The cards will be turned in, the names will be called, the bro-hugs will play out on TV. Immediately afterward, the report cards will be handed out and the projections will start to roll in.
But once we get even a few years into the future beyond the 2023 NFL draft, how many of the names we’re obsessing over right now will still be considered stars? Of the 259 college prospects about to have their lives changed, how many will go on to achieve real superstar status?
Not many.
Sports Illustrated narrowed down the 20 best draft picks of the past 10 years. Any team, any position, any round.
Only two of the players listed as the best of the best were top-three selections, suggesting that maybe the difference between the choices now facing Carolina and Indianapolis aren’t as life-or-death as they feel to their front offices and fans. What’s more, six of the 20 weren’t even first-rounders, meaning that greatness can be found all draft weekend long.
The Cowboys, traditionally an excellent drafting team, has two recent picks on the list, one infamous missed opportunity, and another ex-playmaker landing a perhaps controversial honorable mention.