| 2024 | Washington Commanders | Jayden Daniels | QB | LSU |
| 2023 | Houston Texans | C.J. Stroud | QB | Ohio State |
| 2022 | Detroit Lions | Aidan Hutchinson | DE | Michigan |
| 2021 | New York Jets | Zach Wilson | QB | Brigham Young |
| 2020 | Washington Redskins | Chase Young | DE | Ohio State |
| 2019 | San Francisco 49ers | Joey Bosa | DE | Ohio State |
| 2018 | New York Giants | Saquon Barkley | RB | Penn State |
| 2017 | Chicago Bears | Mitchell Trubisky | QB | North Carolina |
| 2016 | Philadelphia Eagles | Carson Wentz | QB | North Dakota St. |
| 2015 | Tennessee Titans | Marcus Mariota | QB | Oregon |
| 2014 | St. Louis Rams | Greg Robinson | OT | Auburn |
| 2013 | Jacksonville Jaguars | Luke Joeckel | OT | Texas A&M |
| 2012 | Washington Redskins | Robert Griffin III | QB | Baylor |
| 2011 | Denver Broncos | Von Miller | LB | Texas A&M |
| 2010 | Detroit Lions | Ndamukong Suh | DT | Nebraska |
| 2009 | St. Louis Rams | Jason Smith | OT | Baylor |
| 2008 | St. Louis Rams | Chris Long | DE | Virginia |
| 2007 | Detroit Lions | *Calvin Johnson | WR | Georgia Tech |
| 2006 | New Orleans Saints | Reggie Bush | RB | Southern Cal. |
| 2005 | Miami Dolphins | Ronnie Brown | RB | Auburn |
| 2004 | Oakland Raiders | Robert Gallery | OT | Iowa |
| 2003 | Detroit Lions | Charles Rogers | WR | Michigan State |
| 2002 | Carolina Panthers | Julius Peppers | DE | North Carolina |
| 2001 | Arizona Cardinals | Leonard Davis | OT | Texas |
| 2000 | Washington Redskins | LaVar Arrington | LB | Penn State |
| 1999 | Philadelphia Eagles | Donovan McNabb | QB | Syracuse |
| 1998 | San Diego Chargers | Ryan Leaf | QB | Washington St. |
| 1997 | Oakland Raiders | Darrell Russell | DT | Southern Cal. |
| 1996 | Jacksonville Jaguars | Kevin Hardy | LB | Illinois |
| 1995 | Jacksonville Jaguars | *Tony Boselli | OT | Southern Cal. |
| 1994 | Indianapolis Colts | *Marshall Faulk | RB | San Diego St. |
| 1993 | Seattle Seahawks | Rick Mirer | QB | Notre Dame |
| 1992 | Indianapolis Colts | Quentin Coryatt | LB | Texas A&M |
| 1991 | Cleveland Browns | Eric Turner | DB | UCLA |
| 1990 | New York Jets | Blair Thomas | RB | Penn State |
| 1989 | Green Bay Packers | Tony Mandarich | OT | Michigan State |
| 1988 | Kansas City Chiefs | Neil Smith | DE | Nebraska |
| 1987 | Indianapolis Colts | Cornelius Bennett | LB | Alabama |
| 1986 | Atlanta Falcons | Tony Casillas | DT | Oklahoma |
| 1985 | Atlanta Falcons | Bill Fralic | G | Pittsburgh |
| 1984 | Houston Oilers | Dean Steinkuhler | G | Nebraska |
| 1983 | Los Angeles Rams | *Eric Dickerson | RB | SMU |
| 1982 | Baltimore Ravens | Johnnie Cooks | LB | Mississippi State |
| 1981 | New York Giants | *Lawrence Taylor | LB | North Carolina |
| 1980 | New York Jets | Johnny “Lam” Jones | WR | Texas |
| 1979 | Kansas City Chiefs | Mike Bell | DE | Colorado St. |
| 1978 | Kansas City Chiefs | Art Still | DE | Kentucky |
| 1977 | Dallas Cowboys | *Tony Dorsett | RB | Pittsburgh |
| 1976 | Seattle Seahawks | Steve Niehaus | DT | Notre Dame |
| 1975 | Dallas Cowboys | *Randy White | LB | Maryland |
| 1974 | San Diego Chargers | Bo Matthews | RB | Colorado |
| 1973 | Baltimore Colts | Bert Jones | QB | LSU |
| 1972 | Cincinnati Browns | Sherman White | DE | California |
| 1971 | New Orleans Saints | Archie Manning | QB | Mississippi |
| 1970 | Green Bay Packers | Mike McCoy | DT | Notre Dame |
| 1969 | Atlanta Falcons | George Kunz | OT | Notre Dame |
| 1968 | Cincinnati Browns | Bob Johnson | C | Tennessee |
| 1967 | Minnesota Vikings | Clint Jones | RB | Michigan St. |
| 1966 | Miami Dolphins (AFL) | Rick Norton | QB | Kentucky |
| 1966 | Los Angeles Rams (NFL) | *Tom Mack | OT | Michigan |
| 1965 | New York Jets (AFL) | *Joe Namath | QB | Alabama |
| 1965 | San Francisco 49ers (NFL) | Ken Willard | FB | North Carolina |
| 1964 | Kansas City Chiefs (AFL) | Pete Bethard | QB | Southern Cal. |
| 1964 | Philadelphia Eagles (NFL) | Bob Brown | G | Nebraska |
| 1963 | San Diego Chargers (AFL) | Walt Sweeney | E | Syracuse |
| 1963 | St. Louis Cardinals (NFL) | Jerry Stoval | B | LSU |
| 1962 | Denver Broncos (AFL) | *Merlin Olsen | DT | Utah State |
| 1962 | Los Angeles Rams (NFL) | Roman Gabriel | QB | North Carolina State |
| 1961 | New York Jets (AFL) | Tom Brown | G | Minnesota |
| 1961 | Washington Redskins (NFL) | Norm Snead | QB | Wake Forest |
| 1960 | Chicago Cardinals | George Izo | B | Notre Dame |
| 1959 | Los Angeles Rams | Dick Bass | B | Pacific |
| 1958 | Green Bay Packers | Dan Currie | C | Michigan State |
| 1957 | San Francisco 49ers | John Brodie | QB | Stanford |
| 1956 | Detroit Lions | Howard Cassady | B | Ohio State |
| 1955 | Baltimore Colts | Alan Ameche | B | Wisconsin |
| 1954 | Green Bay Packers | Art Hunter | OT | Notre Dame |
| 1953 | Washington Redskins | Jack Scarbath | B | Maryland |
| 1952 | Chicago Cardinals | *Ollie Matson | B | San Francisco |
| 1951 | San Francisco 49ers | *Y.A. Tittle | QB | LSU |
| 1950 | Chicago Bears | Chuck Hunsinger | B | Florida |
| 1949 | Detroit Lions | Johny Rauch | QB | Georgia |
| 1948 | New York Giants | Tony Minisi | B | Penn |
| 1947 | Boston Yanks | Fritz Barzliauskas | G | Yale |
| 1946 | Boston Yanks | Frank Dancewicz | QB | Notre Dame |
| 1945 | Pittsburgh Steelers | Paul Duhart | B | Florida |
| 1944 | Chicago Cardinals | Pat Harder | B | Wisconsin |
| 1943 | Philadelphia Eagles | Joe Muha | B | VMI |
| 1942 | Cleveland Rams | Jack Wilson | B | Baylor |
| 1941 | Chicago Cardinals | John Kimbrough | B | Texas A&M |
| 1940 | Philadelphia Eagles | *George McAfee | B | Duke |
| 1939 | Chicago Bears | *Sid Luckman | QB | Columbia |
| 1938 | Philadelphia Eagles | Jim McDonald | B | Ohio State |
| 1937 | Brooklyn Dodgers | Ed Goddard | B | Washington St. |
| 1936 | Boston Redskins | Riley Smith | B | Alabama |
