The best NFL draft pick ever at every slot from No. 1 to 262

[BADOLBILZ]

https://www.espn.com/nfl/story/_/id/45597769/picking-best-nfl-draft-picks-ever-every-slot-common-era-1967-2024

 

Interesting article.   The highlighted are my added notes to the ESPN story.........so here are the Bills and some Bills related one's with 3 McBeane related all-time picks mentioned right in round 1 and some actual McBeane greatest picks later in the draft:

 

7. Adrian Peterson, RB (2007)

The last non-quarterback to win the MVP award, Peterson led the league in rushing yardage three times in his career: 2008, 2012 and 2015. "All Day" was my pick over Champ Bailey, but watch out for Josh Allen. He and Peterson have the same number of MVP trophies and Super Bowl appearances ... for now.  (Allen will own this spot soon and probably deserves it already IMO).

 

 

10. Patrick Mahomes, QB (2017)

Our first active player is Mahomes, who somehow easily clears Rod Woodson, Terrell Suggs and Marcus Allen despite being maybe halfway through his career. A two-time MVP, three-time Super Bowl champ and three-time Super Bowl MVP, Mahomes will likely build a compelling argument for being the greatest quarterback ever by the time his career is done.  (McDermott dealt this pick to KC and ended up with Tre White and the 1st round pick they then traded up from to select Tremaine Edmunds)

 

22. Justin Jefferson, WR (2020)

Thank goodness there were no Hall of Famers to snub with the 22nd pick, making Jefferson an even easier selection for me. Never forget that Jefferson holds the record for most receiving yards through two seasons of a player's career (3,016) -- as well as through three seasons (4,825), four seasons (5,899) and five seasons (7,432). Guess which record he'll hold at the end of this year? (acquired pick as part of the exchange with McBeane for Stefon Diggs)

 

42. Rob Gronkowski, TE (2010)

Four Super Bowl rings. Four first-team All-Pro appearances.   A uniquely dominant prime as a pass-catching tight end with elite blocking ability.   (The Buddy Nix Bills selected the Troupacabra instead of the local product)

 

 

70. Fred Warner, LB (2018)

Easy pick here, as Warner will go down as the best linebacker of this decade and one of the best linebackers ever.  (unfortunate that Warner ended up being so much better than Edmunds and the Bills traded a second rounder to move UP to get Edmunds)

 

 

73. Jason Taylor, DE (1997)

Another Hall of Famer was also selected at pick No. 73 in Bears DT Steve McMichael, but it's tough to hold a candle to Taylor. A winner of Defensive Player of the Year (2006) and Walter Payton Man of the Year (2007), Taylor had both a dominant prime and a long stretch of viable play.  (This one hurt me to my core during that 1997 draft......the Bills picked Marcellus Wiley over him.  Wiley was a nice player but Taylor was the HR pass rushing OLB they desperately needed for that defense.   It was a frustrating stretch in the 1990's where John Butler did not take advantage of the abundance of quality 2nd and 3rd round pass rushers available to 3-4 teams.  This one hurt double because Taylor became a Bills killer.)

 

 

75. Russell Wilson, QB (2012)

Tough break for OT Terron Armstead, who is one of the best third-round picks ever but isn't better than this Super Bowl-winning, Walter Payton Man of the Year-winning quarterback.  (Russ is kind of a joke now but he was one of the best in the league for a long time.  Buddy Nix famously traded up to take the awful TJ Graham at 69 thinking he could get Wilson in the 4th round.  What an a$$clown of a strategist he was. https://billswire.usatoday.com/story/sports/nfl/bills/2020/07/22/buffalo-bills-david-lee-claims-wanted-draft-russell-wilson-dak-prescott/79402255007/)

 

 

86. Andre Reed, WR (1985)

Another odd density of Hall of Famers, as pick No. 86 carries Reed, Rams OT Jackie Slater and Saints kicker Morten Andersen. Reed is an easy selection for his seven straight Pro Bowls and 16-year NFL career, 15 of which were in Buffalo. Don't worry -- my kicker picks come later.  (Finally the Bills have a winner.  The best 86th overall ever.   I gotta agree.  Jackie Slater is tough to beat though he was also great).

 

111. Terrence McGee, CB (2003).   (A win for team Donahoe.  We are at the stage of the draft now where there are some not-great all-timers mixed in with HoF types).

 

134. Kyle Williams, DT (2006)  (Levy/Modrak struck gold with the pick traded to Houston for Eric Moulds).

 

148. Khalil Shakir, WR (2022)  ( Khalil may never live up to the @Alphadawg7  hype but what he's done is good enough to be the best 148 ever.   McBeane's 1st official win but Allen will eventually be the best #7 overall.)

 

171. Gary Anderson, K (1982)  (I guess this win for Buffalo would be Norm Pollam and the rest of the strong but largely forgotten group of scouts that Chuck Knox brought to Buffalo from his Rams days.  Greatest kicker pick ever according to article and foreshadowed in the Andre Reed pick write up.  This one sticks hard in the craw of one @BUFFALOBART who still holds Anderson in great disdain for intentionally failing his way off of the Bills roster)

 

185. Christian Benford, CB (2022)  ( That's 2 all-timer day 3 draft picks for McBeane.  Fingers crossed his brains aren't scrambled from those concussions and can have a long career.)

 

253. Roland Hooks, RB (1975)  (The pickings were slim at 253 apparently.  Certainly the most unlikely Bill to find on this list.)

 

255. Don Majkowski, QB (1987)   (The Buffalo born Magic Man looked like the real deal there for a brief time.)

 

[Doc Brown]

Good write up.  Adrian Peterson has four 1st team All Pros and three 2nd team All Pros.  Josh would have to at least win another MVP (or multiple 1st or 2nd team all pros) and win a Super Bowl at minimum to catch him imo..

[K-9]

Thurman not listed as the best pick at 40 overall instead of Strahan is a travesty.

[Ethan in Cleveland]

Reed was great but I'd have to go with Slater. Slater is an all time great OT. 

[Ethan in Cleveland]

7 minutes ago, K-9 said:

Thurman not listed as the best pick at 40 overall instead of Strahan is a travesty.

100% agree!

[folz]

Just noting some positions where the Bills had great players, and who the writer selected over them (Obviously, the Bills didn't draft every player on the list below---Bennett, Poyer, Hyde, etc.---just wanted to see why some very good Bills players didn't make the list). The writer also noted that he didn't want to overweigh QBs just based on the importance of the position.

 

[NOTE: None of the 64/65 AFL Champ team players were eligible for the list. The list begins at the 1967 (common era) draft.]

 

Bills on the list (played more than one season for the Bills---so not counting guys like Gore, Owens, Anderson): #86 Andre Reed, #134 Kyle Williams, #148 Khalil Shakir, #185 Christian Benford, #250 Ryan Fitzpatrick, #253 Roland Hooks. 

 

A few great Bills that missed the list and who was selected over them (according to the writer of the article):

#1: Peyton Manning (over Bruce Smith and O.J. Simpson)

 

#2: Lawrence Taylor (and many others: Faulk, Peppers, C. Johnson, Von Miller, Barkley, Bosa---all over Cornelius Bennett).

 

#6: Walter Jones (then Tim Brown, then Julio Jones...and then James Lofton)

 

#14: Darrelle Revis over Jim Kelly (reason: Revis had more All-Pros and won one Super Bowl).

 

#24: Ed Reed (+Aaron Rodgers)---at least those two are over Eric Moulds.

 

#26: Ray Lewis over Joe DeLamielleure.

 

#32: Drew Brees (+Lamar Jackson)---at least those two over Fred Smerlas.

 

#39: Ed White (Chargers Guard) over Darryl Talley. (Reason: White had two more Pro Bowls than Talley)

 

#40: Michaels Strahan [over Thurman Thomas]. Picked Strahan because of the single-season sack record and one Super Bowl win.

 

#146: George Kittle over Stefon Diggs

 

#159: Miami Safety Jake Scott (over Micah Hyde)

 

#218: Tom Nalen, Denver center [over Jordan Poyer]

 

#226: Picked KC Guard Trey Smith (drafted 2021) over Steve Tasker [No explanation for guys this low on the list.] Strange that a 4-year lineman was higher than any players picked here who already finished a full career (looks like the writer heavily weighted SB wins and Smith has two already being drafted by K.C). And granted its a low pick, so may not be a lot of choices...but at least Tasker was there as another option.

 

 

 

Edited Saturday at 10:29 PM by folz

[Ethan in Cleveland]

Im embarrassed to learn that Moulds was traded. I missed that entirely. I had no idea he was with Texans and then the Titans for final two years of career. 

[Doc Brown]

2 hours ago, Ethan in Cleveland said:

Im embarrassed to learn that Moulds was traded. I missed that entirely. I had no idea he was with Texans and then the Titans for final two years of career. 

Yeah.  Once he lost Holcomb and Losman throwing him the football his career went downhill fast.

[BADOLBILZ]

4 hours ago, Ethan in Cleveland said:

Im embarrassed to learn that Moulds was traded. I missed that entirely. I had no idea he was with Texans and then the Titans for final two years of career. 

 

 

Yeah Moulds quit on the team in a game in Miami in 2005 because Lee Evans was getting the ball and not him.   It was craziness and they ended up blowing a sizable lead with Moulds refusing to re-enter the game in the second half.   That was the beginning of the end of his complicated career in Buffalo.   He was a real screwball.

 

Speaking of "balls" here is @eball throwing hate at ol' Mouldsy for demanding/forcing a trade out of Buffalo 

 

 

[BADOLBILZ]

4 hours ago, folz said:

Just noting some positions where the Bills had great players, and who the writer selected over them (Obviously, the Bills didn't draft every player on the list below---Bennett, Poyer, Hyde, etc.---just wanted to see why some very good Bills players didn't make the list). The writer also noted that he didn't want to overweigh QBs just based on the importance of the position.

 

[NOTE: None of the 64/65 AFL Champ team players were eligible for the list. The list begins at the 1967 (common era) draft.]

 

Bills on the list (played more than one season for the Bills---so not counting guys like Gore, Owens, Anderson): #86 Andre Reed, #134 Kyle Williams, #148 Khalil Shakir, #185 Christian Benford, #250 Ryan Fitzpatrick, #253 Roland Hooks. 

 

A few great Bills that missed the list and who was selected over them (according to the writer of the article):

#1: Peyton Manning (over Bruce Smith and O.J. Simpson)

 

#2: Lawrence Taylor (and many others: Faulk, Peppers, C. Johnson, Von Miller, Barkley, Bosa---all over Cornelius Bennett).

 

#6: Walter Jones (then Tim Brown, then Julio Jones...and then James Lofton)

 

#14: Darrelle Revis over Jim Kelly (reason: Revis had more All-Pros and won one Super Bowl).

 

#24: Ed Reed (+Aaron Rodgers)---at least those two are over Eric Moulds.

 

#26: Ray Lewis over Joe DeLamielleure.

 

#32: Drew Brees (+Lamar Jackson)---at least those two over Fred Smerlas.

 

#39: Ed White (Chargers Guard) over Darryl Talley. (Reason: White had two more Pro Bowls than Talley)

 

#40: Michaels Strahan [over Thurman Thomas]. Picked Strahan because of the single-season sack record and one Super Bowl win.

 

#146: George Kittle over Stefon Diggs

 

#159: Miami Safety Jake Scott (over Micah Hyde)

 

#218: Tom Nalen, Denver center [over Jordan Poyer]

 

#226: Picked KC Guard Trey Smith (drafted 2021) over Steve Tasker [No explanation for guys this low on the list.] Strange that a 4-year lineman was higher than any players picked here who already finished a full career (looks like the writer heavily weighted SB wins and Smith has two already being drafted by K.C). And granted its a low pick, so may not be a lot of choices...but at least Tasker was there as another option.

 

 

 

 

 

Yeah Revis over Kelly I don't agree with.  

 

The rest on your list I all consider no contest wins over the Bills option.   Even Strahan over Thurman.  Strahan set the single season sack record.   Thurman never did anything like that.   And I just can't give the nod to Tasker over an every down stud like Trey Smith.   Tasker was more fun to watch,  I will give him that.

 

Peyton Manning over Bruce and OJ.........I can get with that logic in that what really made them great was their bulk numbers.   Manning won a couple of SB's but he was only a good player in the NFL for one of those so it's largely a battle of 3 of the greatest stat accumulators in NFL history.

 

Edited Sunday at 02:49 AM by BADOLBILZ

[boyst]

5 hours ago, K-9 said:

Thurman not listed as the best pick at 40 overall instead of Strahan is a travesty.

Strahan got the gimme sack by favre and then is popular on TV. That's all it is. 

[T.E.]

1 hour ago, BADOLBILZ said:

Strahan set the single season sack record.   Thurman never did anything like that. 

 

Strahan's single-season sack record has a huge asterisk considering that Favre called a play to purposely give it to him.

 

Thurman, meanwhile, led the league in yards per scrimmage four consecutive years, something no other player has ever done. He was NFL MVP and should've been the MVP of SB XXV, even in a loss.

 

The guy who wrote that article is 27 years old, so there's that.

[uticaclub]

Strahan was a dominant force on the defensive line that stopped the Patriots’ perfect season. Thurman was great, but he might not have been the best running back on his college team.😆

[ChronicAndKnuckles]

15 hours ago, BADOLBILZ said:

https://www.espn.com/nfl/story/_/id/45597769/picking-best-nfl-draft-picks-ever-every-slot-common-era-1967-2024

 

Interesting article.   The highlighted are my added notes to the ESPN story.........so here are the Bills and some Bills related one's with 3 McBeane related all-time picks mentioned right in round 1 and some actual McBeane greatest picks later in the draft:

 

7. Adrian Peterson, RB (2007)

The last non-quarterback to win the MVP award, Peterson led the league in rushing yardage three times in his career: 2008, 2012 and 2015. "All Day" was my pick over Champ Bailey, but watch out for Josh Allen. He and Peterson have the same number of MVP trophies and Super Bowl appearances ... for now.  (Allen will own this spot soon and probably deserves it already IMO).

 

 

10. Patrick Mahomes, QB (2017)

Our first active player is Mahomes, who somehow easily clears Rod Woodson, Terrell Suggs and Marcus Allen despite being maybe halfway through his career. A two-time MVP, three-time Super Bowl champ and three-time Super Bowl MVP, Mahomes will likely build a compelling argument for being the greatest quarterback ever by the time his career is done.  (McDermott dealt this pick to KC and ended up with Tre White and the 1st round pick they then traded up from to select Tremaine Edmunds)

 

22. Justin Jefferson, WR (2020)

Thank goodness there were no Hall of Famers to snub with the 22nd pick, making Jefferson an even easier selection for me. Never forget that Jefferson holds the record for most receiving yards through two seasons of a player's career (3,016) -- as well as through three seasons (4,825), four seasons (5,899) and five seasons (7,432). Guess which record he'll hold at the end of this year? (acquired pick as part of the exchange with McBeane for Stefon Diggs)

 

42. Rob Gronkowski, TE (2010)

Four Super Bowl rings. Four first-team All-Pro appearances.   A uniquely dominant prime as a pass-catching tight end with elite blocking ability.   (The Buddy Nix Bills selected the Troupacabra instead of the local product)

 

 

70. Fred Warner, LB (2018)

Easy pick here, as Warner will go down as the best linebacker of this decade and one of the best linebackers ever.  (unfortunate that Warner ended up being so much better than Edmunds and the Bills traded a second rounder to move UP to get Edmunds)

 

 

73. Jason Taylor, DE (1997)

Another Hall of Famer was also selected at pick No. 73 in Bears DT Steve McMichael, but it's tough to hold a candle to Taylor. A winner of Defensive Player of the Year (2006) and Walter Payton Man of the Year (2007), Taylor had both a dominant prime and a long stretch of viable play.  (This one hurt me to my core during that 1997 draft......the Bills picked Marcellus Wiley over him.  Wiley was a nice player but Taylor was the HR pass rushing OLB they desperately needed for that defense.   It was a frustrating stretch in the 1990's where John Butler did not take advantage of the abundance of quality 2nd and 3rd round pass rushers available to 3-4 teams.  This one hurt double because Taylor became a Bills killer.)

 

 

75. Russell Wilson, QB (2012)

Tough break for OT Terron Armstead, who is one of the best third-round picks ever but isn't better than this Super Bowl-winning, Walter Payton Man of the Year-winning quarterback.  (Russ is kind of a joke now but he was one of the best in the league for a long time.  Buddy Nix famously traded up to take the awful TJ Graham at 69 thinking he could get Wilson in the 4th round.  What an a$$clown of a strategist he was. https://billswire.usatoday.com/story/sports/nfl/bills/2020/07/22/buffalo-bills-david-lee-claims-wanted-draft-russell-wilson-dak-prescott/79402255007/)

 

 

86. Andre Reed, WR (1985)

Another odd density of Hall of Famers, as pick No. 86 carries Reed, Rams OT Jackie Slater and Saints kicker Morten Andersen. Reed is an easy selection for his seven straight Pro Bowls and 16-year NFL career, 15 of which were in Buffalo. Don't worry -- my kicker picks come later.  (Finally the Bills have a winner.  The best 86th overall ever.   I gotta agree.  Jackie Slater is tough to beat though he was also great).

 

111. Terrence McGee, CB (2003).   (A win for team Donahoe.  We are at the stage of the draft now where there are some not-great all-timers mixed in with HoF types).

 

134. Kyle Williams, DT (2006)  (Levy/Modrak struck gold with the pick traded to Houston for Eric Moulds).

 

148. Khalil Shakir, WR (2022)  ( Khalil may never live up to the @Alphadawg7  hype but what he's done is good enough to be the best 148 ever.   McBeane's 1st official win but Allen will eventually be the best #7 overall.)

 

171. Gary Anderson, K (1982)  (I guess this win for Buffalo would be Norm Pollam and the rest of the strong but largely forgotten group of scouts that Chuck Knox brought to Buffalo from his Rams days.  Greatest kicker pick ever according to article and foreshadowed in the Andre Reed pick write up.  This one sticks hard in the craw of one @BUFFALOBART who still holds Anderson in great disdain for intentionally failing his way off of the Bills roster)

 

185. Christian Benford, CB (2022)  ( That's 2 all-timer day 3 draft picks for McBeane.  Fingers crossed his brains aren't scrambled from those concussions and can have a long career.)

 

253. Roland Hooks, RB (1975)  (The pickings were slim at 253 apparently.  Certainly the most unlikely Bill to find on this list.)

 

255. Don Majkowski, QB (1987)   (The Buffalo born Magic Man looked like the real deal there for a brief time.)

 

 I love Adrian Peterson, but let’s not act like he’s more valuable than Josh Allen. 
 

Also, I didn’t know the Eric Moulds pick was used for Kyle Williams. 

[ChronicAndKnuckles]

5 hours ago, uticaclub said:

Strahan was a dominant force on the defensive line that stopped the Patriots’ perfect season. Thurman was great, but he might not have been the best running back on his college team.😆

It’s not really era, but I think Thurman’s receiving skills set him apart from everyone else. His style fit the Bills perfectly. Barry Sanders is definitely the best “pure” runner. I just think he could do things that Sanders couldn’t do and vice versa. I use the offseason to watch old games and brush up on my history. Thurman Thomas would’ve been a nasty slot receiver.

Edited Sunday at 11:26 AM by ChronicAndKnuckles

[T.E.]

53 minutes ago, ChronicAndKnuckles said:

It’s not really era, but I think Thurman’s receiving skills set him apart from everyone else. His style fit the Bills perfectly. Barry Sanders is definitely the best “pure” runner. I just think he could do things that Sanders couldn’t do and vice versa. I use the offseason to watch old games and brush up on my history. Thurman Thomas would’ve been a nasty slot receiver.

Sanders is maybe the best pound-for-pound back ever, but it's wild how much more favorably he's remembered than Thurman, when the latter had far, far more signature playoff performances.

[ChronicAndKnuckles]

41 minutes ago, T.E. said:

Sanders is maybe the best pound-for-pound back ever, but it's wild how much more favorably he's remembered than Thurman, when the latter had far, far more signature playoff performances.

Absolutely. Weird how RBs don’t get credit like QBs do for post-season accolades or even bringing their team to the playoffs in the first place. I truly think TT was the most important player on that offense and what made the Bills offense so insanely successful. 

Edited Sunday at 01:03 PM by ChronicAndKnuckles

[FireChans]

2 hours ago, T.E. said:

Sanders is maybe the best pound-for-pound back ever, but it's wild how much more favorably he's remembered than Thurman, when the latter had far, far more signature playoff performances.

Meh, it’s the same reason Adrian Peterson is remembered so fondly.

 

Those guys were 1 man offenses on teams with much less star power than the 90s Bills. 
 

It’s just cannibalism of nostalgia. How many players can the average fan name from those teams

[BADOLBILZ]

9 hours ago, T.E. said:

Strahan's single-season sack record has a huge asterisk considering that Favre called a play to purposely give it to him.

 

Thurman, meanwhile, led the league in yards per scrimmage four consecutive years, something no other player has ever done. He was NFL MVP and should've been the MVP of SB XXV, even in a loss.

 

The guy who wrote that article is 27 years old, so there's that.

 

 

Yeah I will also admit to having a bias against RB numbers because they are SO reliant on those around them.   I was talking about "premium" positions on TSW when the idea really hadn't been established in the NFL vocabulary yet.    

 

It's obvious that edge/island positions are more able to impact games with one-on-one dominance and those stats generally reflect more "individual" impact than those accumulated by a RB who needs so many things around them to go right to be great.   See 2023 Giants Saquon versus 2024 Eagles Saquon.  

 

DE is a premium position.  Strahan is the 10th leading sacker all-time.   Thomas is the 16th leading rusher.   In the postseason Strahan played better than he did in the regular season.    Thurman in the playoffs was about the same player he was on any given Sunday, statistically.   He had the great SB XXV and the awful XXVIII.   

[Doc Brown]

11 hours ago, boyst said:

Strahan got the gimme sack by favre and then is popular on TV. That's all it is. 

Never like that is it cheapened the record.  If sacks were counted before 1982 Deacon Jones would have the record with 26 sacks in 1967 (in 14 games).