A good draft class can help elevate a team into contender status very quickly. On the flip side, a bad draft can set a franchise back years. Here, we take a look at the top team draft classes of the last 10 years (2005-2014).
1. 2010 Seattle Seahawks
» Team draft history
» Draft class: OT Russell Okung (Round 1), FS Earl Thomas (Round 1), WR Golden Tate (Round 2), CB Walter Thurmond (Round 4), DE E.J. Wilson (Round 4), DB Kam Chancellor (Round 5), TE Anthony McCoy (Round 6), DE Dexter Davis (Round 7), TE Jameson Konz (Round 7)
» Players who were primary starters: 5
» Total games played: 379
This class kicked off a stellar three-year run of draft classes for the Seahawksthat helped build the Super Bowl XLVIII-winning team and squad that came within inches of victory in Super Bowl XLIX.
Back-to-back Super Bowl appearances were made possible by the significant draft hauls starting in 2010, when four players who were starters for that Super Bowl-winning team were selected. Okung, Tate, Thomas and Chancellor each have been Pro Bowl selections, and Thomas is considered the top safety in the game.
In 2011, the Seahawks drafted James Carpenter, K.J. Wright, Richard Sherman, Byron Maxwell and SBXLVIII MVP Malcolm Smith. A year later, the team selected Bruce Irvin, Bobby Wagner and Russell Wilson. You could make a strong case that any one of those three draft classes is deserving of the top spot on this list. The 2010 Seahawks draft haul gets the nod, though, since it has produced the most number of players to earn at least one Pro Bowl selection (four) of any draft class since 2005.
2. 2005 Dallas Cowboys
» Team draft history
» Draft class: LB DeMarcus Ware (Round 1), DE Marcus Spears (Round 1), LB Kevin Burnett (Round 2), RB Marion Barber (Round 4), DE Chris Canty (Round 4), DB Justin Beriault (Round 6), OT Rob Petitti (Round 6), DE Jay Ratliff (Round 7)
» Players who were primary starters: 7
» Total games played: 803
This is the draft in which the Detroit Lions infamously passed on Ware at selection No. 10 to take a wide receiver who didn't play in college football the previous season, Mike Williams. With the No. 11 overall choice, the Cowboys -- who, at the time, were coached by Bill Parcells -- swooped in for Ware, who has been one of the game's dominant pass rushers and appears on the fast track toward Canton. Williams, on the other hand, lasted just two seasons in Detroit.
With Ware, Spears, Canty and Ratliff added on defense, the Cowboys went from a 6-10 team in 2004 to a team that posted five consecutive winning seasons from 2005-2009. In that span, the Cowboys posted the NFC's best record in 2007 (13-3) and won their first playoff game in 13 years. Ware currently is ranked 14th on the NFL's career sack list (127). Ratliff was an absolute steal in the seventh round, becoming a four-time Pro Bowl selection. Barber aided a Cowboys rushing attack that ranked in the top five in the NFL in 2006 and 2007.
Ware, Canty and Ratliff have each started more than 100 games in the NFL, helping give this draft class the most combined career starts of any draft class since 2005 with 598. Second with 592 combined career starts is the next team on this list.
3. 2006 New Orleans Saints
» Team draft history
» Draft class: RB Reggie Bush (Round 1), SS Roman Harper (Round 2), OG Jahri Evans (Round 4), DE Rob Ninkovich (Round 5), WR Mike Hass (Round 6), CB Josh Lay (Round 6), OT Zach Strief (Round 7), WR Marques Colston (Round 7)
» Players who were primary starters: 6
» Total games played: 745
Coupled with the offseason hiring of coach Sean Payton and the free-agent acquisition of quarterback Drew Brees, this draft class helped boost the vagabond 3-13 team from the year before into instant contenders in the wake of Hurricane Katrina.
Bookending that 2006 draft class were two offensive playmakers for Brees to utilize. Bush was a dynamic triple threat (rushing, receiving and returns), while Colston posted the first of six career 1,000-yard receiving seasons in his rookie year.
Evans was a bargain in the fourth round, becoming a four-time Pro Bowl selection. Strief started every game for the Saints in 2014. Harper emerged as a stalwart on the Saints' defense, and Ninkovich eventually became one of the top defenders for the Super Bowl XLIX champion New England Patriots. Five of the eight players drafted -- Bush, Harper, Evans, Strief and Colston -- were members of the Saints' Super Bowl XLIV-winning team.
4. 2012 Indianapolis Colts
» Team draft history
» Draft class: QB Andrew Luck (Round 1), TE Coby Fleener (Round 2), TE Dwayne Allen (Round 3), WR T.Y. Hilton (Round 3), DT Josh Chapman (Round 5), RB Vick Ballard (Round 5), WR LaVon Brazill (Round 6), OG Justin Anderson (Round 7), LB Tim Fugger (Round 7), QB Chandler Harnish (Round 7)
» Players who were primary starters: 6
» Total games played: 239
In 2011, the Colts were without the services of long-time starting quarterback Peyton Manning, and the results were devastating. The team posted its worst win-loss record in 20 years and had a streak of double-digit win seasons snapped at nine. As luck would have it, a once-in-a-generation talent at quarterback was available for the team with the No. 1 overall choice.
Amplifying the addition of Luck was an offensive supporting cast that has helped the quarterback transition immediately to the NFL and return the Colts to their familiar spot atop the AFC South standings. The Colts added two tight ends and a receiver following the selection of Luck. Hilton has developed into Luck's go-to target, posting a career-high 1,345 receiving yards in 2014 (good for sixth in the NFL) and earning a Pro Bowl nod. While Ballard missed the 2014 season due to injury, he did provide one of the most thrilling scoring plays of the 2012 season. Chapman became a regular starter on the defensive line in 2014.
5. 2008 Atlanta Falcons
» Team draft history
» Draft class: QB Matt Ryan (Round 1), OT Sam Baker (Round 1), LB Curtis Lofton (Round 2), CB Chevis Jackson (Round 3), WR Harry Douglas (Round 3), LB Thomas DeCoud (Round 3), LB Robert James (Round 5), DE Kroy Biermann (Round 5), RB Thomas Brown (Round 6), CB Wilrey Fontenot (Round 7), Keith Zinger (Round 7)
» Players who were primary starters: 6
» Total games played: 657
Bouyed by the bounty of this draft haul, the Falcons went from 4-12 afterthought in 2007 to an 11-5 finish and NFC South title in 2008.
Of course, securing a franchise quarterback will boost the profile of any draft class, and that's what happened for Atlanta. Ryan helped stabilize the game's most important position following the suspension of the team's former starting quarterback, Michael Vick. From 2008 through 2012, the Falcons reached the playoffs four times and won their division title three times. That is an unprecedented run of success for a franchise such as the Falcons.
Before injuries derailed his career, Baker -- who was released by the team on Monday -- was a regular starter on the offensive line. Douglas posted a 1,000-yard receiving season in 2013. Lofton, who signed with the Saints in 2012, has started every game in his seven-year career. DeCoud earned a Pro Bowl nod in 2012 after intercepting six passes. Biermann has 21 career sacks.
Also considered:
2011 San Francisco 49ers: First-round pick Aldon Smith -- when he's on the field -- is one of the league's top edge rushers, and registered a career-high 19.5 sacks in 2012, which was the season that the team advanced to Super Bowl XLVII. Quarterback Colin Kaepernick was selected in the second round and took the league by storm in 2012 with his dynamic dual-threat abilities.
2010 Pittsburgh Steelers: After getting a starting center in the first round (Maurkice Pouncey), the Steelers selected two impact receivers in Round 3 (Emmanuel Sanders) and Round 6 (Antonio Brown). Brown led the NFL in receptions (129) and receiving yards (1,698) in 2014; Sanders finished fifth in the NFL in both categories, but he was playing for the Denver Broncos.
2009 Green Bay Packers: After taking B.J. Raji at No. 9 overall, the team made a bold move to secure a second first-round selection, which the team used on Clay Matthews. T.J. Lang has been a regular starter since 2011. Also of note is the team's 2006 draft class. Three players from that draft (A.J. Hawk, Daryn Colledge and Greg Jennings) started in the team's win in Super Bowl XLV, and a fourth (Jason Spitz) was a member of that championship team.
2008 Kansas City Chiefs: This draft class has the most combined starts as rookies of any draft since 2005 (70). While Jamaal Charles is one of the NFL's most dangerous game-breaking running backs, the selection of Glenn Dorsey at No. 5 overall drops this impressive class to "also considered" status.
2006 Houston Texans: The selection of Mario Williams at No. 1 overall wasn't popular at the time, but turned into a smart move for then-GM Charley Casserly. Second-round pick DeMeco Ryans was the 2006 NFL Defensive Rookie of the Year. Fourth-round pick Owen Daniels was a two-time Pro Bowl selection for the Texans. Third-round pick Eric Winston started 87 of a possible 92 games in Houston.
2006 Denver Broncos: The Broncos got a starting quarterback in Round 1 (Jay Cutler), and then one of the game's top receivers (Brandon Marshall) and a fierce pass rusher (Elvis Dumervil) in Round 4.
2006 New York Jets: The Jets bolstered their offensive line with their two first-round selections, taking D'Brickashaw Ferguson and Nick Mangold. Later, the team snagged a return specialist, taking Leon Washington in the fourth round. The 2007 Jets draft class is also noteworthy. Despite having just four selections, two turned into major contributors (Darrelle Revis and David Harris) -- one of whom could be headed to the Pro Football Hall of Fame someday.
2005 New York Giants: Three of the team's four selections in this draft -- Corey Webster, Justin Tuck and Brandon Jacobs -- each made major contributions on the Giants' run to victory in Super Bowl XLII, which is one of the greatest upsets in league history.
2005 San Francisco 49ers: The team will get knocked for eternity for passing on Aaron Rodgers and drafting Alex Smith at No. 1 overall instead, but the totality of this class is still remarkable. All 11 players selected played in the NFL. Smith is a viable NFL starting quarterback, and was a Pro Bowl selection in 2013 while with the Kansas City Chiefs. Third-round pick Frank Gore is currently 20th on the all-time rushing yardage list with 11,073 yards. Second-round pick David Baas earned a Super Bowl ring with the 2011 New York Giants.
Follow Jim Reineking on Twitter @jimreineking.
