The 2021 NFL Draft begins April 29. NFL Draft odds have Clemson quarterback Trevor Lawrence as the overwhelming favorite to be selected No. 1 overall. Lawrence is considered a franchise-changing QB.
While having the No. 1 pick means you’re coming off a miserable season (unless you traded up), it also gives your organization and its fanbase some optimism.
This year’s team with that kind of optimism is Jacksonville. For the first time in franchise history, the Jaguars have the top pick.
Check out the list below for which teams have had the No. 1 pick since the AFL-NFL merger in 1966.
Most No. 1 Overall Draft Picks by Franchise
From 1967 (post-AFL-NFL merger) to 2021.
| Team | # |
| *Baltimore/Indianapolis Colts | 6 |
| Tampa Bay Buccaneers | 5 |
| Buffalo Bills | 4 |
| Cincinnati Bengals | 4 |
| Cleveland Browns | 4 |
| New England Patriots | 4 |
| Atlanta Falcons | 3 |
| Dallas Cowboys | 3 |
| Houston Texans | 3 |
| *St. Louis/Los Angeles Rams | 3 |
| Detroit Lions | 2 |
| *Houston Oilers | 2 |
| Arizona Cardinals | 1 |
| Jacksonville Jaguars | 1 |
| Kansas City Chiefs | 1 |
| Miami Dolphins | 1 |
| Minnesota Vikings | 1 |
| New Orleans Saints | 1 |
| New York Jets | 1 |
| Oakland Raiders | 1 |
| Pittsburgh Steelers | 1 |
| *San Diego Chargers | 1 |
| San Francisco 49ers | 1 |
*NOTES:
- The Colts played in Baltimore from 1953-1984 before moving to Indianapolis.
- The Rams played in LA from 1946-1994, moved to St. Louis from 1995-2015, and then moved back to LA in 2016.
- The Houston Oilers are now known as the Tennessee Titans.
- The San Diego Chargers now play in LA.
No. 1 Draft Picks Since 1967
| Year | Team | Player |
| 1967 | Baltimore Colts | Bubba Smith |
| 1968 | Minnesota Vikings | Ron Yary |
| 1969 | Buffalo Bills | O.J. Simpson |
| 1970 | Pittsburgh Steelers | Terry Bradshaw |
| 1971 | New England Patriots | Jim Plunkett |
| 1972 | Buffalo Bills | Walt Patulski |
| 1973 | Houston Oilers | John Matuszak |
| 1974 | Dallas Cowboys | Ed Jones |
| 1975 | Atlanta Falcons | Steve Bartkowski |
| 1976 | Tampa Bay Buccaneers | Lee Roy Selmon |
| 1977 | Tampa Bay Buccaneers | Ricky Bell |
| 1978 | Houston Oilers | Earl Campbell |
| 1979 | Buffalo Bills | Tom Cousineau |
| 1980 | Detroit Lions | Billy Sims |
| 1981 | New Orleans Saints | George Rogers |
| 1982 | New England Patriots | Kenneth Sims |
| 1983 | Baltimore Colts | John Elway |
| 1984 | New England Patriots | Irving Fryar |
| 1985 | Buffalo Bills | Bruce Smith |
| 1986 | Tampa Bay Buccaneers | Bo Jackson |
| 1987 | Tampa Bay Buccaneers | Vinny Testaverde |
| 1988 | Atlanta Falcons | Aundray Bruce |
| 1989 | Dallas Cowboys | Troy Aikman |
| 1990 | Indianapolis Colts | Jeff George |
| 1991 | Dallas Cowboys | Russell Maryland |
| 1992 | Indianapolis Colts | Steve Emtman |
| 1993 | New England Patriots | Drew Bledsoe |
| 1994 | Cincinnati Bengals | Dan Wilkinson |
| 1995 | Cincinnati Bengals | Ki-Jana Carter |
| 1996 | New York Jets | Keyshawn Johnson |
| 1997 | St. Louis Rams | Orlando Pace |
| 1998 | Indianapolis Colts | Peyton Manning |
| 1999 | Cleveland Browns | Tim Couch |
| 2000 | Cleveland Browns | Courtney Brown |
| 2001 | Atlanta Falcons | Michael Vick |
| 2002 | Houston Texans | David Carr |
| 2003 | Cincinnati Bengals | Carson Palmer |
| 2004 | San Diego Chargers | Eli Manning |
| 2005 | San Francisco 49ers | Alex Smith |
| 2006 | Houston Texans | Mario Williams |
| 2007 | Oakland Raiders | JaMarcus Russell |
| 2008 | Miami Dolphins | Jake Long |
| 2009 | Detroit Lions | Matthew Stafford |
| 2010 | St. Louis Rams | Sam Bradford |
| 2011 | Carolina Panthers | Cam Newton |
| 2012 | Indianapolis Colts | Andrew Luck |
| 2013 | Kansas City Chiefs | Eric Fisher |
| 2014 | Houston Texans | Jadeveon Clowney |
| 2015 | Tampa Bay Buccaneers | Jameis Winston |
| 2016 | Los Angeles Rams | Jared Goff |
| 2017 | Cleveland Browns | Myles Garrett |
| 2018 | Cleveland Browns | Baker Mayfield |
| 2019 | Arizona Cardinals | Kyler Murray |
| 2020 | Cincinnati Bengals | Joe Burrow |
| 2021 | Jacksonville Jaguars | TBA |
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Sam Herder is a writer for BetMGM and HERO Sports. A North Dakota State journalism grad, he spent several years in the print media industry before writing for online outlets. Sam has covered sports at all levels — high school, college, and professional — since 2011.
