The Greatest Drafts of All Time
by Jody Jamieson
22/4/2008
 
The free agent period brought its usual big money signings. Philadelphia swooped in on day one and updated their secondary, picking up Asante Samuel, Minnesota gave Tavaris Jackson an upgrade at receiver signing Bernard Berrian, and Oakland spent Randy Moss money on a one legged receiver. While it's always a good way to get your team one step closer to the Superbowl, we all know the best way to do it is through the draft.
 
In the past a lot of the dynasties have come around from great draft classes and late steals. The Pittsburgh Steelers were the team of the 70's, and the base of their success was built on the 1974 draft, which was the greatest draft class in NFL history. Tom Brady was a sixth rounder in 2000 and went on to win 3 Super Bowls. Even this past year, the Giants won the big prize, with many of their late round rookies performing well in the playoffs.
 
In 1974, the Pittsburgh Steelers were coming off the back of their first real success as a franchise. The famous "Immaculate Reception" in 1972 against Oakland gave them their first ever playoff win, before the Raiders gained revenge at the same stage the following year. After decades in the doldrums, they were finally a competitive team. They were still quite a way away from a Super Bowl calibre team, however.
 
That changed dramatically practically overnight. They selected Lynn Swan and John Stallworth in the first and fourth rounds respectively. Both went onto become Hall of Fame wide receivers. They weren't even done there as centre Mike Webster (fifth round) and linebacker Jack Lambert (second round) both went to Canton. It's the only time in draft history that a team selected four players in one draft year who became Hall of Famers. Coach Chuck Noll had a wonderful eye for talent, and selected an incredible 9 future Hall of Famers in the draft from 1969 to 1974 (Joe Greene, Terry Bradshaw, Mel Blount, Jack Ham and Franco Harris were the others). The Steelers were Super Bowl Champions in 1974, and went onto win three more in the 70's.
 
More recently the Dallas Cowboys drafted wonderfully well in the early 90s, which set up a team capable of winning three Super Bowls. In 1988, the Cowboys finished with a 1-15 record, and in the off season, the team was bought by Jerry Jones. Jones fired then Head Coach Tom Landry, and replaced him with Jimmy Johnson. The new regime had the first pick of the '89 Draft, and they chose wisely. Troy Aikman was added. The Cowboys also added full back Daryll Johnston and center Mark Stepnoski in this draft class, who would become mainstays in the Dallas offense. Despite only having five picks the following year, they did add another potent offensive player in running back Emmitt Smith. In 1991 and 1992 they added nine players who would start in Super Bowls for the Cowboys over the next few years. Dallas went onto win three Super Bowls in the early 90s and "America's Team" were back in the national spotlight.
 
Sometimes it isn't just the great draft classes that make the biggest difference, it can be that one mid to late round pick who can set a team up to win it all. Tom Brady was selected in the sixth round in 2000, and New England had no plans for their next franchise quarterback to be this pick. They were happy enough to take a backup to Drew Bledsoe. Bledsoe was badly injured early in the 2001 season, Brady stepped in and the rest as they say is history. The Patriots won three of the next four Super Bowls, and Brady is a lock for Canton.
 
However, Brady wasn't the only Hall of Fame quarterback who was selected late. Joe Montana was selected by the San Francisco 49ers in 1979 in the third round. A glittering career saw him win four Super Bowls before he was elected to the Hall in 2000. Former Denver Broncos running back Terrell Davis was a sixth round pick, but won two Super Bowls in Mile High (including one Super Bowl MVP award). Deacon Jones, one of the best defensive ends in the history of the game, was selected in the 14th round of the 1961 Draft (186th overall). He had a stellar career with the LA Rams, San Diego and Washington, before being a first ballot Hall of Famer in 1980.
 
Of course, the draft isn't always what you hope it will be. Sometimes the guy you do everything you can to get in the draft isn't quite the player you hoped he would be. The San Diego Chargers did everything they could to move up one spot in the 1998 Draft to #2 overall to take Ryan Leaf. It's safe to say it didn't quite work out. Some guy called Manning was taken first that year. It's also safe to say that one worked out. Charles Rogers was the next #2 bust when the Lions took him in 2003, but he was more interested in smoking pot than playing football. Lawrence Phillips was taken in the first round by the St Louis Rams in 1996, and he looked good in action, but couldn't stay out of trouble. In the end he fought the law, and the law won.
 
And of course, every year at the Combine we're reminded of the original "Combine freak" Mike Mamula. After beasting his way through the Combine, the Eagles gave up the world to trade up to get him, only for him to be a "jack of all trades, master of none" kinda guy. He wasn't a complete bust, but he never made much of an impact.
 
This weekend, we will all sit back and cheer or boo as our team makes their first round selections this year. There will be surprises, and there will be outrage. It'll be hard to judge the impact of these players until they get out on the field and show off what they can really do. Who will be the first round busts and who will be the Day Two standouts? This weekend won't tell us that, but once the draft is over, we can start really looking forward to the new season in earnest.