Deepest Drafts in Sports History

There were 22 players selected in the 1988 NBA Draft who played at least a decade in the league. The Clippers selected Kansas’ Danny Manning first overall, but it was Golden State’s Mitch Richmond who won Rookie of the Year and would go on to have the best career. In addition to winning Rookie of the Year, Richmond made six All-Star games and won the 2002 NBA Finals with the Lakers in the last season of his Hall of Fame career.

The 1988 draft was chock full of late round talent, with New York Knick Anthony Mason being selected in the third round. Steve Kerr was drafted 50th overall by the Suns before helping the Chicago Bulls’ 1996-1998 three-peat, and Vernon Maxwell was taken 47th by Denver before he made his way to the Houston Rockets, helping them win back-to-back titles in 1994 and 1995.

Over a decade after the 2009 NBA Draft, many of its selections are still dominating the league. Third overall pick James Harden has earned seven All-Star nods, two scoring titles, and the 2018 NBA MVP. Seventh pick Steph Curry has won three titles with the Golden State Warriors and two MVPs of his own. Top overall pick Blake Griffin has made six All-Star teams.

Second round picks Danny Green and Patty Mills have gone on to win championships with the Spurs. Several late first round picks like DeMarre Carroll, Wayne Ellington, and Taj Gibson are still playing professionally over a decade after being drafted.

The 2004 NBA Draft had players to meet any need a team had. Top overall pick Dwight Howard is still a physically dominant center, J.R. Smith and Jameer Nelson came into the league as 3-point sharpshooters, and Luol Deng and Tony Allen served as defensive stalwarts.

Two 2004 draftees — Andre Iguodala and Shaun Livingston — would team up to be key players off the bench for the recent Warriors dynasty that won three titles and made five Finals appearances in five seasons. Among the many players who lasted over a decade in the NBA, Beno Udrih and Trevor Ariza would also go on to help their teams, the Spurs and Lakers respectively, win championships.

The 2005 NBA Draft was loaded with quality players from top to bottom. Each of the top eight picks played at least a decade in the NBA. Nine-time All-Star Chris Paul has separated himself as the top player in the draft, but Andrew Bogut, Deron Williams, Raymond Felton, and Marvin Williams all put together great careers.

Several second-rounders from 2005 like C.J. Miles, Ersan Ilyasova, and three-time Sixth Man of the Year Lou Williams are still in the NBA as of 2020. Others like Brandon Bass, Monta Ellis, Amir Johnson, and Marcin Gortat all had long productive careers, despite not being high draft picks.

Finding a lot of quality players in the second and final round of the NBA Draft is rare, but finding multiple All-Stars is almost unheard of. Yet that’s what happened in 2008. Goran Dragic, selected 45th overall, has become one of the top-scoring point guards in the NBA, making the 2018 All-Star team. DeAndre Jordan, selected 35th, made the 2017 All-Star team averaging over 12 points and 13 rebounds per game while shooting over 71% from the floor to lead the NBA.

The top of the 2008 draft was stacked as well. Top overall pick Derrick Rose won Rookie of the Year and the 2011 MVP before facing injury issues. Fourth pick Russell Westbrook also won an MVP and fifth pick Kevin Love has made five All-Star teams.

The 1967 MLB Draft featured two catchers who made it to the Hall of Fame — Carlton Fisk and Ted Simmons. Simmons, who was voted in posthumously in 2020, made eight All-Star games as a catcher for the St. Louis Cardinals and Milwaukee Brewers. Fisk caught for the Boston Red Sox and Chicago White Sox for 24 years, making 11 All-Star games. Several other 1967 draftees had great careers, like pitcher and 1971 AL MVP Vida Blue, Gold Glove second baseman Bobby Grich, and Darrell Evans.

The alumni of the 1971 MLB Draft racked up dozens of major awards, honors, and championships. Pitchers Frank Tanana, Ron Guidry, and Steve Rogers all posted the best ERA in their league at least once in their careers. Four different batters from this legendary draft class won MVP as well. Phillies Hall of Famer Mike Schmidt won three MVPs, 10 Gold Gloves, and made 12 All-Star games. Royals legend George Brett, Red Sox Hall of Famer Jim Rice, and 42nd round pick Keith Hernandez each won an MVP as well.

Many of the best players from the 1999 MLB Draft were pitchers who had their best moments in the World Series. John Lackey won titles with the Angels, Red Sox, and Cubs. Josh Beckett and Jake Peavy each won a pair of World Series titles in their careers, and Cy Young winner Barry Zito won a ring with the 2012 San Francisco Giants.

The best batter from the 1999 class is Albert Pujols, who has two titles and three MVPs from his time with the Cardinals. Top overall pick Josh Hamilton’s career was sidetracked by addiction issues, but he eventually came back to baseball, winning the 2010 AL MVP as a Texas Ranger. Other batters drafted in 1999 like Carl Crawford, Shane Victorino, Brandon Phillips and Brian Roberts all made multiple All-Star games during their careers.

One of the best hitters of all time, Tony Gwynn, had to wait until the third round of the 1981 MLB Draft to be selected. In his Hall of Fame career, he won eight batting titles and retired with a career .338 batting average. Though Gwynn never won a World Series, other notable 1981 draftees like Fred McGriff, Devon White, and Lenny Dykstra each took home at least one title. Many of the best pitchers from that year experienced postseason success as well. Sid Fernandez, Frank Viola, and Mark Gubicza all won a championship, while Blue Jays and Yankees pitcher David Cone won five.

Some of the greatest baseball players of all time were drafted in 1985. Second round pick Randy Johnson won five Cy Young awards in his Hall of Fame career, while fellow Hall of Famer John Smoltz wasn’t drafted until the 22nd round. Barry Larkin is, so far, the only batter from the 1985 draft class elected to the Hall of Fame, though the most impactful player drafted that year was Barry Bonds. Bonds won a record seven NL MVPs and racked up 762 home runs in his career — the most all time. Yet he and fellow 1985 draftee Rafael Palmeiro have been kept out of Cooperstown for their links to performance-enhancing drugs.

Two members of the 1990 NHL Draft have already been selected to the Hall of Fame, and Jaromir Jagr will certainly be selected there soon. Jagr played 24 NHL seasons from 1990 to 2018, making eight All-Star teams, winning two Stanley Cups and a Hart Trophy. Perhaps the most decorated member of the 1990 class is Martin Brodeur, who was selected 20th overall. The Devils goalie won three Cups, along with five Jennings and four Vezina Trophies.

Hockey Hall of Famer Sergei Zubov was not selected until the fifth round. He would go on to play 16 seasons and win two Stanley Cups. Other multiple time Cup winners like Sergei Nemchinov and Vyacheslav Kozlov were not selected until later as well.

Though Pavol Demitra and Kimmo Timonen were not selected until the ninth and 10th rounds, respectively, each played 16 seasons in the NHL. Other late round selections like Todd Marchant and Miroslav Satan played well over a decade as well. Though like many drafts, the best players were drafted early. Second pick Chris Pronger and fourth pick Paul Kariya have both been elected to the Hall of Fame. Seventh overall pick Jason Arnott played more games than any other 1993 draftee, at more than 1,200. Arnott won the 2000 Stanley Cup with the New Jersey Devils.

The 1984 NHL Draft had Hall of Fame talent at all levels. As the top overall pick, Mario Lemieux’s legendary Penguins career — three Hart Trophies, two Cups, and nine All-Star selections — was not shocking. But, at the 51st pick, Patrick Roy was only the third goalie selected. Roy racked up four Cups, five Jennings Trophies, and three Vezina Trophies with the Montreal Canadiens and Colorado Avalanche. Hall of Famers Brett Hull and Luc Robitaille were not selected until the sixth and ninth rounds, respectively. Other All-Star players like Gary Suter and Kirk McLean had more than 100 players selected before them as well.

More than 20 players selected in the 2003 NHL Draft are still playing in 2020. It was a terrific draft for goalies — from top overall pick and three-time Cup winner Marc-Andre Fleury to 271st pick and Jennings Trophy winner Jaroslav Halak. Corey Crawford won two Cups with the Blackhawks and two Jennings Trophies, while 291st overall pick and Jennings winner Brian Elliott is still playing as well. There were also a number of terrific defensemen available, like All-Stars Shea Weber and Ryan Suter. Dustin Byfuglien was drafted 245th overall and All-Star center Joe Pavelski was not selected until the 205th pick.

The 1979 NHL Draft was the first of its kind, and also happened to have the most quality players of any draft. There were a staggering 44 players from that draft who played over 500 NHL games. The best of the bunch was eighth pick Ray Bourque. In 22 seasons, Bourque made 19 All-Star teams, winning five Norris Trophies as the NHL’s top defenseman. Other first rounders like Mike Gartner and Michel Goulet made the Hall of Fame too — as did Mark Messier and Glenn Anderson. Messier was taken in the third round and Anderson in the fourth. Those two were teammates on six Stanley Cup-winning teams — five with the Oilers and one with the New York Rangers in 1994.

The three Hall of Famers to come out of the 1984 NFL Draft were actually selected in that year’s supplemental draft: a process earlier generations of college football players had to use to forego NCAA eligibility. Those players — Steve Young, Gary Zimmerman, and Reggie White — were selected first, third, and fourth in the supplemental draft, respectively. The regular draft was full of terrific NFL players too, though. One-time MVP QB Boomer Esiason was selected 38th overall. Third-round guard Guy McIntyre made five Pro Bowls and won three rings with the 49ers. Running back Earnest Byner, now infamous to Browns fans for his 1987 fumble against the Broncos that may have cost the Cleveland a chance at the Super Bowl, was a 10th round draft pick who played for 14 seasons, made two Pro Bowls and won a Super Bowl with the Washington Redskins.

The 1983 NFL Draft was loaded with talent from start to finish. John Elway was taken first overall by the Baltimore Colts, but forced a trade to the Denver Broncos. Elway went on to win two Super Bowls and an MVP in his Hall of Fame career. In Denver, Elway played with 12th round pick Karl Mecklenburg who made six Pro Bowls and three All-Pro first teams in his career. The 1983 draft is remembered for all the great quarterbacks — Hall of Famers like Elway, Jim Kelly, and Dan Marino. Other first rounders like running back Eric Dickerson, guard Bruce Matthews, and defensive back Darrell Green earned a place in Canton, as did eighth-rounder, 203rd overall pick Richard Dent. The defensive end was a key part of the legendary 1985 Bears defense.

The 2006 NFL Draft was a terrific year for teams looking for high-quality players deep into the draft. Receiver Brandon Marshall, tackle Jahri Evans, and defensive tackle Kyle Williams each made six Pro Bowls, despite having over 100 players selected ahead of them. Three-time Pro Bowler Antoine Bethea, who is still active as of the 2019 season, was selected 207th overall. Most of the best players from this draft were linemen — players like Evans, Williams, defensive tackle Haloti Ngata, and tackle Andrew Whitworth.

Dan Fouts was selected in the third round of the 1973 NFL Draft, the 64th overall pick and sixth QB off the board. Fouts led the NFL in pass yards four straight seasons, earning six Pro Bowl nods and a spot in the Hall of Fame. The other Hall of Famers from that class — punter Ray Guy and guards John Hannah and Joe DeLamielleure — were all first round selections. Before his successful media career, Tom Jackson was a linebacker selected by the Denver Broncos 88th overall. He made three Pro Bowls. Larry McCarren and Joe Lavender, who were 12th round selections, each made a pair of Pro Bowls.

No draft has produced as many quality players as the 1993 NFL Draft. Two of the best linemen ever to play were both selected. Willie Roaf, taken eighth overall, made the Pro Bowl 11 of his 13 pro seasons with the Saints and Chiefs. Will Shields was taken 74th by the Chiefs, making the Pro Bowl 12 of 14 seasons. Both are in the Hall of Fame. Michael Strahan also worked his way to the Hall of Fame after being taken 40th, making seven Pro Bowls and setting the single-season sack record in 2001 with 22.5. There were 90 players drafted in 1993 who played in at least 100 career games. There were also plenty of last-round gems, like QBs Trent Green and Elvis Grbac, linebacker Jessie Armstead, cornerback Blaine Bishop, and versatile receiver Troy Brown — all of whom were taken in the eighth and final round of the draft and went on to at least one Pro Bowl.