NFL Draft No. 1 Picks by Year
| Year | Lg | First Pick | Pos | Tm | College |
| 2021 | NFL | Trevor Lawrence | QB | Jacksonville Jaguars | Clemson |
| 2020 | NFL | Joe Burrow | QB | Cincinnati Bengals | LSU |
| 2019 | NFL | Kyler Murray | QB | Arizona Cardinals | Oklahoma |
| 2018 | NFL | Baker Mayfield | QB | Cleveland Browns | Oklahoma |
| 2017 | NFL | Myles Garrett | DE | Cleveland Browns | Texas A&M |
| 2016 | NFL | Jared Goff | QB | Los Angeles Rams | California |
| 2015 | NFL | Jameis Winston | QB | Tampa Bay Buccaneers | Florida State |
| 2014 | NFL | Jadeveon Clowney | DE | Houston Texans | South Carolina |
| 2013 | NFL | Eric Fisher | T | Kansas City Chiefs | Central Michigan |
| 2012 | NFL | Andrew Luck | QB | Indianapolis Colts | Stanford |
| 2011 | NFL | Cam Newton | QB | Carolina Panthers | Auburn |
| 2010 | NFL | Sam Bradford | QB | St. Louis Rams | Oklahoma |
| 2009 | NFL | Matthew Stafford | QB | Detroit Lions | Georgia |
| 2008 | NFL | Jake Long | T | Miami Dolphins | Michigan |
| 2007 | NFL | JaMarcus Russell | QB | Oakland Raiders | LSU |
| 2006 | NFL | Mario Williams | DE | Houston Texans | North Carolina State |
| 2005 | NFL | Alex Smith | QB | San Francisco 49ers | Utah |
| 2004 | NFL | Eli Manning | QB | San Diego Chargers | Mississippi |
| 2003 | NFL | Carson Palmer | QB | Cincinnati Bengals | USC |
| 2002 | NFL | David Carr | QB | Houston Texans | Fresno State |
| 2001 | NFL | Michael Vick | QB | Atlanta Falcons | Virginia Tech |
| 2000 | NFL | Courtney Brown | DE | Cleveland Browns | Penn State |
| 1999 | NFL | Tim Couch | QB | Cleveland Browns | Kentucky |
| 1998 | NFL | Peyton Manning | QB | Indianapolis Colts | Tennessee |
| 1997 | NFL | Orlando Pace | T | St. Louis Rams | Ohio State |
| 1996 | NFL | Keyshawn Johnson | WR | New York Jets | USC |
| 1995 | NFL | Ki-Jana Carter | RB | Cincinnati Bengals | Penn State |
| 1994 | NFL | Dan Wilkinson | DT | Cincinnati Bengals | Ohio State |
| 1993 | NFL | Drew Bledsoe | QB | New England Patriots | Washington State |
| 1992 | NFL | Steve Emtman | DE | Indianapolis Colts | Washington |
| 1991 | NFL | Russell Maryland | DT | Dallas Cowboys | Miami (FL) |
| 1990 | NFL | Jeff George | QB | Indianapolis Colts | Illinois |
| 1989 | NFL | Troy Aikman | QB | Dallas Cowboys | UCLA |
| 1988 | NFL | Aundray Bruce | LB | Atlanta Falcons | Auburn |
| 1987 | NFL | Vinny Testaverde | QB | Tampa Bay Buccaneers | Miami (FL) |
| 1986 | NFL | Bo Jackson | RB | Tampa Bay Buccaneers | Auburn |
| 1985 | NFL | Bruce Smith | DE | Buffalo Bills | Virginia Tech |
| 1984 | NFL | Irving Fryar | WR | New England Patriots | Nebraska |
| 1983 | NFL | John Elway | QB | Baltimore Colts | Stanford |
| 1982 | NFL | Kenneth Sims | DE | New England Patriots | Texas |
| 1981 | NFL | George Rogers | RB | New Orleans Saints | South Carolina |
| 1980 | NFL | Billy Sims | RB | Detroit Lions | Oklahoma |
| 1979 | NFL | Tom Cousineau | LB | Buffalo Bills | Ohio State |
| 1978 | NFL | Earl Campbell | RB | Houston Oilers | Texas |
| 1977 | NFL | Ricky Bell | RB | Tampa Bay Buccaneers | USC |
| 1976 | NFL | Lee Roy Selmon | DE | Tampa Bay Buccaneers | Oklahoma |
| 1975 | NFL | Steve Bartkowski | QB | Atlanta Falcons | California |
| 1974 | NFL | Too Tall Jones | DE | Dallas Cowboys | Tennessee State |
| 1973 | NFL | John Matuszak | DE | Houston Oilers | Tampa |
| 1972 | NFL | Walt Patulski | DE | Buffalo Bills | Notre Dame |
| 1971 | NFL | Jim Plunkett | QB | New England Patriots | Stanford |
| 1970 | NFL | Terry Bradshaw | QB | Pittsburgh Steelers | Louisiana Tech |
| 1969 | NFL | O.J. Simpson | RB | Buffalo Bills | USC |
| 1968 | NFL | Ron Yary | T | Minnesota Vikings | USC |
| 1967 | NFL | Bubba Smith | DE | Baltimore Colts | Michigan State |
| 1966 | NFL | Tommy Nobis | LB | Atlanta Falcons | Texas |
| 1966 | AFL | Jim Grabowski | RB | Miami Dolphins | Illinois |
| 1965 | NFL | Tucker Frederickson | RB | New York Giants | Auburn |
| 1965 | AFL | Joe Namath | QB | New York Jets | Alabama |
| 1964 | NFL | Dave Parks | SE | San Francisco 49ers | Texas Tech |
| 1964 | AFL | Jack Concannon | QB | Boston Patriots | Boston Col. |
| 1963 | NFL | Terry Baker | QB | Los Angeles Rams | Oregon State |
| 1963 | AFL | Buck Buchanan | DT | Kansas City Chiefs | Grambling State |
| 1962 | NFL | Ernie Davis | B | Washington Redskins | Syracuse |
| 1962 | AFL | Roman Gabriel | QB | Oakland Raiders | North Carolina State |
| 1961 | NFL | Tommy Mason | RB | Minnesota Vikings | Tulane |
| 1961 | AFL | Ken Rice | T | Buffalo Bills | Auburn |
| 1960 | NFL | Billy Cannon | TE | Los Angeles Rams | LSU |
| 1959 | NFL | Randy Duncan | QB | Green Bay Packers | Iowa |
| 1958 | NFL | King Hill | QB | Chicago Cardinals | Rice |
| 1957 | NFL | Paul Hornung | HB | Green Bay Packers | Notre Dame |
| 1956 | NFL | Gary Glick | DB | Pittsburgh Steelers | Colorado State |
| 1955 | NFL | George Shaw | QB | Baltimore Colts | Oregon |
| 1954 | NFL | Bobby Garrett | QB | Cleveland Browns | Stanford |
| 1953 | NFL | Harry Babcock | E | San Francisco 49ers | Georgia |
| 1952 | NFL | Billy Wade | QB | Los Angeles Rams | Vanderbilt |
| 1951 | NFL | Kyle Rote | E | New York Giants | SMU |
| 1950 | NFL | Leon Hart | E | Detroit Lions | Notre Dame |
| 1949 | NFL | Chuck Bednarik | LB | Philadelphia Eagles | Pennsylvania |
| 1948 | NFL | Harry Gilmer | QB | Washington Redskins | Alabama |
| 1947 | NFL | Bob Fenimore | HB | Chicago Bears | Oklahoma State |
| 1946 | NFL | Boley Dancewicz | QB | Boston Yanks | Notre Dame |
| 1945 | NFL | Charley Trippi | HB | Chicago Cardinals | Georgia |
| 1944 | NFL | Angelo Bertelli | QB | Boston Yanks | Notre Dame |
| 1943 | NFL | Frankie Sinkwich | B | Detroit Lions | Georgia |
| 1942 | NFL | Bill Dudley | HB | Pittsburgh Steelers | Virginia |
| 1941 | NFL | Tom Harmon | HB | Chicago Bears | Michigan |
| 1940 | NFL | George Cafego | FB | Chicago Cardinals | Tennessee |
| 1939 | NFL | Ki Aldrich | C | Chicago Cardinals | TCU |
| 1938 | NFL | Corby Davis | BB | Cleveland Rams | Indiana |
| 1937 | NFL | Sam Francis | FB | Philadelphia Eagles | Nebraska |
| 1936 | NFL | Jay Berwanger | B | Philadelphia Eagles | Chicago |
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