Offensive tackle Eric Fisher became the sixth offensive lineman to go No. 1 in the draft, and no running back went in the entire first round for the first time in 50 years. The first pick has been a quarterback or running back in 54 of 84 NFL drafts, but a study by Breitbart Sports shows that the linebackers and offensive lineman taken first have produced many more Pro Bowl seasons (see table below).
| Position | No. 1 | Pro Bowls | Ave | Two with most Pro Bowls |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Linebackers | 4 | 21 | 5.3 | Chuck Bednarik 8, Tommy Nobis 5 |
| Offensive line | 6 | 21 | 4.2 | Orlando Pace 7, Ron Yary 7 |
| Receivers | 6 | 16 | 2.7 | Irving Fryar 15, Keyshawn Johnson 11 |
| Defensive line | 13 | 25 | 1.9 | Bruce Smith 11, Buck Buchanan 8 |
| Quarterbacks | 31 | 53 | 1.7 | Peyton Manning 11, John Elway 10 |
| Running backs | 23 | 34 | 1.5 | OJ Simpson 6, Earl Campbell 5 |
| Defensive back | 1 | 0 | 0.0 | Gary Glick 0 |
| Total | 84 | 170 | 2.0 |
The five previous offensive linemen to go No. 1 have made 21 Pro Bowls, or an average of 4.2 per player. The average running back taken No. 1 have produced only 1.5 Pro Bowls, with even OJ Simpson (6) and Earl Campbell (5) breaking down after just a handful of elite seasons.
The Chiefs have a great chance to get great production from Eric Fisher, and with this track record there is little surprise the top four picks included three offensive lineman and a linebacker.
Just eight years ago, two running backs from the same team (Cadillac Williams and Ronnie Brown of Auburn) were among the Top 5 players picked, and the next year most were shocked running back Reggie Bush did not go first. Here is a list of the top running back picked in each of the last nine years:
| Year | Top RB | Picked by | Player | Team |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2012 | 3 | Cleveland Browns | Trent Richardson | Alabama |
| 2011 | 28 | New Orleans Saints | Mark Ingram | Alabama |
| 2010 | 9 | Buffalo Bills | C.J. Spiller | Clemson |
| 2009 | 12 | Denver Broncos | Knowshon Moreno | Georgia |
| 2008 | 4 | Oakland Raiders | Darren McFadden | Arkansas |
| 2007 | 7 | Minnesota Vikings | Adrian Peterson | Oklahoma |
| 2006 | 2 | New Orleans Saints | Reggie Bush | USC |
| 2005 | 2 | Miami Dolphins | Ronnie Brown | Auburn |
| 2004 | 24 | St. Louis Rams | Steven Jackson | Oregon State |
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