With the draft less than a month away, the Biz of Football has compiled a list of the top five draft picks in history. The picks were ranked based on where they were picked in the draft, their team’s needs at the time, how their team performed while that player was there and their career statistics.

The list is a compilation of the views of Biz of Football Editor of Content Bill Jordan, Business of Sports Network staff member Bill Johnson and Biz of Football contributor Craig Wilson.

Players from all eras on all teams were considered during the compiling of the list, making it very difficult to nail down a top five.

1. Tom Brady, New England Patriots (Pick 199 overall (compensatory pick) round six of the 2000 NFL Draft.)

Brady topped the number two player on this list simply because he is still playing and was picked three rounds later in the draft. The Patriots almost didn’t even pick Brady, as they were also impressed by Tim Rattay. The plan was for Brady, who began his first season as a fourth string player after barely making the team, to be incumbent starter Drew Bledsoe’s backup for the foreseeable future. That all changed during his second season when Bledsoe went down in week three and Brady was forced to play. In his first two games, Brady had a combined quarterback rating of 138.3. Brady would top that total later in the season during a game against the rival Indianapolis Colts when he posted a 148.3. During his first season as a starter, Brady led the Pats into the playoffs with a first round bye and ended the season with a win over the favored St. Louis Rams in the Super Bowl. He also became famous during the playoffs when it seemed he had originally fumbled the ball as he was stripped by Oakland Raider Charles Woodson. The officials would later change the call during the course of the game, implementing the tuck rule, perhaps changing the futures of both franchises. Since then, all Brady has done is go to three Super Bowls and win two of them, set numerous regular season quarterback records and win an NFL MVP award while leading his team to a perfect regular season. He has also helped the Patriots to win an NFL record 21 straight games (including the playoffs) from 2003-2004. Brady has yet to have a losing season. During his worst season, in 2002, he still led the Patriots to a 9-7 record, which was good enough to tie for the division lead. (They missed the playoffs because of a tie breaker.) All of this and he still might have more than half of his career ahead of him. He has already thrown for over 26,000 yards and nearly 200 touchdowns, putting him on pace to break all of Brett Favre’s records, if he plays long enough. To put his career stats in perspective, there are quarterbacks in the Hall of Fame who finished their career with fewer yards than Brady has already amassed.

2. Joe Montana, San Francisco 49ers (Third round 1979 NFL Draft.)

Montana might really be 1A to Brady, especially if Brady’s career only goes down from here (then he might be first by himself). The 49ers weren’t sure what they were looking for in Montana when they took him in ’79. They needed a backup to starter Steve DeBerg and figured Montana would fit the mold. After Montana’s first season, he had anything but a backup’s career as he took his team to four Super Bowls and won all four of them. The 2000 Pro Football Hall of Fame inductee won two NFL MVP awards, was named Sports Illustrated’s “Sportsman of the Year” in 1990, was awarded the NFL Comeback Player of the Year Award in 1986 and was elected to eight Pro Bowls. Most third rounders cannot say that about their career. He is most famous for his playoff heroics, where he earned his nickname, “The Comeback Kid.” Montana led a total of 31 come-from-behind victories during his career, also earning him the title of the most clutch quarterback in NFL History. Before Montana took a snap under center for the 49ers, they did not have any Super Bowls; by the time he was done, the team had four Lombardi Trophies, and he mentored the man who would give them their fifth.

3. Roger Staubach, Dallas Cowboys (Tenth round of the 1964 NFL Draft.)

Not only would Staubach would have missed out on today’s draft by three rounds, but the Cowboys chose him even though he had to serve his time with the Navy in Vietnam (which is probably why they waited until the tenth round to select him). When Staubach came to the team after his tour of duty, he helped lead the Cowboys to four Super Bowls, winning two of them. Many have speculated that without Staubach the Cowboys would have never been dubbed “America’s Team.” (He is also the first man to call a long pass at the end of a game a “Hail Mary.”) The six-time Pro Bowler led the league in passer rating on four separate occasions and was an All-NFL selection five times. Prior to Staubach’s arrival from the battlefields, the Cowboys were nothing more than a run of the mill NFL franchise, but after he donned the Star of Texas, they became perhaps the most famous franchise of them all.

4. Bart Starr, Green Bay Packers (17^th round of the 1956 NFL Draft.)

Starr would not only have been without a job in today’s football market, but he may have been passed over by the CFL and AFL as well. Being taken in the 17^th round meant that Starr would have been ten rounds away from even being an afterthought in today’s football world. Nonetheless, Starr made the Packers and up until the past five years, when some guy named Favre cemented his legacy in the record books, Starr was the best player in team history, hands down. (He still might be depending on whom you ask, but it’s a lot closer than it once was.) Without Starr, it could be argued that the Packers might not even be in existence today. What keeps their franchise going is the strong following from the small town of Green Bay, and most of the following stems back to when Starr was playing. He brought Green Bay to the forefront of American society when he led them to victories in the first two Super Bowls. Before that happened, he also earned the Packers’ two NFL Championships for their trophy case. The 1966 MVP probably provided the most output in NFL history compared to where he was selected in the draft.

5. Karl Mecklenburg, Denver Broncos (Twelfth round, 310^th selection of the 1983 NFL Draft.)

Mecklenburg wasn’t supposed to be more than an afterthought to the Broncos’ draft class of 1983, but he surpassed everyone’s expectations by being a mainstay on the Broncos for more than a decade. He played a big role in getting the Broncos past the Cleveland Browns and to the Super Bowl in the 1980’s. (Even though they did not win any of those games, it could be argued that without Mecklenburg, the team trophy case would be missing a few conference championship titles.) The six-time pro bowler finished his career ranking second in sacks in Broncos franchise history with 79.5. During the 2001 season, he was elected to the Broncos Ring of Fame and since then he has been enshrined in the Colorado Sports Hall of Fame and has been asked to serve on the Broncos Alumni Council.

Honorable Mentions

Terrell Davis, Denver Broncos (Sixth round, 196^th pick overall of the 1995 NFL Draft.)

For someone who was just supposed to be a select down running back, becoming the team’s all time leading rusher and earning a Super Bowl MVP trophy isn’t too shabby. Despite being drafted in the sixth round, Davis was thrust into the starting tailback roll and succeeded by becoming the lowest drafted player ever to rush for over 1,000 yards in his rookie season. The Hall of Famer’s trophy case also includes an NFL regular season MVP. ESPN named him to the 40-Man Super Bowl roster for his stellar performances in the Broncos two Super Bowl games in the 1990’s.

The Denver Broncos would be rated as the best drafting team in the league if there were such a list, as this is their third player mentioned. Sharpe came into the league as a wide receiver until he was made a tight end after his rookie season and was able to break many records for the position. The eight-time Pro Bowler was selected as an All-Pro on four different occasions and accounted for 1,000 receiving yards in three different seasons. He also has three Super Bowl rings.

L.C. Greenwood, Pittsburgh Steelers (10^th round of the 1969 NFL Draft)

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