Obviously, the first round of the NFL Draft has loads of talent. But which first-round picks are the best of the best? We worked to answer that question … sorta. As the countdown to the 2026 NFL Draft has moved from weeks to days, we decided to determine which player was the best selection at every first-round pick since 2000. The premise was relatively simple, but some draft picks (looking at you, pick No. 11) were loaded with Hall of Fame talent, while others (pick No. 23) were actually a bit tougher to figure out due to a lack of accomplished careers of players drafted at that pick number.Going through this exercise, some teams stand out as strong drafters, too. The Pittsburgh Steelers make a handful of appearances on this list. The Green Bay Packers and New England Patriots also proved you can find talent toward the end of the first round. So, which players were the best selected at each pick number in the first round? Let’s dive in. Matthew Stafford has won a Super Bowl and has an MVP now. That, and his career numbers — 423 touchdown passes and counting — should put him at the top among the quarterbacks taken at No. 1. You can make a strong case for edge rusher Myles Garrett (2017), who has seven Pro Bowls and five first-team All-Pro nods in nine seasons. He’s already at 125.5 sacks and just set an NFL record with 23, but it’s also the first time he’s led the league, just as 2025 was the first year Stafford led the league in passing yards or touchdowns. Stafford has been a great passer in the playoffs as well, with 25 touchdowns against seven interceptions, while Garrett has one sack in three career playoff games. You can go either way, but we’ll take Stafford for a larger body of work and more playoff impact.As you might expect, there are many compelling options here. Receiver Calvin Johnson (2007) had an amazing career, but only played nine years. Fellow Lions draft pick and defensive tackle Ndamukong Suh (2010) had five Pro Bowls in his first seven seasons but none in the final six. We narrowed to two players, and a strong case can be made for both. Edge rusher Von Miller (2011) had 4.5 sacks in two Super Bowl wins, has 138.5 sacks and made the Pro Bowl eight times in his first nine seasons. But he hasn’t had a double-digit sack season or a Pro Bowl since 2019. So we chose Julius Peppers, an exceptional player who had 10 seasons with 10-plus sacks to finish with 159.5, as well as an incredible 51 forced fumbles and six defensive touchdowns. He lost his only Super Bowl, but had a sack and an interception in the game.Here we were, worried this list would be overstacked with quarterbacks at every spot, and if anything, the opposite is true. So Matt Ryan (2008) is in the top 10 all-time in passing yards and touchdowns, but that doesn’t trump Larry Fitzgerald, who was so good for so long he’s second all-time behind Jerry Rice in both receptions (1,431) and receiving yards (17,492), with 121 touchdown catches as well. His 11 Pro Bowls
NFL Draft: The Best Player Taken at All 32 1st-Round Picks Since 2000
