The National Football League (NFL) Draft has taken place every year since 1936. At the event presents NFL teams with an opportunity to improve their rosters by selecting the top college players in the United States. Unlike some other professional sports leagues in North America, the NFL doesn't have a draft lottery. Instead, the team that finishes in last place in the prior season is awarded the first overall selection.
Most franchises choose a quarterback with the first overall pick. Since the first-ever draft, teams have drafted a quarterback first overall 39 times, including in 19 of the last 26 drafts. Below are the last four non-quarterbacks selected first overall.
1. Travon Walker - DE (2022)
The Jacksonville Jaguars held the first overall pick for the second consecutive year in 2022 and selected Georgia defensive end Travon Walker. The team drafted quarterback Trevor Lawrence first overall in 2021. Walker, the 13th defensive end chosen first in the draft since 1967, recorded 33 tackles, six quarterback sacks, and one fumble recovery in his junior year with Georgia in 2021. The 6-foot-5, 272-pound native of Thomaston, Georgia, finished his rookie season in the NFL with 49 tackles, 3.5 sacks, one forced fumble, and one interception.
2. Myles Garrett - DE (2017)
Myles Garrett, a 6-foot-4, 272-pound defensive end, was the last non-quarterback selected first overall prior to Walker. Drafted by the Cleveland Browns, Garrett spent three seasons at Texas A&M. While there, he accumulated 141 tackles, 31 sacks, seven forced fumbles, and one interception in 34 games.
Now in his seventh season in the league in 2023, Garrett is a four-time Pro Bowl player and finished fifth in Associated Press Defensive Player of the Year voting in 2022. He finished that season with a career-best 60 tackles and 16 sacks.
3. Jadeveon Clowney - DE (2014)
The Houston Texans selected defensive end Jadeveon Clowney first overall in the 2014 NFL Draft. The 6-foot-6, 274-pound All-American, who also played defensive lineman in college, spent three seasons at the University of South Carolina and accumulated 129 tackles, 24 sacks, and nine forced fumbles. The three-time NFL Pro Bowl player spent his first five seasons in Houston and has since played for the Seattle Seahawks, Tennessee Titans, Cleveland Browns, and Baltimore Ravens.
4. Eric Fisher - T (2013)
One of only five offensive tackles to ever be selected first overall in the NFL Draft, Eric Fisher played seven seasons with the Kansas City Chiefs. He retired in 2021 after one year with the Indianapolis Colts. He won a Super Bowl with the Chiefs in 2019 and participated in the Pro Bowl in 2018 and 2020.