First defensive player off the board in Super Bowl era of NFL draft
First defensive player
(Photo by Chris McGrath/Getty Images)
Who were the first defensive players chosen in each of the NFL drafts during the Super Bowl era? A lot of the names are familiar, while some will send you to Profootballreference.com to see what they actually contributed.
1967: Bubba Smith
Dick Raphael-USA TODAY Sports
Michigan State’s Bubba Smith was the first overall pick by the Baltimore Colts—who acquired the choice in a trade with New Orleans for Gary Cuozzo. Forty-three of his 52.5 sacks came with Baltimore.
1968: Claude Humphrey
Manny Rubio-USA TODAY Sports
The third overall pick by the Atlanta Falcons, Claude Humphrey was a force who became a Pro Football Hall of Famer. He had 130 sacks in his career, 99.5 with the Falcons.
1969: Leroy Keyes, Joe Greene
(AP Photo)
The Philadelphia Eagles took Leroy Keyes, third out of Purdue. He was a two-way player, RB/DB. The first pure defensive player was Mean Joe Greene, taken by the Steelers fourth overall. He is a Hall of Famer.
1970: Mike McCoy
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The Green Bay Packers chose second overall and picked Notre Dame’s Mike McCoy. He played seven seasons with the Packers and had 29 of his 32 sacks with them.
1971: Richard Harris
Tony Tomsic-USA TODAY NETWORK
A defensive end drafted fifth overall by the Philadelphia Eagles out of Grambling State, Richard Harris had 7.5 sacks as a rookie, his best season. He wound up playing for three teams and had 22 sacks overall.
1972: Walt Patulski
Malcolm Emmons-USA TODAY Sports
The Buffalo Bills went to South Bend with the first overall pick and drafted Notre Dame’s Walt Patulski. He had 21.5 sacks, all as a Bill, for whom he played four seasons.
1973: John Matuszak
Malcolm Emmons-USA TODAY Sports
Larger than life off and on the field, the Houston Oilers drafted John Matuszak first overall out of Tampa. He spent one season — controversial, of course — with the Oilers. His best years came with the Oakland Raiders.
1974: Too Tall Jones
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A first overall pick out of Tennessee State by the Dallas Cowboys, Ed “Too Tall” Jones had 106 sacks in a career that was spent entirely with America’s Team through 1989.
1975: Randy White
(AP Photo)
The second overall pick out of Maryland by the Cowboys, Randy White was known as the “Manster.” He was a Cowboy for his entire career and had 111 sacks. A 1994 Pro Football Hall of Famer.
1976: Lee Roy Selmon
Manny Rubio-USA TODAY Sports
Tampa Bay made Lee Roy Selmon the first overall pick out of Oklahoma and wound up with a Pro Football Hall of Famer.
1977: Gary Jeter
Manny Rubio-USA TODAY Sports
USC’s Gary Jeter went fifth overall to the New York Giants. He played for three teams over 13 seasons and had 79 sacks, 45 with the LA Rams.
1978: Art Still
Manny Rubio-USA TODAY Sports
Art Still went from Kentucky to the Kansas City Chiefs second overall. He played with KC for 10 years and had 14.5 sacks in 1980. Still finished his career with two seasons in Buffalo.
1979: Tom Cousineau
Malcolm Emmons-USA TODAY Sports
Tom Cousineau was taken first overall by Buffalo out of Ohio State and famously decided to play in the CFL.
1980: Bruce Clark
USAT
Bruce Clark went to Penn State and was chosen fourth overall by Green Bay. Rather than play for the Packers, he went to the CFL’s Toronto Argonauts. Clark eventually landed with the New Orleans Saints. He had his 39.5 NFL sacks with the Saints.
1981: Lawrence Taylor
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The second overall by the Giants out of North Carolina, Lawrence Taylor became a legend and Hall of Famer with Big Blue.
1982: Kenneth Sims
Dick Raphael-USA TODAY Sports
Kenneth Sims played college ball at Texas and was a second overall pick by the New England Patriots.
1983: Billy Ray Smith
USA TODAY Sports
A linebacker from Arkansas, Billy Ray Smith when fifth overall to the San Diego Chargers. He had 15 interceptions and 26.5 sacks in 10 seasons.
1984: Carl Banks
USAT
The Giants got another jewel of a linebacker with a high draft pick. Carl Banks played at Michigan State and went third overall. He teamed with LT on a dynamic LB corps.
1985: Bruce Smith
(Photo by RHONA WISE/AFP via Getty Images)
Taken first overall out of Virginia Tech, the Buffalo Bills were rewarded with a Pro Football Hall of Fame career from Bruce Smith.
1986: Tony Casillas
Manny Rubio-USA TODAY Sports
Oklahoma’s Tony Casillas went second overall to Atlanta. He had 23 sacks in a career that included three teams and ran through 1997.
1987: Cornelius Bennett
Rick Stewart /Allsport
The Colts drafted Alabama’s Cornelius Bennett second overall but he never played for them early in his career. Bennett starred for Buffalo and then went to Atlanta before finishing his career in 1999 and 2000 with the team that drafted him, Indianapolis.
1988: Aundray Bruce
USA TODAY Sports
Auburn’s Aundray Bruce was a first overall pick by Atlanta. He split 16 sacks between the Raiders and Falcons.
1989: Deion Sanders
Manny Rubio-USA TODAY Sports
The Atlanta Falcons selected Prime Time fifth overall. The Florida State star went on to a Hall of Fame career.
1990: Cortez Kennedy
(AP Photo/Bill Cooke)
The third overall pick by Seattle, Miami’s Cortez Kennedy was a force and became a Pro Football Hall of Famer.
1991: Russell Maryland
USA TODAY Sports
Another Miami played to become the first defensive player taken, Russell Maryland want to Dallas. He also played for the Raiders and Packers.
1992: Steve Emtman
USA TODAY Sports
Taken first overall by Indianapolis out of Washington, Steve Emtman had his career ravaged by injuries.
1993: Marvin Jones
(AP Photo/Bill Kostroun, File)
Marvin Jones went from Florida State to the New York Jets fourth overall. He played his entire NFL career with Gang Green.
1994: Dan Wilkinson
Matthew Emmons-USA TODAY Sports
The Cincinnati Bengals stayed in-state and took Ohio State’s Dan Wilkinson first overall. He played for four teams and had 54.5 sacks.
1995: Kevin Carter
USAT
Florida Gator Kevin Carter was chosen sixth overall by the St. Louis Rams. He played for four teams and finished with 104.5 sacks, 62.5 with St. Louis.
1996: Kevin Hardy
USAT
Illinois LB Kevin Hardy was taken second overall by the Jacksonville Jaguars and played for three teams over nine seasons.
1997: Darrell Russell
Peter Brouillet-USA TODAY NETWORK
The Raiders drafted USC’s Darrell Russell second overall. He had 28.5 sacks over a checkered career that saw him miss 2002 due to a violation of league substance abuse policy.
1998: Andre Wadsworth
USAT
The third overall choice out of Florida State by the Arizona Cardinals, Andre Wadsworth was out of the NFL after 2000.
1999: Champ Bailey
(AP Photo/Pablo Martinez Monsivais)
Georgia’s Champ Bailey went to Washington seventh overall and wound up a Pro Football Hall of Famer.
2000: Courtney Brown
(AP Photo/Ed Betz)
The Cleveland Browns drafted Penn State DL Courtney Brown first overall and he had a disappointing career for a top overall selection. Not sure whether it was his fault, given the depths Cleveland went through.
2001: Gerard Warren
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Taken third overall by Cleveland, Florida’s Gerard Warren played for four teams in his career with 36.5 sacks.
2002: Julius Peppers
Charles LeClaire-USA TODAY Sports
A second overall pick out of North Carolina with an amazing career? Julius Peppers followed Lawrence Taylor’s path from Tar Heel star to NFL great. He excelled for the Carolina Panthers, Chicago Bears, and Green Bay Packers.
2003: Dewayne Robertson
(AP Photo/Ed Betz)
The New York Jets took Kentucky’s Dewayne Robertson fourth overall. He had a mediocre NFL run.
2004: Sean Taylor
(AP Photo/Nick Wass, File)
Taken fifth overall out Miami, Sean Taylor went to Washington and had an incredible run before being tragically and senselessly murdered.
2005: Adam Jones
(Photo by Stephen Dunn/Getty Images)
West Virginia’s Adam Jones went sixth overall to Tennessee. He had a long career that was checked with all sorts of off-field issues.
2006: Mario Williams
Pouya Dianat-USA TODAY Sports
The Texans made Mario Williams the first overall pick out of North Carolina State. He also played for Buffalo and Miami.
2007: Gaines Adams
Kim Klement-USA TODAY Sports
Clemson’s Gaines Adams was a fourth overall pick by Tampa Bay. He played three seasons for the Bucs and one as a Bear before tragically dying at 26.
2008: Chris Long
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The second overall pick out of Virginia by the St. Louis Rams, Chris Long had a strong career and made massive contributions off the field.
2009: Tyson Jackson
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Tyson Jackson was a third overall pick by Kansas City out of LSU. He had a quiet career with the Chiefs and Falcons.
2010: Ndamukong Suh
Andrew Weber-USA TODAY Sports
Nebraska’s Ndamukong Suh went second overall to the Lions. He was disruptive and controversial, and continues to rattle quarterbacks.
2011: Von Miller
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The second overall pick out of Texas A&M by Denver, Von Miller became a Super Bowl MVP and won his second ring with the Rams. He signed a huge free-agent deal with the Bills.
2012: Morris Claiborne
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LSU’s Morris Claiborne went sixth overall to Dallas. He also played for the Jets and Chiefs.
2013: Dion Jordan
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The third overall pick out of Oregon by Miami, Dion Jordan had a rocky NFL career.
2014: Jadeveon Clowney
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The first overall choice by Houston out of South Carolina, Jadevenon Clowney has not lived up to the accolades he received as a Gamecock.
2015: Dante Fowler
Douglas DeFelice-USA TODAY Sports
Selected third overall by Jacksonville, Florida’s Dante Fowler is already on his fourth team, the Cowboys.
2016: Joey Bosa
Mark J. Rebilas-USA TODAY Sports
The third overall pick from Ohio State by San Diego, Joey Bosa has been a force in the NFL. He has 58 sacks in 79 games.
2017: Myles Garrett
Ken Blaze-USA TODAY Sports
A first overall choice out of Texas A&M by Cleveland, Myles Garrett is one of the best defensive linemen in the game.
2018: Denzel Ward
USAT
The Browns went for Ohio State’s Denzel Ward with the fourth overall choice. He has 10 picks in four years.
2019: Nick Bosa
(AP Photo/Tony Avelar)
The second overall selection by San Francisco out of Ohio State, Nick Bosa disrupts as his brother Joey does.
2020: Chase Young
Brad Mills-USA TODAY Sports
Picked second overall by Washington, Ohio State’s Chase Young had a strong rookie season but was derailed in his second year by injury. He played in nine games in 2021.
2021: Jaycee Horn
Jim Dedmon-USA TODAY Sports
The eighth overall pick by the Carolina Panthers out of South Carolina, Jaycee Horn saw his first season cut short by injury.
2022: Travon Walker
(Corey Perrine/The Florida Times-Union via AP)
The Jaguars selected the defensive end out of Georgia with the No.1 pick in the 2022 NFL draft. He started 14 games during his rookie campaign, raking up 49 combo tackles and 3.5 sacks.
