NFL Draft First Overall Pick Facts

Since first NFL Draft on February 8, 1936 at the Ritz Carlton Hotel in Philadelphia, it has since become an off-season phenomenon like no other in sports. We often wait to see the first player taken as a team is on the clock ready to make their selection. Then it carries on from there. Here are some facts about No. 1 overall selections in NFL Drafts.

-The first player ever taken in the NFL Draft was halfback Jay Berwanger out of the University of Chicago by the Philadelphia Eagles. The 1935 Heisman Trophy winner never played a down in the NFL after his rights were traded to the Chicago Bears, who in turn would not sign him.

-The first No. 1 overall pick to sign a contract was Nebraska halfback Sam Francis in 1937. However, he was drafted by the Eagles, and later played for the Chicago Bears, Pittsburgh Pirates, and Brooklyn Dodgers for four seasons never playing for Philadelphia.

-The first No. 1 overall pick to sign with the team that had drafted him was Indiana fullback Corbett Davis doing so with the Cleveland Rams in 1938. Davis played four seasons before enlisting for the military service in 1942.

-Notre Dame and USC have had five players each that were drafted first overall which is tied for the most ever by any school.
Notre Dame: Quarterback Angelo Bertelli in 1944, quarterback Frank Dancewicz in 1946, end Leon Hart in 1950, halfback Paul Hornung in 1957, and Walt Patulski in 1972.
USC: Tackle Ron Yary in 1968, running back O.J. Simpson in 1969, running back Ricky Bell in 1978, receiver Keyshawn Johnson in 1996, and quarterback Carson Palmer in 2002.

-To date in a total of 72 NFL Drafts, quarterbacks have been drafted No. 1 overall 26 times which is the most for any position. Since 1983, 14 quarterbacks were taken first overall. Nine of the last 12 NFL Drafts have seen a quarterback taken first overall.

-The first quarterback to be taken No. 1 overall was Angelo Bertelli out of Notre Dame by the Boston Yanks in 1944. Bertelli never played for Boston.

-To date, 12 of the 72 No. 1 overall picks have been enshrined into the Pro Football Hall of Fame(years drafted first overall included): Bill Dudley(1942), Charley Trippi(1945), Chuck Bednarik(1949), Paul Hornung(1957), Ron Yary(1968), O.J. Simpson(1969), Terry Bradshaw(1970), Lee Roy Selmon(1976), Earl Campbell(1979), John Elway(1983), Bruce Smith(1985), and Troy Aikman(1989).

-The Baltimore/Indianapolis Colts have had the first overall pick six times which is the most of any team. They had it three times in the 1990s alone, and four of their picks have been quarterbacks including 1983 when the rights to John Elway were traded away to Denver. Peyton Manning is the only one of those picks to have played in a Pro Bowl for the franchise.

-Chuck Bednarik is the only No. 1 overall pick to have been an All-Pro at two different positions(center and linebacker). He is also the only two-way player drafted No. 1 overall in the Pro Football Hall of Fame.

-Only one defensive back in 72 NFL Drafts has been picked first overall. That was Gary Click in 1956 out of Colorado A&M(now Colorado State) by the Pittsburgh Steelers.

-Since 1967 when the Associated Press has awarded the NFL Rookie of the Year on offense and defense, only three No. 1 overall picks have ever won the award: Earl Campbell for the Houston Oilers in 1978, Billy Sims for the Detroit Lions in 1980, and George Rogers for the New Orleans Saints in 1981. No defensive players that have been drafted first overall has ever won the Defensive Rookie of the Year award.

-17 players that won the Heisman Trophy have been selected No. 1 overall. Of those 17, only three of them to date have made the Pro Football Hall of Fame: Paul Hornung, O.J. Simpson, and Earl Campbell.

With the way things are going now, it looks like another quarterback who won the Heisman Trophy will be taken first overall by the St. Louis Rams in Oklahoma quarterback Sam Bradford. It goes to show us that history does repeat itself over and over again. I'll update this when the 2010 NFL Draft starts on Thursday.

Sources: Mahalo.com, wikipedia.com, nfl.com