Ranking the best No. 1 overall NFL Draft picks in the 21st century

Looking over the top NFL Draft talent coming out of the college football ranks in the 21st century

When you go No. 1 overall in the NFL Draft, you face a ton of expectations.

And over the years, some players have lived up to those expectations, while others have not. JaMarcus Russell and Tim Couch come to mind as top overall draft picks that never could repeat their college success.

John Elway and Peyton Manning fared much better, both going No. 1 overall and etching their names in NFL history as world champions and Hall of Fame members.

What about in the 21st century? Scroll through to see the 10 best players to go No. 1 in the NFL Draft since 2000.

Ranking the best No. 1 NFL Draft picks in the 21st century

10. Jake Long

Where he played: Michigan

Who drafted him: Dolphins

Need to know: Long was a two-time consensus All-American at Michigan who went as the top pick in 2008, playing five years at offensive tackle in Miami, earning four Pro Bowl honors and was named NFL All-Pro two times.

9. Alex Smith

Where he played: Utah

Who drafted him: 49ers

Need to know: Heading into the 2005 NFL Draft, there was talk about whether the Niners should pick Smith or local Northern California product Aaron Rodgers, with the team ultimately choosing the former. 

Smith spent eight years with the 49ers before landing with the Chiefs, preceding the rise of Patrick Mahomes there. Smith retired from the NFL after a severe leg injury playing in Washington.

8. Carson Palmer

Where he played: USC

Who drafted him: Bengals

Need to know: Pete Carroll's first quarterback in rebuilding the Trojans program for the 21st century, Palmer won the Heisman Trophy and went No. 1 overall in 2003. Palmer earned three Pro Bowl honors and an NFL All-Pro before moving on to the Oakland Raiders and Arizona Cardinals.

7. Andrew Luck

Where he played: Stanford

Who drafted him: Colts

Need to know: If there was anyone who could replace Peyton Manning as the face of the Colts, it was Luck, the definition of a sure thing coming out of college. 

But that immense potential ran into injury problems during Luck's NFL career, and he decided to retire from the game after the 2018 season to avoid further issues. Still in that time, Luck went to four Pro Bowls and led football in TDs for a season.

6. Myles Garrett

Where he played: Texas A&M

Who drafted him: Browns

Need to know: Much of the Browns' improvement over the last few years is thanks to Garrett, one of the best and most aggressive edge rushers in the NFL. The top overall draft pick in 2017, Garrett ranks behind only T.J. Watt and Aaron Donald in sacks and boasts two first-team All Pro selections and three Pro Bowl honors.

5. Joe Burrow

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Where he played: LSU

Who drafted him: Bengals

Need to know: The one-time Ohio State player transferred to LSU and ran through the 2019 season, going undefeated and winning the College Football Playoff. 

He parlayed that into a No. 1 pick in 2020, and, after recovering from a knee injury midway through his rookie season, came back and led the Bengals to a Super Bowl appearance. Everything is pointing in the right direction for Burrow and Cincinnati.

4. Michael Vick

Where he played: Virginia Tech

Who drafted him: Falcons

Need to know: Arguably the single person responsible for re-defining the quarterback position for the 21st century, Vick burst onto the scene in 1999, helping lead the Hokies to the BCS national title game. 

Going No. 1 overall to Atlanta in 2001, Vick became a must-watch player in the league, but put his career on hold after serving a prison sentence for operating an illegal dog fighting racket. But his football legacy remains intact when looking over the new generation of quarterbacks.

3. Cam Newton

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Where he played: Auburn

Who drafted him: Panthers

Need to know: The quarterback started his college career at Florida, but moved on to Blinn College after being arrested, and then landing at Auburn, where he had a season for the history books. 

Newton led the Tigers to a national championship before going No. 1 overall in 2011. A physical and exciting player behind center, Newton won the NFL MVP honor once, went to three Pro Bowls, and played in Super Bowl 50.

2. Matthew Stafford

Where he played: Georgia

Who drafted him: Lions

Need to know: Nobody ever doubted that Stafford had the potential to go all the way, even if his supporting cast never quite lived up to his own skill set. That was the case in Detroit for a dozen years. 

But a move to the L.A. Rams proved just what he needed — Stafford won his first Super Bowl title in 2021, after becoming the NFL's fastest quarterback to throw for 20,000, 30,000, and 40,000 passing yards.

1. Eli Manning

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Where he played: Ole Miss

Who drafted him: Giants

Need to know: It was the younger brother who became the first Manning to win two Super Bowls, which he did over a banner career with the New York Giants. A team he landed with after he declined to play for the Chargers, who originally had the No. 1 draft pick in 2004. 

Instead, the Chargers got Philip Rivers and the Giants won two world championships — both over Tom Brady and the Patriots, including in a legendary Super Bowl XLII, when Manning helped pull off one of the greatest plays in NFL history, the "Helmet Catch," and upset the undefeated Pats.

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