The Most Shocking First Round Picks In NFL History

Few would try to say that there are easy picks to make in the NFL Draft each year. While teams do get to review many stat lines from college games and athletic tests prior, a lot of the time, it’s the subjective elements that make the difference.

Teams will look for players who show the skill and athleticism to bolster their ranks and those who demonstrate the right attitude, mental toughness, and desire to keep clean off of the field.

Yet, with all of the stats, rankings, scout reports, and even NFL odds put out to indicate the best picks going, some picks deserve to earn the moniker of “shocking” both on draft day and further down the line.

While there have been many eyebrow-raising selections in NFL Draft history, these are the ten that currently rank as the most shocking first-round picks.

Tommy Maddox (25th Overall, 1992, Broncos)

In 1991, with John Elway under centre, the Denver Broncos put up a 12-4 record and went two games into the playoffs. Yet, the front office seemingly thought it was time to start working in Elway’s replacement.

Rather than picking a player in a position that would propel the starters forward and improve their odds of success next season, they went with Tommy Maddox with the 25th overall selection.

Likely picked as a high-ceiling project to learn from Elway with a bit of conflict going on between the quarterback and the team, it still shocked the league in 1992, and in retrospect, it was a waste as Elway remained until 1998.

John Avery (29th Overall, 1998, Dolphins)

The Miami Dolphins decided to roll the dice in 1998 by picking John Avery towards the back end of the first round. Avery wasn’t overly impressive in college, but he did catch the eye of scouts in the pre-draft workouts.

Convinced by his athleticism, the Fins picked the running back and gave him enough time on the field to prove that it was a poor selection. In 1999, he was dealt to the Broncos. Just five carries later, and he was released.

Randy Moss (21st Overall, 1998, Vikings)

Changing the pace a little bit here, Randy Moss proved to be worthy of a first-round selection, but at the time, the Minnesota Vikings taking the wide receiver 21st overall was a bizarre turn of luck.

His off-field antics pushed him way down the pecking order from where analysts said Moss should go, so on the day and in retrospect – given his Hall of Fame career and rookie accolades – Moss’ late selection was a shocker.

Ricky Williams (5th Overall, 1999, Saints)

The prime example of a stud running back in college, Ricky Williams going fifth overall in the 1999 Draft wasn’t surprising to most fans who dabble in NFL predictions. What was surprising was how much the New Orleans Saints spent to move up the order.

In a blockbuster deal, the Saints sent a first and third-rounder for the 2000 draft as well as all of their remaining picks (first, third, fourth, fifth, sixth, and seventh rounders) from that year to the Washington Redskins.

The Saints got three good years out of Williams, with him averaging over 1,000 yards and 13 games per season, and then managed to recoup two first-rounders when they traded the talented back to the Dolphins in 2002.

James Fletcher (25th Overall, 2001, Dolphins)

Dan Marino retired in the 2000 offseason. Still, the Fins were still good enough to win the AFC East but bowed out in the divisional round, being shutout by the Raiders to the tune of 0-27.

Boasting a formidable defence that conceded the third-fewest points in the league, it was a shock to see Miami add another potentially elite-tier cornerback to their two elite-tier starters.

James Fletcher was that pick, and while his NFL career was solid and worthy of the selection, Reggie Wayne and Drew Brees were still on the board.

Mario Williams (1st Overall, 2006, Texans)

Reggie Bush was the player everyone tipped to go first overall. His sheer skill, athleticism, and numbers made the race to the bottom of the NFL standings the ‘Reggie Bush Bowl.’

Instead, the Houston Texans overlooked the running back in favour of edge rusher Mario Williams. Standing 6’6’’ and ending his career with four Pro Bowl call-ups, Williams was a sound pick, but brushing Bush aside certainly shocked the NFL world in 2006.

Vernon Gholston (6th Overall, 2008, Jets)

Despite not putting up the most inspiring numbers in college, the Jets saw enough in Vernon Gholston’s pre-draft workouts to think him worthy of the sixth overall selection. It was a big bet, and it didn’t pay off.

The defensive end and linebacker featured for the Jets for three seasons, staying healthy throughout, but could only muster 42 tackles in that span and was duly released in 2011.

As the sports betting lines for the NFL show today, later gambles haven’t paid off for the New York Jets, either, with 2024 set to be their 14th season without a game in the playoffs.

Darrius Heyward-Bey (7th Overall, 2009, Raiders)

Under Al Davis, teams developed somewhat of a penchant for surprise selections, but Darrius Heyward-Bey was, perhaps, the most shocking of the lot.

With the seventh overall pick, the Oakland Raiders overlooked the analysts’ preferred choices (Jeremy Maclin and Michael Crabtree) to take Heyward-Bey as the first receiver off of the board.

The elite speed showcased on his pre-draft measurables line – a 4.30s 40-yard dash – seemed to blur the importance of him only securing 13 touchdowns in three seasons of college ball, and by 2013, he was with the Indianapolis Colts.

Tim Tebow (25th Overall, 2010, Broncos)

In another rolling of the dice on a high-risk QB in the first round, the Denver Broncos took the controversial Tim Tebow 25th overall in 2010 – a good two rounds before most scouts thought the slinger should go.

Clearly, the Broncos disagreed with this assessment as they sent away a second, third, and fourth-round pick to jump the queue and get Tebow to Mile High.

In the end, Tebow started 14 games in two years for Denver and added another two for the Jets in 2012. By 2016, he had signed for the MLB’s New York Mets, worked his way up the system to AAA, but ultimately retired in 2021.

Daniel Jones (6th Overall, 2019, Giants)

Intended to be the next step in the upswing part of the New York Giants’ rebuild, the stage was set for Big Blue to draft their franchise quarterback, who would learn under Eli Manning for a spell and then take over.

The last two drafts had brought in promising tight end Even Engram and then Saquon Barkley, who more or less carried the team to its improved 5-11 record. With a top QB, a stud RB, and a quality receiving TE, the Giants could go far.

By the time the Giants picked sixth overall, only Kyler Murray from the quarterback class had gone, giving them the natural next-best, Dwayne Haskins. Instead, they reached for Daniel Jones – who underwhelmed by comparison in college.

With the exception of his contract year, Jones also underwhelmed in the NFL, would be benched in 2024 in favour of Tommy DeVito – who went undrafted in 2023 – and then leave the team by mutual consent.