Professional Football Researchers Association Forum

Every now and then someone does a post or video attempting to rank players taken first overall in the NFL draft.

A year or two back I did a post where I ranked the players taken second overall in the draft out of curiosity. Now to do so for those taken third overall in the draft.

We are a couple spots down, but players are still expected to be very good and impactful towards improving their teams.

First off here are the players from 1967 to 2023 taken third overall:

2023: Will Anderson
2022: Derek Stingley Jr.
2021: Trey Lance
2020: Jeff Okudah
2019: Quinnen Williams
2018: Sam Darnold
2017: Solomon Thomas
2016: Joey Bosa
2015: Dante Fowler Jr.
2014: Blake Bortles
2013: Dion Jordan
2012: Trent Richardson
2011: Marcell Dareus
2010: Gerald McCoy
2009: Tyson Jackson
2008: Matt Ryan
2007: Joe Thomas
2006: Vince Young
2005: Braylon Edwards
2004: Larry Fitzgerald
2003: Andre Johnson
2002: Joey Harrington
2001: Gerard Warren
2000: Chris Samuels
1999: Akili Smith
1998: Andre Wadsworth
1997: Shawn Springs
1996: Simeon Rice
1995: Steve McNair
1994: Heath Schuler
1993: Garrison Hearst
1992: Sean Gilbert
1991: Bruce Pickens
1990: Cortez Kennedy
1989: Barry Sanders
1988: Bennie Blades
1987: Alonzo Highsmith
1986: Jim Everett
1985: Ray Childress
1984: Carl Banks
1983: Curt Warner
1982: Chip Banks
1981: Freeman McNeil
1980: Anthony Munoz
1979: Jack Thompson
1978: Wes Chandler
1977: Eddie Edwards
1976: Chuck Muncie
1975: Ken Huff
1974: John Hicks
1973: Jerry Sisemore
1972: Lionel Antoine
1971: Dan Pastorini
1970: Mike Phipps
1969: Leroy Keyes
1968: Claude Humphrey
1967: Steve Spurrier

And here’s how I rank them:
1. Barry Sanders
2. Larry Fitzgerald
3. Anthony Munoz
4. Cortez Kennedy
5. Joe Thomas
6. Matt Ryan
7. Andre Johnson
8. Claude Humphrey
9. Steve McNair
10. Simeon Rice
11. Chris Samuels
12. Joey Bosa
13. Wes Chandler
14. Gerald McCoy
15. Freeman McNeil
16. Curt Warner
17. Quinnen Williams
18. Carl Banks
19. Will Anderson Jr.
20. Ray Childress
21. Chip Banks
22. Derek Stingley Jr.
23. Garrison Hearst
24. Jerry Sisemore
25. Chuck Muncie
26. Jim Everett
27. Marcell Dareus
28. Shawn Springs
29. Sean Gilbert
30. Bennie Blades
31. Dan Pastorini
32. Vince Young
33. Braylon Edwards
34. Gerard Warren
35. Eddie Edwards
36. Ken Huff
37. Dante Fowler
38. Blake Bortles
39. Sam Darnold
40. Lionel Antoine
41. John Hicks
42. Alonzo Highsmith
43. Solomon Thomas
44. Joey Harrington
45. Jeff Okudah
46. Tyson Jackson
47. Trent Richardson
48. Steve Spurrier
49. Bruce Pickens
50. Andre Wadsworth
51. Dion Jordan
52. Jack Thompson
53. Heath Schuler
54. Mike Phipps
55. Trey Lance
56. Leroy Keyes
57. Akili Smith

What do you all think? And I should note that Sam Darnold’s is based on his time in New York.

I may have been a bit too generous there, but the fact remains that there is a lot of junk at the bottom of this one.

Interesting thread, though I need to go back to the other two ... its tough to rank or subjectively number the picks in terms of success.

Sam Darnold is a great example on this list. He didnt have the best coaching and certainly didnt have weapons to work with in NY. Going to SF was a big step in his development, while rebuilding his confidence. He has went 32-7 with a championship, with two different teams since. I would say, he should be way higher than #39 in terms of ranking. He still has alot more football left to play.

I feel Lance was worse than Akili Smith ... the Niners gave up a fortune for him and he still couldnt be coached up. Smith has a worse starting record than Lance but at least started games. The coaching under Coslet and LeBeau wasnt ideal.