Five of the Best First-Round NFL Draft Picks From the 2000s

The 2000s produced one of the richest draft classes in modern NFL history, and picking just five best selections means leaving out plenty of worthy names. Still, a handful of picks from that decade changed franchises outright, and looking back at how they were viewed on draft night compared to how their careers actually played out tells you a lot about how hard scouting really is. Some NFl viewers who keep an eye on the NFL draft may also do arbitrage betting on the sport.

LaDainian Tomlinson, San Diego Chargers

Tomlinson is about as close to a lock as you’ll find on a list like this. The Chargers took him fifth overall out of TCU, and he spent the next nine seasons proving that grading was correct almost every week. He rushed for over 1,000 yards in eight straight seasons and became the focal point of an offense that reached the AFC Championship game in 2007. His 2006 campaign still stands out: 28 rushing touchdowns and 31 total, an MVP award, and a level of production that few backs before or since have matched. What made Tomlinson different wasn’t just volume. He caught passes out of the backfield, picked up blitzes, and gave San Diego a weapon defenses genuinely couldn’t scheme around. When people argue about the greatest running backs of the era, his name comes up almost automatically, and taking him at five looks like an easy call in hindsight, even though plenty of backs picked that early have fizzled.

Troy Polamalu, Pittsburgh Steelers

Pittsburgh has a long history of finding first-round talent that sticks around for a decade or more, and Polamalu might be the best example of that pattern. Taken 16th out of USC, he became the emotional center of a Steelers defense that won two Super Bowls during his career. What set Polamalu apart was how unpredictable he was on the field. Coaches spend their careers trying to disguise coverages, and Polamalu did the opposite, lining up in one spot and ending up somewhere else entirely by the time the ball was snapped. He made eight Pro Bowls, earned Defensive Player of the Year in 2010, and became one of the faces of a Steelers defense that opposing offensive coordinators genuinely feared. Terrell Suggs, taken seven picks earlier that same year by Baltimore, had a terrific career of his own and racked up sacks for well over a decade, but Polamalu’s combination of instinct and impact on a championship defense gives him the edge here.

Larry Fitzgerald, Arizona Cardinals

Some picks are close calls between two very good players. Fitzgerald isn’t one of those cases. Arizona took him third overall out of Pittsburgh, and he spent the next seventeen seasons as one of the most reliable receivers the league has seen. Fitzgerald retired with over 17,000 receiving yards, good for second all-time, and he did it while playing for a franchise that struggled for stretches of his career. His postseason run in 2008 remains one of the great individual playoff stretches in NFL history, capped by that near-miss Super Bowl against the Steelers where he nearly single-handedly won the game in the final minutes. Ben Roethlisberger, drafted eleven picks later that year, went on to win two Super Bowls of his own and built a Hall of Fame case at quarterback. But Fitzgerald’s combination of longevity, production, and reputation as one of the classiest players of his generation makes him the pick here.

Aaron Rodgers, Green Bay Packers

Rodgers is the clearest example on this list of a player whose draft slot undersold what he’d become. He famously slid on draft day, sitting in the green room far longer than anyone expected before Green Bay finally called his name at 24. He then spent three seasons behind Brett Favre before taking over as the starter, and what followed was one of the most decorated quarterback careers of the last twenty years. A Super Bowl title, multiple MVP awards, and a level of accuracy and improvisation that reshaped how people talk about quarterback play all followed. Roddy White, taken three picks later by Atlanta, turned into a genuinely excellent receiver in his own right. But a franchise quarterback who falls to the middle of the first round and turns into an all-time great is rare enough that Rodgers has to be the pick for 2005.

Calvin Johnson, Detroit Lions

Johnson’s career is a reminder that individual greatness and team success don’t always line up. Detroit took him second overall, and he responded by becoming arguably the most physically dominant receiver the league has ever seen. His 2012 season, when he set the single-season receiving yards record, showed exactly what he was capable of even on teams that didn’t always surround him with talent. Darrelle Revis, drafted twelfth by the Jets that same year, built a Hall of Fame case as a shutdown cornerback and earned a reputation as one of the best cover men of his generation. Both are strong choices, but Johnson’s rare blend of size, speed, and leaping ability, combined with the sheer volume of highlight catches he produced, gives him a slight edge.

Looking back at these five picks, a pattern emerges. The best decisions weren’t always about taking the safest player at the top of the board. Some of the era’s greatest talents landed well outside the top ten, which is a good reminder that draft position and eventual greatness don’t always move in a straight line.