Ranking the Best NFL Player Ever Drafted in Each Round of the Draft

Football fans love to discuss, argue, and read about the NFL Draft every year. Although the event roughly takes place in the middle of April, anticipation for the draft initiates near the end of the college football season. Draft experts compile mock draft lists of hopeful college players, dreaming of earning big checks.

Each year, approximately 250-260 players get drafted into 32 NFL teams. The event runs for three days, expanded into seven rounds, and is televised on ABC, ESPN, and the NFL Network.

Of course, the first round of the draft attracts the most attention because that’s the round when the best players on the board get selected. That does not mean other rounds are not important. In fact, nearly every year, a team discovers a hidden gem who goes on to create history.

Through this article, fans will learn about some of the best players drafted in each of the seven rounds in the history of the NFL.

First Round: Jerry Rice, WR

It’s kind of impossible to go wrong with players drafted in the first round. A ton of players drafted in the first round have made it into the Pro Football Hall of Fame. Peyton Manning, Dan Marino, Troy Aikman, OJ Simpson, Earl Campbell, and John Elway are HOFers. In fact, since 1977, the first and fourth picks have made seven Hall of Famers.

Pick any one of them as the best player to be ever drafted in the first round, and most of the football fraternity will gladly accept it. Then again, there can only be one standing at the top, and our pick is the great Jerry Rice.

Drafted in 1985, Jerry Rice was active in the NFL for two decades, making over 300 appearances and racking up more than 1400 receiving yards, like collecting pinecones. Rice won three Super Bowls, finished with 1,549 catches, 22,895 yards, and 197 career touchdowns (all three NFL records and unlikely to be broken anytime soon).

Second Round: Drew Brees, QB

This one might be a bit controversial because, again, the pool of players who can lay claim to the best second-round NFL draft ever is massive. Fans of the Dallas Cowboys will argue that “The Landlord” Larry Allen was the best offensive tackle ever, while fans of the New York Giants might put up a billboard in Times Square saying that Michael Strahan, the sack merchant, should be in this spot.

Our pick is Drew Brees. Even though he was drafted by the Los Angeles Chargers (‘San Diego’ back then) in 2001, Drew Brees made his name playing for the New Orleans Saints. By the time Brees retired in 2021, he had made 287 appearances and won 172 of them. He threw for 5000+ yards five times in his career (most by any quarterback). Brees won a Super Bowl in 2009 and was inducted into the Hall of Fame in 2026.

Third Round: Joe Montana, QB

Picking the best player drafted in the third round proved an easier task than the second. But before naming our pick, let’s take a look at who missed out. Travis Kelce, Elvin Bethea, Ronde Barber, Russell Wilson, Mel Blount, Fran Tarkenton, and Steve Smith Sr.—all were selected in the third round of the NFL Draft.

Every single one of them is a champion in their own right. After mulling over whether to select Travis Kelce or not, he has won three Super Bowls from five trips and is likely a first-ballot Hall of Famer. Despite Kelce’s CV, we went with one man who frequently appears on the best quarterback list, Joe Montana.

Montana was the second quarterback to win four Super Bowls (Terry Bradshaw did it first in the NFL era, finishing with four rings). He was awarded the best player award in three of them and won two league MVP awards in 16 years (14 with the San Francisco 49ers). During the 1989 postseason, Montana threw 11 touchdowns in three games, a record that still stands today.

Fourth Round: Charles Haley, DE

Once again, there have been several great players who were drafted in the fourth round of the NFL Draft. Deacon Jones, Jared Allen (recently inducted into the Hall of Fame), Andre Reed, Asante Samuel Sr., Geno Atkins, Brandon Marshall, and even Dak Prescott.

Then again, there’s only one man who arguably stands above all of them. Charles Haley, drafted 96th overall (fourth round) in 1986 by the 49ers, also played for the Dallas Cowboys. Haley won total of Super Bowls with the 49ers and the Cowboys. He totaled 100.5 and was inducted into the HOF in 2015.

Fifth Round: Kevin Greene, OLB

The battle for the best fifth-round draft pick in NFL history came down to three great athletes. But before that, let’s take a look at who could have been part of three or, better yet, could surpass the three in the future.

Richard Sherman, Shane Lechler, Joe Horn, Stefon Diggs, Tyreek Hill, George Kittle, Bryan Cox, and Herschel Walker. All of them can lay claim to the throne of the best fifth-round draft pick. However, three players arguably had better careers than the aforementioned names. And they are Kevin Greene, Rodney Harrison, and Zach Thomas. Sure, Sherman, Cox, and Hill have rings, but individually, Greene, Harrison, and Thomas had better careers.

However, our pick is Kevin Greene as the best fifth-round draft pick in NFL history. After getting drafted by the Los Angeles Rams 113th overall, Greene played for several teams: the Pittsburgh Steelers, Carolina Panthers, and San Francisco 49ers.

Greene was picked as the NFL’s best defensive player in 1996. He led the league in sacks twice, bagged All-Pro honors three times, and went to the Pro Bowl five times. The Steelers added Greene to their Hall of Honors, and later, the Pro Football Hall of Fame inducted him into Canton in 2016. Despite never winning the Super Bowl during his playing days, he added a ring to his collection as an OLB coach with the Green Bay Packers in 2011.

Sixth Round: Tom Brady

Who else but Tom Brady? Well, of course, several great players were selected in the sixth round. Jason Kelce, Antonio Brown, Antoine Bethea, Terrell Davis, Greg Lloyd, Jay Novacek, and Ed Newman make up that list. Then again, none of them boast a career like Brady.

The New England Patriots drafted the lanky quarterback 199th overall in 2000. After not seeing the field during his rookie season, Brady replaced an injured Drew Bledsoe the following year, and the rest is history.

Brady won seven total Super Bowls with the Patriots and the Tampa Bay Buccaneers and was named the MVP in five of them. He was a three-time league MVP, six-time All-Pro, and 15-time Pro Bowler. He led the league in passing touchdowns five times, passing yards four times, and twice in passer rating.

The Patriots inducted him into the club’s Ring of Honor and erected his statue outside Gillette Stadium.

Seventh Round: Shannon Sharpe

Usually, players who don’t get much of a look in the first six rounds or receive a positive draft stock from scouts and analysts end up in the final or the seventh round. But even this late in the draft, teams discover diamonds in the rough.

Famous names like Julian Edelman, Donald Driver, Jason Ferguson, Brett Keisel, and Brock Purdy were selected in the seventh round of the NFL draft. However, arguably the best player to come out of this stage was tight end Shannon Sharpe.

Sharpe fell to the seventh round because at 6 feet 2, he was considered too small to play tight end in the NFL. He proved everyone wrong by winning three Super Bowls with the Denver Broncos and the Baltimore Ravens. He recorded 10,650 receiving yards and 82 touchdowns on 203 catches, was a five-time All-Pro, and an 8-time Pro Bowler. He was inducted into the Pro Football Hall of Fame in 2011.

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