In celebration of the 75th NFL Draft, which kicked off in primetime for the first time on Thursday, April 22, fans chose the 75 Most Valuable Draft Picks of all time presented by Verizon. Nearly 45 million votes were cast from March 12 – April 18 on NFL.com.
The NFL announced today the order of the Top 10 Most Valuable Draft Picks of All Time with some of the Top 10 in attendance at Radio City Music Hall, the home of the 2010 NFL Draft. JOE MONTANA, the 82nd pick of the 1979 Draft out of Notre Dame, is the Most Valuable Draft Pick of All Time. JERRY RICE, the 16th pick of the 1985 Draft out of Mississippi Valley State, is second, and WALTER PAYTON, the 4th pick of the 1975 Draft from Jackson State, is third on the list.
Picks 75 – 11 were announced earlier in the week.
NFL.com editors narrowed down the first 74 Drafts to a list of the top 320 players, consisting of 10 players from each team. Fans began the process of determining the Most Valuable Draft Pick by choosing between pairs of players randomly generated from the list of 320 greats.
The Top 10 are:
1. Joe Montana – San Francisco 49ers – 1979 Round 3, Pick 82
2. Jerry Rice – San Francisco 49ers – 1985 Round 1, Pick 16
3. Walter Payton – Chicago Bears -1975 Round 1, Pick 4
4. Barry Sanders – Detroit Lions – 1989 Round 1, Pick 3
5. Peyton Manning – Indianapolis Colts – 1998 Round 1, Pick 1
6. Dan Marino – Miami Dolphins – 1983 Round 1, Pick 27
7. Brett Favre – Atlanta Falcons – 1991 Round 2, Pick 33
8. Tom Brady – New England Patriots – 2000 Round 6, Pick 199
9. Emmitt Smith – Dallas Cowboys – 1990 Round 1, Pick 17
10. Lawrence Taylor – New York Giants – 1981 Round 1, Pick 2
Tune back in after another 75 years to see how this list changes.
