List of second overall NFL draft picks

This is a list of second overall National Football League (NFL) draft picks. The NFL draft is an annual sports draft in which National Football League teams select newly eligible players for their rosters. Seven Heisman Trophy winners have been selected with the pick: Glenn Davis (1946), Billy Vessels (1952), John David Crow (1957), Reggie Bush (2006), Robert Griffin III (2012), Marcus Mariota (2014), and Jayden Daniels (2024). 13 have been inducted into the Pro Football Hall of Fame: Sid Luckman (1939), George McAfee (1940), Les Richter (1952), Bob Brown (1964), Tom Mack (1966), Randy White (1975), Tony Dorsett (1977), Lawrence Taylor (1981), Eric Dickerson (1983), Marshall Faulk (1994), Tony Boselli (1995), Julius Peppers (2002), Calvin Johnson (2007), with defensive tackle Ndamukong Suh (2010) and linebacker Von Miller (2011) being on the NFL 2010s All-Decade Team.^[1] The universities with the most players selected at two are Notre Dame with six, Texas A&M with five, and Baylor, Michigan State, North Carolina, Ohio State, and USC with four each. The Cleveland / St. Louis / Los Angeles Rams have had nine selections at the spot, the most in the NFL.^[2]

List

A total of 40 second overall picks have received Pro Bowl Honors. Of those, 13 have been inducted into the Pro Football Hall of Fame: Sid Luckman (1939), George McAfee (1940), Les Richter (1952), Bob Brown (1964), Tom Mack (1966), Randy White (1975), Tony Dorsett (1977), Lawrence Taylor (1981), Eric Dickerson (1983), Marshall Faulk (1994), Calvin Johnson (2007), Tony Boselli (1995), and Julius Peppers (2002).^[2] In 2012, Sports Illustrated chose Taylor as the best player selected second overall.^[3] Seven Heisman Trophy winners have been selected at the spot: Glenn Davis (1946), Billy Vessels (1952), John David Crow (1957), Reggie Bush (2006), Robert Griffin III (2012), Marcus Mariota (2014), and Jayden Daniels (2024). Notable draft busts selected include Lam Jones (1980), Tony Mandarich (1989), Blair Thomas (1990), Ryan Leaf (1998), Charles Rogers (2003), and Jason Smith (2009).^[4]^[5]^[6]

*	Selected to a Pro Bowl
‡	Inducted into the Pro Football Hall of Fame

List of second overall picks^[2]
Year	Name	Position	College	NFL team	Notes
1936	Riley Smith	Quarterback	Alabama	Boston Redskins	College Football Hall of Fame
1937	Ed Goddard	Back	Washington State	Brooklyn Dodgers
1938	Jim McDonald	Back	Ohio State	Philadelphia Eagles
1939	Sid Luckman^‡	Quarterback	Columbia	Chicago Bears	Pro Football Hall of Fame
1940	George McAfee^‡	Halfback	Duke	Philadelphia Eagles	Pro Football Hall of Fame
1941	John Kimbrough	Fullback	Texas A&M	Chicago Cardinals	College Football Hall of Fame
1942	Jack Wilson	Halfback	Baylor	Cleveland Rams	Appeared in only 10 NFL games, 3 as a starter
1943	Joe Muha	Fullback	VMI	Philadelphia Eagles	2x All-Pro
1944	Pat Harder*	Fullback	Wisconsin	Chicago Cardinals	3× first-team All-Pro; College Football Hall of Fame
1945	Paul Duhart	Back	Florida	Pittsburgh Steelers	Appeared in only 13 NFL games, 7 as a starter
1946	Dub Jones*	Halfback	LSU	Chicago Cardinals	2× AAFC champion, 3× NFL champion
1947	Glenn Davis*	Halfback	Army	Detroit Lions	Heisman Trophy (1946)
1948	Skip Minisi	Halfback	Penn	New York Giants	College Football Hall of Fame
1949	John Rauch	Quarterback	Georgia	Detroit Lions	College Football Hall of Fame
1950	Adrian Burk*	Quarterback	Baylor	Baltimore Colts	2× Pro Bowl
1951	Bob Williams	Quarterback	Notre Dame	Chicago Bears	College Football Hall of Fame
1952	Les Richter^‡	Linebacker	California	New York Yanks	Pro Football Hall of Fame
1953	Billy Vessels	Halfback	Oklahoma	Baltimore Colts	Heisman Trophy (1952)
1954	Lamar McHan	Quarterback	Arkansas	Chicago Cardinals
1955	Max Boydston	End	Oklahoma	Chicago Cardinals
1956	Earl Morrall*	Quarterback	Michigan State	San Francisco 49ers	3× Super Bowl champion, NFL Most Valuable Player (1968)
1957	Jon Arnett*	Halfback	USC	Los Angeles Rams	College Football Hall of Fame; 5× Pro Bowl
1958	John David Crow*	Halfback	Texas A&M	Chicago Cardinals	Heisman Trophy (1957)
1959	Dick Bass*	Fullback	Pacific Tigers	Los Angeles Rams	3× Pro Bowl
1960	George Izo	Quarterback	Notre Dame	St. Louis Cardinals
1961	Norm Snead*	Quarterback	Wake Forest	Washington Redskins	4× Pro Bowl
1962	Roman Gabriel	Quarterback	NC State	Los Angeles Rams	College Football Hall of Fame; 4× Pro Bowl, NFL Most Valuable Player (1969)
1963	Jerry Stovall*	Defensive back	LSU	St. Louis Cardinals	3× Pro Bowl
1964	Bob Brown^‡	Offensive tackle	Nebraska	Philadelphia Eagles	Pro Football Hall of Fame
1965	Ken Willard*	Fullback	North Carolina	San Francisco 49ers	4× Pro Bowl
1966	Tom Mack^‡	Offensive guard	Michigan	Los Angeles Rams	Pro Football Hall of Fame
1967	Clint Jones	Running back	Michigan State	Minnesota Vikings	College Football Hall of Fame
1968	Bob Johnson	Center	Tennessee	Cincinnati Bengals	College Football Hall of Fame
1969	George Kunz*	Offensive tackle	Notre Dame	Atlanta Falcons	8× Pro Bowl
1970	Mike McCoy	Defensive tackle	Notre Dame	Green Bay Packers
1971	Archie Manning	Quarterback	Ole Miss	New Orleans Saints	2× Pro Bowl
1972	Sherman White	Defensive end	California	Cincinnati Bengals
1973	Bert Jones	Quarterback	LSU	Baltimore Colts	Pro Bowl (1976), NFL Most Valuable Player (1976)
1974	Bo Matthews	Running back	Colorado	San Diego Chargers
1975	Randy White^‡	Defensive tackle	Maryland	Dallas Cowboys	Pro Football Hall of Fame
1976	Steve Niehaus	Defensive tackle	Notre Dame	Seattle Seahawks	NFC Defensive Rookie of the Year (1976)
1977	Tony Dorsett^‡	Running back	Pittsburgh	Dallas Cowboys	Pro Football Hall of Fame
1978	Art Still*	Defensive end	Kentucky	Kansas City Chiefs	4× Pro Bowl
1979	Mike Bell	Defensive end	Colorado State	Kansas City Chiefs
1980	Lam Jones	Wide receiver	Texas	New York Jets
1981	Lawrence Taylor^‡	Linebacker	North Carolina	New York Giants	Pro Football Hall of Fame
1982	Johnie Cooks	Linebacker	Mississippi State	Baltimore Colts
1983	Eric Dickerson^‡	Running back	SMU	Los Angeles Rams	Pro Football Hall of Fame
1984	Dean Steinkuhler	Tackle	Nebraska	Houston Oilers	Outland Trophy (1983)
1985	Bill Fralic	Offensive guard	Pittsburgh	Atlanta Falcons	4× Pro Bowl
1986	Tony Casillas	Defensive tackle	Oklahoma	Atlanta Falcons	College Football Hall of Fame
1987	Cornelius Bennett	Linebacker	Alabama	Indianapolis Colts	5× Pro Bowl
1988	Neil Smith	Defensive end	Nebraska	Kansas City Chiefs	NFL 1990s All-Decade Team, 6× Pro Bowl
1989	Tony Mandarich	Tackle	Michigan State	Green Bay Packers
1990	Blair Thomas	Running back	Penn State	New York Jets
1991	Eric Turner	Defensive back	UCLA	Cleveland Browns	2× Pro Bowl
1992	Quentin Coryatt	Linebacker	Texas A&M	Indianapolis Colts
1993	Rick Mirer	Quarterback	Notre Dame	Seattle Seahawks
1994	Marshall Faulk^‡	Running back	San Diego State	Indianapolis Colts	Pro Football Hall of Fame
1995	Tony Boselli^‡	Tackle	USC	Jacksonville Jaguars	Pro Football Hall of Fame
1996	Kevin Hardy	Linebacker	Illinois	Jacksonville Jaguars	Pro Bowl (1999)
1997	Darrell Russell	Defensive tackle	USC	Oakland Raiders	2× Pro Bowl
1998	Ryan Leaf	Quarterback	Washington State	San Diego Chargers
1999	Donovan McNabb*	Quarterback	Syracuse	Philadelphia Eagles	6× Pro Bowl
2000	LaVar Arrington*	Linebacker	Penn State	Washington Redskins	Bednarik Award (1999), 3× Pro Bowl
2001	Leonard Davis*	Guard	Texas	Arizona Cardinals	3× Pro Bowl
2002	Julius Peppers^‡	Defensive end	North Carolina	Carolina Panthers	Pro Football Hall of Fame
2003	Charles Rogers	Wide receiver	Michigan State	Detroit Lions	Biletnikoff Award (2002)
2004	Robert Gallery	Offensive tackle	Iowa	Oakland Raiders	Outland Trophy (2003)
2005	Ronnie Brown*	Running back	Auburn	Miami Dolphins	Pro Bowl (2008)
2006	Reggie Bush	Running back	USC	New Orleans Saints	Heisman Trophy (2005)
2007	Calvin Johnson^‡	Wide receiver	Georgia Tech	Detroit Lions	Pro Football Hall of Fame
2008	Chris Long	Defensive end	Virginia	St. Louis Rams	2× Super Bowl champion, Walter Payton NFL Man of the Year (2018)
2009	Jason Smith	Offensive tackle	Baylor	St. Louis Rams
2010	Ndamukong Suh*	Defensive tackle	Nebraska	Detroit Lions	NFL 2010s All-Decade Team; 5× Pro Bowl
2011	Von Miller	Linebacker	Texas A&M	Denver Broncos	2× Super Bowl champion, NFL 2010s All-Decade Team; 8× Pro Bowl
2012	Robert Griffin III	Quarterback	Baylor	Washington Redskins	Heisman Trophy (2011), Offensive Rookie of the Year, Pro Bowl (2012)
2013	Luke Joeckel	Offensive tackle	Texas A&M	Jacksonville Jaguars	Outland Trophy (2012)
2014	Greg Robinson	Offensive tackle	Auburn	St. Louis Rams
2015	Marcus Mariota	Quarterback	Oregon	Tennessee Titans	Heisman Trophy (2014)
2016	Carson Wentz	Quarterback	North Dakota State	Philadelphia Eagles	Bert Bell Award (2017), Pro Bowl (2017)
2017	Mitchell Trubisky	Quarterback	North Carolina	Chicago Bears	Pro Bowl (2018)
2018	Saquon Barkley	Running back	Penn State	New York Giants	Offensive Rookie of the Year, 2x Pro Bowl
2019	Nick Bosa	Defensive end	Ohio State	San Francisco 49ers	Defensive Rookie of the Year, Defensive Player of the Year (2022), 4× Pro Bowl
2020	Chase Young	Defensive end	Ohio State	Washington Redskins	Defensive Rookie of the Year, Pro Bowl (2020)
2021	Zach Wilson	Quarterback	BYU	New York Jets
2022	Aidan Hutchinson	Defensive end	Michigan	Detroit Lions	Pro Bowl (2023)
2023	C. J. Stroud	Quarterback	Ohio State	Houston Texans	Offensive Rookie of the Year, Pro Bowl (2023)
2024	Jayden Daniels	Quarterback	LSU	Washington Commanders	Heisman Trophy (2023)

References

^ "In the NFL draft, the Number 2 pick isn't always worth keeping". The Washington Post. April 15, 2020.
^ ^a ^b ^c "NFL Draft history: Multiple running backs, but only one HOF quarterback taken with second pick". Tulsa World. April 21, 2020.
^ Chris Burke (April 4, 2012). "Best of the Firsts, No. 2: Lawrence Taylor". Sports Illustrated.
^ Jill R. Dorson (September 20, 2016). "No. 2 Overall Picks In NFL Draft: A Surprising Amount Of Busts". ThePostGame.
^ "NFL Draft: Boons & busts at No. 2". The Florida Times-Union. April 15, 2013.
^ Jim Wyatt (April 29, 2014). "No. 2 pick in NFL Draft doesn't bring a sure thing". The Tennessean.

[1] "In the NFL draft, the Number 2 pick isn't always worth keeping". The Washington Post. April 15, 2020.

[Tulsa-2] "NFL Draft history: Multiple running backs, but only one HOF quarterback taken with second pick". Tulsa World. April 21, 2020.

[3] Chris Burke (April 4, 2012). "Best of the Firsts, No. 2: Lawrence Taylor". Sports Illustrated.

[4] Jill R. Dorson (September 20, 2016). "No. 2 Overall Picks In NFL Draft: A Surprising Amount Of Busts". ThePostGame.

[5] "NFL Draft: Boons & busts at No. 2". The Florida Times-Union. April 15, 2013.

[6] Jim Wyatt (April 29, 2014). "No. 2 pick in NFL Draft doesn't bring a sure thing". The Tennessean.

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v t e NFL drafts
Early era (1936–1959)	1936 1937 1938 1939 1940 1941 1942 1943 1944 1945 1946 1947 1948 1949 1950 1951 1952 1953 1954 1955 1956 1957 1958 1959
AFL and NFL era (1960–1966)	AFL 1960 1961 1962 1963 1964 1965 1966 NFL 1960 1961 1962 1963 1964 1965 1966
Common draft (1967–1969)	1967 1968 1969
Modern era (1970–present)	1970 1971 1972 1973 1974 1975 1976 1977 1978 1979 1980 1981 1982 1983 1984 1985 1986 1987 1988 1989 1990 1991 1992 1993 1994 1995 1996 1997 1998 1999 2000 2001 2002 2003 2004 2005 2006 2007 2008 2009 2010 2011 2012 2013 2014 2015 2016 2017 2018 2019 2020 2021 2022 2023 2024 2025 2026
Expansion drafts	1960 1961 1966 1967 1976 1995 1999 2002
Others	1950 AAFC dispersal draft 1984 NFL supplemental draft of USFL and CFL players
See also	List of drafts first overall picks second overall picks Mr. Irrelevant supplemental picks List of broadcasters

List

See also

References