The No. 1 overall pick is the most coveted in the NFL Draft and while some players live up to the expectations, many turn out to be mediocre talent or disappear from the league within a few short years.
Here is a look at every No. 1 overall draft pick of the 21st century and how their careers panned out.
2000: Courtney Brown, DE, Penn State - Cleveland Browns
Like many a first-round pick by the Browns, Courtney Brown did not live up to the hype. He had a promising rookie season, playing all 16 games and recording 4.5 sacks. But he never played a full year again as injuries piled up. His career ended with 19 sacks over six seasons.
2001: Michael Vick, QB, Virginia Tech - Atlanta Falcons
The mobile passer changed the quarterback position from the moment he first stepped on the field. He was selected to four Pro Bowls and got the Falcons within a game of the Super Bowl in 2004. Vick did a stint in federal prison for a dogfighting operation and missed two seasons before resurrecting his career in Philadelphia. He finished his career with more than 22,000 yards passing, 6,100 yards rushing and a combined 169 touchdowns in 13 seasons.
2002: David Carr, QB, Fresno State - Houston Texans
He was the first pick of the expansion Texans and his career never took off. Over 10 seasons, he ended up throwing more interceptions than touchdowns. Getting sacked 76 times as a rookie didn't help. Carr ended up a journeyman with a career 74.9 passer rating.
2003: Carson Palmer, QB, USC - Cincinnati Bengals
The Heisman Trophy winner helped lead the Bengals back to the playoffs for the first time in 15 years. But frustrations with the organization led to a threat: Trade me or I retire. He was eventually sent to Oakland before playing this final three seasons in Arizona. He finished with more than 46,000 yards passing and nearly 300 touchdowns.
2004: Eli Manning, QB, Ole Miss - San Diego Chargers
Manning refused to play for the Chargers, so was he was traded to the New York Giants during the draft. It would pay off as he won two Super Bowls, taking the MVP trophy both times. Take that away, though, and his career was solid but not spectacular: His 57,000 passing yards put him in the top 10 all-time, but he had a mediocre 236-234 win-loss record and 244 touchdown passes. He retired after the 2019 season.
2005: Alex Smith, QB, Utah - San Francisco 49ers
Smith struggled early in his career, but saw a turnaround when Jim Harbaugh arrived in 2011. However, he was replaced by Colin Kaepernick in 2012 after suffering a concussion. Smith was traded to Kansas City the next year, where he flourished for five seasons before being traded to the Redskins. In November 2018, he suffered a horrific injury that nearly cost him his leg. Smith missed the 2019 season but says he plans to play again.
2006: Mario Williams, DE, North Carolina State - Houston Texans
Williams was a force for most of his 11 seasons in the league, mostly with the Texans and Bills. He recorded double-digit sacks five times and finished his career with a total of 97.5 sacks.
2007: JaMarcus Russell, QB, LSU - Oakland Raiders
One of the biggest draft busts in NFL history. Russell held out during his rookie season and ended up starting only one game that year. He was out of the league after three seasons. Russell finished with 4,083 yards passing, 18 touchdowns and 23 interceptions.
RELATED: 10 biggest busts in the NFL Draft
2008: Jake Long, T, Michigan - Miami Dolphins
Long is a four-time Pro Bowl selection, all in his first four seasons. He was also named an All-Pro in 2010. Long was hindered by injuries the final three years of his career, missing 33 games over that span. He retired after the 2016 season.
2009: Matthew Stafford, QB, Georgia - Detroit Lions
Eleven seasons into his career, Stafford has put up more than 41,000 passing yards, 256 touchdowns and 134 interceptions. He's one of only eight quarterbacks in NFL history to throw for 5,000 yards in a season.
2010: Sam Bradford, QB, Oklahoma - St. Louis Rams
Bradford had a promising rookie season, but injuries continued to hound him. After stints with four teams, he did not play in 2019. Bradford sits with less than 20,000 career yards passing.
2011: Cam Newton, QB, Auburn - Carolina Panthers
The physical specimen was a force early in his career, passing and rushing. He led the Panthers to an NFC Championship and won league MVP honors in 2015. But injuries have taken a toll, causing him to play only two games in 2019. He was released by the Panthers in March.
2012: Andrew Luck, QB, Stanford - Indianapolis Colts
After Peyton Manning left for Denver, Luck was the heir in Indy. When he was on the field, he showed why he was worth the top pick. But injuries bedeviled him. Luck missed half the 2015 season and all of 2017. In a surprise, he announced his retirement following the Colts' third preseason game of 2019.
2013: Eric Fisher, T, Central Michigan - Kansas City Chiefs
Fisher has started nearly every game of his career, but he missed half the season in 2019 with a core muscle injury. He came back to help the Chiefs to its first Super Bowl title in 50 years.
2014: Jadeveon Clowney, DE, South Carolina - Houston Texans
Injuries led to a slow start for Clowney, missing most of his rookie season. He has played in all 16 games only once in his six seasons. Clowney was traded to the Seahawks in 2019. He has 32 career sacks over six years.
2015: Jameis Winston, QB, Florida State - Tampa Bay Buccaneers
Winston's talent and production are matched by his propensity for mistakes. He is one of only eight quarterbacks in history to throw for 5,000 yards in a season, which he did in 2019. But in doing so, he also was the first to throw for 30 touchdowns and 30 interceptions in one season. Seven of those interceptions were returned for touchdowns, also a record. He'll spend 2020 as backup to Drew Brees in New Orleans.
2016: Jared Goff, QB, California - Los Angeles Rams
Struggled his rookie year, but saw significant improvement under head coach Sean McVay starting in 2017 and 2018. After an NFC Championship season, Goff had an average season in 2019 with 22 touchdowns and 16 interceptions while completing 63% of his passes.
2017: Myles Garrett, DE, Texas A&M - Cleveland Browns
One of the most feared pass rushers in the league. He has 30.5 sacks in this first three seasons, and that includes missing 11 games. His 2019 season was cut short after an on-field incident in which he pulled the helmet of Steelers QB Mason Rudolph and Rudolph in the head with it. Garrett was suspended for the remainder of the season.
2018: Baker Mayfield, QB, Oklahoma - Cleveland Browns
After a formidable rookie season with 27 touchdown passes and a quarterback rating of 93.7, there were high expectations in 2019 and hopes of a Browns playoff run. The team struggled and Mayfield finished with 22 touchdowns and 21 interceptions while failing to complete 60% of his passes.
2019: Kyler Murray, QB, Oklahoma - Arizona Cardinals
Murray is coming off a promising rookie season with 3,700 passing yards and 20 touchdowns while completing 65% of his passes. He also rushed for more than 500 yards and four scores.
