Best Draft Classes

[YardRat]

http://sportsillustrated.cnn.com/2007/writers/jay_clemons/04/19/draft.classes/2.html

1985 Buffalo Bills Class pick Name Position School 1 Bruce Smith DE Virginia Tech 2 Derrick Burroughs DB Memphis State 5 Frank Reich QB Maryland 7 Andre Reed WR Kutztown (Pa.) 8 Dale Hellestrae OT Southern Methodist 11 Ron Pitts DB UCLA

Summary: Bruce Smith belongs to not one, but two All-Decade Teams ('80s and '90s). He's the NFL's all-time sack leader (200), he went to 11 Pro Bowls and led the Bills to four Super Bowl appearances. He's a lock for the Hall of Fame. Reed, a seven-time Pro Bowler, totaled 13,198 receiving yards and 87 TDs. This sound class rounds out with Hellestrae (14 NFL seasons, two titles with the Cowboys), Burroughs, Pitts (better known as a FOX color analyst) and Reich, who has 6,075 passing yards, 40 TDs and four playoff wins on his resume. One of those playoff triumphs occurred in January 1993, when he led the Bills to a 41-38 OT win over Houston, overcoming a 35-3 deficit early in the third quarter.

[YardRat]

Re: Best Draft Classes

1983 Miami Dolphins Class pick Name Position School 1 Dan Marino QB Pittsburgh 4 Reggie Roby P Iowa 6 Mark Clayton WR Louisville 10 Anthony Carter WR Michigan

Summary: During the Don Shula era, the Dolphins took a grounded, fundamental approach to drafting, where the offensive and defensive lines had top priority. (After that, linebackers and running backs ruled the roost.) But in 1983, Shula opted to take Marino late in the first round. Seventeen years later, Marino retired as the all-time leader passing leader (61,361 yards), TDs (420) and completions (4,967) -- along with 21 other records that have not been mentioned. If Miami had stopped drafting right there, it would have been a good class; but the club also stumbled upon Reggie Roby (one of the greatest punter in NFL history), Anthony Carter (7,733 receiving yards, although none with the Dolphins) and, of course, Mark Clayton (five Pro Bowls, 8,974 receiving yards and 84 TDs).

1995 New England Patriots Class pick Name Position School 1 Ty Law DB Michigan 2 Ted Johnson LB Colorado 3 Curtis Martin RB Pittsburgh 4 Jimmy Hitchcock DB North Carolina 5 Dave Wohlabaugh C Syracuse

Summary: There are more than a few strong New England classes to consider, especially during the Bill Belichick era. But his best coup probably occurred in '95, when he landed on-the-cusp Hall of Famers Ty Law (four Pro Bowls, 46 career INTs and three Super Bowl titles) and Curtis Martin (five Pro Bowls and 14,101 career rushing yards). The supporting trio has also been superb, with Johnson (three Super Bowl rings in 10 seasons), Hitchcock (19 INTs) and Wohlabaugh, a regular starter for three franchises.

2000 New York Jets Class pick Name Position School 1 Shaun Ellis DE Tennessee 2 John Abraham LB South Carolina 3 Chad Pennington QB Marshall 4 Anthony Becht TE West Virginia 5 Laveranues Coles WR Florida State 7 Tony Scott DB North Carolina State

Summary: We have yet another stellar class with Bill Parcells' fingerprints all over it. Serving in a GM-only capacity in 2000, Parcells deftly converted four first-round picks (but none higher than No. 12 overall) into the strong quartet of Ellis (one Pro Bowl), Abraham (three Pro Bowls), Pennington (11,973 yards passing) and Becht. He also landed Laveranues Coles (6,599 receiving yards) with the No. 77 overall pick, taken just before Darrell Jackson.