The Best Single-Year Draft Classes by an NFL Team Since 1980

By NFL Records · Updated September 28, 2026

A great draft class is rarely one player. The classes below are ranked by the combined career Approximate Value of every player the team selected that year. The top class, PIT in 1987, totaled 470.

Team codes follow Pro Football Reference (for example, RAI for the Los Angeles Raiders years and SDG for San Diego).

#	Team	Year	Picks	Combined AV	Top players
1	PIT	1987	13	470	Rod Woodson, Hardy Nickerson, Greg Lloyd
2	NOR	1981	17	435	Rickey Jackson, Jim Wilks, Frank Warren
3	CHI	1983	13	427	Richard Dent, Mark Bortz, Dave Duerson
4	TAM	1987	20	423	Vinny Testaverde, Mark Carrier, Winston Moss
5	SFO	1986	13	419	Charles Haley, Steve Wallace, Don Griffin
6	SEA	2012	10	416	Russell Wilson, Bobby Wagner, J.R. Sweezy
7	SDG	2004	11	410	Eli Manning, Nick Hardwick, Michael Turner
8	NOR	2006	8	397	Jahri Evans, Marques Colston, Reggie Bush
9	BAL	2018	12	381	Lamar Jackson, Orlando Brown Jr., Mark Andrews
10	TAM	1997	10	378	Ronde Barber, Warrick Dunn, Al Harris
11	DAL	1989	15	372	Steve Wisniewski, Troy Aikman, Mark Stepnoski
12	MIA	1983	10	371	Dan Marino, Mark Clayton, Anthony Carter
13	BUF	1985	16	348	Bruce Smith, Andre Reed, Chris Burkett
14	DAL	1992	15	341	Jimmy Smith, Darren Woodson, Robert Jones
15	OAK	2014	8	337	Khalil Mack, Derek Carr, Gabe Jackson
16	GNB	1990	13	334	LeRoy Butler, Bryce Paup, Tony Bennett
17	DAL	1991	18	333	Erik Williams, Russell Maryland, Dixon Edwards
18	SDG	2001	8	333	Drew Brees, LaDainian Tomlinson, Brandon Gorin
19	RAM	1983	13	330	Henry Ellard, Eric Dickerson, Mike Wilcher
20	NOR	2017	7	330	Alvin Kamara, Ryan Ramczyk, Trey Hendrickson

Data: nflverse draft data (compiled from Pro Football Reference), 1980–2026 drafts. Career outcomes are only compared for classes through 2023, since more recent players are still early in their careers. "Approximate Value" (AV) is Pro Football Reference's single-number estimate of a player's career contribution; it is useful for comparing careers across positions but is not a precise measure. Updated September 28, 2026.