NFL Draft: 30 best No. 1 overall picks in league history: number 3, DE Bruce Smith
Stats:
- 200 sacks
- 1,224 combined tackles
Awards:
- 11 time Pro Bowler
- 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 in his rookie 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 in 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 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 one of the greatest number one overall picks in NFL history.