RSS FeedComparison of NFL Team Records and Draft Picks for the Past 10 Years
By Chris Malumphy
Over the past 10 years, the Chiefs have. won nearly three times as many games per draft pick than the Jets using about 1/5 of the draft value expended. While many factors go into forging a successful franchise, making good use of the draft is undoubtedly one of the keys. The table below compares the overall regular-season record of each team with the draft picks each team made and the overall value expended according to draft value chart developed by Jimmy Johnson. Also included are a list of Top Ten picks made by each team.
The Jets aren't the only New Jersey team tarnishing the name of the city and great state of New York. The Giants arguably have had the second worst drafting prowess over the past decade, at least as it has translated into team victories. A good case could be made that the Browns, Panthers and Cardinals should be considered for the honor, although those franchises, as well as those of the Jets and Giants, may have more organizational problems to overcome beyond just the inability to make strong use of their draft picks.
Joining the Chiefs as among the winningest franchises of the past 10 seasons are the Bills, Ravens, Steelers, Seahawks and Eagles, each with over 100 regular season victories. Add in the Packers whose two ties equate to another win in addition to their 99 outright victories. The Chiefs, Bills, Ravens, Eagles and Packers each picked a quality quarterback during the past decade. The Steelers and Seahawks benefitted for a good portion of the past decade from having a quality quarterback drafted prior to the years in this study. Both Pittsburgh and Seattle also had strong coaches and organizations that made solid use of the draft beyond the quarterback position.
Blowing a top ten pick, especially if it is used on a quarterback, can easily set back a franchise for several years. On the other hand, a team can have consistent success even without having a top 10 pick for a very long time, such as the Packers, who haven't had one since 2009. Part of the Packers success may be due having made the most picks (97) during the 2016-2025 timeframe. Amassing picks has been recognized as a sound organizational strategy. The Vikings, Ravens, Patriots, Colts and Seahawks each had 90 or more picks and winning records, except for Indianapolis (which went through the misfortune of an Andrew Luck injury and retirement, an interim coaching disaster, flirting with quarterbacks past their prime and stumbling badly by selecting Anthony Richardson in the top 10).
But teams can get by, at least for a while, without a plethora of picks. The Saints had the fewest picks over the past 10 years (62), yet maintained a winning record over that period, primarily by having a strong coach (Sean Payton) and a great quarterback (Drew Brees) most of that time. Nevertheless, as New Orleans has witnessed, things can catch up with you if you don't keep bringing good young players onto the roster.
Anyway, take a look at how well your favorite team or most disliked rival has done in turning draft picks and draft capital into victories. You may be surprised.
| Comparison of Team Records and Draft Picks for the Past 10 Years | |||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Team | Record | Draft Picks | Total Value | Avg Value | Value Per Win | Wins Per Pick | Top 10 Picks |
| Chiefs | 118-47-0 (0.715) | 70 | 12,065.70 | 172.37 | 102.25 | 1.69 | Patrick Mahomes QB 2017 |
| Bills | 105-59-0 (0.640) | 77 | 15,027.35 | 195.16 | 143.12 | 1.36 | Josh Allen QB 2018: Ed Oliver DT 2019 |
| Ravens | 103-62-0 (0.624) | 93 | 17,193.50 | 184.88 | 166.93 | 1.11 | Ronnie Stanley T 2016 |
| Steelers | 101-62-2 (0.618) | 74 | 14,028.70 | 189.58 | 137.54 | 1.38 | Devin Bush LB 2019 |
| Seahawks | 101-63-1 (0.615) | 90 | 17,308.25 | 192.31 | 170.52 | 1.13 | Charles Cross T 2022: Devon Witherspoon DB 2023 |
| Eagles | 101-63-1 (0.615) | 76 | 17,318.10 | 227.87 | 170.62 | 1.34 | Carson Wentz QB 2016: DeVonta Smith WR 2021: Jalen Carter DT 2023 |
| Packers | 99-64-2 (0.606) | 97 | 17,167.10 | 176.98 | 171.67 | 1.03 | |
| Vikings | 97-67-1 (0.591) | 93 | 14,570.50 | 156.67 | 149.44 | 1.05 | J.J. McCarthy QB 2024 |
| Patriots | 97-68-0 (0.588) | 91 | 17,057.50 | 187.45 | 175.85 | 1.07 | Drake Maye QB 2024: Will Campbell T 2025 |
| Cowboys | 96-68-1 (0.585) | 87 | 16,032.05 | 184.28 | 166.14 | 1.11 | Ezekiel Elliott RB 2016 |
| Rams | 96-69-0 (0.582) | 89 | 10,718.65 | 120.43 | 111.65 | 1.08 | Jared Goff QB 2016 |
| Saints | 92-73-0 (0.558) | 62 | 17,156.30 | 276.71 | 186.48 | 1.48 | Kelvin Banks T 2025 |
| Buccaneers | 85-80-0 (0.515) | 72 | 17,473.65 | 242.69 | 205.57 | 1.18 | Devin White LB 2019 |
| 49ers | 84-81-0 (0.509) | 88 | 20,879.50 | 237.27 | 248.57 | 0.95 | DeForest Buckner DE 2016: Solomon Thomas DE 2017: Mike McGlinchey T 2018: Nick Bosa DE 2019: Trey Lance QB 2021 |
| Chargers | 84-81-0 (0.509) | 77 | 19,615.50 | 254.75 | 233.52 | 1.09 | Joey Bosa DE 2016: Mike Williams WR 2017: Justin Herbert QB 2020: Joe Alt T 2024 |
| Dolphins | 82-83-0 (0.497) | 70 | 18,813.30 | 268.76 | 229.43 | 1.17 | Tua Tagovailoa QB 2020: Jaylen Waddle WR 2021 |
| Lions | 80-83-2 (0.491) | 79 | 23,054.45 | 291.83 | 284.62 | 1.03 | T.J. Hockenson TE 2019: Jeff Okudah DB 2020: Penei Sewell T 2021: Aidan Hutchinson DE 2022 |
| Colts | 78-86-1 (0.476) | 90 | 18,382.10 | 204.25 | 234.17 | 0.87 | Quenton Nelson G 2018: Anthony Richardson QB 2023 |
| Titans | 78-87-0 (0.473) | 74 | 21,690.85 | 293.12 | 278.09 | 1.05 | Jack Conklin T 2016: Corey Davis WR 2017: JC Latham T 2024: Cam Ward QB 2025 |
| Texans | 77-87-1 (0.470) | 74 | 19,331.85 | 261.24 | 249.44 | 1.05 | Derek Stingley DB 2022: C.J. Stroud QB 2023: Will Anderson LB 2023 |
| Broncos | 76-89-0 (0.461) | 80 | 16,358.75 | 204.48 | 215.25 | 0.95 | Bradley Chubb DE 2018: Patrick Surtain DB 2021 |
| Falcons | 76-89-0 (0.461) | 67 | 19,415.50 | 289.78 | 255.47 | 1.13 | Kyle Pitts TE 2021: Drake London WR 2022: Bijan Robinson RB 2023: Michael Penix QB 2024 |
| Bengals | 71-91-2 (0.439) | 86 | 19,565.60 | 227.51 | 271.74 | 0.84 | John Ross WR 2017: Joe Burrow QB 2020: Ja'Marr Chase WR 2021 |
| Commanders | 68-95-2 (0.418) | 82 | 20,462.30 | 249.54 | 296.56 | 0.84 | Adonis Alexander DB 2018s: Chase Young DE 2020 |
| Raiders | 68-97-0 (0.412) | 82 | 20,902.90 | 254.91 | 307.40 | 0.83 | Clelin Ferrell DE 2019: Tyree Wilson DE 2023: Ashton Jeanty RB 2025 |
| Bears | 68-97-0 (0.412) | 74 | 21,676.55 | 292.93 | 318.77 | 0.92 | Leonard Floyd LB 2016: Mitchell Trubisky QB 2017: Roquan Smith LB 2018: Darnell Wright T 2023: Caleb Williams QB 2024: Rome Odunze WR 2024: Colston Loveland TE 2025 |
| Jaguars | 63-102-0 (0.382) | 87 | 27,372.15 | 314.62 | 434.48 | 0.72 | Jalen Ramsey DB 2016: Leonard Fournette RB 2017: Josh Allen LB 2019: CJ Henderson DB 2020: Trevor Lawrence QB 2021: Travon Walker DE 2022: Travis Hunter WR 2025 |
| Cardinals | 61-102-2 (0.376) | 79 | 21,082.65 | 266.87 | 340.04 | 0.78 | Josh Rosen QB 2018: Kyler Murray QB 2019: Jalen Thompson DB 2019s: Isaiah Simmons LB 2020: Paris Johnson T 2023: Marvin Harrison WR 2024 |
| Panthers | 61-104-0 (0.370) | 71 | 20,585.60 | 289.94 | 337.47 | 0.86 | Christian McCaffrey RB 2017: Derrick Brown DT 2020: Jaycee Horn DB 2021: Ikem Ekwonu T 2022: Bryce Young QB 2023: Tetairoa McMillan WR 2025 |
| Browns | 59-105-1 (0.361) | 84 | 23,432.50 | 278.96 | 393.82 | 0.71 | Myles Garrett DE 2017: Baker Mayfield QB 2018: Denzel Ward DB 2018: Jedrick Wills T 2020: Mason Graham DT 2025 |
| Giants | 55-109-1 (0.336) | 75 | 26,263.95 | 350.19 | 473.22 | 0.74 | Eli Apple DB 2016: Saquon Barkley RB 2018: Sam Beal DB 2018s: Daniel Jones QB 2019: Andrew Thomas T 2020: Kayvon Thibodeaux DE 2022: Evan Neal T 2022: Malik Nabers WR 2024: Abdul Carter DE 2025 |
| Jets | 49-116-0 (0.297) | 75 | 26,043.55 | 347.25 | 531.50 | 0.65 | Jamal Adams DB 2017: Sam Darnold QB 2018: Quinnen Williams DT 2019: Zach Wilson QB 2021: Sauce Gardner DB 2022: Garrett Wilson WR 2022: Armand Membou T 2025 |
| Ties are counted as 0.5 wins | |||||||
