NFL Draft: The Greatest 1st Overall Picks Ever

DE. Oklahoma. Lee Roy Selmon . 11. player. 48. Hard to imagine the first draft pick in Tampa Bay Buccaneers history may also be the best. For a long time the Bucs were as inept a franchise as the NFL has ever seen. At one point they lost 26 games in a row. One of the few constants throughout that period was the play of defensive end Lee Roy Selmon. He was among the most dominant pass rushers of his era and had a direct hand in helping the team make the playoffs for the first time in 1979. Unofficially he collected 78.5 sacks in his career. <p> </p> <p>What stands out about him is actually how short a time he played. Selmon retired in 1985 at the age of 31. He only played nine NFL seasons and was a Pro Bowler in six of them. One can understand him making that choice. During that period players grew convinced that team ownership was never committed to building a winning team, which is why many either elected to not play for them or chose to leave at the first opportunity. It’s fair to wonder how much greater Selmon could’ve been had the franchise tried harder to win.</p>