All-Time Number 1 Overall Picks
By Editorial Staff
| 2007 | JaMarcus Russell | QB | LSU | Oakland Raiders | – |
| 2006 | Mario Williams | DE | N. Carolina State | Houston Texans | 1 |
| 2005 | Alex Smith | QB | Utah | San Francisco 49ers | 2 |
| 2004 | Eli Manning | QB | Mississippi | San Diego Chargers | 3 |
| 2003 | Carson Palmer | QB | Southern Cal. | Cincinnati Bengals | 4 |
| 2002 | David Carr | QB | Fresno State | Houston Texans | 5 |
| 2001 | Michael Vick | QB | Virginia Tech | Atlanta Falcons | 6 |
| 2000 | Courtney Brown | DE | Penn State | Cleveland Browns | 7 |
| 1999 | Tim Couch | QB | Kentucky | Cleveland Browns | 6 |
| 1998 | Peyton Manning | QB | Tennessee | Indianapolis Colts | 9 |
| 1997 | Orlando Pace | OT | Ohio State | St. Louis Rams | 10 |
| 1996 | Keyshawn Johnson | WR | Southern Cal. | New York Jets | 11 |
| 1995 | Ki-Jana Carter | RB | Penn State | Cincinnati Bengals | 8 |
| 1994 | Dan Wilkinson | DT | Ohio State | Cincinnati Bengals | 13 |
| 1993 | Drew Bledsoe | QB | Washington State | New England Patriots | 14 |
| 1992 | Steve Emtman | DT | Washington | Indianapolis Colts | 8 |
| 1991 | Russell Maryland | DT | Miami, (Fla.) | Dallas Cowboys | 10 |
| 1990 | Jeff George | QB | Illinois | Indianapolis Colts | 13 |
| 1989 | *Troy Aikman | QB | UCLA | Dallas Cowboys | 12 |
| 1988 | Aundray Bruce | LB | Auburn | Atlanta Falcons | 11 |
| 1987 | Vinny Testaverde | QB | Miami, (Fla.) | Tampa Bay Buccaneers | 20 |
| 1986 | Bo Jackson | RB | Auburn | Tampa Bay Buccaneers | 4 |
| 1985 | Bruce Smith | DE | Virginia Tech | Buffalo Bills | 18 |
| 1984 | Irving Fryar | WR | Nebraska | New England Patriots | 15 |
| 1983 | *John Elway | QB | Stanford | Baltimore Colts | 16 |
| 1982 | Kenneth Sims | DT | Texas | New England Patriots | 8 |
| 1981 | George Rogers | RB | South Carolina | New Orleans Saints | 7 |
| 1980 | Bill Sims | RB | Oklahoma | Detroit Lions | 5 |
| 1979 | Tom Cousineau | LB | Ohio State | Buffalo Bills | 6 |
| 1978 | *Earl Campbell | RB | Texas | Houston Oilers | 8 |
| 1977 | Ricky Bell | RB | Southern Cal. | Tampa Bay Buccaneers | 6 |
| 1976 | *Lee Roy Selmon | DE | Oklahoma | Tampa Bay Buccaneers | 9 |
| 1975 | Steve Bartkowski | QB | California | Atlanta Falcons | 12 |
| 1974 | Ed ‘Too Tall’ Jones | DE | Tennessee State | Dallas Cowboys | 15 |
| 1973 | John Matuszak | DE | Tampa | Houston Oilers | 9 |
| 1972 | Walt Patulski | DT | Notre Dame | Buffalo Bills | 5 |
| 1971 | Jim Plunkett | QB | Stanford | New England Patriots | 15 |
| 1970 | *Terry Bradshaw | QB | Louisiana Tech | Pittsburgh Steelers | 14 |
| 1969 | *O.J. Simpson | RB | Southern Cal. | Buffalo Bills | 11 |
| 1968 | *Ron Yary | OT | Southern Cal. | Minnesota Vikings | 15 |
| 1967 | Bubba Smith | DE | Michigan State | Baltimore Colts | 9 |
| 1966 | Jim Grabowski | RB | Illinois | Miami Dolphins (AFL) | 6 |
| 1966 | Tommy Nobis | LB | Texas | Atlanta Falcons (NFL) | 11 |
| 1965 | Lawrence Elkins | WR | Baylor | Houston Oilers (AFL) | 2 |
| 1965 | T. Frederickson | RB | Auburn | New York Giants (NFL) | 6 |
| 1964 | Jack Concannon | QB | Boston College | Boston Patriots (AFL) | 10 |
| 1964 | Dave Parks | WR | Texas Tech | San Francisco 49ers (NFL) | 10 |
| 1963 | *Buck Buchanan | DT | Grambling | Kansas City Chiefs (AFL) | 13 |
| 1963 | Terry Baker | QB | Oregon State | Los Angeles Rams (NFL) | 3 |
| 1962 | Roman Gabriel | QB | N. Carolina State | Oakland Raiders (AFL) | 16 |
| 1962 | Ernie Davis | RB | Syracuse | Washington Redskins (NFL) | DNP |
| 1961 | Ken Rice | G | Auburn | Buffalo Bills (AFL) | 6 |
| 1961 | Tommy Mason | RB | Tulane | Minnesota Vikings (NFL) | 11 |
| 1960 | Billy Cannon | RB | Louisiana State | Los Angeles Rams | 11 |
| 1959 | Randy Duncan | QB | Iowa | Green Bay Packers | 1 |
| 1958 | King Hill | QB | Rice | Chicago Cardinals | 12 |
| 1957 | *Paul Hornung | HB | Notre Dame | Green Bay Packers | 9 |
| 1956 | Gary Glick | DB | Colorado A&M | Pittsburgh Steelers | 7 |
| 1955 | George Shaw | QB | Oregon | Baltimore Colts | 8 |
| 1954 | Bobby Garrett | QB | Stanford | Cleveland Browns | 1 |
| 1953 | Harry Babcock | E | Georgia | San Francisco 49ers | 3 |
| 1952 | Bill Wade | QB | Vanderbilt | Los Angeles Rams | 13 |
| 1951 | Kyle Rote | HB | SMU | New York Giants | 11 |
| 1950 | Leon Hart | E | Notre Dame | Detroit Lions | 8 |
| 1949 | *Chuck Bednarik | C/LB | Pennsylvania | Philadelphia Eagles | 12 |
| 1948 | Harry Gilmer | QB | Alabama | Washington Redskins | 2 |
| 1947 | Bob Fenimore | HB | Oklahoma State | Chicago Bears | 1 |
| 1946 | Frank Dancewicz | QB | Notre Dame | Boston Yanks | 3 |
| 1945 | *Charley Trippi | HB | Georgia | Chicago Cardinals | 9 |
| 1944 | Angelo Bertelli | QB | Notre Dame | Boston Yanks | 3 |
| 1943 | Frank Sinkwich | HB | Georgia | Detroit Lions | 4 |
| 1942 | *Bill Dudley | HB | Virginia | Pittsburgh Steelers | 9 |
| 1941 | Tom Harmon | HB | Michigan | Chicago Bears | 2 |
| 1940 | George Cafego | HB | Tennessee | Chicago Cardinals | 4 |
| 1939 | Ki Aldrich | C | Texas Christian | Chicago Cardinals | 7 |
| 1938 | Corbett Davis | FB | Indiana | Cleveland Rams | DNP |
| 1937 | Sam Francis | FB | Nebraska | Philadelphia Eagles | 4 |
| 1936 | Jay Berwanger | HB | Chicago | Philadelphia Eagles | DNP |
