The Best NFL Draft Pick by Your Team

ESPN Insider had a great idea leading up to the draft. Team by team they put the top 10 draft choices in the history of the franchise. One thing that I didn't like was that they put draft picks like John Elway on the top 10 for the Colts or Brett Favre for the Falcons. Starting today up until the Draft next Saturday here at The Nutz, I will be listing the best picks by a franchise in their history. But it'll be a little more insightful. My criteria is as follows: value at pick, value for the franchise as a whole, overall success by the player, and what he meant to the team during his career. I will go division by division. Hope you enjoy and if you think that I am wrong in anyway...you know what you can do!

AFC East

Buffalo Bills- Thurman Thomas 1988 Rd. 2 Pick 40

For 12 seasons Thomas was the face of a franchise that owned the AFC during the early 90s which led to 4 straight Super Bowl appearances. He led the league in total yards for 4 consecutive seasons, a Pro-Bowler 5 times, 1991 League MVP, and a spot on the NFL's All-Decade team of the 90s. Thomas finished his career with the Bills as the all-time leading rusher.

Miami Dolphins- Dan Marino 1983 Rd. 1 Pick 27

Even though he was the last of the great quarterbacks drafted in the '83 draft, he was definitely the most important. Marino had held or holds almost every single NFL passing record. Even though he never won a Super Bowl, Marino was the major reason for the success of the franchise during his time there. Marino was a 9-time Pro-Bowler and NFL MVP in 1984. How much did Marino mean to the Dolphins? Well, he has a bronze statue of himself outside Dolphin Stadium, and the city of Miami renamed the street the Stadium is on from Stadium Street to Dan Marino Blvd.

New England Patroits- Tom Brady 2000 Rd. 6 Pick 199

This really wasn't a difficult choice. It is one thing for a drafted player in the 6th round become a Pro-Bowler, it's another for that player to lead their team to 3 Super Bowls wins. At the age of 31, he is already regarded as one of the best quarterbacks in the history of the game, with a NFL MVP in 2007, two Super Bowl MVPs, and Sporting New's Sportsman of the Year 2005. I can't think of a late round draft choice that has meant more to his team than Brady.

New York Jets- Mark Gastineau 1979 Rd.2 Pick 41

Regarded as one of the best defensive linemen in the history of the game. For ten seasons he was the face of the Jets defense which led to 5 Pro-Bowls, a NFL Defensive Player of the Year Award in 1982, and in 1984 he recorded at that time 22 sacks in a single season which was a NFL record. His shocking retirement after only ten seasons was hard for Jets fans to swallow, but he left the game as the all-time sack leader and his #99 will always be remembered in New York.