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By Gil Brandt
NFL.com Senior Analyst
(April 2, 2007) -- Back in the early 1970s, Pittsburgh Steelers owner Art Rooney made a decision. His long-struggling franchise would no longer try to rebuild by trading away draft picks for veteran talent. The Steelers would build a foundation of young players through the NFL draft. And so they did.
Whether it was first-round picks like Terry Bradshaw or fourth-rounders like John Stallworth or fifth-rounders like Mike Webster, the plan worked to perfection, and a dynasty was born.
And that's a perfect example of why we go straight from the Super Bowl these days right into talk of the Senior Bowl and the combine and the Pro Day workouts. The path to the draft is critical, and history tells us that no matter what era you are talking about, teams that draft well will always prosper. Teams that do not draft well will struggle.
Going back to the very first draft in 1936, history proves this to be true. At the time, there were nine teams in the NFL, and each team drafted nine players.
Of the nine players taken by the Philadelphia Eagles, none ever played in a regular-season game for Philadelphia. It's not a coincidence that over the next five years, the Eagles won a total of 10 games, with no winning seasons.
During that same draft, five of the nine players drafted by the Chicago Bears played in the NFL -- including future Hall of Famers Joe Stydahar and Dan Fortmann. The Bears won 40 games in that five-year span after the '36 draft, all winning seasons.
From 1956-1958, the Green Bay Packers won a total of eight games. But during that time they drafted five future Hall of Fame players -- Forrest Gregg, Bart Starr, Paul Hornung, Ray Nitschke and Jim Taylor -- and four more players who earned Pro Bowl honors -- Ron Kramer, Jerry Kramer, Bob Skoronski and Dan Curry. From 1960-63, they were responsible for 43 victories and two NFL championships.
In Super Bowl X, of the 87 active players on the combined rosters of the Dallas Cowboys and Pittsburgh Steelers, 86 were drafted or signed as undrafted free agents by those teams. The exception was running back Preston Pearson, who was in his first season with Dallas after spending the previous five seasons with Pittsburgh. The Baltimore Colts drafted Pearson in Round 12 in 1967.
This year's Super Bowl was another good example. Both starting quarterbacks, Peyton Manning and Rex Grossman, were acquired via the draft, and a combined 50 players on the Colts and Bears -- including key performers such as Marvin Harrison and Brian Urlacher -- were draft picks.
Of the 97 players in this year's Pro Bowl, one was acquired via trade (Champ Bailey) and nine were free-agent signings. So 87 Pro Bowl performers were "homegrown talent" -- playing for the team that originally picked them up.
Twenty-eight of the 37 different men who have won the Super Bowl MVP award had those performances for the teams that originally drafted them.
Does that give you a better idea of why there is so much activity and interest leading up to the draft?
With that in mind, we've taken a look at the picks that have been slotted first through 10th overall in the past 10 years. It's too early to judge the past two top overall picks -- Mario Williams of the Texans and Alex Smith of San Francisco. But it's safe to say the best number ones of the past 10 years have been Peyton Manning, Orlando Pace and Carson Palmer. Likewise, it's safe to say the most disappointing number ones in that time have been Tim Couch and Courtney Brown.
No. 1 overall picks
Misses -- Courtney Brown (CLE, 2000); David Carr (HOU, '02); Tim Couch (CLE, '99)
Hits -- Peyton Manning (IND, '98); Orlando Pace (STL, '97); Carson Palmer (CIN, '03)
Jury still out -- Michael Vick (ATL, '01)
No. 2 overall picks
Misses -- Ryan Leaf (SD, '98); Charles Rogers (DET, '03)
Hits -- Reggie Bush (NO, '06); Donovan McNabb (PHI, '99); Julius Peppers (CAR, '02)
Jury still out -- Robert Gallery (OAK, '04)
No. 3 overall picks
Misses -- Joey Harrington (DET, '02); Akili Smith (CIN, '99); Andre Wadsworth (ARI, '98)
Hits -- Larry Fitzgerald (ARI, '04); Andre' Johnson (HOU, '03); Vince Young (TEN, '06)
No. 4 overall picks
Misses -- Peter Warrick (CIN, '00); Mike Williams (BUF, '02)
Hits -- Edgerrin James (IND, '99); Charles Woodson (OAK, '98)
No. 5 overall picks
Misses -- Curtis Enis (CHI, '98); Ricky Williams (NO, '99)
Hits -- A.J. Hawk (GB, '06); Jamal Lewis (BAL, '00); LaDainian Tomlinson (SD, '01)
No. 6 overall picks
Misses -- Ryan Sims (KC, '02); Johnathan Sullivan (NO, '03)
Hits -- Torry Holt (STL, '99); Walter Jones (SEA, '97); Richard Seymour (NE, '01)
No. 7 overall picks
Misses -- Andre Carter (SF, '01); Troy Williamson (MIN, '05)
Hits -- Champ Bailey (WAS, '99)
No. 8 overall picks
Misses -- David Terrell (CHI, '01)
Hits -- DeAngelo Hall (ATL, '04)
No. 9 overall picks
Misses -- Tom Knight (ARI '97); Koren Robinson (SEA, '01)
Hits -- Fred Taylor (JAC, '98); Brian Urlacher (CHI, '00); Kevin Williams (MIN, '03)
No. 10 overall picks
Misses -- Jamal Reynolds (GB, '01)
Hits -- Chris McAlister (BAL, '99); Terrell Suggs (BAL, '03)
As you can see, having top-10 picks doesn't guarantee success. In the past 10 years, Arizona has had eight top-10 selections and Detroit has had seven -- and their combined record last season was 8-24.
New England (one), Pittsburgh (one) and Indianapolis (two) have had a combined four top-10 picks over the past 10 years, and they have won five out of the past six Super Bowls. New England picked Tom Brady in the sixth round in 2000.
NFL.com Senior Analyst
(April 2, 2007) -- Back in the early 1970s, Pittsburgh Steelers owner Art Rooney made a decision. His long-struggling franchise would no longer try to rebuild by trading away draft picks for veteran talent. The Steelers would build a foundation of young players through the NFL draft. And so they did.
Whether it was first-round picks like Terry Bradshaw or fourth-rounders like John Stallworth or fifth-rounders like Mike Webster, the plan worked to perfection, and a dynasty was born.
And that's a perfect example of why we go straight from the Super Bowl these days right into talk of the Senior Bowl and the combine and the Pro Day workouts. The path to the draft is critical, and history tells us that no matter what era you are talking about, teams that draft well will always prosper. Teams that do not draft well will struggle.
Going back to the very first draft in 1936, history proves this to be true. At the time, there were nine teams in the NFL, and each team drafted nine players.
Of the nine players taken by the Philadelphia Eagles, none ever played in a regular-season game for Philadelphia. It's not a coincidence that over the next five years, the Eagles won a total of 10 games, with no winning seasons.
During that same draft, five of the nine players drafted by the Chicago Bears played in the NFL -- including future Hall of Famers Joe Stydahar and Dan Fortmann. The Bears won 40 games in that five-year span after the '36 draft, all winning seasons.
From 1956-1958, the Green Bay Packers won a total of eight games. But during that time they drafted five future Hall of Fame players -- Forrest Gregg, Bart Starr, Paul Hornung, Ray Nitschke and Jim Taylor -- and four more players who earned Pro Bowl honors -- Ron Kramer, Jerry Kramer, Bob Skoronski and Dan Curry. From 1960-63, they were responsible for 43 victories and two NFL championships.
In Super Bowl X, of the 87 active players on the combined rosters of the Dallas Cowboys and Pittsburgh Steelers, 86 were drafted or signed as undrafted free agents by those teams. The exception was running back Preston Pearson, who was in his first season with Dallas after spending the previous five seasons with Pittsburgh. The Baltimore Colts drafted Pearson in Round 12 in 1967.
This year's Super Bowl was another good example. Both starting quarterbacks, Peyton Manning and Rex Grossman, were acquired via the draft, and a combined 50 players on the Colts and Bears -- including key performers such as Marvin Harrison and Brian Urlacher -- were draft picks.
Of the 97 players in this year's Pro Bowl, one was acquired via trade (Champ Bailey) and nine were free-agent signings. So 87 Pro Bowl performers were "homegrown talent" -- playing for the team that originally picked them up.
Twenty-eight of the 37 different men who have won the Super Bowl MVP award had those performances for the teams that originally drafted them.
Does that give you a better idea of why there is so much activity and interest leading up to the draft?
With that in mind, we've taken a look at the picks that have been slotted first through 10th overall in the past 10 years. It's too early to judge the past two top overall picks -- Mario Williams of the Texans and Alex Smith of San Francisco. But it's safe to say the best number ones of the past 10 years have been Peyton Manning, Orlando Pace and Carson Palmer. Likewise, it's safe to say the most disappointing number ones in that time have been Tim Couch and Courtney Brown.
No. 1 overall picks
Misses -- Courtney Brown (CLE, 2000); David Carr (HOU, '02); Tim Couch (CLE, '99)
Hits -- Peyton Manning (IND, '98); Orlando Pace (STL, '97); Carson Palmer (CIN, '03)
Jury still out -- Michael Vick (ATL, '01)
No. 2 overall picks
Misses -- Ryan Leaf (SD, '98); Charles Rogers (DET, '03)
Hits -- Reggie Bush (NO, '06); Donovan McNabb (PHI, '99); Julius Peppers (CAR, '02)
Jury still out -- Robert Gallery (OAK, '04)
No. 3 overall picks
Misses -- Joey Harrington (DET, '02); Akili Smith (CIN, '99); Andre Wadsworth (ARI, '98)
Hits -- Larry Fitzgerald (ARI, '04); Andre' Johnson (HOU, '03); Vince Young (TEN, '06)
No. 4 overall picks
Misses -- Peter Warrick (CIN, '00); Mike Williams (BUF, '02)
Hits -- Edgerrin James (IND, '99); Charles Woodson (OAK, '98)
No. 5 overall picks
Misses -- Curtis Enis (CHI, '98); Ricky Williams (NO, '99)
Hits -- A.J. Hawk (GB, '06); Jamal Lewis (BAL, '00); LaDainian Tomlinson (SD, '01)
No. 6 overall picks
Misses -- Ryan Sims (KC, '02); Johnathan Sullivan (NO, '03)
Hits -- Torry Holt (STL, '99); Walter Jones (SEA, '97); Richard Seymour (NE, '01)
No. 7 overall picks
Misses -- Andre Carter (SF, '01); Troy Williamson (MIN, '05)
Hits -- Champ Bailey (WAS, '99)
No. 8 overall picks
Misses -- David Terrell (CHI, '01)
Hits -- DeAngelo Hall (ATL, '04)
No. 9 overall picks
Misses -- Tom Knight (ARI '97); Koren Robinson (SEA, '01)
Hits -- Fred Taylor (JAC, '98); Brian Urlacher (CHI, '00); Kevin Williams (MIN, '03)
No. 10 overall picks
Misses -- Jamal Reynolds (GB, '01)
Hits -- Chris McAlister (BAL, '99); Terrell Suggs (BAL, '03)
As you can see, having top-10 picks doesn't guarantee success. In the past 10 years, Arizona has had eight top-10 selections and Detroit has had seven -- and their combined record last season was 8-24.
New England (one), Pittsburgh (one) and Indianapolis (two) have had a combined four top-10 picks over the past 10 years, and they have won five out of the past six Super Bowls. New England picked Tom Brady in the sixth round in 2000.
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