Since their inaugural season in 1966, the Falcons have selected players in the NFL Draft to build tradition and take the franchise to new heights. Tommy Nobis set the standard as Atlanta’s first-ever draft pick in 1966 and Hall of Famers, Pro-Bowlers and fan favorites have been selected since. Each season when the Atlanta Falcons bring in a new class of draftees, they stand in the same shoes as the Falcons’ all-time greats that did it before them. There are draft picks that have a lasting and, in some cases, living legacy with the Falcons and they set the bar high for every incoming rookie to strive for. Here are the Falcons’ top 10 draft picks of all time.
* In order to qualify for this list, a player has to have played five NFL seasons or more.
WILLIAM ANDREWS
The Falcons selected William Andrews in the third round (79th pick) of the 1979 NFL Draft. Andrews earned four Pro Bowl selections during his career with Atlanta. He led the Falcons in rushing from 1979- 83 and is in second place all-time in Falcons history with 5,986 rushing yards and 30 rushing touchdowns. Over a four-year span (1979-83), Andrews led all NFL running backs with 8,382 total rushing yards.
In 1981, Williams joined Jim Brown, Walter Payton, Wilbert Montgomery and O.J. Simpson in the record books as he eclipsed 2,000 yards from scrimmage in a single season with 2,036. Two years later, Williams tallied 2,176 yards and joined Simpson as the second player in NFL history to have two 2,000-yard (total yards from scrimmage) seasons in a career.
Williams earned an induction into the Georgia Sports Hall of Fame in 1996 and was among the inaugural members of the Atlanta Falcons Ring of Honor in 2004. The third-round pick’s career was cut short by injury, but he proved to be an all-time great in just five seasons.
STEVE BARTKOWSKI
With the No. 1 pick of the 1975 Draft, the Falcons selected California quarterback Steve Bartkowski. The 6-foot-4 passer earned Offensive Rookie of the Year honors during the 1975 season and went on to lead the Falcons for 11 seasons. The Iowa native made two Pro Bowls with Atlanta and led the League in passing touchdowns in 1980 with 31.
Bartkowski is currently on the Falcons’ Board of Directors and was inducted into the College Football Hall of Fame in 2012. Bartkowski was the Falcons’ record-holder for most passing yards in a career with 23,470 and most passes completed in a career with 1,871 until Matt Ryan surpassed those marks this past season. Bartkowski started in 127 games during his career and helped lead Atlanta to its first-ever 12-win season in 1980 with a career-high 31 touchdowns. In 1983, Bartkowski threw an efficient 22 touchdowns and only five interceptions and finished the season with a 97.6 QBR. Bartkowski joined the Ring of Honor in the inaugural 2004 class.
CLAUDE HUMPHREY
Claude Humphrey was selected with the No. 3 pick of the 1968 NFL Draft out of Tennessee State. The 6-foot-4, 252-pound defensive end earned Rookie of the Year honors and set multiple franchise records during his career in Atlanta. Humphrey retired with five first-team All-Pro selections and tied the Falcons’ record for the most Pro Bowl appearances with six. Humphrey owns Atlanta’s franchise sack record with 94.5.
In 1976, Humphrey came back strong after missing all of 1975 with a knee injury to record 15.5 sacks. He ended his career with the Eagles (1979-1981) and retired with 126.5 career sacks in 171 career games. After being a finalist in the 2009 Hall of Fame, Humphrey will finally join the prestigious Pro Football Hall of Fame this summer. He will join Deion Sanders as the second Falcons’ draft pick to reach the Hall. Humphrey is a member of the Atlanta Falcons Ring of Honor, the Georgia Sports Hall of Fame and the Tennessee Sports Hall of Fame.
JEFF VAN NOTE
The Falcons grabbed Jeff Van Note in the 11th round of the 1969 NFL Draft. The University of Kentucky product was drafted as a linebacker by the Falcons, but was eventually moved to center by Falcons head coach Norm Van Brocklin. Despite Van Note’s lack of experience, he quickly grasped the position and transformed into one of the NFL’s best centers. The 6-foot-2, 250-pounder played his way to five Pro Bowls (1974, 1975, 1980, 1981, 1982) and earned second-team All-Pro honors in 1979 and 1982.
Van Note played in 246 games over his 18-year career, including 226 starts. Van Note’s 18-year career is one of the 25 longest in NFL history and is the second longest in League history with the same team. Falcons fans voted Van Note into the Ring of Honor and he was inducted on Oct. 1, 2006. Van Note joined the Georgia Sports Hall of Fame in 1999 and he was voted by the fans as their favorite player during the 1991 season.
RODDY WHITE
With the No. 27 pick in the 2005 Draft, Atlanta drafted wide receiver Roddy White, who continues to be one of the most productive and consistent wide receivers in the NFL. White has accumulated 9,436 receiving yards on 685 receptions and has 55 touchdowns in his nine seasons in Atlanta. He led the NFL in receptions in 2010 with 115 and set the pace in the NFC with 1,389 receiving yards. His 5,158 receiving yards since 2007 are more than any other wideout in the League during that span.
White’s career marks are matched with his ability to produce big numbers and prolific performances in games. He set the Falcons’ record for receiving yards in a half with 185 and most receiving yards in a game with 210. White’s six 1,000-yard seasons are the most in franchise history. White played in 133 consecutive games before getting injured last season. He finished 2013 strong with 20 receptions for 232 yards and two touchdowns in Atlanta’s final two games. White is two receiving touchdowns away from Terance Mathis’ franchise record of 57.
TOMMY NOBIS
The Falcons’ first-ever draft pick was a great one. With the top pick of the 1966 NFL Draft, the newly-formed Falcons selected linebacker Tommy Nobis out of Texas. The 1965 Outland Trophy and Maxwell Award winner earned Defensive Rookie of the Year honors in 1966 and followed it up with a first-team All-Pro selection in his second season.
Nobis was selected to five Pro Bowls during his career (1966, 1967, 1968, 1970, 1972) and is a member of the NFL’s 1960’s All-Decade Team. Nobis recorded 294 combined tackles his rookie season, which still stands today as a seemingly impossible-to-reach Falcons single-season record. He is a member of the Falcons’ Ring of Honor and his jersey number was the first to be retired by the team. He is the only Falcons player to have ever worn that number (#60). Nobis has been inducted into the College Football Hall of Fame, Georgia Sports Hall of Fame, Texas Sports Hall of Fame and his number is also retired at the University of Texas. “Mr. Falcon” played a total of 11 seasons with the franchise.
MATT RYAN
After a difficult 2007 season, the Falcons looked for stability and leadership in the 2008 Draft. With the No. 3 pick, they selected Matt Ryan out of Boston College. Ryan’s first pass went for a 62-yard touchdown in the 2008 season-opener, and he has been the face of the franchise since. He earned AP Offensive Rookie of the Year honors and has continued to set franchise records and put the team on his shoulders in pressure situations. His 23 game- winning drives in his first five seasons is a franchise record.
In 2012, Ryan led Atlanta to a franchise-best 8-0 start and its first-ever home NFC Championship game. He posted a career high by completing 422 of 615 passes (68.6 percent) and 4,719 yards. His 422 completions in 2012 is a franchise record and he enters his seventh NFL season with a career completion percentage of 63.7 and a franchise record with 23,472 yards passing. Ryan has started 94 of 96 games since coming into the League and his toughness in the pocket and perseverance has inspired some of the most thrilling comebacks and finishes in the Falcons franchise has seen.
DEION SANDERS
The Falcons selected athletically-gifted cornerback and return specialist Deion Sanders with the No. 5 pick of the 1989 Draft. The former Florida State Seminole played his first five NFL seasons with the Falcons and became the first Atlanta Falcons draft pick to be inducted into the Pro Football Hall of Fame in 2011
“Prime Time” played 16 NFL seasons and also played professional baseball for the Braves, Yankess, Reds and Giants. In his rookie season with the Falcons, he became the first player in history to score a touchdown and hit a Major League home run in the same week. Sanders sits alone as the only athlete to play in a World Series and a Super Bowl. He returned his first career punt return for a touchdown and intercepted 24 passes during his five seasons with Atlanta. In 1993, the high-stepping cornerback intercepted seven passes and returned three of them for touchdowns. During five seasons with the Falcons,Sanders scored 10 touchdowns (three defensive, three kick returns, two punt returns and two receptions). The 8-time All-Pro is one of nine members in the Falcons Ring of Honor and is a member of the NFL 1990’s All-Decade Team.
GERALD RIGGS
When the Gerald Riggs was taken with the No. 9 pick in the 1982 NFL Draft, he began a career in Atlanta that would earn him a spot as the ninth member of the prestigious Falcons Ring of Honor. In seven seasons in Atlanta, Riggs rushed for a franchise-record 6,631 yards and posted four consecutive 1000-yard seasons, including a 1,986-yard effort in 1985. Riggs ended his career with the Redskins and rushed for a pair of touchdowns in a 37-24 Super Bowl XXVI victory over the Buffalo Bills, Riggs’ final NFL game. Riggs’ induction to the Falcons Ring of Honor came during Week 5 of the 2013 season when Atlanta hosted the Jets on Monday Night Football. Riggs had an ability to make decisions in a small area that was uncommon for a big, physical runner. The combination of skills and the toughness needed to excel in short yardage and goal-line plays was tailor-made for Riggs’ style and he still stands as the only player in NFL history to rush for 11 touch- downs in fewer than 80 attempts in a single season. He also served as an every-down back and holds the Falcons’ franchise mark for 397 carries in a single season
TODD MCCLURE
Center Todd McClure was the 237th pick (Round 7) in the 1999 NFL Draft and held down the Falcons’ starting center position for 13 seasons. McClure played under a series of coaching staffs and the line around him constantly changed, but he was the heart and soul that kept it together. McClure retired after the 2012 season and missed just four games in his entire career. He served as center for Matt Ryan in each of Ry-an’s first five seasons and led an offensive line with the fewest penalties in the NFL over that five-year span. McClure broke Keith Brooking’s franchise record with 148 consecutive starts. The former LSU Tiger’s first season with Atlanta resulted in a torn ACL in training camp, but he grabbed the starting role the next season and never let it go.
One of the best late-round picks in NFL history, he helped lead an offensive line that set the fourth-highest single-game rushing total in postseason history against St. Louis in 2004.
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