NFL Draft superlatives since 2000: Best drafting team, most changed, class clown and more

The NFL Draft is more than an event. It’s a year-long spectacle full of anticipation, prognostication and analysis. It’s also a complete crapshoot, which is ironic given the amount of resources poured into knowing everything about every prospect. Given the degree of difficulty, I crunched the numbers to shine a light on the draft standouts since 2000. 

One way I’m measuring draft performance is with Pro Football Reference’s Approximate Value metric (AV for short), which places a single value on each player’s NFL career. In this case, it points to the best and worst drafting teams. 

This is the draft though, it’s pure entertainment and theater so rather than spit out the best and worst drafting teams I give you NFL Draft superlatives, yearbook style.

Best drafting team overall: Packers

The Packers have been the best drafting team since 2000, leading the NFL in AV generated among draft picks in that span. They consistently had among the most homegrown players in the NFL during former GM Ted Thompson’s run from 2005-17. And no matter who the GM has been (Thompson or Brian Gutekunst), they’ve had the best QB succession plan in NFL history, drafting Aaron Rodgers in 2005 and Jordan Love in 2020, despite having an all-time great QB already on the roster. When Green Bay isn’t drafting its next superstar QB, its nailing a wide receiver in the second round. Here’s the last six: Jayden Reed, Christian Watson, Davante Adams, Randall Cobb, Jordy Nelson and Greg Jennings. The Packers set NFL receiving records for first-or-second-year players in 2023 and have plenty of ammunition in the form of five picks in the first three rounds if they want to give Jordan Love more weapons. 

Best at finding blue chips: Cowboys

How ’bout them Cowboys! America’s Team can’t get out of their own way in the playoffs but they’ve been nailing their top picks in the draft. They’ve drafted an NFL-high 15 Pro Bowlers in the first round since 2000, led by names like DeMarcus Ware, Dez Bryant, Tyron Smith, Travis Frederick, Zack Martin, Ezekiel Elliott, CeeDee Lamb and Micah Parsons. There’s been some close calls though, like in 2014 when Jerry Jones was close to drafting Johnny Manziel instead of Zack Martin. Dallas has the 24th overall pick this year and could use another first-round splash after a lackluster offseason that saw them lose Tony Pollard, Tyron Smith and Tyler Biadasz, among others. 

Best bargain…