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Which team had NFL’s best-ever draft?

By Clark Judge Talk Of Fame

April 27, 2023 12:00 AM

Five classes were under consideration. The verdict was nearly unanimous.

Each week the Talk of Fame Two entertains three-to-five historians or media members and asks them to answer the Question du Jour. After hearing from them, a judge – in this case, Hall-of-Fame voter Clark Judge -- renders a verdict based on their testimony. Today we consult four Hall-of-Fame voters and former league executive Upton Bell to decide which of five NFL drafts they consider the best ever. Bell’s inclusion is not by accident. It was his father, former NFL commissioner Bert Bell, who founded the league draft. So, in his honor, we ask the following question:

Q: Which of the following teams had the best-ever NFL draft: The 1958 Green Bay Packers, 1974 Pittsburgh Steelers, 1983 Chicago Bears, 1986 San Francisco 49ers or 1991 Dallas Cowboys?

THE JURY

JOHN McCLAIN, Hall-of-Fame voter, Houston

“The 1974 Steelers had the greatest draft in history. Four members of the Pro Football Hall of Fame – Lynn Swann, Jack Lambert, John Stallworth and Mike Webster – were drafted in the first five rounds. Chuck Noll also signed Donnie Shell as an undrafted free agent, and he’s in Canton, too. They helped the Steelers win four Super Bowls in six years.”

NICK CANEPA, former Hall of Fame voter, San Diego

“I have to go with the ’74 Steelers. Hall of Famers. Super Bowls. Great locker rooms. But I’d like to throw in the 1975 Chargers’ draft, orchestrated by Tommy Prothro: DT Gary Johnson (11 years in the league); CB Mike Williams (9); DT Louie Kelcher (10); DE Fred Dean (11, Hall of Fame); S Mike Fuller (9); OT Billy Shields (11) and RB Rickey Young (traded to Minnesota for G Ed White).”

IRA KAUFMAN, Hall of Fame voter, Tampa

“You can’t beat the 1974 Steelers for impact as four Hall of Famers were selected to forge the core of the decade’s premier franchise. Lynn Swann, Jack Lambert, John Stallworth and Mike Webster were key contributors on four Super Bowl championship teams that went 67-20-1 from 1974-79. One stellar draft class overlooked was the 1981 Redskins, with Hall-of-Fame GM Bobby Beathard selecting Mark May, Hall-of-Famer Russ Grimm, Dexter Manley, Charlie Brown, Darryl Grant and Clint Didier. That’s six players who played prominent roles on the 1982 championship team and the ’83 club that returned to the Super Bowl. Brown was the only one of the group who wasn’t on the 1987 Super Bowl winner.

UPTON BELL, former NFL executive

“Having seen all the drafts since 1946, I think it’s a tie between the ’63 Bears and ’74 Steelers ... with the edge to the Bears. People forget that Gale Sayers and Dick Butkus, two of the greatest to ever play the game, were in that Bears’ class. They walked with the gods.”

BARRY WILNER, at-large Hall-of-Fame voter

“Separating five monster classes like these is nearly impossible. So I had to come up with some sort of tiebreaker, and I went with the number of Hall of Famers in each of these drafts. The 1974 Steelers jump to the top, even though this is one of several classes that built their 1970s’ dynasty many consider the best in NFL history. Take a look at the haul that Art Rooney Jr. and his personnel staff made in 1969-71, too. While rookies Lynn Swann and Mike Webster weren’t major contributors to the first two Steelers’ titles – Lambert was AP Defensive Rookie of the Year – all four became irreplaceable the rest of the decade and beyond. The Packers had three Hall of Famers in Jim Taylor, Ray Nitschke and Jerry Kramer. San Francisco had Charles Haley, who did much of his Canton-worthy work for Dallas, and Chicago had Richard Dent. The Cowboys, who had the deepest of these classes, had no Hall of Famers.”

THE VERDICT

This should have been closer than it was. The 1958 Green Bay Packers included three Hall of Famers in the first four rounds (Jim Taylor, Ray Nitschke and Jerry Kramer), as well as linebacker Dan Currie and sixth-round choice Ken Gray, who went on to become a seven-time All-Pro with the Cards. Then there’s the ‘86 49ers with eight starters, including one Hall of Famer (Charles Haley), in the first six rounds.

Nevertheless, I’m with the jury. The 1974 Steelers are the gold standard. Four of their first five picks were Hall of Famers, with two (Webster and Greene) considered among the best ever at their positions. That’s a tough hill to climb.

Case closed. The ’74 Steelers it is.

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This story was originally published April 27, 2023 at 12:00 AM with the headline "Which team had NFL’s best-ever draft?."