Highest NFL Draft Picks From Florida

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Highest NFL draft picks from Florida

Since the first draft was held in 1936, the National Football League (NFL) has used its annual culling of the top college talent in the country to grow its ranks, renew the popularity of the sport, and to increase competitive parity among all football teams. Though the draft process has undergone several iterations since that first draft took place, it remains true to its original design as an equalizer. In its current arrangement, the draft consists of seven rounds, whereby each of the 32 NFL teams receives one pick per round. The order of selection takes place in reverse order of how each team finished the previous season—in other words, barring any trades between teams, each round starts with the team that had the worst overall record and ends with the Super Bowl champions.

There is a long and storied history of teams coming out of the dustbin of failure to resurrect themselves through strategic drafting of top college players. In 1989, for example, the Dallas Cowboys finished 1-15, the worst record in their franchise history. But after drafting Emmitt Smith, who would go on to become the NFL's all-time leading rusher, first-round No. 1 pick Russell Maryland, and No. 1 pick and future Hall of Famer Troy Aikman, "America's team" transformed itself into a powerhouse that won three Super Bowls throughout the 1990s.

And while for every top draft pick that went on to gridiron glory—such as 7-time All-Pro quarterback Peyton Manning—there are equally storied accounts of star players who almost didn't make it out of the draft at all, let alone make a team's top pick, the NFL's annual strategic raffle has retained, for teams and colleges alike, its power to change the face of the game with a single draft pick. To this, one need look no further than the 2017 draft, when nine teams passed over Patrick Mahomes, who has gone on to take the once-flailing Kansas City Chiefs to three Super Bowl appearances.

With the 2022 draft slated to be held April 28-30 in Las Vegas, Stacker compiled a list of the highest NFL draft picks born in Florida since 1970 using data from Pro Football Reference. Ties were broken by the most recent year drafted.

#20. Anthony Bell (LB)
- Born: Miami, Florida
- Draft pick: Round 1, #5 overall in 1986
- Drafted by: St. Louis Rams
- University: Michigan St.
- Years as a starter in NFL: 4 (0 Pro Bowls)

#19. Brent Fullwood (RB)
- Born: Kissimmee, Florida
- Draft pick: Round 1, #4 overall in 1987
- Drafted by: Green Bay Packers
- University: Auburn
- Years as a starter in NFL: 2 (1 Pro Bowls)

#18. Derrick Thomas (LB)
- Born: Miami, Florida
- Draft pick: Round 1, #4 overall in 1989
- Drafted by: Kansas City Chiefs
- University: Alabama
- Years as a starter in NFL: 11 (9 Pro Bowls)

#17. Marvin Jones (LB)
- Born: Miami, Florida
- Draft pick: Round 1, #4 overall in 1993
- Drafted by: NY Jets
- University: Florida St.
- Years as a starter in NFL: 9 (0 Pro Bowls)

#16. Edgerrin James (RB)
- Born: Immokalee, Florida
- Draft pick: Round 1, #4 overall in 1999
- Drafted by: Indianapolis Colts
- University: Miami (FL)
- Years as a starter in NFL: 9 (4 Pro Bowls)

#15. Peter Warrick (WR)
- Born: Bradenton, Florida
- Draft pick: Round 1, #4 overall in 2000
- Drafted by: Cincinnati Bengals
- University: Florida St.
- Years as a starter in NFL: 4 (0 Pro Bowls)

#14. Sammy Watkins (WR)
- Born: Fort Myers, Florida
- Draft pick: Round 1, #4 overall in 2014
- Drafted by: Buffalo Bills
- University: Clemson
- Years as a starter in NFL: 6 (0 Pro Bowls)

#13. Amari Cooper (WR)
- Born: Miami, Florida
- Draft pick: Round 1, #4 overall in 2015
- Drafted by: Oakland Raiders
- University: Alabama
- Years as a starter in NFL: 7 (4 Pro Bowls)

#12. Wes Chandler (WR)
- Born: New Smyrna Beach, Florida
- Draft pick: Round 1, #3 overall in 1978
- Drafted by: New Orleans Saints
- University: Florida
- Years as a starter in NFL: 9 (4 Pro Bowls)

#11. Alonzo Highsmith (RB)
- Born: Bartow, Florida
- Draft pick: Round 1, #3 overall in 1987
- Drafted by: Houston Texans
- University: Miami (FL)
- Years as a starter in NFL: 2 (0 Pro Bowls)

#10. Bennie Blades (DB)
- Born: Fort Lauderdale, Florida
- Draft pick: Round 1, #3 overall in 1988
- Drafted by: Detroit Lions
- University: Miami (FL)
- Years as a starter in NFL: 9 (1 Pro Bowls)

#9. Gerard Warren (DT)
- Born: Lake City, Florida
- Draft pick: Round 1, #3 overall in 2001
- Drafted by: Cleveland Browns
- University: Florida
- Years as a starter in NFL: 9 (0 Pro Bowls)

#8. Andre Johnson (WR)
- Born: Miami, Florida
- Draft pick: Round 1, #3 overall in 2003
- Drafted by: Houston Texans
- University: Miami (FL)
- Years as a starter in NFL: 12 (7 Pro Bowls)

#7. Trent Richardson (RB)
- Born: Pensacola, Florida
- Draft pick: Round 1, #3 overall in 2012
- Drafted by: Cleveland Browns
- University: Alabama
- Years as a starter in NFL: 3 (0 Pro Bowls)

#6. Blake Bortles (QB)
- Born: Oviedo, Florida
- Draft pick: Round 1, #3 overall in 2014
- Drafted by: Jacksonville Jaguars
- University: Central Florida
- Years as a starter in NFL: 5 (0 Pro Bowls)

#5. Dante Fowler (OLB)
- Born: St. Petersburg, Florida
- Draft pick: Round 1, #3 overall in 2015
- Drafted by: Jacksonville Jaguars
- University: Florida
- Years as a starter in NFL: 2 (0 Pro Bowls)

#4. Joey Bosa (DE)
- Born: Miami, Florida
- Draft pick: Round 1, #3 overall in 2016
- Drafted by: San Diego Chargers
- University: Ohio St.
- Years as a starter in NFL: 6 (4 Pro Bowls)

#3. Darrell Russell (DT)
- Born: Pensacola, Florida
- Draft pick: Round 1, #2 overall in 1997
- Drafted by: Oakland Raiders
- University: USC
- Years as a starter in NFL: 5 (2 Pro Bowls)

#2. Nick Bosa (DE)
- Born: Fort Lauderdale, Florida
- Draft pick: Round 1, #2 overall in 2019
- Drafted by: San Francisco 49ers
- University: Ohio St.
- Years as a starter in NFL: 2 (2 Pro Bowls)

#1. Matthew Stafford (QB)
- Born: Tampa, Florida
- Draft pick: Round 1, #1 overall in 2009
- Drafted by: Detroit Lions
- University: Georgia
- Years as a starter in NFL: 12 (1 Pro Bowls)