Some years are really better than others when it comes to this idea.
In our humble opinion, the draft system used by American sporting leagues sets our leagues apart from the rest of the world.
Thanks to the draft, our leagues remain competitive, not governed by money, and talent is celebrated all over the country. They add an extra week of excitement to the off-season. If you do not keep track of the NFL draft you are missing out.
Just think about it, focusing on domestic talent, transfers are not as common as in Europe, Asia or South Africa. They happen, but only in certain cases when foreign talent is significantly better than domestic. However, giving more opportunities to the native talents gives an opportunity to create an exceptionally strong national team. It dominates virtually all sports you can imagine.
Of course, some disciplines are not only popular in the country. The most obvious example that comes to mind is football. Certainly, we can see that MLS has become quite a competitive league when it comes to competing against European or South American teams. If the current trend continues, we are sure that the leagues will be as good as some foreigners.
Have some feedback on how this year’s draft will affect the league – check out the best NFL prospects from Fanduel.com.
Every year, commentators say “this could be the best draft year of all time” – but when was the best draft year for the NFL Draft?
Find out.
Note: We have not included any year in the last 15 years. The reason for this statement is quite clear, it is easy to comment on how successful they were.
# 5 – 2004
2004 was an exceptional time in the history of the NFL Draft.
There are still many athletes from this year who have not retired – and who have not recently finished their professional careers enough to be considered for evaluating their achievements. That will be the case in the years to come. However, this does not mean that we should not include 2004 in this list. It was a really great time.
Those who follow them closely know that the three main names can be described as the most prominent names of this generation. We are talking about Eli Manning, Philip Rivers and Ben Rothlisberger.
Manning won the championship in two events and one MVP. The other two athletes retired last year. According to many people, they are criminally underrated. The NFL just wouldn’t be the same without this Titan.
While they may not be considered among the best known names in the game, they have made a mark and we believe they have not been appreciated enough.
The late and great Shawn Taylor was also drafted this year. Cardinal star, Larry Fitzgerald is also a 2004 draft.
Two great players were not decided in 2004 – Wes Welker and Jason Peters. A couple of years later, these two athletes have become household names in both their teams and leagues.
# 4 – 1989
No one can claim that there was a lot of depth this year. We do not believe that even the League itself can agree with this statement. However, it was a star-studded year, full of huge characters that would have a huge impact on the league.
For example, five names have joined the most important names of their kind after finishing their professional careers – Barry Sanders, Dion Sanders and Steve Atwater.
In addition, we see that four of these names found their place in the top five in 1989. Mandaric is the only top 5 pick that didn’t make the list. This is not to say that Mandarich’s career was any less successful in the future. It was the exact opposite.
Troy Aikman must have looked like the most promising talent in this generation – he has won three different championships. Also, he was once given the name MVP, which really adds value to his career. Many people did not achieve that.
Still, it would be rude to ignore Barry Sanders, who has won more than 1,500 yards in five different seasons.
# 3 – 2000
The year 2000 gave us two big names – Tom Brady and Brian Urlachar.
So far, Urlacher has been the only one of the NFL’s best known names this year. He’ll probably only join Brady – if he ever retires … Looking back today, he’s a man who has achieved remarkable results. She is 44, and there are no signs of her stopping soon.
However, Brady’s accomplishments over the past two decades have been so overwhelming that we have to add this year to our list. Brady was also not picked early. It was the exact opposite. He found himself in 199th place. You will agree that this is exceptional information.
Brady has won more than a dozen annual championship games combined this year (Corey Simon, Plaxico Bares, Travis Taylor, and Jamal Lewis have each won one Super Bowl).
Brady has won 18 division titles, been called to Pro Bowl 15 times and has been named NFL MVP 3 times.
# 2 – 1964
Three years before the unification of the AFL and NFL, this class had a huge impact on the popularity of the sport and how many places it is now. But 1964 is not only special for this event. It is remembered as a year when many family names began their professional careers.
What makes 1964 so special?
Well first, it boasts eleven different great names in the history of the sport. We are going to name just a few of them, Bob Brown, Mel Rainfro, Paul Krause, Roger Stabach and Bill Parcel.
You can recognize an MVP Staubach from that list. He was a great cowboy player who won the championship twice and was a member of the All-Star Game six different times.
Second, many players have not been given the status they deserve – most notably Bill Monson, Jack Concanon, Pete Bethard and Dave Parks. This is why we believe that they have not been rewarded for achieving significant results in their careers. Yet, they are still remembered by older fans who still consider them the best names in the sport.
Many will put this group at number 1 here.
# 1 – 1983
Finally, let’s talk about 1983.
1989 offers it all – title, record, skill and depth, as well as some other superstars. Those who are well aware of this game know that it is definitely the most important year because it is most fruitful when you compare it with everyone else we have named here.
There’s a lot to talk about, so let’s start with this year’s family name. We’ll name a few, like Eric Dickerson, John Leway, and Jim Covert.
LVE is still the only player to have thrown more than 3,000 yards in seven seasons and covered more than 200 yards. Also, he has led his team to the final five different times and won twice. After all the realization he has achieved to pull off, he started playing in the MLB for three years. Therefore, we can all agree that this is a unique athlete born once in a generation.
Another MVP winner this year was Richard Dent. Like Lloyd, Dent has won two championships with his team. Without a doubt, he was one of the most impressive defenders of all time. We are sure that many people will agree with us on this statement, based on the career that he has recorded.
The NFL is one of the proudest elements of the American sport. In its discipline, it is by far the most successful league. As we have already said, this leads to the strongest national team in the world. The draft is the basis of this whole concept. To properly understand this game, understanding the draft is an absolute must. Here, you can take a look at some of the classes that are considered the most important in history. You will find this insight quite interesting, we are sure of that. Not only those who are interested in history, but also those who have recently started exploring it.