The NFL Draft, or the “Player Selection Meeting,” is an annual event in which National Football League (NFL) teams select eligible college football players to join their respective rosters. It was first held in 1936 and has been a significant event in American football ever since.

Before the draft was established, teams in the NFL used to sign players from colleges directly, leading to a competition for the best talent. As a result, the weaker teams were unable to get the best players, making the league less competitive overall. To address this issue, the NFL introduced the draft system as a more equitable way of distributing talent among the teams.

Here are the top 10 greatest drafts by a single team in the history of the NFL:

1. 1974 Pittsburgh Steelers:
Lynn Swann (WR): 4x Super Bowl champion, Super Bowl X MVP, 3x Pro Bowl, Hall of Fame
Jack Lambert (LB): 4x Super Bowl champion, 9x Pro Bowl, 1976 Defensive Player of the Year, Hall of Fame
John Stallworth (WR): 4x Super Bowl champion, 3x Pro Bowl, Hall of Fame
Mike Webster (C): 4x Super Bowl champion, 9x Pro Bowl, Hall of Fame

2. 1985 Buffalo Bills:
Bruce Smith (DE): 11x Pro Bowl, 8x First-team All-Pro, 2x Defensive Player of the Year, Hall of Fame
Andre Reed (WR): 7x Pro Bowl, 4x AFC champion, Hall of Fame
Frank Reich (QB): Longtime backup QB, led the “Greatest Comeback” in NFL history, later became a successful NFL coach

3. 1989 Dallas Cowboys:
Troy Aikman (QB): 3x Super Bowl champion, Super Bowl XXVII MVP, 6x Pro Bowl, Hall of Fame
Daryl Johnston (FB): 3x Super Bowl champion, 2x Pro Bowl
Mark Stepnoski (C): 3x Super Bowl champion, 5x Pro Bowl
Tony Tolbert (DE): 3x Super Bowl champion, Pro Bowl

4. 1995 Tampa Bay Buccaneers:
Warren Sapp (DT): Super Bowl XXXVII champion, 7x Pro Bowl, 4x First-team All-Pro, 1999 Defensive Player of the Year, Hall of Fame
Derrick Brooks (LB): Super Bowl XXXVII champion, 11x Pro Bowl, 5x First-team All-Pro, 2002 Defensive Player of the Year, Hall of Fame

5. 1996 Baltimore Ravens:
Jonathan Ogden (OT): Super Bowl XXXV champion, 11x Pro Bowl, 4x First-team All-Pro, Hall of Fame
Ray Lewis (LB): 2x Super Bowl champion, Super Bowl XXXV MVP, 13x Pro Bowl, 7x First-team All-Pro, 2x Defensive Player of the Year, Hall of Fame

6. 2001 San Diego Chargers:
LaDainian Tomlinson (RB): 5x Pro Bowl, 3x First-team All-Pro, 2006 MVP, Hall of Fame
Drew Brees (QB): Super Bowl XLIV champion, Super Bowl XLIV MVP, 13x Pro Bowl, 5x passing yards leader, Hall of Fame (eligible)

7. 2004 Arizona Cardinals:
Larry Fitzgerald (WR): 11x Pro Bowl, 2x First-team All-Pro, Walter Payton Man of the Year (2016)
Karlos Dansby (LB): 3x Second-team All-Pro, 43 career sacks, 20 interceptions
Darnell Dockett (DT): 3x Pro Bowl

8. 2010 Seattle Seahawks:
Russell Okung (OT): 2x Pro Bowl
Earl Thomas (S): Super Bowl XLVIII champion, 7x Pro Bowl, 3x First-team All-Pro
Golden Tate (WR): Super Bowl XLVIII champion, 2x Pro Bowl
Kam Chancellor (S): Super Bowl XLVIII champion, 4x Pro Bowl, 2x Second-team All-Pro

9. 1971 Miami Dolphins:
Jim Langer (C): 2x Super Bowl champion, 6x Pro Bowl, 4x First-team All-Pro, Hall of Fame
Manny Fernandez (DT): 2x Super Bowl champion, 2x First-team All-AFC
Vern Den Herder (DE): 2x Super Bowl champion, Pro Bowl, First-team All-Pro
Jake Scott (S): 2x Super Bowl champion, Super Bowl VII MVP, 5x Pro Bowl, 2x First-team All-Pro

10. 2000 New England Patriots:
Tom Brady (QB): 7x Super Bowl champion, 5x Super Bowl MVP, 14x Pro Bowl, 3x First-team All-Pro, 3x NFL MVP, Hall of Fame (eligible)
Adrian Klemm (OT): Super Bowl XXXVI champion
Greg Randall (OT): Super Bowl XXXVI champion
David Nugent (DT): Super Bowl XXXVI champion