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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Lee Roy Selmon (Photo by J. Meric/Getty Images) /

NFL Draft: 30 best No. 1 overall picks in league history: number 12, DE Lee Roy Selmon

Stats:

23 sacks (78.5 unofficial sacks)
(742 unofficial tackles)

Awards:

6 time Pro Bowler
1979 Defensive Player of the Year

Lee Roy Selmon, another player who’s fallen victim to playing during a time that hardly anyone can remember or quantify, was a legitimately great player.

Coming out of the University of Oklahoma in 1976, Selmon was a consensus All-American during his time in the unpaid ranks. Defenders stood no chance as the defensive end made his way to the QB. For much of his career at the next level, he did the exact same thing.

It may have taken him some time to get acclimated to the bigger and stronger players in the NFL but once he got his feet wet, Selmon became a force. In the final six years of his career, he was named a Pro Bowler and was once given an All-Pro nod.

While the 23 sacks he piled up during his career appear to be putrid, by the time the sack became an official stat in the NFL, Selmon was at the backend of his career, playing only three full seasons with the new counting stat at his disposal. Unofficially, Selmon registered 78.5 sacks and 742 tackles for his career, a better indication as to why he was selected as a Hall of Famer when he wrapped up his career in 1984.

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