NFL draft: Best/worst first-round picks for all 32 slots (13-16) – NFL.com
Best first-round picks: 32-29 | 28-25 | 24-21 | 20-17 | 16-13
CFB 24/7 continues its countdown of the best and worst first-round picks at all 32 slots during the Super Bowl era. We will do four spots per day, until we end up with the three best — and three worst — No. 1 picks.
No. 16 pick
Who picks here in 2015: Houston Texans
Overview: Perhaps the best player in NFL history, regardless of position, was taken with the No. 16 pick. All in all, though, it was much easier to find misses than hits among 16th picks.
HITS
DT Chester McGlockton: Taken in 1992 by the Los Angeles Raiders out of Clemson. McGlockton played 12 seasons, for four teams, and was one of the best interior linemen of his era. He was listed at 334 pounds, but actually looked and played much bigger. And for a man of that weight, he had excellent quickness, as shown by his 51 career sacks. He was an All-Pro pick in 1995 and also was a four-time Pro Bowler.
S Troy Polamalu: Taken in 2003 by the Pittsburgh Steelers out of USC. Polamalu was a dominant safety for almost all of his recently concluded 12-season career. He was a reserve as a rookie, then became a full-time starter in his second season. He was named All-Pro four times and was an eight-time Pro Bowler.
WR Jerry Rice: Taken in 1985 by the San Francisco 49ers out of Mississippi Valley State. The best receiver in NFL history was taken midway through the first round of the 1985 draft. Rice is the NFL career leader in receptions (1,549), receiving yards (22,895), and receiving TDs (197). He also is the NFL career leader for total TDs, with 208. Rice was named All-Pro 10 times and also was a 13-time Pro Bowler. He was inducted into the Pro Football Hall of Fame in 2010.
MISSES
DT Justin Harrell: Taken in 2007 by the Green Bay Packers out of Tennessee. He played in seven games and started two as a rookie — and that was his best NFL season. Harrell played in a total of 14 games in three seasons.
DE/OLB Eric Kumerow: Taken in 1988 by the Miami Dolphins out of Ohio State. He had five sacks, one interception and zero starts in his three-season NFL career. A year earlier, the Dolphins had taken Boston College DE John Bosa with the No. 16 pick, and he, too, was a bust — just not as big as Kumerow. But the story doesn’t end there: Kumerow’s sister married Bosa, and one of their offspring is Ohio State DE Joey Bosa. That means Kumerow is the uncle of a 20-year-old who might just be the best college football player in the nation this fall.
QB Dan McGwire: Taken in 1991 by the Seattle Seahawks out of San Diego State. Perhaps Mark’s brother should’ve played baseball, too. Dan was a 6-8, 240-pound quarterback with a big arm. He lasted five seasons but played in just 13 games, with five starts. He finished his career with two TDs and six interceptions. Seattle gave up on McGwire quickly, taking QB Rick Mirer in the first round in 1993 — and Mirer was a bust, too.
No. 15 pick
Who picks here in 2015: San Francisco 49ers
Overview: This is another spot where it was easier to pick misses than hits. And one of the misses was a defender who never made a tackle in his NFL career.
HITS
C Forrest Blue: Taken in 1968 by the San Francisco 49ers out of Auburn. At 6-6 and 261 pounds, he was big for his time, and he dominated in the middle of the line. Blue was a two-time All-Pro pick and a four-time Pro Bowler.
DT Alan Page: Taken in 1967 by the Minnesota Vikings out of Notre Dame. Page played 16 seasons, with the Vikings and the Bears, and started every game of his career but three (all as a rookie). He was a hugely important part of one of the best defensive lines of all times (the Vikings‘ sublimely named “Purple People Eaters”), and was a six-time All-Pro and a nine-time Pro Bowler. He was inducted into the Pro Football Hall of Fame in 1988. Page currenly serves as an associate justice of the Minnesota Supreme Court, a position he has held since 1992.
SS Dennis Smith: Taken in 1981 by the Denver Broncos out of USC. When you played against the Broncos in the 1980s and early 1990s, you watched for Smith, who was one of the biggest hitters of his era. He played for 14 seasons and started for 13 of them. He was a six-time Pro Bowler.
» Draft Winds: Connecting prospects to NFL teams
MISSES
OT John Clay: Taken in 1987 by the Los Angeles Raiders out of Missouri. He lasted two seasons in the NFL, and the Raiders traded him after his rookie season. He played in 12 games, with 10 starts, then was gone from the NFL.
K Steve Little: Taken in 1978 by the St. Louis Cardinals out of Arkansas. Little is one of just four kickers ever drafted in the first round. He kicked a 67-yard field goal at Arkansas in 1977, a distance that remains an NCAA record. But he was just 13-of-27 on field goals in three NFL seasons (including just 7-of-20 from 30 yards or more), and was so erratic as a rookie that he was relegated to punting only. He was cut six games in the 1980 season, and he was involved in a car accident that left him a quadriplegic a few hours after he was cut.
OLB Huey Richardson: Taken in 1991 by the Pittsburgh Steelers out of Florida. Richardson had performed at a high level as a pass rusher for some stout Florida defenses. But he did nothing in the NFL. How is this for a career stat line: Two seasons, 16 games, zero tackles. He played five games as a rookie, then was traded after the season. Richardson eventually received his MBA and has done well on Wall Street.
No. 14 pick
Who picks here in 2015: Miami Dolphins
Overview: A highly productive Hall-of-Fame quarterback and a cornerback who is a Hall of Fame lock highlight the players taken at No. 14. At the same time, there was a crowded group of contenders for the “misses” category.
HITS
LB Randy Gradishar: Taken in 1974 by the Denver Broncos out of Ohio State. Gradishar played 10 seasons and was a fulltime starter for nine of them on Denver’s “Orange Crush” defense. He was a two-time All-Pro selection and a seven-time Pro Bowler; he also was The Associated Press’ defensive player of the year in 1978. He was stout against the run and excellent in coverage (20 career interceptions).
QB Jim Kelly: Taken in 1983 by the Buffalo Bills out of Miami. The Bills had to wait on Kelly, who played two highly productive seasons in the USFL (9,842 yards and 83 TDs), but he proved worth the wait. He started for 11 seasons (1986-96) and guided the Bills to four consecutive Super Bowls. He was an All-Pro in 1991, when he threw for a career-high 3,844 yards and 33 TDs. He was a five-time Pro Bowler and was inducted into the Pro Football Hall of Fame in 2002.
CB Darrelle Revis: Taken in 2007 by the New York Jets out of Pittsburgh. Revis is one of the best corners in the past decade, and his sterling play has come in an offense-first era. He is a four-time All-Pro selection and a six-time Pro Bowler. He has been an All-Pro for two teams and a Pro Bowler for three.
College Football 24/7 is following seven 2015 draft prospects as they pursue their NFL dreams.
MISSES
RB George Amundson: Taken in 1973 by the Houston Oilers out of Iowa State. He started two games in three NFL seasons, and finished with a career rushing total of 194 yards. Amundson was an excellent athlete and played football and track (he threw the discus) in college. He was Iowa State’s starting tailback as a junior in 1971, then moved to quarterback in his senior season.
DE Michael Haynes: Taken in 2003 by the Chicago Bears out of Penn State. He started four games and had 5.5 sacks in three NFL seasons. He also had one interception, which he returned for a TD. Still, that’s a paltry output for a first-rounder.
OT Bernard Williams: Taken in 1994 by the Philadelphia Eagles out of Georgia. Williams had excellent size (6-8, 320) and started all 16 games as a rookie left tackle, showing a ton of promise. But that was it for his NFL career. He struggled with substance abuse and was suspended six games for testing positive during training camp in 1995, then suspended a few months later for a year for more failed tests. He then failed to comply with a required treatment plan and never was reinstated.
No. 13 pick
Who picks here in 2015: New Orleans Saints
Overview: There have been a lot of high-level players taken at No. 13, including two of the best tight ends in NFL history. There also have been more than a few busts, including two players with fascinating back stories.
HITS
TE Tony Gonzalez: Taken in 1997 by the Kansas City Chiefs out of California. He is in the conversation when it comes to best tight ends in NFL history — and he might be the best. He retired with 1,325 career receptions, second-most among any player (behind only Jerry Rice) in NFL history, and he had 111 career TD catches. He was a six-time All-Pro and a 14-time Pro Bowler.
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RB Franco Harris: Taken in 1972 by the Pittsburgh Steelers out of Penn State. He shared carries in the Steelers‘ backfield for a time, but still was the key cog in some brutally efficient units. Harris played 13 NFL seasons and reached the 1,000-yard plateau eight times. He was an All-Pro in 1977 and also a nine-time Pro Bowler. He rushed for 12,120 yards, which is 13th in NFL history, and had 91 rushing TDs, which is 10th in NFL history. Harris was inducted into the Pro Football Hall of Fame in 1990.
TE Kellen Winslow: Taken in 1979 by the San Diego Chargers out of Missouri. Injuries took their toll, and his career lasted just nine seasons, but Winslow still was one of the best pass-catchers in the league during his time. Three times he had at least 88 receptions in a season, and he had seven seasons with at least 50 catches. Think what he could do in today’s NFL. Winslow was a three-time All-Pro and a five-time Pro Bowler, and he was inducted into the Pro Football Hall of Fame in 1995.
» Top five draft needs for all 32 teams
MISSES
RB Leon Burns: Taken in 1971 by the San Diego Chargers out of Long Beach State. As far as we can tell, Burns is the oldest-ever first-round pick; he was 28 when he was drafted and 29 by the time his rookie season ended. He signed with Long Beach State out of junior college and began his post-high-school career late because he spent four years in prison in California on robbery charges. He also was married with three kids when he was drafted. Burns rushed for 223 yards as a rookie, then was traded to St. Louis. In two NFL seasons, he started nine games and rushed for 292 yards.
FB Ray McDonald: Taken in 1967 by the Washington Redskins out of Idaho. He led the nation in rushing as a 6-4, 248-pound senior in 1966, rumbling for 1,329 yards. McDonald was an elite athlete and also starred on Idaho’s track team; he was clocked at 9.9 seconds in the 100-yard dash, was a nationally ranked hurdler, and also threw the shot put and discus. But he rushed for just 223 yards and four TDs in two NFL seasons, with 98 yards and three TDs coming in one game in his rookie season. McDonald played in only one game in his second season and was cut in 1969; he didn’t play in another NFL game. He died in 1993.
WR Lindsay Scott: Taken in 1982 by the New Orleans Saints out of Georgia. He played four seasons with the Saints, starting 22 games, but had just 69 career catches and only one TD reception.
Mike Huguenin can be reached at [email protected]. You also can follow him on Twitter @MikeHuguenin.
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