Which teams made the best draft picks this century?
The NFL is entering its 2025 season, which means we're a quarter of the way through this century of football. All week long, Yahoo Sports Senior NFL Writer Frank Schwab will dive into the past 25 years in the league.
More: NFL All-Quarter Century Team
When a team makes a truly great draft pick, it often doesn't realize it. If a team knew that a seventh-round pick would go on to make multiple Pro Bowls, it wouldn't have passed on him for six rounds.
A great pick can be a bit of luck, but it can also happen due to conviction when the rest of the world thought it was the wrong move. There have been some heavily criticized picks that were actually genius moves.
This list of the best 25 draft picks of the last 25 years won't all be late-round picks. You can make a great, grand slam pick at No. 1 overall. Sometimes it's a big trade up in the first round that makes the pick smart, or an unconventional move that ends up being a franchise-changing decision. Third-day draft value was a big factor in ranking these picks. The No. 1 on this list is a late-round pick and a pretty easy choice.
Here are the 25 best NFL Draft picks of the past quarter century.
25. Bo Nix, 2024 1st round, 12th overall (Broncos)
Maybe it's too early to judge this one. But the reason it's on the list is the Broncos had conviction on the player, drafted him well before anyone thought they should, and ended up with a quarterback who looks like their long-awaited answer at the position. Nix played well as a rookie and helped lead the Broncos to the playoffs. We'll remember this pick for Sean Payton's clarity, and not that just about every analyst thought it was crazy for Denver to take the sixth quarterback in the class at No. 12 overall.
24. Kirk Cousins, 2012 4th round, 102nd overall (Washington)
Say what you will about Cousins, but he blew away any reasonable expectation for a fourth-round quarterback. It's more impressive when you consider he was the second quarterback Washington drafted that year, well behind Robert Griffin III. Washington was ridiculed for doubling up with Cousins but he has 42,979 yards and 288 touchdowns in his 13-year career, with almost $300 million in career earnings to date.
23. Julio Jones, 2011 1st round, 6th overall (Falcons)
The pick itself wasn't that hard. Everyone knew Jones was an elite prospect. But the Falcons were ripped for the price they paid to trade up to get Jones. Atlanta sent two first-round picks, a second-round pick and two fourth-round picks to Cleveland for the sixth overall pick. Even with that stunning price tag, the Falcons didn't have any buyer's remorse through Jones' dominant career.
22. Amon-Ra St. Brown, 2021 4th round, 112th overall (Lions)
St. Brown keeps a list of the 16 receivers taken ahead of him. Few have come close to St. Brown's production. St. Brown has three straight 1,000-yard seasons, three straight Pro Bowls and also a contract extension from the Lions worth more than $120 million.
21. Tyreek Hill, 2016 5th round, 165th overall (Chiefs)
It's important to note that Hill's draft fall was his own doing. He was dismissed from the Oklahoma State program after he was charged with domestic violence. He went to West Alabama after that and had a precipitous drop in the draft due to his off-field issues. The Chiefs ignored that and Hill ended up being a great player for them over six seasons.
20. Maxx Crosby, 2019 4th round, 106th overall (Raiders)
The 2019 Raiders class is a study in how unpredictable the draft can be. They took Clelin Ferrell fourth overall. He had 10 sacks in four seasons with the Raiders. Three rounds later the Raiders took Crosby. Crosby is at 59.5 sacks and counting, and is one of the best defensive ends in the NFL.
19. Dak Prescott, 2016 4th round, 135th overall (Cowboys)
Prescott is a beacon for criticism, but he has had a very good career. When you consider his draft pedigree, it's a phenomenal career. Not many three-time Pro Bowl quarterbacks come out of the fourth round of the draft. From his first year, when he won NFL Offensive Rookie of the Year, the Cowboys couldn't have imagined their mid-round pick being this productive.
18. Justin Jefferson, 2020 1st round, 22nd overall (Vikings)
In retrospect, why did Jefferson fall to the 22nd pick? How did Jalen Reagor go one pick before Jefferson (one of Eagles GM Howie Roseman's rare misses)? Jefferson was wildly productive at LSU, had good speed and decent size. The Vikings are happy he fell, because he has set receiving records from his rookie year on.
17. Aaron Donald, 2014 1st round, 13th overall (Rams)
The 2014 NFL Draft was incredible. Of the first 17 picks, 13 made at least one Pro Bowl. But when you draft arguably the greatest defensive player of all time with the 13th pick, who fell a bit because he didn't have ideal size for a defensive tackle in the NFL, you make the list.
16. Josh Allen, 2018 1st round, 7th overall (Bills)
Don't forget, this pick was not universally celebrated at the time. The Broncos were in need of a quarterback, Allen played college ball right up north at Wyoming, and Denver still passed on him for Bradley Chubb. They weren't the only team to pass, because Allen had immense physical skills but was inaccurate and not overly productive in college. That's how the Bills got a future MVP at No. 7 overall. It wasn't a pick without risk, but it paid off big.
15. Travis Kelce, 2013 3rd round, 63rd overall (Chiefs)
Part of Kelce's fall in the draft was due to a season-long suspension at Cincinnati after testing positive for marijuana. He was there in the third round for the Chiefs, and Kansas City ended up with one of the greatest tight ends ever, a key piece to their ongoing dynasty.
14. George Kittle, 2017 5th round, 146th overall (49ers)
Kittle didn't produce much at Iowa, but it still seemed weird that he fell to the fifth round given his athletic profile. The 49ers got a steal there. Kittle has made six Pro Bowls and is still one of the best tight ends in football.
13. Russell Wilson, 2012 3rd round, 75th overall (Seahawks)
Brock Osweiler was drafted a round before Wilson because he was taller. There was no other good reason to pass on Wilson, an extremely productive passer at NC State and Wisconsin, other than his height. The Seahawks saw through that and ended up with a Super Bowl-winning quarterback who made nine Pro Bowls in 10 seasons with the team.
12. Devin Hester, 2006 2nd round, 57th overall (Bears)
The Hester pick had to have Bears fans wondering what their team was doing in the second round. Hester wasn't an offensive or defensive player, just a returner.
"Keep in mind, this is a guy without a position," NFL Network analyst Mike Mayock said when he was picked. "He's being drafted on the basis of being the most exciting return specialist in the country.
"They've got to find a place to play him. Second round, you're not just being drafted for being a return specialist."
Hester ended up never doing much on offense or defense but was the greatest kick returner ever, and the first player elected to the Pro Football Hall of Fame based primarily on his return ability.
11. Rob Gronkowski, 2010 2nd round, 42nd overall (Patriots)
Gronkowski would have been an early first-round pick, but he was coming off major back surgery that wiped out his final college season. The Patriots gambled on the talent and were rewarded with arguably the greatest tight end in NFL history.
10. Richard Sherman, 2011 5th round, 154th overall (Seahawks)
Here's the NFL.com report on Sherman before the 2011 draft: "Sherman is a size prospect with some good intangibles that will help him mold into a contributing backup corner for a press-heavy team. However, he does not possess the natural coverage instincts, fluidity or burst to be considered a future starter." Not only did Sherman become a starter, he was on the 2010s all-decade team and became one of the biggest stars of his era.
9. Jason Kelce, 2011 6th round, 191st overall (Eagles)
Kelce was considered too undersized to be a starting NFL center, at 280 pounds coming out of college. He did OK for himself, starting from his first game on. He started 193 regular season games in total, was a six-time All-Pro, helped the Eagles to their first Super Bowl title and is likely going to the Hall of Fame someday.
8. Lamar Jackson, 2018 1st round, 32nd overall (Ravens)
Ozzie Newsome had a great run as the Ravens' GM, and his final first-round pick was a beautiful gift to the team. The Ravens traded up to the last pick of the first round to take the former Heisman Trophy winner, who fell because of questions about his passing ability. Jackson has two MVPs on his résumé and is just 28 years old.
7. Patrick Mahomes, 2017 1st round, 10th overall (Chiefs)
The legend has it that the Saints badly wanted Mahomes with the 11th pick. When they snoozed, the Chiefs traded up to the 10th pick and stole him. Considering Mahomes went well after second overall pick Mitchell Trubisky and one pick after speedy receiver John Ross, we'll count trading up and drafting a future all-time great at No. 10 as one of the best picks of this century.
6. Puka Nacua, 2023 5th round, 177th overall (Rams)
For years we'll be asking the question, "Who is this year's Puka Nacua?" And the answer, more often than not, will be "nobody." This was a once-in-a-generation pick for the Rams. Nacua was a fifth rounder who had a good production profile in college but nonetheless was ignored for the first two-plus days of the draft. It didn't take long for the rest of the NFL to regret passing on him. Nacua set an NFL rookie record for receiving yards.
5. Antonio Brown, 2010 6th round, 195th overall (Steelers)
Brown didn't have great size, his 40 time was 4.57 and he didn't play against great competition at Central Michigan. He could have fallen out of the draft completely. Instead the Steelers took a shot on him and he made seven Pro Bowls and was a member of the 2010s all-decade team, though his NFL career (and his post-football career) didn'tcomewithoutcontroversy.
4. Aaron Rodgers, 2005 1st round, 24th overall (Packers)
The Packers didn't need a quarterback. They had Brett Favre. But when Rodgers had one of the most memorable draft falls ever, Packers general manager Ted Thompson couldn't pass. The pick was controversial at the time, but it ended up giving the Packers another 15 seasons of Hall of Fame quarterback play, which included four MVPs for Rodgers and a Super Bowl title.
3. Jalen Hurts, 2020 2nd round, 53rd overall (Eagles)
The Eagles get extra credit because when this pick was made, nobody understood it. Philadelphia already had Carson Wentz. It seemed they used a premium pick on a backup quarterback and gadget player. That's not how it turned out. Wentz flamed out with the Eagles shortly after, Hurts became a high-end starter and last season he became a Super Bowl MVP. It's a good lesson that picks that don't make sense at the time can change NFL history.
2. Brock Purdy, 2022 7th round, 262nd overall (49ers)
Before Purdy, the most accomplished Mr. Irrelevant was a kicker, Ryan Succop. When you make the last pick of the draft, there's a far greater chance the player won't make the opening day roster than have any significant impact. Purdy's story is amazing. Forced into starting due to injuries, including one to 2021 third overall pick Trey Lance, Purdy excelled immediately. This offseason, he signed a five-year, $265 million contract. It'll be a long time before we find another Mr. Irrelevant that approaches Purdy's career.
1. Tom Brady, 2000 6th round, 199th overall (Patriots)
It's not just the best NFL draft pick of the last 25 years, it's not just the best NFL draft pick ever. It's almost inarguably the greatest draft pick in American sports history. What other pick can even compare to getting a quarterback who won a record seven Super Bowl rings (six with the Patriots) and finished as the all-time leader in passing yards and touchdowns at 199th overall? It's hard to imagine an MLB, NHL, NBA or NFL team making a more impactful pick in any of our lifetimes.
Category: General Sports
