Ranking the 10 biggest NFL Draft shocks 

2. John Elway refuses to play for the Baltimore Colts

John Elway threatened to join Major League Baseball over the Baltimore Colts

The Baltimore Colts held the first overall pick in the 1983 NFL Draft, and the standout prospect in that class was the prodigious quarterback, John Elway.

What preceded the draft was a long period of speculation that Elway would refuse to play for the Colts if they drafted him.

The makeup of the NFL Draft was different back in 1983, yet Elway was able to virtually say, for months, that he didn’t want to play in Baltimore, although never giving a reason. Instead, he threatened to head to Major League Baseball where he was drafted by the New York Yankees.

Elway’s father tried to orchestrate a trade with the Colts prior to the draft, with Elway wanting to play on the West Coast. This didn’t happen, and the Colts ended up drafting Elway with the first overall pick.

“John will never play for Irsay or Coach Kush,” declared Jack Elway Sr at a press conference held on draft day.

“Right now it looks like I’ll be playing baseball with the Yankees,” John Elway himself added.

The story, however, didn’t end there, and six days after he was drafted by Baltimore, Elway was traded to the Denver Broncos, where he would become a Hall of Fame quarterback, winning two Super Bowls.

1. Mike Ditka’s Ricky Williams trade

Ricky Williams became the apple of Mike Ditka's eye

While it is somewhat tempting to put Kevin Costner’s incredible draft day trade for the fictional Cleveland Browns here, there is no competition for the most shocking moment in NFL Draft history.

Mike Ditka’s coaching record is historic, as was his success with the Chicago Bears. However, it is impossible to remember the flamboyant character without pointing to the biggest trade in NFL history, which he instigated.

Ricky Williams was a phenomenal running back for the Texas Longhorns, winning the Heisman Trophy in 1998 and setting the National Collegiate Athletic Association record for rushing yards.

He was set to be the darling of the 1999 NFL Draft, and Ditka fell in love with his talent, to the degree he bet the entire farm, and more, to bring him to New Orleans.

Ditka felt Williams was the second coming of Walter Payton, although other teams had doubts over his professionalism and commitment to the sport.

The Saints were positioned 12th in the NFL Draft order and had little to no leverage in the trade market, especially after Ditka publicly claimed he would trade his entire draft for Williams at the owners' meeting.

After initially offering a bundle of picks to the Bengals, the Saints were eventually able to move up to fifth overall after executing a trade with Washington.

It was an explosive moment, with Washington receiving the 12th overall pick in the 1999 NFL Draft, the third, fourth, fifth, sixth and seventh round picks in the same year.

This wasn’t all as the Saints also gave up their first and third-round picks in the 2000 NFL Draft.

It was a huge deal, with stakes never before seen being offered up by the Saints, and upon announcement, it was the most shocking NFL Draft moment ever recorded, although only slightly more eye-catching than the wedding-themed ESPN Magazine cover featuring both Ditka and Williams.