The best and worst picks from previous NFL drafts

In any NFL Draft, you get your bona fide hits and your bona fide, erm, misses. And when it comes to the first pick, nothing is guaranteed.

Here are the fop five hits and misses for the NFL’s first round picks – as selected by Alex Ferguson.

HITS

1. Troy Aikman (QB, Dallas Cowboys, 1989)

After a terrific final year of college with UCLA, where he threw for 2,771 yards and 28 TDs, Aikman was drafted first by the Dallas Cowboys. After a career in Dallas that saw Aikman win three Super Bowls, get selected to six Pro Bowls, throw for 32,942 yards and 165 TDs, we’d say that this pick worked out OK for Jerry Jones. Aikman went to the NFL Hall of Fame in 2006.

2. John Elway (QB, Baltimore Colts, 1983)

Elway, then a young QB at Stanford, refused to play in Baltimore after being picked first by the Colts, threatening to drop football altogether and go play baseball for the New York Yankees. The Colts finally gave way and traded him to Denver. We’d say the Broncos did OK out of the trade. Elway played at Mile High throughout his 16-year career, throwing for 51,475 yards and 300 TDs. He won two Super Bowls (and led his team to three more) and went to nine Pro Bowls, and was voted to the NFL Hall of Fame in 2000. And now he’s a part owner of the team, too. There is – and will never be – a bigger name in Denver.

3. OJ Simpson (RB, Buffalo Bills, 1969)

If OJ Simpson’s post-NFL career was a life lowlight, then his NFL career was a life highlight. A brilliant running back at the University of Southern California, the 1968 Heisman Trophy winner was picked by Buffalo in 1969, where he exploded. In his NFL career, he rushed for 11,236 yards and 61 yards, as well as receiving for 2,142 and 14 more. He led the NFL in rushing four times, went to six Pro Bowls, and was voted as the 1973 NFL MVP. He was inducted to the NFL Hall of Fame in 1985, which was of no surprise to anybody.

4. Peyton Manning (QB, Indianapolis Colts, 1998)

Bill Polian, the GM of the Indianapolis Colts, should have a statue erected in his honour after deciding to take Manning over Ryan Leaf as the first pick in the 1998 NFL Draft. While Leaf floundered and failed, Manning’s career became godly. After a stunning four-year career at Tennessee, Manning’s brilliance has continued to be brilliant in the NFL as not only a player but also as a leader and example to others. During his career at Indianapolis we were already saying “Future of Hall of Famer”, and nothing changed in Denver. Only the stats – which now stand at 69,691 yards passing and 530 TDs – get bigger. That’s what will happen when offences are built for you. The only stain on his CV? His brother, Eli, has won more Super Bowls than he has!

5. Terry Bradshaw (QB, Pittsburgh Steelers, 1970)

“Thank God for coin flips”, Pittsburgh Steelers fans should say. Because after they won the coin flip for the top draft pick in 1970, they picked Bradshaw. Steelers fans might have been cursing their lack after Bradshaw’s awful first season, but the Steelers organisation’s faith in him was rewarded with a sparkling career that saw him win two Super Bowls (and throw the “Immaculate Reception")

NFL Draft

MISSES

1. JaMarcus Russell (QB, Oakland Raiders, 2007)

There’s no denying that Russell had a cannon for an arm and a size that made NFL coaches drool at the opportunity that the kid from LSU might offer. After throwing for 6,625 yards and 52 TDs in three years in Baton Rouge, he decided to leave college to become an NFLer. It fell to pieces. After holding out for a better contract with the Raiders – who eventually crumbled – he put together a 7-18 record, was released by the team in 2010, and never got back to the league.

2. Tim Couch (QB, Cleveland Browns, 1999)

Tim Couch was brilliant during his career for the University of Kentucky, culminating in being a Heisman Trophy finalist after a 4,611 yard, 38 TD season. But in the NFL, he never hit the heights of his talents. He only managed five seasons in the NFL. He was so bad that he only had two seasons where he threw for more touchdowns than interceptions, and never threw for more than 3,040 yards.

3. Ki-Jana Carter (RB, Cincinnati Bengals, 1995)

After a terrific 1,539 yard, 23 TD junior season for Penn State, Carter decided to go pro, and was selected as the No.1 pick. Injuries beset him throughout his career, which probably didn’t help the fact that he had less than 2,000 rushing yards in seven years while playing for three teams. Ouch.

4. Courtney Brown (DE, Cleveland Browns, 2000)

After shattering Penn State’s school records for tackles-for-loss (70) and sacks (33), Courtney Brown got the first round pick despite many thinking it should be LaVar Arrington, his teammate who was an equally adept quarterback killer. Brown never became the sack machine that he was in Happy Valley (19 total in 61 games), with his career torched by injuries – despite an excellent first season.

5. Aundray Bunce (LB, Atlanta Falcons, 1988)

What does it say when a player starts just 42 games in an 11-year career? Well, that you haven’t come up to scratch. Stats-wise, he never got better than his rookie year of 70 tackles and six sacks. The former Auburn player – who many had said would be ‘the next Lawrence Taylor’ was more Phil than Lawrence. And although he tried to scratch out a career as a tight end and a defensive end after his failures at linebacker, he was a bust.

Watch the NFL Draft live on Sky Sports 1 and 3 from midnight on Thursday and follow our live blog as the first round picks are made.