NFL Draft: Greatest pick from each franchise's history

NFL Draft: Greatest pick from each franchise’s history

GLENDALE, ARIZONA - SEPTEMBER 22: Wide receiver Larry Fitzgerald #11 of the Arizona Cardinals catches a pass prior to the NFL football game against the Carolina Panthers at State Farm Stadium on September 22, 2019 in Glendale, Arizona. (Photo by Ralph Freso/Getty Images) /

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Bruce Smith (Photo by David Madison/Getty Images) /

NFL Draft: Greatest pick from each franchise’s history: Buffalo Bills, DE Bruce Smith

Pick: 1985 NFL Draft, 1st round number 1 overall

Stats:

200 sacks
1,224 total tackles

Awards:

11 time Pro Bowler
8 time First Team All-Pro
2 time Defensive Player of the Year

Defensive end Bruce Smith was essentially a bull in a china shop. From the moment he was selected by the Buffalo Bills with the first overall pick in the 1985 NFL Draft, he rag-dolled opponents to no end. His 6.5 sacks on the year were only the beginning of what turned out to be an all-time great career.

If we omit his injury plagued 1991 season, Smith had an incredible 12-year run which he ended the season with double-digit sacks. At the age of 39 and on his last legs, Smith was still a monster, ending the year with nine sacks and 49 total tackles.

Even with great defensive players such as Reggie White, Julius Peppers, Michael Strahan and DeMarcus Ware – White and his 200 career sacks lead the pack. He was a two-time Defensive Player of the Year, 11 time Pro Bowler, 8-time First-Team All-Pro selection and a Hall of Famer.

Smith was a major piece of a Buffalo Bills team that reached four consecutive Super Bowls but never quite made it over the hump. Still, even with that stain on his resume, Smith is arguably the greatest defensive end of all time and certainly, the greatest draft pick in Buffalo Bills history.

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