Greatest NFL Drafts of all time

NFL teams have had some great draft classes in their history and some have missed on every prospect in a certain year.

In this, there will be a focus on the best of the best draft classes in NFL history.

1. Pittsburgh Steelers - 1974

This pick is not even close. When you look at this draft class it’s insane how all of the players turned out for the team. This draft singlehandedly created one of the most dominant dynasties in the history of the NFL.

Lynn Swann, Jack Lambert, John Stallworth and Mike Webster. Four Hall of Famers.

Swann and Stallworth created a duo who would help Terry Bradshaw become a Hall of Famer.

Lambert joined Jack Ham to create one of the fiercest linebacker duos in NFL history.

Webster manned the middle of the offensive line to protect Bradshaw and clear lanes for Franco Harris.

There’s not another team that has ever drafted four Hall of Famers in the same draft in the Super Bowl era.

2. Dallas Cowboys - 1964

There is a heavy emphasis on Hall of Famers and the Cowboys have the second most out of a draft class.

Mel Renfro, Bob Hayes and Roger Staubach all landed in the Hall of Fame after their careers were over.

What’s more impressive is where these players were taken in the draft. Renfro was selected in the second round, Hayes went in the seventh round and Staubach was selected in the 10th round of the draft.

This was a time when the draft was 20 rounds. These three were monumental pieces to two Super Bowl victories.

3. Tampa Bay Buccaneers - 1995

The Buccaneers continued to miss and miss on draft picks. However, with two first-rounders, they had a chance to fix the franchise.

Warren Sapp went with the first pick in the first round and they followed it up with taking Derrick Brooks. These two guys were key parts to one of the greatest defenses in NFL History in 2002.

Sapp went on to tally 96.5 sacks in his illustrious career while Brooks turned into one of the best linebackers of all time.

4. San Francisco 49ers - 1986

This pick is not necessarily about the number of Hall of Famers, but the number of starters the 49ers drafted. This was still in a time when the draft was 10 rounds long so it makes it a little easier to achieve this number but it is still impressive.

The 49ers in 1986 drafted seven starters, headlined by Hall of Famer Charles Haley. The other names include Tom Rathman, Tim McKyer, John Taylor, Steve Wallace, Kevin Fagan and Don Griffin.

All seven of these players became starters for the 49ers.

These players also played key roles in the back-to-back Super Bowl victories in 1989 and 1990.

5. New Orleans Saints - 2017

I want to add a more recent draft class here and the Saints in 2017 was the most appealing.

The Saints added several starters to their roster with their drafting in 2017.

They started by selecting Marson Lattimore and Ryan Ramczyk in the first round.

They continued with Marcus Williams, Alvin Kamara, Alex Anzalone and Trey Hendrickson in the next two rounds.

All of these players became starters for a team that extended Drew Brees’ career.

Lattimore has become one of the best corners in the NFL while Kamara was consistently in the running for the most rushing yards and all-purpose yards each season in the NFL.

Andrew Deal is a first-year majoring in broadcast journalism. To contact him, email asd5765@psu.edu.