The Best NFL Draft Number One Picks of the 21st Century

April 15, 2025 by Staff

A number one draft pick is no guarantee of future success

The 2025 NFL Draft is almost upon us and the lives of a select group of young men are about to dramatically change overnight. These college athletes are already heroes to millions and are well-known across the US. But once they are picked by one of the 32 professional teams, they could set themselves on a road to riches – as well as sporting success and immortality in the eyes of the fans.

There is no guarantee that any of the athletes chosen in the draft this year will go on to enjoy a successful career in the NFL. But they are the talk of the football world during this offseason and will already be featured on a whole host of the best NFL Draft betting sites. For the potential number one pick, that attention will be even greater.

It is widely believed that Miami Hurricanes quarterback Cam Ward will be the first athlete chosen on draft night, with the Tennessee Titans the team awarded the chance to change its own future with the number one pick. We hope Cam goes on to great success as a professional football player – and here are some previous number one picks he could take some inspiration from.

Eli Manning

It is fair to say that Eli Manning had his critics throughout his pro career. He didn’t always post the best numbers and he was known to throw an interception or two. He also never played a single down for the team that took him as the number one pick of the 2004 NFL Draft. But he can still be considered one of the best of all time.

Manning has stated that he just didn’t want to play for the San Diego Chargers, the team that took him, but a deal was struck for him to join the New York Giants. After a glittering college career at Ole Miss, Manning played the entirety of his NFL career for the Giants, winning two Super Bowls and going to four Pro Bowls. Those two championships were against an era-defining Patriots team as well - so that’s why he makes this list. Eli Manning was the QB you counted on when it came to the crunch.

Matthew Stafford

When the Detroit Lions took Matthew Stafford with the first pick of the 2009 draft, the decision was a real no-brainer. There were hardly any other top quarterbacks that year and the Lions desperately needed someone to lead the team. He managed to turn Detroit into a playoff team in his first full season as QB and also managed a Pro Bowl appearance during his 12 years in Michigan.

But it is what Stafford did next that helped him get on our list. In 2021, he was traded to the LA Rams in a deal that included Jared Goff going the other way. The Rams were going all out for Super Bowl success and Stafford was the most important piece of the jigsaw. His new team did win the championship – in his first year in California – and he is still the play caller for the team.

Cam Newton

One of the most flamboyant NFL athletes of recent years, Cam Newton played for two colleges before winning the Heisman Trophy with the Auburn Tigers in 2010. His expert throwing talent and ability to run when necessary predated many of the QBs we see in the league today and the Carolina Panthers took him with the first pick.

Newton immediately made an impact on the pro game, making it to the Pro Bowl in his debut season and being named Offensive Rookie of the Year. In 2015 he led the Panthers to a 15-1 regular season record and what many people thought would be Super Bowl success. A shock win for the Broncos derailed that idea and his style of play contributed to a number of career-shortening injuries over the next few years. He may not have won a championship but, in his day, Cam Newton was one of the very best of all time.

Andrew Luck

The difficulty with being a number one draft pick is that you are going to start playing for the worst team in the NFL immediately after being the very best player in college football. It is perhaps unsurprising that these athletes don’t always end their pro career with a whole load of championships.

Luck led Stanford to a number of bowl games after redshirting his first year and was taken by the Indianapolis Colts in 2012. The team had gone 2-14 the previous season and Luck helped turn that around to 11-5 as a rookie, taking the Colts to the playoffs. He repeated the trick the next two years before a series of injuries significantly reduced his game time. He managed one more complete season in 2018, once again taking the Colts to the postseason, before retiring in 2019.

Lucas Oil Stadium

Carson Palmer

A Heisman Trophy winner at USC, Carson Palmer was taken with the number one pick of the 2003 NFL Draft by the Cincinnati Bengals, a team that had won only 19 games in the previous five seasons. Palmer didn’t play a single game in his first year as a pro but soon turned the franchise around when he was given the chance.

Thanks to Palmer, the Bengals made it to the postseason two years in a row after winning the divisional title. Unfortunately, he suffered a bad injury in 2005 and was never quite the same force again. That’s not to say that he was never seen again, however. Palmer played another 12 years, including spells with the Raiders and the Cardinals, before retiring as a legend in 2017.