Every NFL team talks about building through the draft, but very few actually do it.
We looked at who is best and worst at drafting over the past five years in our third annual team draft rankings. No one nails it year after year, but there are some teams doing a much better job than others.
The rankings are based on: how many games the draft pick has played, Pro Bowl appearances, first-team All-Pro selections, and awards like MVP and Rookie of the Year. We also factored in how much the team has won during the five years, because players on losing teams tend to have an easier path to playing time.
Here are the rankings from best to worst, with last year’s ranking in parentheses:
1. Vikings (3)
Pro Bowlers: 7
Best Pick: Harrison Smith (2012, first round)
Worst Pick: Sharrif Floyd (2013, first)
Minnesota has drafted more Pro Bowlers than any other team and has had very few misses in the premium rounds. Smith, Xavier Rhodes and Anthony Barr were home-run picks. Teddy Bridgewater looked like a great pick before his injury, too.
2. Chiefs (18)
Pro Bowlers: 5
Best Pick: Marcus Peters (2015, first)
Worst Pick: Eric Fisher (2013, first)
I’m not sure anyone has done a better job than John Dorsey over the past two years. Marcus Peters is an absolute stud, and his gamble on Tyreek Hill in the fifth round last year looks like a good one so far.
3. Cowboys (14)
Pro Bowlers: 4
Best Pick: Dak Prescott (2016, fourth)
Worst Pick: Morris Claiborne (2012, first)
The Cowboys hit home runs with Prescott, the Offensive Rookie of the Year, and Ezekiel Elliott last year, but they have been drafting well for several years now. Travis Frederick and Zack Martin were great foundation picks along the offensive line.
4. Panthers (1)
Pro Bowlers: 4
Best Pick: Luke Kuechly (2012, first)
Worst Pick: Amini Silatolu (2012, second)
Carolina has not drafted as well in the past few years, but their 2012 and 2013 classes featured Kuechly, Josh Norman and Kawann Short. You can live off of that for a while. If they ever could get Kelvin Benjamin to take the next step, he would be another big draft hit for the Panthers. Carolina has had the fewest picks (28) of any team over the past five years, proof that you don’t have to load up on picks to draft good players.
5. Seahawks (2)
Pro Bowlers: 3
Best Pick: Bobby Wagner (2012, second)
Worst Pick: Christine Michael (2013, second)
Seattle was bound to start slipping down this list. The Seahawks had no first-round picks three straight years (2013-15). The 2012 class is still an outstanding one, headlined by Wagner and Russell Wilson in the third round. Their recent classes have not been as impressive, but the average draft position of their first pick over the five years is 43.2. It is hard to hit on players when you are drafting that low.
6. Raiders (7)
Pro Bowlers: 3
Best Pick: Khalil Mack (2014, first)
Worst Pick: D.J. Hayden (2013, first)
Reggie McKenzie has turned around the Raiders with some great drafting. The 2014 selections of Mack and quarterback Derek Carr are as good a first- and second-round combination as you’ll find. Both look like stars. He added Amari Cooper in 2015 and has built a strong nucleus to his team.
7. Redskins (16)
Pro Bowlers: 5
Best Pick: Alfred Morris (2012, sixth)
Worst Pick: Robert Griffin III (2012, first)
Team Turmoil is undergoing more front-office upheaval with the firing of GM Scot McCloughan this offseason. Despite the constant changes, they have drafted well. Kirk Cousins was a steal in the fourth round in 2012, saving them from years of misery after Griffin collapsed as the franchise quarterback.
8. Buccaneers (21)
Pro Bowlers: 4
Best Pick: Lavonte David (2012, second)
Worst Pick: Mark Barron (2012, first)
Jameis Winston and Mike Evans, their first round picks in 2015 and 2014, already have been to the Pro Bowl and look like longtime starters. Doug Martin was having an outstanding career before personal issues sidetracked him. This team quietly has built a nice core.
9. Cardinals (5)
Pro Bowlers: 3
Best Pick: Tyrann Mathieu (2013, third)
Worst Pick: Jonathan Cooper (2013, first)
Arizona has done a really good job in the middle and late rounds. Mathieu (third round), running back David Johnson (third round) and special teams star Justin Bethel (sixth round) were great picks. On the negative side, they have had some terrible first-round misses with Cooper and wide receiver Michael Floyd, neither of whom is still on the team.
10. Rams (6)
Pro Bowlers: 3
Best Pick: Aaron Donald (2014, first)
Worst Pick: Greg Robinson (2014, first)
This shows what an inexact science drafting is. The Rams had the Nos. 2 and 13 picks in 2014. With the first pick, they took tackle Robinson — a total bust. With the second pick, they took defensive lineman Aaron Donald — a total stud. The jury is out on 2016 No. 1-overall pick Jared Goff, who struggled as a rookie.
11. Steelers (23)
Pro Bowlers: 3
Best Pick: Le’Veon Bell (2013, second)
Worst Pick: Jarvis Jones (2013, first)
It is amazing that Bell, who might be the best non-quarterback in football, was a second-round pick. Ryan Shazier and David DeCastro are studs. Last year’s class had a lot of contributors on a team that went to the AFC Championship.
12. Falcons (19)
Pro Bowlers: 3
Best Pick: Vic Beasley (2015, first)
Worst Pick: Peter Konz (2012, second)
Anyone who watched Atlanta make its run to the Super Bowl could see the work Thomas Dimitroff has done to build his roster in recent years. Beasley has become a pass-rushing beast. Their starting lineup is filled with draft picks who are on the rise. Tevin Coleman (2015, third round) and Devonta Freeman (2014, fourth round) give the Falcons a great 1-2 punch in the backfield.
13. Packers (13)
Pro Bowlers: 4
Best Pick: David Bakhtiari (2013, fourth)
Worst Pick: Datone Jones (2013, first)
No one relies on the draft more to build their roster than the Packers. GM Ted Thompson is not a fan of spending in free agency, so he relies on his picks. He has landed some good ones in recent years, but has not hit home runs. Eddie Lacy looked like he could be one early, but then fell off. It is tough because they usually draft late in the first round. Their average first-pick position is 26.4.
14. Ravens (12)
Pro Bowlers: 3
Best Pick: Kelechi Osemele (2012, second)
Worst Pick: Matt Elam (2013, first)
Ozzie Newsome has the reputation as one of the best drafters in the NFL, but his recent work has not been overly impressive. Osemele and C.J. Mosley were strong picks, but misses on Courtney Upshaw, Elam and Arthur Brown with premium picks have hurt his team.
15. Titans (27)
Pro Bowlers: 2
Best Pick: Jack Conklin (2016, first)
Worst Pick: Chance Warmack (2013, first)
Tennessee quietly has built a strong roster, with plenty of draft picks in key roles. Conklin was named first-team All-Pro as a rookie, a tough feat to pull off. Everything hinges on quarterback Marcus Mariota, the No. 2-overall pick in 2015, but he looks like a future star.
16. Colts (22)
Pro Bowlers: 2
Best Pick: T.Y. Hilton (2012, third)
Worst Pick: Bjoern Werner (2013, first)
The Colts fired GM Ryan Grigson because he was unable to build a championship team around star quarterback Andrew Luck, his first pick in 2012. Grigson landed both Luck and Hilton in that first draft, but did not have much to show for his drafts after that.
17. Texans (4)
Pro Bowlers: 2
Best Pick: DeAndre Hopkins (2013, first)
Worst Pick: DeVier Posey (2012, third)
Houston took a plummet in our ratings this year after losing the 2011 class and J.J. Watt as part of the calculation. Houston has had some good first-round picks like Hopkins and Whitney Mercilus, but has not landed much in the middle rounds. Jadeveon Clowney, the No. 1-overall pick in 2014, took a big step forward last year. If he realizes his potential, this ranking will improve.
18. Dolphins (8)
Pro Bowlers: 2
Best Pick: Jarvis Landry (2014, second)
Worst Pick: Dion Jordan (2013, first)
Jordan is one of the worst picks ever. Trading up to take him at No. 3 was an epic mistake. They hit on Landry and Jay Ajayi came on last year, but there are far more misses than hits. Ryan Tannehill has not been spectacular, but has been solid.
19. Bengals (10)
Pro Bowlers: 1
Best Pick: Tyler Eifert (2013, first)
Worst Pick: Darqueze Dennard (2014, first)
Cincinnati relies on a lot of draft picks to play, which makes them look better at drafting than they have been. They have drafted a number of decent role players, but have failed to find stars. Dennard has one interception in three years. William Jackson, last year’s first-round pick, missed his entire rookie year.
20. Giants (31)
Pro Bowlers: 2
Best Pick: Odell Beckham (2014, first)
Worst Pick: Ereck Flowers (2015, first)
I hate to tag Flowers as a bust already — he still has time to change how people view him — but right now he looks like a bad pick. After some down drafts, Jerry Reese has landed some really good players recently with Beckham, Landon Collins and Weston Richburg. No one from the 2012 class remains on the team.
21. Lions (32)
Pro Bowlers: 1
Best Pick: Ezekiel Ansah (2013, first)
Worst Pick: Ryan Broyles (2012, second)
Detroit gets points for taking Ansah in 2013, which was a terrible draft. He is one of the few good players taken that year early in the first round. The Lions have not done a terrible job, but they have drafted very few impact players.
22. Patriots (24)
Pro Bowlers: 3
Best Pick: Jamie Collins (2013, second)
Worst Pick: Dominique Easley (2014, first)
Bill Belichick is proof that you don’t have to live through the draft … if you have Tom Brady at quarterback. Brady plus other shrewd moves made by Belichick have helped the Patriots overcome some poor drafting. Their two best picks over this time — Collins and Chandler Jones — both were traded last year.
23. Bears (25)
Pro Bowlers: 2
Best Pick: Kyle Long (2013, first)
Worst Pick: Shea McClellin (2012, first)
Chicago has had a lot of injury problems with their draft picks. Even wide receiver Alshon Jeffery, their 2012 second-round pick, did not live up to his potential because of health. Kevin White, their 2015 first-round wide receiver, has played just four games because of injuries.
24. Eagles (20)
Pro Bowlers: 2
Best Pick: Fletcher Cox (2012, first)
Worst Pick: Marcus Smith (2014, first)
This organization has been one of the most dysfunctional in recent years with the power struggle between Howie Roseman and former coach Chip Kelly. Roseman is back in charge, and he will need to draft well to overcome the mistakes made by Kelly during his time in charge.
25. Bills (9)
Pro Bowlers: 1
Best Pick: Stephon Gilmore (2012, first)
Worst Pick: EJ Manuel (2013, first)
The team with the longest playoff drought can look at the way they have drafted in recent years to see why that skid has continued. Buffalo has taken just one Pro Bowler (Gilmore) in the past five years and struck out badly on Manuel in 2013.
26. Jets (26)
Pro Bowlers: 2
Best Pick: Sheldon Richardson (2013, first)
Worst Pick: Dee Milliner (2013, first)
Three general managers have combined for just two Pro Bowlers over the five years. Two of their first-round picks (Milliner and Quinton Coples) are no longer in the league. The only place they have hit on is on the defensive line with Richardson and Leonard Williams.
27. Chargers (28)
Pro Bowlers: 2
Best Pick: Joey Bosa (2016, first)
Worst Pick: D.J. Fluker (2013, first)
The team’s new fans in Los Angeles will get to enjoy watching Bosa, last year’s Defensive Rookie of the Year, for a long time. Beyond Bosa, there have been a number of misses. Melvin Ingram, their 2012 first-rounder, has come on the past two years and may be a better pick than he looked early on.
28. 49ers (11)
Pro Bowlers: 1
Best Pick: Eric Reid (2013, first)
Worst Pick: A.J. Jenkins (2012, first)
GM Trent Baalke was fired at the end of the 2016 season after he let this roster deteriorate from a Super Bowl team to bottom-of-the-barrel. The 49ers had more picks (51) than any team in the NFL over the five years, which shows having a lot of picks does not matter if you pick poorly.
29. Jaguars (29)
Pro Bowlers: 1
Best Pick: Allen Robinson (2014, second)
Worst Pick: Justin Blackmon (2012, first)
Tom Coughlin has been brought in to try to clean up the mess in Jacksonville. He will see years of bad drafting have left holes on the roster, but they have drafted some talented players the past three years. They now need those players, starting with quarterback Blake Bortles, to take the next step in their development.
30. Browns (17)
Pro Bowlers: 0
Best Pick: Mitchell Schwartz (2012, second)
Worst Pick: Trent Richardson (2012, first)
Cleveland’s failures in the draft have cost several regimes there. They missed on quarterbacks Johnny Manziel and Brandon Weeden, took Richardson with the No. 3-overall pick in 2012 and selected Barkevious Mingo with the No. 6 pick in 2013. The Browns have had 48 picks, second only to the 49ers, over this span.
31. Broncos (15)
Pro Bowlers: 0
Best Pick: Malik Jackson (2012, fifth)
Worst Pick: Montee Ball (2013, second)
This may be surprising because John Elway deservedly has gotten a lot of praise for the Broncos’ recent success. But he has been living on free agency. After nailing his first draft in 2011, Elway has a lot of swings and misses and has not landed many impact players.
32. Saints (30)
Pro Bowlers: 0
Best Pick: Kenny Stills (2013, fifth)
Worst Pick: Kenny Vaccaro (2013, first)
Drew Brees must look around sometimes and wonder where his help is. Mickey Loomis and Sean Payton have done a poor job stocking the roster around Brees the past few years. They have had 30 picks, the second fewest in the NFL. On the plus side, Michael Thomas, their 2016 second-rounder, looks like a good pick.