The 2025 NFL Draft marks the 90th time teams will gather to shape their futures by selecting top college talent. Ever wonder who’s had the honor of being the No. 1 overall pick each year, going all the way back to 1936? Keep reading for a complete list of all first overall picks in NFL draft history:
NFL Draft First Overall Picks
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- 2020: Joe Burrow (LSU) – Cincinnati Bengals
- 2019: Kyler Murray (Oklahoma) – Arizona Cardinals
- 2018: Baker Mayfield (Oklahoma) – Cleveland Browns
- 2017: Myles Garrett (Texas A&M) – Cleveland Browns
- 2016: Jared Goff (California) – Los Angeles Rams
- 2015: Jameis Winston (Florida State) – Tampa Bay Buccaneers
- 2014: Jadeveon Clowney (South Carolina) – Houston Texans
- 2013: Eric Fisher (Central Michigan) – Kansas City Chiefs
- 2012: Andrew Luck (Stanford) – Indianapolis Colts
- 2011: Cam Newton (Auburn) – Carolina Panthers
- 2010: Sam Bradford (Oklahoma) – St. Louis Rams
- 2009: Matthew Stafford (Georgia) – Detroit Lions
- 2008: Jake Long (Michigan) – Miami Dolphins
- 2007: JaMarcus Russell (LSU) – Oakland Raiders
- 2006: Mario Williams (North Carolina State) – Houston Texans
- 2005: Alex Smith (Utah) – San Francisco 49ers
- 2004: Eli Manning (Mississippi) – San Diego Chargers
- 2003: Carson Palmer (USC) – Cincinnati Bengals
- 2002: David Carr (Fresno State) – Houston Texans
- 2001: Michael Vick (Virginia Tech) – Atlanta Falcons
- 2000: Courtney Brown (Penn State) – Cleveland Browns
- 1999: Tim Couch (Kentucky) – Cleveland Browns
- 1998: Peyton Manning (Tennessee) – Indianapolis Colts
- 1997: Orlando Pace (Ohio State) – St. Louis Rams
- 1996: Keyshawn Johnson (USC) – New York Jets
- 1995: Ki-Jana Carter (Penn State) – Cincinnati Bengals
- 1994: Dan Wilkinson (Ohio State) – Cincinnati Bengals
- 1993: Drew Bledsoe (Washington State) – New England Patriots
- 1992: Steve Emtman (Washington) – Indianapolis Colts
- 1991: Russell Maryland (Miami (FL)) – Dallas Cowboys
- 1990: Jeff George (Illinois) – Indianapolis Colts
- 1989: Troy Aikman (UCLA) – Dallas Cowboys
- 1988: Aundray Bruce (Auburn) – Atlanta Falcons
- 1987: Vinny Testaverde (Miami (FL)) – Tampa Bay Buccaneers
- 1986: Bo Jackson (Auburn) – Tampa Bay Buccaneers
- 1985: Bruce Smith (Virginia Tech) – Buffalo Bills
- 1984: Irving Fryar (Nebraska) – New England Patriots
- 1983: John Elway (Stanford) – Baltimore Colts
- 1982: Kenneth Sims (Texas) – New England Patriots
- 1981: George Rogers (South Carolina) – New Orleans Saints
- 1980: Billy Sims (Oklahoma) – Detroit Lions
- 1979: Tom Cousineau (Ohio State) – Buffalo Bills
- 1978: Earl Campbell (Texas) – Houston Oilers
- 1977: Ricky Bell (USC) – Tampa Bay Buccaneers
- 1976: Lee Roy Selmon (Oklahoma) – Tampa Bay Buccaneers
- 1975: Steve Bartkowski (California) – Atlanta Falcons
- 1974: Ed Jones (Tennessee State) – Dallas Cowboys
- 1973: John Matuszak (Tampa) – Houston Oilers
- 1972: Walt Patulski (Notre Dame) – Buffalo Bills
- 1971: Jim Plunkett (Stanford) – New England Patriots
- 1970: Terry Bradshaw (Louisiana Tech) – Pittsburgh Steelers
- 1969: O.J. Simpson (USC) – Buffalo Bills
- 1968: Ron Yary (USC) – Minnesota Vikings
- 1967: Bubba Smith (Michigan State) – Baltimore Colts
- 1966: Tommy Nobis (Texas) – Atlanta Falcons
- 1965: Tucker Frederickson (Auburn) – New York Giants
- 1964: Dave Parks (Texas Tech) – San Francisco 49ers
- 1963: Terry Baker (Oregon State) – Los Angeles Rams
- 1962: Ernie Davis (Syracuse) – Washington Redskins
- 1961: Tommy Mason (Tulane) – Minnesota Vikings
- 1960: Billy Cannon (LSU) – Los Angeles Rams
- 1959: Randy Duncan (Iowa) – Green Bay Packers
- 1958: King Hill (Rice) – Chicago Cardinals
- 1957: Paul Hornung (Notre Dame) – Green Bay Packers
- 1956: Gary Glick (Colorado A&M) – Pittsburgh Steelers
- 1955: George Shaw (Oregon) – Baltimore Colts
- 1954: Bobby Garrett (Stanford) – Cleveland Browns
- 1953: Harry Babcock (Georgia) – San Francisco 49ers
- 1952: Bill Wade (Vanderbilt) – Los Angeles Rams
- 1951: Kyle Rote (SMU) – New York Giants
- 1950: Leon Hart (Notre Dame) – Detroit Lions
- 1949: Chuck Bednarik (Penn) – Philadelphia Eagles
- 1948: Harry Gilmer (Alabama) – Washington Redskins
- 1947: Bob Fenimore (Oklahoma A&M) – Chicago Bears
- 1946: Frank Dancewicz (Notre Dame) – Boston Yanks
- 1945: Charley Trippi (Georgia) – Chicago Cardinals
- 1944: Angelo Bertelli (Notre Dame) – Boston Yanks
- 1943: Frank Sinkwich (Georgia) – Detroit Lions
- 1942: Bill Dudley (Virginia) – Pittsburgh Steelers
- 1941: Tom Harmon (Michigan) – Chicago Bears
- 1940: George Cafego (Tennessee) – Chicago Cardinals
- 1939: Ki Aldrich (TCU) – Chicago Cardinals
- 1938: Corbett Davis (Indiana) – Cleveland Rams
- 1937: Sam Francis (Nebraska) – Philadelphia Eagles
- 1936: Jay Berwanger (University of Chicago) – Philadelphia Eagles
When is the NFL Draft?
The 2025 NFL Draft will take place from Thursday, April 24 through Saturday, April 26. The first round of the draft starts on Thursday at 8 p.m. ET. Rounds two and three start on Friday at 7 p.m. ET. Rounds four through seven start on Saturday at 12 p.m. ET.
Who has the 1st pick in the 2025 NFL Draft?
The Tennessee Titans hold the 1st overall pick in the draft after a 3-14 season.
The complete draft order can be found here.
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DJ Kamal Mustafa
I’m DJ Kamal Mustafa, the founder and Editor-in-Chief of EMEA Tribune, a digital news platform that focuses on critical stories from Europe, the Middle East, Africa, and Pakistan. With a deep passion for investigative journalism, I’ve built a reputation for delivering exclusive, thought-provoking reports that highlight the region’s most pressing issues.
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