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

By Hans Themistode

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)
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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Andrew Luck
Andrew Luck (Photo by Justin Casterline/Getty Images) /

NFL Draft: 30 best No. 1 overall picks in league history: number 13, QB Andrew Luck

Stats:

  • 23,671 passing yards
  • 171 passing touchdowns
  • 60.8 completion percentage

Awards:

  • 4 time Pro Bowler
  • 2018 Comeback Player of the Year

There’s always a certain amount of pressure on the shoulders of a player taken with the number one overall pick. Said player is viewed as the knight in shining armor who will ultimately save a moribund franchise from a lifetime of obscurity to Super Bowl glory.

Under normal circumstances, that would be apropos but in the case of Quarterback Andrew Luck, his expectations were exponentially higher than even that.

Coming into the 2012 NFL Draft, scouts drooled over Luck. His size, arm power and will to win were second to none. He was the perfect heir apparent to QB Peyton Manning. With the countless records that were previously set, Luck was tasked with the responsibility to take command of a franchise accustomed to winning.

Everything pointed in the right direction as Luck went to three straight Pro Bowl selections and three consecutive seasons of playoff berths. Luck led the league in passing touchdowns in 2014 and shredded defenses night in and night out.

With that said, something was going terribly wrong. Luck played behind an awful offensive line and suffered numerous injuries as a result including a lacerated kidney and debilitating shoulder injury. He was forced to miss several games in 2015 and the entirety of 2017. While he would bounce back with a strong 2018, including another Pro Bowl selection, his heart was no longer in it.

Luck retired after only seven full seasons in the league. If things were different, he surely would’ve been much higher on this list.

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