NFL Draft: The Greatest 1st Overall Picks Ever

player. 47. Another example of proof that it’s not always the player that’s the problem but the team. Jim Plunkett was a great player in college, the first of three Stanford quarterbacks to go #1 overall. However, he was taking over a Boston Patriots team that was the laughing stock of the AFC at that point in time. He was expected to turn it all around by himself, with little to no real help. Predictably it didn’t go well. Defenses beat on him a lot in the early 1970s and soon he was exiled to San Francisco, who may have been an even worse team. <p> </p> <p>By 1978, Plunkett was a beat up man questioning whether he wanted to play anymore. At that point he signed on as a backup with the Oakland Raiders to give it one more try. Two years later he got his opportunity, leading the team to a Super Bowl title. Even then he still didn’t get the respect he deserved, being benched again in 1981. In the end he got the last laugh though, reclaiming the starting job in 1983 and winning another Lombardi trophy. His numbers and inconsistent career won’t land him in the Hall of Fame, but Plunkett has can use his two rings to plug his ears whenever the critics start chirping.</p>. QB. Stanford. Jim Plunkett . 26