Welcome to another exclusive Robio Murray list, that will surely provide five to ten minutes of entertainment, depending on your reading skills. Today, I offer you a history of the first overall pick.
Let’s get the ball rolling with a few fun facts. In the league’s first year, I picked my name out of a hat in a corner both at a Ruby Tuesday’s. This gave me the very first pick in the very first draft. I felt like a God. My pick? A second year wide receiver (more on that in a bit). That would be the only time a non-running back was picked first overall. A running back has been taken first for 18 straight years. The player picked the most with the first overall? Marshall Faulk, who was taken three times (two of the times being before keepers kicked in). The Vozzola’s are the king and prince of the first overall pick. Don had it in 2004, 2007 and 2016. Eric in 2002, 2011 and 2012 (he’s the only person to have the top pick in back-to-back years).
Officially, with Molly gone and Marc Pattini earning the top spot this season, Rich Calderon and Rob Masterson are the only three who have never been awarded the final pick, although Griff Coomer and Richard Burrier have also never earned it. Griff got the top pick last year by trading for it. Burrier was handed the first overall pick in 2003, because four league members were replaced and Burrier, who had finished 9th the year before, was worst remain team.
As for the actual picks. Well, seven of the 19 players have earned first-team All-Robio, while another two have earned second-team. The first four years after the league turned into a keeper league were the toughest for the first overall pick, but lately we’ve gotten better. Of the last six overall first picks, all six finished fourth or higher at their respective position and assuming Matt keeps Bell, all six will have been kept.
Anyhow, let’s get to the list…
2017 – Le’Veon Bell
PITTSBURGH STEELERS | RUNNING BACK | POS RANK: Currently #2 | MATT NEATOCK
Prior to the season, Matt tried or considered many bad things. One such thing was trading the top pick to Masterson. Unfortunately for Rob and the rest of the league, Matt backed off. With Todd Gurley already in his back pocket in round four, Neatock went the obvious route and took the league’s best back in Bell, who was coming off a 2016 first-team All-Robio season, where he led Calderon to the 2016 title. As long as Bell stayed healthy, he could easily do the same with Matt.
Well, Bell stay upright and along with Gurley, delivered one of the best backfields in league history. While Gurley finished as the top back in fantasy, Bell was a close second, averaging 285 points per game. Th duo became the first backfield to give one team two 1st-team backs. Matt went from just two wins to nine, plus a scoring crown and led by Bell and Gurley, scored the most points in playoff history, earning Neatock his third title ever.
2016 – Ezekiel Elliot
DALLAS COWBOYS | RUNNING BACK | POS RANK: #2 | DON VOZZOLA
For four years, Don has been an afterthought in fantasy football, becoming just the second person in league history to miss the playoffs four straight times (Eric is the other). Picking first, assuming you aren’t stupid like me and trade the pick away, is how you turn things around. Keep in mind, only two teams with the top overall pick had missed the playoffs and again, one of those teams was me the previous year when I traded the top pick.
Heading into the draft, there were plenty of familiar names, Charles, McCoy, Lacy, just to name a few, but Don decided to rely on a rookie, when he drafted the Cowboys’ Elliot. Well, the gamble paid off. The Cowboys running back proved to be a absolute stud, averaging a stunning 330 fantasy points per game. He earned a first-team All-Robio award; the first rookie back to do that since Doug Martin in 2012. He was only the second 1st-team All-Robio running back Don has ever drafted (the other was Maurice Jones-Drew back in 2009).
Most importantly though, the pick turned into wins. Don went from a three-win mess to a nine win team; the most wins he had in the regular season since he won nine back in 2005. Unfortunately as the 3-seed, Don was unable to overcome me and lost in the quarterfinals.
2015 – Adrian Peterson
MINNESOTA VIKINGS | RUNNING BACK | POS RANK: #2 | GRIFF COOMER via ROBIO
For the second time in six years, I sat at the bottom of the rankings and rightfully earned the league’s top overall pick. Six years early, I grabbed Adrian Peterson and rode him to the title game. If it worked then, why not hop back onboard? It all made so much sense, yet I didn’t trust the boy beater and traded the pick to Griff Coomer. To say it didn’t workout for me, would be an understatement.
While my season was awful from the start, I won just three games for the second straight year, while Peterson led Griff all the way to the promise land. Peterson looked great all season, rushing for 1,485 yards (producing 1,707 total yards) and 11 scores. He earned his seventh All-Robio award (his third 1st-team award) and eventually led Griff, along side David Johnson (a player I cut) to a second career championship. So basically, Griff has me to thank for his championship backfield. You’re welcome.
2014 – Matt Forte
CHICAGO BEARS | RUNNING BACK | POS RANK: #3 | RICHARD BURRIER
The last time Burrier had the top pick, he took arguable the greatest player ever and rode him to his only title. That was 11 years prior. In 2014, Matt Forte was no Tomlinson, but he was a pretty savvy pick. Since 2008, the Bears running back had collected plenty of hardware, including a pair of second-team All-Robio awards and one third-team. Because of his ability to catch the ball out of the backfield, he had produced at least 1,400 total yards in all seven seasons in his career. The previous year was one of his best, as he delivered 1,933 yards and 12 scores for Neatock.
Well, Forte delivered again in 2014. Thanks to 102 receptions that year, Forte gave Rich 1,846 total yards and ten scores, earning a third career 2nd team All-Robio award. Rich managed to win eight games (8-5), but was upset by Molly in the quarterbacks. In that contest, Forte finished with 198 fantasy points.
2013 – Jamaal Charles
KANSAS CITY CHIEFS | RUNNING BACK | POS RANK: #1 | JEFF GREENBLATT
Heading into the 2013 season, Jeff had a poor track record when it came to drafting running backs in the first round. In 2003, he took Tiki Barber, who finished 14th. In 2010, he grabbed the rookie, Ryan Matthews. He was a huge bust, finishing 32nd among all backs. In 2012, he hopped on the Maurice Jones-Drew express, but that crashed as he ended the year as the 38th best back.
With the first overall pick in 2013, Jeff couldn’t afford to miss…and he didn’t.
By taking the Chiefs’ Jamaal Charles, Jeff became just the third person and first since 2003, to draft the top player at their position. Despite missing on game, Charles averaged 247 fantasy points per contest, producing 1,980 total yards (career high) and nineteen touchdowns (career high). The league’s top back got Jeff back to the post-season, a place he hadn’t visited the previous three seasons, where he eventually fell to the top-seed, me. Of course, Charles does not share in the blame. He finished with 426 fantasy points, 48.9% of Jeff’s points in that final game.
2012 – Ray Rice
BALTIMORE RAVENS | RUNNING BACK | POS RANK: #4 | ERIC VOZZOLA
If things don’t go your way, then try, try again. Yep, Eric became the first team in league history (and only one still today) to get a do-over on the first pick by earning the pick two straight seasons.
Heading into 2012, Ray Rice was proving to be one of the best backs in football. He had produced at least 1,770 total yards in three straight seasons, including a pair of 2,000-yard efforts. The previous year, he took things to the next level, earning first-team All-Robio with 15 scores, after having just 14 touchdowns in his first three seasons.
This ended up being a great pick. No, he didn’t match his 2,000 total yards from the year before, but he still managed 1,600 total yards and 10 scores, thanks to being one of the better pass-catching receivers out there (61 receptions). Riding Ray Rice and free agent pick up, Alfred Morris, Eric had his best season in Robioland. He went 8-6, earning the three seed and bringing home his first scoring crown. He became the fourth 1st overall pick to reach the title game. Yet, despite a great effort from his second team All-Robio award winner, who delivered 316 fantasy points, Eric became the highest scoring championship game loser in league history. Eric would end up keeping Rice the following year, becoming the third first overall pick to be kept.
2011 – Chris Johnson
TENNESSEE TITANS | RUNNING BACK | POS RANK: #13 | ERIC VOZZOLA
Like Peterson the year before, Chris Johnson was entering his fourth year in the league. As one of the best backs in football, he was drafted by one team as a rookie, kept for two years before finally being eligible for the draft again. Eric, coming off a brutal 2-11 campaign in 2010, wasted little time grabbing a guy who was just two years removed from a 2,000-yard rushing season (2,509 total yards).
Yet, behind a bad offensive line, Johnson was terrible. He failed to rush for 60 yards a stunning six times in his first seven games, scoring just one touchdown. Towards the end of the fantasy season, he produced some solid games, but not for Eric. After starting the season 1-9, Chris Johnson became just the second 1st overall pick to be traded away, when Eric shipped him off to Masterson as part of a six-player deal. Eric would never win another game that year, becoming the first overall first pick to miss the playoffs.
For Rob, the trade was a huge gamble. His team was rolling and along with Molly, was on pace to average over 1,500 points per game. He decided to mess with a winning formula and at first, it looked like he pulled off a heist, as Johnson produced 190 and 153 yards rushing in his first two games on Masterson’s squad.
Rob finished the regular season 3-0 with Johnson as his lead back and was primed for deep playoff run. Yet, he was stunned by Bob by just two points in the quarterfinals and Chris Johnson did him no favors. The Titans running back had just 23 yards rushing, 66 total yards, no touchdowns and exactly 100 fantasy points. If I recall, I dug the knife in a little deeper by pointing out that if Rob hadn’t done the trade for Johnson, he would have beaten Bob handily.
2010 – Adrian Peterson
MINNESOTA VIKINGS | RUNNING BACK | POS RANK: #2 | ROBIO MURRAY
After three years leading Matt Neatock to two championships, twice earning second-team All-Robio, there was no better player to restore me back to my perch on top. I had missed the playoffs in two of the last three seasons and 2009 was my worst effort yet, winning just two games all season long.
While 2010 wasn’t Peterson’s best year, it was still good enough to earn him his first 1st-team All-Robio award. He rushed for 1,298 yards (missing one game), adding in 341 yards receiving and 13 scores. He fumbled just once, after losing the ball 16 times the previous two seasons.
He helped me create a little history, as I became the first team to win 12 regular season games. In fact, by the time I reached the finals, I had won 14 straight (also a record). However, for reasons I can’t remember, I benched Peterson for the finals. The decision cost me 188 points, although even with him in my starting lineup, I would have still lost to Bob.
2009 – Frank Gore
SAN FRANCISCO 49ERS | RUNNING BACK | POS RANK: #10 | MATT NEATOCK
Matt Neatock was your 2007 champion. In 2008, it all collapsed. He won three games and earned the top pick. Yet, heading into 2009, he still had a trio of great keepers. With the top overall pick, he had just one mission in mind…don’t screw it up.
Frank Gore was the definition of a safe pick. He got plenty of touches, rushed for 1,000 yards, score some touchdowns and caught the ball and because he did have 1,695 yards rushing in 2006, there was that high ceiling potential. It was a unsexy, but smart pick.
Riding along side Adrian Peterson, a second-team All-Robio player that year, Gore did what Gore does. He had one fantastic game (207 yards in week two), a bunch of solid games, missed basically two games due to injury (he got three carries in week three before getting hurt). He finished 10th among all backs and then proceeded to turn it on big-time in the post-season, averaging 291 fantasy points per game in Matt’s championship run. He became the third person to earn the top pick and win a championship, but the first to do it during the keeper era.
2008 – LaDainian Tomlinson
SAN DIEGO CHARGERS | RUNNING BACK | POS RANK: #11 | COLBY HALL
Keeper ball had been alive and well in Robioland for four years now and so far, it hadn’t really hurt the end results for those picking first overall. Over the past four years, all four teams picking first made the playoffs, three won at least eight games, including David the previous year, who went a record 11-2 in the regular season. Yet, they all seem to do it DESPITE the top overall pick.
In fact, of the last four overall first picks, none managed to finish among the top-12 at their position. The previous two seasons, the pickers went with youth over experience (Bush, Jackson), but the two backs drafted combined for just three 100-yard games over the last two years.
Colby, coming off his worst season in Robioland (and with Jeff drafting), decided to go back to 0ld school. Tomlinson had been dominating the league since entering it back in 2001. Since the 2002 season, he had produced three 1st team All-Robio awards and another three 2nd team awards. The team that owned him (mostly Burrier) had produced a winning record for six straight seasons and he help led two teams (Burrier in 2003, Matt in 2007) to championships. Colby (and Jeff) wanted in on that action.
Yet, there were risks. Tomlinson was entering his eight year and had had 300+ carries for seven straight years and the ghost of Shaun Alexander (2006) had to be lingering in the back of Colby and Jeff’s head.
What would prove to be a rough year for running backs drafted in the first round (only #7 Clinton Portis and #9 Maurice Jones-Drew finished among the top-10), Tomlinson showed his glory days could soon be over. Overall, he wasn’t tragic. Tomlinson never got hurt and he did finish with 1,500 total yards, but this was a player who spit out 2,000 yard seasons like it was nothing. Rushing for only 3.8 yards per carry, Tomlinson finished with 1,100 yards rushing, producing just two 100-yard games. He would finish the year as the 11th best back, but did manage to get Colby back into the post-season. The Pounders finished the year 7-6, good enough to win his division. He reached the semifinals before getting upset by me, behind Tomlinson’s 174 fantasy points.
2007 – Steven Jackson
ST. LOUIS RAMS | RUNNING BACK | POS RANK: #15 | DAVID HIGHTOWER
David Hightower, the last league member to exit the league, entered 2007 needing a break, as he was coming off a stunning 1-12 season. It looked like he caught a big one. With Rob Masterson keeping Joseph Addai in round five, it meant Steven Jackson, a first-team All-Robio player from the previous season was out there and available. Unlike Bob the year before, David jumped on the opportunity. The Rams back became the fourth Rams’ running back to be taken first overall (the other three times were Marshall Faulk).
Yet, Jackson struggled out of the gate, failing to hit 100 total yards in two of his first three, scoring zero touchdowns. Yet, things got worse, when he was knocked out for a month. Yet, David strived without his top pick, going undefeated the entire time. Jackson returned in week nine and did fine, producing 100 total yards in Dave’s final five regular season games, but couldn’t prevent Mr. Hightower from getting eliminated in the semifinals. On the year, because of injuries and a bad offensive line, Jackson rushed for 100 yards in a game just twice, scoring only six touchdowns on the year. He finished 15th among all running backs.
2006 – Reggie Bush
NEW ORLEANS SAINTS | RUNNING BACK | POS RANK: #16 | BOB CASTRONE
Overall the two previous seasons, keepers wrecked havoc on the top overall pick, as Don and Matt selected veterans that proved to be on the down-side of their careers. Bob, coming off a three-win season and the league’s worst title defense, didn’t play that game and he didn’t have to, because the Rams Steven Jackson was sitting there. The previous season, Jackson rushed for 1,000 yards and eight scores “backing up” Marshall Faulk, but now Faulk had retired and the backfield belong to Jackson.
Yet, Bob shocked the world that August by passing on Jackson and instead selected rookie running back Reggie Bush. This would be the only rookie taken first overall until Don took Ezekiel Elliot this past season.
The decision…it didn’t pay off. Stuck sharing the backfield with veteran Deuce McAllister, who would rush for 1,000 yards, Bush just couldn’t get enough touches to be great. He started eight games, played in all sixteen, getting 155 carries and 88 receptions. He finished with a not-too-tragic 1,307 total yards and eight scores, finishing 16th among all backs. Meanwhile, Steven Jackson would go on to rush for over 1,600 yards and earning first-team All-Robio for Rob Masterson, who took Jackson with the second overall pick.
Of course, Bob would do fine that year. He finished the year 8-5, making it to the semifinals, before getting upset by Don. In that contest, Bush actually had a nice game, rushing for over 100 yards for the first time all year (20-126-1). Still, you have to wonder what could have been if Bob made the correct choice with that first overall pick.
2005 – Corey Dillon
NEW ENGLAND PATRIOTS | RUNNING BACK | POS RANK: #18 | MATT NEATOCK
Coming off a five-win season, Matt was looking to rub a little championship Castrone juice onto his team, by drafting Corey Dillon first overall. The Patriots back finished 7th among backs the previous year, as the lone RB on Bob’s championship squad, finishing the year with a career high 1,635 yards rushing.
Yet, Dillon wouldn’t come close to matching those numbers in 2005. He struggled out of the gate, eventually producing only two 100-yard games on the year, averaging 3.5 yards per carry. Matt had enough pretty quickly in week five, shipped Dillon off to me in a six-player deal, a deal that helped him land the Broncos’ Mike Anderson, thus Corey Dillon became the first overall first pick to be dealt.
The moved proved to be successful for Matt. He finished the year with a backfield of Anderson and Edgerrin James, going 8-5, winning his first division title, before falling to Colby in the quarterfinals. With Dillon as a starter, I struggled down the stretch, losing six of nine, but still squeezed into the playoffs. In the semifinals, my team put up solid numbers, 1,540 in a loss to Colby, but Corey Dillon did little of nothing, finishing the day with just 80 fantasy points.
2004 – Marshall Faulk
ST. LOUIS RAMS | RUNNING BACK | POS RANK: #27 | DON VOZZOLA
Poor Don, coming off his worst season in his short career, he earned the top overall pick and it just so happened to be in the first year we added keepers to the draft. Think about it, nearly every great player from the previous draft would be kept. Don’s options weren’t pretty, so he decided to roll with an oldie, but gold in blue & gold with Marshall Faulk.
The former three-time first-team All-Robio player had been in decline the past two years, mostly because he couldn’t stay on the field. Faulk had missed all or some of at least 11 games the previous two seasons, failing to crack the top-15 among backs both years.
In 2004, he did manage to stay on the field through 12 weeks (he missed weeks 13 and 14), but just couldn’t get much traction. Splitting time with a much younger Steven Jackson, Faulk only got 195 carries, producing a sad 774 yards (and 310 yards receiving). He scored just four touchdowns all year long. By season’s end, Don had benched him, instead going with a Domanick Davis and Willis McGahee backfield. Faulk became the first overall first pick to get bench, as Don finished 7-7, losing in the quarterfinals.
2003 – LaDainian Tomlinson
SAN DIEGO CHARGERS | RUNNING BACK | POS RANK: #1 | RICHARD BURRIER
Heading into the 2003 season, this was arguable the most important pick in league history. Why? Because beginning next year, for the first time in Robioland history, players could be kept. Burrier, who earned the top pick as the worst remaining team (we again swapped out four old league members for four new ones), had a tough decision. There was plenty of talent with 2002’s first-team running backs Priest Holmes and Ricky Williams available, plus veterans like Marshall Faulk Deuce McAllister and some up-and-comers (Clinton Portis and Shaun Alexander).
He decided to go with a young gun. LaDainian Tomlinson was entering his third year in the league, but the previous season, he proved he was ready for the big time, earning second team All-Robio, rushing for 1,683 yards.
Leading a solid Burrier squad, Tomlinson again rushed for over 1,600 yards, but this time kept adding to his receiving totals. He caught 100 balls on the season and in the end, totaled a career high 2,370 yards and 17 touchdowns. He finished second to Priest Homes in fantasy points by a running back, earning his first of what would be many first-team All-Robio awards.
He would lead Burrier to an 8-6 record and a division title, but saved his best work for the end. In a title game victory over Griff, Tomlinson rushed for 243 yards and two scores, finishing the day with 562 fantasy points, a record by a running back that still stands to this day. Rich became the second first overall pick in four years to earn a title and the first and only person to hit 2,000 in the championship game. He would end up keeping Tomlinson for the next four plus seasons, before trading him off in 2007.
2002 – Marshall Faulk
ST. LOUIS | RUNNING BACK | POS RANK: #16 | ERIC VOZZOLA
Heading into the season, the league was in flux. Four Floridans were out, replaced by Molly and a trio of New Yorkers, Burrier, Masterson and Acerno (who lasted only one year). However, those four were moved to the back of the first round, thus the top pick went to the worst team from 2011 that still remained…Eric Vozzola.
However, the one thing that never changed was Marshall Faulk’s dominance in the league. Coming off three straight first-team All-Robio awards (the first player to do so and still only the third person ever), he was an obvious choice for first overall pick.
Yet, the Rams as a team and Faulk as a player really struggled out of the gate. St. Louis would drop their first five games, while their top back put up some horrid numbers. In week one, he had only 19 yards on ten carries (although he did catch 14 balls for 91 yards). In week three, he was knocked out of the game against the Bucs after just nine yards rushing (on six carries). That would prove to be the theme of Faulk’s season. He would go on to miss four full games and parts of three others. In weeks 7-9, he did manage to put together three fantastic efforts (651 yards and three scores), but Eric still ended up losing two of those three.
In the end, those three games were the only three he finished with at least 100 yards rushing. He failed to earn an All-Robio award for the first time in his short Robioland career, falling to 16th among all backs. Eric managed to only win seven games (7-7), falling 294 total points short of a playoff birth. He became the first person to have the top overall pick to not make the post-season.
2001 – EDGERRIN JAMES
INDIANAPOLIS COLTS | RUNNING BACK | POS RANK: #33 | ANNE MURPHY
Heading into 2001, Marshall Faulk was the stud of studs, coming off back-to-back first team All-Robio award. However, there were quiet little whispers about his health entering his ninth season in the NFL. Meanwhile, in Indianapolis, third year back Edgerrin James had produced two 2,000-yard seasons in his first two years in the league.
Deciding to look ahead and not back, Anne Murphy, the league’s second female member (in her first and only year in the league) took The Edge. It looked like a brilliant pick. Through five weeks, James was rolling. He had 744 total yards, including four 100-yard rushing games. His scoring was down (just three touchdowns, all in weeks one and two, but he was still on pace for 2,381 total yards that year. That was until week five. On the road in week six at Kansas City, James walked away with another 102 yards rushing, but also with an ACL tear. His season was done, finishing the year as the 33rd best back in football (the lowest finish for a first overall pick). Anne, who was 5-1 with James as her top back, finished 5-4 down the stretch, falling in the quarterfinals to the original league Matt.
2000 – Marshall Faulk
ST. LOUIS RAMS | RUNNING BACK | POS RANK: #1 | RICK MULLIN
If our little fantasy football league had started about five years early, Marshall Faulk would easily be in the discussion for greatest fantasy back ever. By the year 2000, he was coming off back-t0-back seasons where he produced over 2,200 yards from scrimmage, with double digit touchdowns. He was as no-brainer as you can get with a first-round overall pick.
That year, the league expanded from eight teams to twelve and names were once again drawn from a cap in my living room (the only draft where all 12 league members were in the same room for a draft). Former league member Rick Mullin snagged the league’s best running back and he never looked back. Despite missing a pair of games, Faulk still dominated the league. He finished again with over 2,000 yards and finished first among backs, leading Rick to an 11-3 season, the top seed and the scoring crown. In the quarterfinals, he had 135 yards and four touchdowns for the Rams (594 yards). In the semifinals though, despite scoring three more touchdowns, Rich was upset by Griff.
On the season, he averaged 339 points per game. If we updated his stats to our current scoring system, he would have averaged 386 fantasy points per contest, which makes 2000 Marshall Faulk, an easy argument for best overall pick ever.
1999 – Randy Moss
MINNESOTA VIKINGS | WIDE RECEIVER | POS RANK: #2 | ROBIO MURRAY
With the first ever pick in Robioland, I took Minnesota Vikings’ wide receiver, Randy Moss. The stud pair of hands produced a stunning 17 touchdowns as a rookie in 1998, so he seemed like a no-brainer.
In 1999, he caught 11 more balls (80) than the previous year for 1,413 yards, although his TD total dropped from 17 to 11. Still, his 236 fantasy points per game was enough to earn a first-team All-Robio award (he was the second best WR behind Marvin Harrison, also on my team).
He, along with four other first-team All-Robio players, led me to a 11-3 record in the regular season. I would win 11 straight to end the year, defeating Griff Coomer for the first league title. In the championship game, Moss would finish with 5-155-1, earning me 360 points.
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