Each NFL team’s best ever 1st-round draft pick

RB. SMU. Eric Dickerson. '83. player. 51. <p>The Rams, then of Los Angeles, took running back Eric Dickerson at No. 2 overall back in 1983. In case you haven’t noticed, there are a lot of players from 1983 on this list, confirming it’s still the best draft in the history of the NFL. And boy did the Rams get themselves a special player when they took him.</p> <p>At 6’3″, 225 pounds, Dickerson was a big, strong back that ran the 40-yard dash in 4.3 seconds. That’s a rare combination today and it was an even more rare combination back in the 1980s. And to go with it, he had excellent vision to go along with the agility to make a defender miss.</p> <p>But most of the time, Dickerson chose to buck defenders to the turf over trying to shake them. But regardless of how, once he made it past the last man, they weren’t going to catch him unless it was Green of the Redskins. As amazing of a runner as he was, what’s most amazing is how he stayed healthy despite his high running style.</p> <p>That’s how he was able to rush for over 1,600 yards four times and 1,800 three times in his career. He also has the single-season rushing record of 2,105 yards and is No. 7 all time in rushing with 13,259 yards. Dickerson was an All-Pro five times, a Pro Bowler six times and could have done more on the way to the Hall of Fame if he wanted to.</p>