NFL Draft: 30 best No. 1 overall picks in league history: number 1, QB Peyton Manning
Stats:
- 71,940 passing yards
- 539 touchdowns
- 65.3 completion percentage
Awards:
- 14 time Pro Bowler
- 2 time Super Bowl champ
- 5 time MVP
The MVPs, Super Bowl rings and now golden jacket draped across his shoulders were all predicted. Coming out of the University of Tennessee in 1998, Peyton Manning was deemed almost too good to be true. The football seemed to always hit his man perfectly between the numbers and his understanding of what defenses were trying to do was next level.
Still, the expectations seemed unrealistic. That is until he actually stepped foot on an NFL field. Outside of his final year in 2015, Manning never threw for anything less than the 3,739 yards he put up in his rookie year.
The Pro Bowls and All-Pro nods began stacking up year after year. But as Manning continued to dominate, his legacy began forming in the wrong direction.
“The best regular-season quarterback ever,” is what most would refer to him as. Aka: he was great under normal circumstances but wilted the pressure of the playoffs. It was true as he faded year after year. Had Manning not conquered his postseason demons, his placement as number one on this list would be an ambiguous one.
With that said, Manning eventually took care of business under the bright lights, nabbing two Super Bowls rings and destroying the record book along the way.
Had Tom Brady not existed, an argument could be made for Manning going down as the greatest player of all time. Since he does, he’ll have to settle for the greatest number one pick instead.