Every NFL team's best draft pick of all-time

Every NFL team’s best draft pick of all-time

FOXBORO, MA - JANUARY 16: Tom Brady #12 of the New England Patriots gestures after a play in the fourth quarter against the Kansas City Chiefs during the AFC Divisional Playoff Game at Gillette Stadium on January 16, 2016 in Foxboro, Massachusetts. (Photo by Maddie Meyer/Getty Images) /

23 of 33

EAST RUTHERFORD, NJ – NOVEMBER 03: (NEW YORK DAILIES OUT) Hall of Famers Lawrence Taylor (L) and Harry Carson talk during a halftime ceremony of a game between the New York Giants and the Indianapolis Colts on November 3, 2014 at MetLife Stadium in East Rutherford, New Jersey. The Colts defeated the Giants 40-24. (Photo by Jim McIsaac/Getty Images) /

New York Giants – Lawrence Taylor (No. 2 pick, 1981)

Okay, okay, it probably was not terribly difficult to select Lawrence Taylor with the number two overall pick in the 1981 NFL Draft. Taylor was a dominant force during his time at North Carolina and the great majority of NFL franchises would have loved to acquire him on draft day. Still, the Giants pulled the trigger and they get credit for doing just that.

Many folks in the football world consider Taylor to be the most dominant defensive player in the history of the league and, for my money, he is the best player to ever wear a New York Giants uniform. Taylor hasn’t always been a model citizen off the field, but he helped to secure two Super Bowl titles for the organization, and the numbers speak for themselves.

Taylor was named as a first team All-Pro on eight (!) occasions and he landed in the Pro Bowl ten times. He was elected to the Pro Football Hall of Fame in 1999, and upon his retirement, he was the league’s all-time sack leader with 132.5 sacks over the course of 13 years. It is difficult to come up with an accurate description of just how terrifying Taylor was to the opposition on the field, but Giants fans undoubtedly remember his overall persona and greatness.

Next: New York Jets

Home/Arizona Cardinals