Ranking the first overall picks in the NFL Draft since 2010

4 - 2012 - Andrew Luck, QB, Indianapolis Colts

Andrew Luck was terribly unfortunate with injuries.

Almost nobody can look at Andrew Luck's NFL career without an element of regret.

Luck was the generational quarterback prospect that the 2012 NFL Draft needed, and he was the best to emerge since Peyton Manning.

Ironically, the Indianapolis Colts would select Luck with the first overall pick in 2012 to replace Manning, who would leave for Denver after neck surgery.

Colts fans relished every defeat in 2011, knowing it would put them in a strong position to draft Luck. Yet, the night of the 2012 NFL Draft was where Luck’s luck peaked.

His first three seasons in the NFL were magnificent, as he transformed the Colts back into annual contenders for the Super Bowl.

He was named to the Pro Bowl in every single one of his first three seasons, throwing for 4,374 yards, 3,822 yards and 4,761 yards, respectively. A league-leading 40 touchdown passes in the 2014 NFL season saw Luck rated as one of the best quarterbacks in the league, and then it all fell apart.

In his first three years, Luck didn’t miss a single game. However, the poor offensive line in front of him saw him sacked 100 times across three seasons, and the physical toll would catch up to him.

In 2015, Luck started just seven games before tearing his shoulder labrum against the Titans.

The damage from his first three years in the NFL was said to be so severe that his surgeon compared it to that of a car crash victim. A lacerated kidney would also complicate his return.

He would indeed return and play 15 games in 2016, before missing the entire 2017 season with more shoulder discomfort.

Luck played 16 games in 2018, but the damage was done. His play had been consistently excellent, but he decided that at age 29, he was retiring, with his body unable to put up with the physical damage football had inflicted on it.

Luck was on course to be a guaranteed Hall of Famer, and only his early retirement has prevented him from being ranked higher here.

3 - 2011 - Cam Newton, QB, Carolina Panthers

Cam Newton has had two spells in Carolina.

Cam Newton was selected first overall by the Carolina Panthers in the 2011 NFL Draft and was an instant hit. His brave, mobile style of play saw him earn plaudits and turn the Panthers into an exceptional team.

In 2015, Newton would win the NFL MVP award for his 3,837 passing yards and 35 passing touchdowns, as the Panthers recorded a 15-1 season.

He would lead the team to the Super Bowl, where they would fall short against a dominant Denver Broncos defense.

The Super Bowl defeat would have a lasting impact on Newton as he saw his level of production drop. A Lisfranc fracture ended his Panthers career, limiting him to just two starts in 2019.

Newton had an okay year with the New England Patriots in 2020, before re-joining the Panthers as a backup in 2021.

He is currently a free agent, but his performances in his earlier years were so good that he is one of the better NFL Draft selections of the last decade.