NFL Draft: 30 best No. 1 overall picks in league history

NEW YORK - APRIL 22: Quarterback Sam Bradford (R) from the Oklahoma Sooners poses with NFL Commissioner Roger Goodell as they hold up a St. Louis Rams jersey after the Rams selected Bradford numer 1 overall during the first round of the 2010 NFL Draft at Radio City Music Hall on April 22, 2010 in New York City. (Photo by Jeff Zelevansky/Getty Images) /

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Jim Plunkett (Photo by Jayne Kamin-Oncea/Getty Images) /

NFL Draft: 30 best No. 1 overall picks in league history: number 15, QB Jim Plunkett

Stats:

25,882 passing yards
164 touchdowns
52.5 completion percentage

Awards:

2 time Super Bowl Champ
1980 Super Bowl MVP

Quarterback Jim Plunkett has always been wildly underrated over the years. Admittedly, his numbers have never ranked highly amongst his peers. He has never made a Pro Bowl, never sniffed an All-Pro team and any discussion of an MVP would be laughable.

Still, with that said, Plunkett always found a way to get the job.

Handing Plunkett the reins to the New England Patriots franchise was a decision they grew to regret as they drafted him with the first pick in the 1971 NFL Draft. He completed less than 50 % of his passes and looked like a deer in headlights on most nights. Plunkett floundered on the Patriots for five years, failing to secure a winning record in his time there. In fact, his best record as a member of the club came in his fourth year as he propelled them to a mediocre 7-7 record. Outside of that, they consistently ranked at the bottom of every statistical category.

Plunkett would eventually become a more than serviceable quarterback the moment he left New England. He would venture off to the Oakland Raiders where his popularity soared as he helped his new club notch back-to-back Super Bowl wins.

Although he didn’t put up monster numbers and dominate the league the way a traditional number one overall pick would, Plunkett will always be remembered for delivering the Raider fanbase championship glory.

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