A History of the Best and Worst Sixth Overall Picks

Brandon Olsen takes a look at the history of the sixth overall pick in the NFL draft.

Author:
Brandon Olsen
Publish date:
Apr 09, 2024

In this story:

NFL Draft

New York Giants

Daniel Jones

With the sixth overall pick in the 2024 NFL Draft, the New York Giants can draft a player who can help turn the franchise around. Throughout its history, the sixth pick has introduced Hall of Fame-caliber players and some busts, although the results have generally been positive.

Recent history brings names like Justin Herbert, Jaylen Waddle, Ronnie Stanley, and Quenton Nelson into the conversation of players who have taken sixth overall and are amid very impressive NFL careers. For Giants fans, the last time the franchise held the sixth overall pick was when Daniel Jones was drafted.

Let's look at the best and worst of the sixth-round picks.

Best: WR Julio Jones

The most recent (likely) Hall of Fame player to be drafted sixth overall was Julio Jones. He is still technically active but will soon call it a career. Jones has had 1,430 receptions, 13,703 receiving yards, and 66 touchdowns throughout his career. That leaves Jones ranking 24th in career receptions, 16th in career yards, and outside of the top fifty in touchdowns.

At his peak, Jones was arguably the top receiver in the NFL and was the #1 option for Matt Ryan during his MVP season in 2016. Whenever Jones retires, the expectation should be that he will eventually get a gold jacket as one of the most productive receivers in NFL history.

Worst: EDGE Vernon Gholston

If you ever hear the words “workout warrior,” the name Vernon Gholston will likely not be too far behind. Gholston had a productive college career at Ohio State and then went on to dominate the NFL Combine in 2008 - a performance that still has him with a 9.82 Relative Athletic Score all-time amongst defensive ends.

Gholston was taken by the Jets, where he went on to play in 45 games, starting just five of them, before he was released after this third season. Gholston signed with the Bears in July 2011 before being released in August 2011, then signed with the Rams for a week in August 2012 before being cut.

Gholston would finish his career with zero sacks.

Torry Holt, WR - 1999-2008 St. Louis Rams, 2009 Jacksonville Jaguars.

Jack Gruber, USA TODAY, USA TODAY via

Best: WR Torry Holt

The St. Louis Rams took NC State wide receiver Torry Holt in 1999 and are thankful for that opportunity. Holt likely would’ve been drafted a couple of picks earlier, but he injured his knee at the Senior Bowl, and his Combine performance, while still impressive, suffered somewhat because of it.

Holt would become a key piece in the Rams’ “Greatest Show on Turf,” winning Super Bowl XXIV, being a two-time All-Pro and seven-time Pro Bowler, and leading the NFL in receiving yards twice and receptions once. The most impressive thing about Holt’s productive NFL career is that he did all of that in just ten seasons before his career was ultimately cut short because of a knee injury.

Worst: RB Lawrence Phillips

One of the more underrated aspects of drafting a player, but especially in the top ten, is that the player will represent the franchise both on and off the field. Nebraska running back Lawrence Phillips was considered the most talented football player in the 1996 NFL Draft but would ultimately end up going sixth overall.

Phillips had character concerns and legal troubles that knocked him down or off team boards before the St. Louis Rams decided to take a chance on an elite player. Phillips would go on to be relatively unproductive at the NFL level while dealing with many legal troubles until his CFL career ended in 2003.

Phillips would spend the latter portion of his life in prison before his death in January 2016.

Best: DL Richard Seymour

Defensive end, defensive tackle, fullback. Call Richard Seymour whatever you want to call him, as long as you include the title of Pro Football Hall of Famer. Coming out of Georgia in the 2001 NFL Draft, the Patriots would draft Seymour as a versatile player who could line up at any spot on the defensive line.

Seymour would become a dominant force on the interior that is often thought of as a key piece of the early portion of the Patriots dynasty. Throughout his Hall of Fame career, Seymour would win three Super Bowls, be named a five-time All-Pro, and seven-time Pro Bowler on the defensive line.

Worst: QB David Klingler

David Klingler was one of the first college quarterbacks drafted based on his dominant college football career from a production standpoint. Before, NFL teams had the information and film resources they have now, but this was much more common and led to selections like this.

Klingler would be drafted by the Cincinnati Bengals, where he would remain for three seasons before going to the Raiders and Packers. An elbow injury ended his NFL career, and he was already heavily on the decline as a backup.

Best: QB Sammy Baugh

One of the most celebrated NFL quarterbacks of all time, Sammy Baugh, is considered one of the earliest franchise quarterbacks in history. Baugh was a three-way player with one of the most dominant seasons we’ve ever seen in 1943—where he led the NFL in completion percentage, defensive interceptions as a safety, and punting yards.

Outside of that individual season, Baugh was a two-time NFL champion, eight-time All-Pro, six-time Pro Bowler, and a member of the Pro and College Football Hall of Fames.

Best: QB Y.A. Tittle

For some New York Giants flavor, Y.A. Tittle was the sixth overall pick in 1948 and the third overall in 1951. Tittle was initially a Baltimore Colt, but when the franchise was dissolved, he was part of the roster pool and re-entered the 1951 Draft.

It wouldn’t be until 1961 when Tittle joined the Giants, and it was not until his retirement in 1964 after a sack left him with multiple injuries that relegated him to backup duty before retiring. Tittle’s impact on the game is still felt today as one of the first dual-threat quarterbacks in NFL history.

As a Giant, Tittle would win the MVP award in 1963, a year where he was also an All-Pro and Pro Bowler and leading the NFL in completion percentage, passing touchdowns, and passer rating.