NFL Draft: Greatest pick from each franchise’s history
NFL Draft: Greatest pick from each franchise’s history: New Orleans Saints, OT Willie Roaf
Pick: 1993 NFL Draft, 1st round number 8 overall
Stats:
- N/A
Awards:
- 11 time Pro Bowler
- 4 time First Team All-Pro
It’s virtually impossible to argue with the production of offensive tackle Willie Roaf. Whether his quarterback wanted to pat the ball, observe the field and take their time, or scramble outside of the pocket with their legs, Roaf made sure they were well protected.
Not only did Roaf prove that picking him with the eighth overall pick in the 1993 NFL Draft was a sagacious decision for the New Orleans Saints but he left the seven other teams who passed him up kicking themselves.
From the very beginning, Roaf was a dominant player, he was elected to both the Pro Bowl and All-Pro First Team in his first year. Outside of a surprisingly off year in 2001 where he was injured and subsequently traded to the Kansas City Chiefs, Roaf was a Pro Bowler every single year. Roaf was so dominant in fact, that he was placed on both the NFL 1990s All-Decade Team and the 2000s All-Decade Team as well.
Somehow, despite the endless accolades, Roaf wasn’t selected to the Pro Football Hall of Fame in his first year of eligibility. He did, however, make the cut his second go-round. Regardless of that egregious blunder on the NFL’s part, Roaf was an all-time great who deserves all of the respect in the world.