ESPN’s Mel Kiper Jr. recently ranked every No. 1 Draft pick since 1979 and put them into eight different tiers.
ESPN’s Mel Kiper Jr. did something really cool recently, and it illustrates just how long he has been the face of the NFL Draft.
Kiper recently ranked every No. 1 overall draft pick over the last 46 drafts and put them into eight different tiers. The Bengals have two players drafted No. 1 overall in two different tiers on the list: Joe Burrow (2020) and Carson Palmer (2003).
Burrow was the third-ranked player in the tier “The True Stars” behind only Matthew Stafford and Myles Garrett.
Kiper wrote the following about Burrow, which combined his pre-draft evaluation and what Burrow has done through four-plus seasons in the NFL:
“Burrow went from fifth- or sixth-rounder to consensus No. 1 overall pick over the course of a tremendous final season at LSU. There were some good quarterbacks in this class, too — Tua Tagovailoa, Justin Herbert, Jordan Love, even Jalen Hurts a little down the board. But Burrow was the guy. He never had an off game in college and was one of the more competitive QB prospects I ever evaluated.
“And Burrow has already done enough to slot in high here, despite just 58 career games to his résumé. His 68.3% completion rate ranks first since 2020, and he brought the Bengals to the Super Bowl in his second season.”
The players below Joe Burrow in “The True Stars” tier are Andrew Luck, Cam Newton, Mike Vick, Drew Bledsoe, Billy Sims, Jared Goff, and Mario Williams.
Palmer was the third-ranked player in “The Solid Starters” tier, behind only Jake Long and Irving Fryar.
Kiper wrote the following on Palmer:
“If you had to create the perfect NFL pocket passer prospect, it would be Palmer. He had Aikman-esque arm strength, underrated mobility, physicality and really no red flags in his evaluation. I noted in my report that year that Palmer produced despite a tough schedule at USC; the Trojans played 11 bowl-caliber teams in his last season there. He became a solid starter in the pros, even throwing 32 touchdowns in his second season.”
The players below Palmer on the list include Keyshawn Johnson, Russell Maryland, Kyler Murray, and George Rogers.
Palmer and Burrow both won the Heisman Trophy in their final college seasons, and they both led the Bengals to AFC North titles in their second seasons as the Bengals starting quarterback. Had it not been for a knee injury sustained on the Bengals’ second offensive play in the 2005 Playoffs, Palmer may very well have led the Bengals to Super Bowl XL.
