2015 Panini Flawless Progressions Signatures Ruby #17 Jameis Winston /15
Fifteen to five years, the top picks in the NFL Draft from 2010 to 2019 have had their chances to make their mark on the game. Situational fits, injuries, successes and failures fill 10 years of high expectations and big money contracts.
Which players lived up to the hype, and helped invigorate the hobby, along the way to a possible Hall of Fame career?
Taking success and/or failure out of the eyes of the beholder, All-Pro recognition is the prestigious honor with Pro Bowl selections part of the consideration for gauging each player’s career.
The Top Picks
2010 QB Sam Bradford – St. Louis Rams – Oklahoma Sooners
Winning a Heisman Trophy in 2008 helped catapult Bradford to the top of the NFL draft board in 2010. The St. Louis Rams positioned Bradford to win Rookie of the Year honors while establishing their belief in his abilities seeing him break the rookie record for passing attempts (590) and completions (354); both records previously held by Peyton Manning.
A down 2011 sophomore season led to a bounce back year passing for 3,702 yards with 21 TDs. ACL injuries in 2013 and ’14 kept Bradford off the field for 25 total games. Traded to Philadelphia for the 2015 schedule, Bradford threw for 3,725 yards, 19 touchdowns.
Bradford’s best season was in 2016 with Minnesota posting 3,877 yards with 20 touchdowns tossed against just five picks in 15 games. Another ACL injury in 2017 ended Bradford’s season after two games. Signing with the Arizona Cardinals for the 2018 season, Bradford was replaced by Josh Rosen after three games and later released ending his career.
All-Pro: 0
2010 Crown Royale #226 Sam Bradford AU/299 RC
2011 QB Cam Newton – Carolina Panthers – Auburn Tigers
“Super Cam” lived up to the hype. Being part of two BCS championships in college with a Heisman in tote from 2010, Carolina got the cornerstone piece of their team for the rest of the decade.
While the win-loss record was less than impressive (6-10), Newton shined passing for 4,051 yards with 21 scores and rushed for 706 yards with 14 more TDs as a rookie. In an odd twist, Newton’s first season in the NFL, statistically, was his best.
Newton earned Pro Bowl selections in 2011 and 2013, but 2015 is the year everyone remembers. The Panthers went 15-1 with Newton passing for 3,837 yards, a career best 35 TDs, while rushing for 636 yards with 10 touchdowns. The 2015 effort earned Newton Offensive Player of the Year and MVP honors. 2017 was Newton’s only winning season for the remainder of his career retiring in 2021.
All-Pro: 2015
2011 Panini Gold Standard #251 Cam Newton JSY AU /325
2012 QB Andrew Luck – Indianapolis Colts – Stanford Cardinal
Luck hit the ground running in the NFL breaking Newton’s rookie passing yard mark covering 4,374 yards. The Colts turned from a 2-14 squad to 11-5 in 2012. Selected for his first of four Pro Bowls, with all the positives, Robert Griffin III was the NFL ROY.
The Colts went 11-5 in each of Luck’s first three seasons. In 2014, Luck threw for a career-high 4,761 yards, leading the league with 40 TD passes.
The 2015 campaign was riddled with injuries starting with his shoulder then a partially torn abdominal muscle along with a lacerated kidney limiting the QB to seven games. The following season, Luck played well but the team was just 8-7. The entire 2017 season was lost to a shoulder injury that required offseason surgery. Rebounding from the lost season, Luck threw for 4,593 yards with 39 touchdowns to earn Comeback Player of the Year. At the age of 29, Luck retired shortly before the start of the 2019 season.
All-Pro: 0
2012 Bowman #150A Andrew Luck RC holding football
2013 OT Eric Fisher – Kansas City Chiefs – Central Michigan
Fisher broke a string of four consecutive QBs drafted No. 1 overall and was the first tackle taken atop the draft since the Dolphins selected Jake Long out of Michigan in 2008. The Chiefs worked Fisher onto the line in Year 1 at right tackle, sliding him over to the left side in 2014.
From 2013 to 2018, Fisher was a relied upon lineman for KC missing just two games with 90 starts. Fisher was selected to Pro Bowls in 2018 and 2020 and won a ring with the Chiefs in LIV against the San Francisco 49ers. A torn ACL against the Buffalo Bills forced Fisher to miss Super Bowl LV; won by the Bucs (31-9). Fisher played in and started 15 games with the Colts in 2021. The Dolphins had Fisher on the active roster for 2022, but he never played in a game.
All-Pro: 0
2013 Panini Black #138 Eric Fisher RC /399
2014 DE Jadeveon Clowney – Houston Texans – South Carolina Gamecocks
A five-star recruit out of high school, Clowney made noise throughout his college career earning SEC Freshman of the Year in 2011 and was First Team All-SEC and All-American in 2012 and 2013. Clowney had the hit heard around the world in the Outback Bowl (2013) against Michigan RB Vincent Smith. Clowney became the first defensive top pick in the draft since 2006 when the Texans took DE Mario Williams.
A torn meniscus limited Clowney to four games in 2014. By 2016, Clowney earned Second Team All-Pro recognition and was a three-time Pro Bowl selection (2016-18). There was never that one year where Clowney showcased all the hope fans had for him. His best statistical season was in 2017; 9.5 sacks, 59 tackles. In 2018 and ’21, he had 9.0 sacks, and he tied his career high with 9.5 sacks in 2023 with the Ravens. Clowney was released by the Panthers in May of 2025.
All-Pro: 1
2014 Topps Supreme #23 RC /162
2015 QB Jameis Winston – Tampa Bay Buccaneers – Florida State
Another Heisman winner (2013), another top pick in the NFL Draft. Looking at the stats, Winston had a strong five years in Tampa throwing for a total of 19,737 yards with 121 touchdowns… need to mention the 88 interceptions in those 72 games. The 2019 season was Winston’s best, leading the league with 5,109 yards, but he also led the league in INTs with 30.
In 2020, the Bucs went with Tom Brady, and the rest, as they say, is history. The Bucs turn the corner and won a championship. Signed by the Saints, Winston had to back a legend, Drew Brees. Starting in 2021, an illegal tackle by Devin White tore Winston’s MCL and ACL ending his season after seven games. Winston started three games in 2022, none in 2023, and seven with the Browns in 2024.
All-Pro: 0
2015 Gridiron Kings #101 Jameis Winston RC
2016 QB Jared Goff – Los Angeles Rams – California
The Rams started Goff off on the sidelines as a rookie, learning behind Case Keenum. After nine games, Goff was given the green light starting the final seven contests. Going 0-7 in those starts didn’t instill confidence in the fanbase, but the 11-4 record turned in the following season calmed fears. Goff’s first full year ended with 3,804 passing yards and 28 touchdowns. The Rams got two Pro Bowl seasons out of Goff in 2017 and 2018. The best year on the field, 13-3, and in the stat book was 2018 (4,688 yards, 32 TDs).
The Rams swapped Goff and three draft picks for Matthew Stafford. The first year in Detroit was tough, 3-10-1, but it got better. In 2023, the Lions went 12-5 with Goff throwing for 4,575 yards, 30 TDs. 2024 was even better, 15-2, 4,629 yards, 37 TDs. Goff enters 2025 slotted 34th on the all-time passing list but could easily be in the top 25 by season’s end. Goff got two more Pro Bowl nods in 2022 and ’24.
All-Pro: 0
2016 Panini Prizm Silver #208 Jared Goff RC
2017 DE Myles Garrett – Cleveland Browns – Texas A&M
Within this grouping, it is hard to argue against Garrett being the best of the best; arguments aside about what Luck could have done. A slow start in 2017, seven sacks in 11 games played, but the 2018 campaign was big with 13.5 sacks. Garrett has run his consecutive double-digit sacks seasons to seven with bests in 2021 and ’22 of 16.0. The eight-year career, 102.5 sacks, 200 QB hits.
Garrett has earned six Pro Bowl selections, two Second Team All-Pro (2018, 2022), and four First-Team All-Pro (2020-21, 2023-24) honors. Garrett was named the NFL Defensive Player of the Year in 2023.
All-Pro: (6) First Team: 2020, 2021, 2023, 2024; Second Team: 2018, 2022
2017 Score #337 Myles Garrett RC
2018 QB Baker Mayfield – Cleveland Browns – Oklahoma Sooners
The reoccurring theme, Heisman winner, first pick in the draft. Heroics early with the Browns, coming off the bench in Week 3 leading Cleveland to a win over the Jets. Starting 13 games in 2018, playing in 14, Mayfield threw for 3,725 yards with 27 touchdowns. The following year, 3,827 yards, 22 touchdowns. The 2020 season saw the Browns go from 6-10 to 11-5. By 2022, Mayfield was in Carolina and then in LA with the Rams.
A fresh start was given in Tampa, and Mayfield responded with career numbers. In 2023, 4,044 yards, 28 touchdowns, and 4,500, 41 TDs in 2024. Worth noting, the last two seasons were winning years for Mayfield and the Bucs. Pro Bowl nods in 2023 and ’24.
All-Pro: 0
2018 Panini Luminance #107 Baker Mayfield RC
2019 QB Kyler Murray – Arizona Cardinals – Oklahoma Sooners
The power of Lincoln Riley at this time was off the charts. Another Oklahoma QB winning a Heisman, another QB drafted No. 1 overall, and both on the short side for prototypical quarterbacks. After throwing for 3,722 yards with 20 touchdowns, and rushing for 544 yards and four more scores, Murray was named 2019 Offensive Rookie of the Year. Tucked away in those stats, 48 sacks.
Murray’s best season on the field was in 2020, 3,971 yards, 26 TDs, 819 rush yards, 11 scores. The NFL invited Murray to the Pro Bowl in 2020 and ’21. 2021 stats: 3,781 passing, 24 TDs, 423 rushing, 5 TDs. The 2021 season is the only winning year the Cardinals have had with Murray running the offense as a starter (9-5, 11-6 overall).
All-Pro: 0
2019 Panini Playoff Goal Line #201 Kyler Murray RC
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