seal, a tight end, was gone after three.

3. Cardinals, 1984. They got virtually nothing out of their 14 picks over 12 rounds. Only a special-teamer named Niko Noga ( No. 8) hung around for more than three years. The No. 1 pick, wide receiver Clyde Duncan, was so bad coach Jim Hanifan wanted to cut him during training camp in 1985 but was overruled by management. The team’s next coach, Gene Stallings, did the honors a year later.

READY, SHOOT, AIM:

1. Since 1980, the Colts have had 13 top-10 picks--three more than any other team--but they’ve misfired more than F Troop. Here is a sampling: Curtis Dickey (5th overall, 1980), Johnie Cooks (2nd, ‘82), Art Schlichter (4th, ‘82), Leonard Coleman (8th, ‘84), Jeff George (1st, ‘90), Steve Emtman (1st, ‘92), Trev Alberts (5th, ‘94). There were two standout picks among the 13--John Elway (1st, ‘83) and Cornelius Bennett (2nd, ‘87)--but both were traded and never played for the Colts. Marshall Faulk (2nd, ‘94) has played in two Pro Bowls but is oft-injured and overrated.

2. The Washington Redskins, the only team that didn’t have a top-10 pick between 1980 and ‘91, forgot how to use them. How about this streak: Desmond Howard (4th overall, ‘92), Heath Shuler (3rd, ‘94) and Michael Westbrook (4th, ‘95). When you add in ’91 No. 1 Bobby Wilson (17th overall), you can almost hear George Allen’s ghost: Shoulda traded those picks.

DISPERSAL DRAFT:

The New York Jets have a knack for finding--and wasting--mid-round nuggets. Consider some of their discarded draftees: Tony Martin (No. 5, ‘89), Stevon Moore (No. 7, ‘89), Terance Mathis (No. 6, 1990), Jeff Blake (No. 6, ‘92). San Diego’s Martin, Atlanta’s Mathis and Cincinnati’s Blake have made the Pro Bowl. Baltimore’s Moore is a solid starting safety.

BEST AND WORST DRAFT DAY TRADES

In ‘85, the New England Patriots gave up the 16th spot in Round 1 and a No. 3 pick for the 49ers’ No. 1, No. 2 and No. 3 picks. The Pats’ choices were Trevor Matich, Ben Thomas and Audrey McMillian, who combined for six years of service and 12 starts in New England. The 49ers wasted the No. 3 on Ricky Moore, but we’ll overlook that. The No. 1 was Jerry Rice.

THE FEAST

Though there were some big busts in 1985 Round 1 (Kevin Allen, Kevin Brooks, George Adams, Darryl Sims, Lorenzo Hampton, Matich), the quality was very high and there was enough depth to make it the best opening round. You have Rice, arguably the best player in history, and certain Hall of Famer Bruce Smith. Then, you’ve got a bunch of Pro Bowl-level guys: Bill Fralic, Ray Childress, Chris Doleman, Lomas Brown, Al Toon, Jim Lachey, Jerry Gray. And then another tier of solid players: Duane Bickett, Ken Ruettgers, William Perry, Steve Sewell.

THE LEAST

The 1984 first round was remarkably devoid of talent. There wasn’t a true star and only a handful of quality guys: Irving Fryar, Carl Banks, Bill Maas, Wilber Marshall, Keith Millard, John Alt, Louis Lipps, William Roberts. On the flop side, how about Kenny Jackson, Mossy Cade, Leonard Coleman, Russell Carter, Ron Faurot, Pete Koch, Clyde Duncan, David Lewis, Billy Cannon Jr., and on and on.