Fansided

Each NFL team’s best draft pick of the last decade

By Mike Phillips

Julio Jones, Atlanta Falcons. (Photo by Michael Reaves/Getty Images)
Julio Jones, Atlanta Falcons. (Photo by Michael Reaves/Getty Images) /
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CARSON, CA – DECEMBER 15: Harrison Smith #22 of the Minnesota Vikings in action during the game against the Los Angeles Chargers at Dignity Health Sports Park on December 15, 2019, in Carson, California. The Vikings defeated the Chargers 39-10. (Photo by Rob Leiter via Getty Images)
CARSON, CA – DECEMBER 15: Harrison Smith #22 of the Minnesota Vikings in action during the game against the Los Angeles Chargers at Dignity Health Sports Park on December 15, 2019, in Carson, California. The Vikings defeated the Chargers 39-10. (Photo by Rob Leiter via Getty Images) /

Minnesota Vikings: S Harrison Smith (2012 1st Round, No. 29)

Safety isn’t valued in the NFL unless you find a really good one, which the Vikings did when they drafted Harrison Smith. The 29th-overall pick in the 2012 NFL Draft, Smith has become the leader of the Vikings’ secondary thanks to some outstanding play over the past eight years. Smith has made the Pro Bowl in five consecutive years and has picked up a pair of All-Pro honors.

New England Patriots: TE Rob Gronkowski (2010 2nd Round, No. 42)

This was a no-brainer as the New England Patriots drafted a tight end who re-defined how the position is played in the NFL.

Rob Gronkowski became a game-breaking weapon due to his ability to be a matchup problem, someone who was too quick for linebackers to cover and too big for safeties to handle one-on-one. Injuries took a toll on Gronk towards the end of his Patriots’ tenure and it will be interesting to see what a year off does for him with Tom Brady in Tampa Bay.

New Orleans Saints: WR Michael Thomas (2016 2nd Round, No. 47)

Corey Coleman, Will Fuller, Josh Doctson, LaQuon Treadwell and Sterling Shepard were all drafted ahead of Michael Thomas in the 2016 NFL Draft. The New Orleans Saints have benefitted from the failures of the other teams in football to recognize a wide receiver who is on his way to being the best in football.

Thomas has led the NFL in receptions in each of the last two seasons, snagging a record-setting 149 receptions in 2019 on his way to the NFL’s Offensive Player of the Year award.

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