Top 15 first-round values of the last 10 NFL Drafts: Mike Evans among stars to outperform their draft position

The NFL Draft is seven rounds long, but nothing draws headlines like Day 1, where the first 32 picks of the event set the stage for an entire weekend of activity. It makes sense: This is supposed to be when the best of the best college prospects come off the board. But even Round 1 can be unpredictable, as history so clearly reminds us.

Some of today’s biggest names — C.J. Stroud, Joe Burrow, Ja’Marr Chase — have also been some of the earliest players taken. But many others have been mid- or even late-first-round hits, proving to be good value even as Day 1 targets.

With that in mind and the 2024 NFL Draft right around the corner, here’s a look at 15 of the top first-round values — or players who’ve clearly outperformed their draft position — of the last 10 years:

Honorable mention

QB Jordan Love (Packers, No. 26 overall); WR Jordan Addison (Vikings, No. 23); WR Brandon Aiyuk (49ers, No. 25); OT Laremy Tunsil (Dolphins, No. 13); OT Christian Darrisaw (Vikings, No. 23); C Tyler Linderbaum (Ravens, No. 25); DT Dexter Lawrence (Giants, No. 17); DT Jeffery Simmons (Titans, No. 19); DT Kenny Clark (Packers, No. 27); CB Trent McDuffie (Chiefs, No. 21); CB Tre’Davious White (Bills, No. 27); S Minkah Fitzpatrick (Dolphins, No. 11)

Draft: 2018 | Overall: 7th | Team: Buffalo Bills

When you draft a quarterback No. 7 overall, you expect him to become a perennial Pro Bowler. But Allen has been a repeat MVP candidate for a year-in, year-out contender, eclipsing 40 total touchdowns in four straight seasons. Risky as his play style may be, he’s one of the NFL’s premier talents — and durable at that, missing just a single game since 2019. In a class that saw Baker Mayfield go No. 1 and Sam Darnold go No. 3, Allen has already more than lived up to his potential.

Draft: 2018 | Overall: 24th | Team: Carolina Panthers

Interestingly enough, Moore was the first wide receiver taken in his class. Even still, he’s proven to be a bargain: Fresh off a 1,300-yard breakout with the Chicago Bears, he’s quietly topped 1,100 yards in four of his first six seasons — all with mercurial, if not downright shoddy, quarterback…