Free agency, since its inception in the early 1990s, has played a significant role in the success (or failure) of NFL franchises but the NFL Draft also plays a large part in helping determine which team is crowned league champion on a yearly basis. Simply put, teams that consistently draft quality players have generally been in a position to win one or more championships. In contrast, teams that struggle to select the right prospects perennially find themselves with one of the top picks in the draft.
With the 2026 NFL Draft just two weeks away, we decided to take a look back at each team's best draft since 2000. Older draft classes clearly have an advantage, but potential already shown in some recent draft classes did result in some from the last few years cracking this list.
The Cardinals' 2004 draft class starts with Larry Fitzgerald, a future Hall of Fame receiver who was the team's best player during their 2008 Super Bowl run. Fitzgerald, who is second to only Jerry Rice in career catches and receiving yards, will be inducted into the Pro Football Hall of Fame this summer.
With their second- and third-round picks, the Cardinals picked two other players who would play prominent roles on their '08 NFC title team: linebacker Karlos Dansby and defensive tackle Darnell Dockett. In the fifth round, Arizona selected defensive end Antonio Smith, who received 39 starts in five years in Arizona before earning his first Pro Bowl selection after joining the Texans.
Atlanta's best draft class came down to the two drafts that saw it select Matt Ryan (2008) and Michael Vick (2001) with its first-round picks.
Both quarterbacks made lasting impacts with the Falcons. The electric Vick helped the Falcons win a pair of playoff games that included a trip to the NFC title game in 2004. Ryan won league MVP honors in 2016 while leading the Falcons to their second Super Bowl appearance. Ryan gets the nod over Vick largely because of his longevity and the fact that he was able to get Atlanta to a Super Bowl.
Atlanta's 2008 draft also produced Pro Bowl defensive back Thomas DeCloud (third round) and NFL starters in tackle Sam Baker (first round), linebacker Curtis Lofton (second round) and receiver Harry Douglas (third round).
While Baltimore's 2008 draft class produced two players (Joe Flacco and Ray Rice) who played a prominent role in the team's 2012 championship run, the Ravens' 2018 class has turned out be even better.
The Ravens' 2018 draft class is headlined by two-time MVP Lamar Jackson, four-time Pro Bowl right tackle Orlando Brown Jr. (who is currently with the Bengals after winning a Super Bowl with the Chiefs in 2022) and three-time Pro Bowler Mark Andrews.
Baltimore's '18 draft class also includes offensive lineman Bradley Bozeman, a starting-caliber offensive lineman, plus another key contributor in linebacker Kenny Young, who was part of the trade that landed the team corner Marcus Peters. Tight end Hayden Hurst also had a productive career.
Buffalo's 2018 class is headlined by Josh Allen, the 2024 NFL MVP and a four-time Pro Bowl selection. It also includes a two-time Pro Bowler in Tremaine Edmunds, a three-time Pro Bowler in Wyatt Teller (whose career took off after he went to Cleveland in 2019) and two quality starters in Harrison Phillips and Taron Johnson. Ray-Ray McCloud, an accomplished returner who led the NFL in punt return yards (in 2021 as a member of the Steelers) caught a career-high 62 passes for 686 yards in 2024 as a member of the Falcons.
Carolina's 2012 class produced two of the team's best players during its 2015 Super Bowl run (Luke Kuechly and Josh Norman), but the Panthers' 2005 class is significantly deeper, with five draft picks from that class going on to have considerably long and successful careers. Headlining that draft class is linebacker Thomas Davis, who earned All-Pro honors during the Panthers' memorable 2015 season. Guard Evan Mathis, a third-round pick, enjoyed a 12-year career that saw him earn two Pro Bowls selections as well as an All-Pro nod in 2013.
While three of the Panthers' top five picks turned out to be busts, they made up for it by selecting three productive players during the fifth and sixth rounds. Center Geoff Hangartner made 85 starts over a nine-year career. Defensive end Jovan Haye made 45 starts over a three-year span, while offensive lineman Joe Berger, the Panthers' final pick in the '05 draft, enjoyed a 13-year career that saw him make 46 starts during his final three seasons.
You could make an argument for the depth of the 2003 class winning out, as the Bears were able to find solid contributors on Day 3 to go with their Day 2 picks of Charles Tillman and Lance Briggs. The issue is their two first-round picks were spent on Michael Haynes, who only lasted about 2 1/2 years without making much of an impact, and Rex Grossman, who only spent one year as the primary starter (albeit it one that involved a Super Bowl run).
But in 2000, the Bears made their first two picks count, starting with Hall of Famer Brian Urlacher at No. 9 overall. The four-time first-team All-Pro and eight-time Pro Bowler ranks in the top 10 all time of solo tackles in a career to go along with plenty of other accolades. Second-round pick Mike Brown was a first-team All-Pro in his second season, and while he never reached those heights again, he enjoyed a long, productive career that also included a Pro Bowl bid. And the 2000 class had some supporting contributors as well, with Dez White racking up 155 catches in four years with the Bears after being taken in the third round, seventh-rounder Michael Green making 45 starts while playing 81 games in his six years in Chicago, and kicker Paul Edinger putting together a couple solid seasons before the sixth-rounder played his way out of town.
Cincinnati's '20 class edges out its '21 class that featured Ja'Marr Chase and Evan McPherson. Joe Burrow led the Bengals' run to the Super Bowl in 2021 and backed that up with two Pro Bowl campaigns. In 2024, Burrow became the second player ever to win Comeback Player of the Year for a second time.
Burrow has enjoyed a successful partnership with Tee Higgins, a two-time 1,000-yard receiver who has embraced his role as the Robin to Chase's Batman. Logan Wilson, the team's third-round pick, played a key role in the Bengals' 2021 AFC championship run. His interception against the Titans in the divisional round of that postseason set up Evan McPherson's game-winning field goal.
Before 2020, the Bengals' 2001 class was the franchise's best during this century. That draft produced one of the league's best receiving duos during the 2000s in Chad Johnson and T.J. Houshmandzadeh. The duo would combine to catch 1,393 catches for 18,296 yards and 111 touchdowns over their careers while helping the Bengals win an AFC North division title in 2005.
The '01 draft also produced Pro Bowl running back Rudi Johnson and defensive end Justin Smith, who earned five consecutive Pro Bowl selections as well as an All-Pro nod during his time with the 49ers following seven solid years in Cincinnati.
While his time with the franchise didn't end on a high note, Baker Mayfield certainly left his mark in Cleveland. He won Offensive Rookie of the Year in 2018 while helping the Browns post their best record in four years. Two years later, Mayfield helped lead Cleveland to its greatest win (a wild-card win in Pittsburgh) since the franchise returned to the NFL in 1999. He has had a career resurgence in Tampa Bay.