Barnwell Ranks 155 NFL Players Worth a First-Round Pick
Get the Sports newsletter
Daily sports — scores, transfers, the storylines from the leagues you actually follow. Free.
- Micah Parsons was traded to the Packers, kicking off a flurry of star-player deals that included Sauce Gardner (two first-rounders), Quinnen Williams (first- and second-round picks), and Dexter Lawrence II — only the third player since 2000 dealt for a top-10 pick.
- Myles Garrett was sent to the Rams in a three-pick deal that sent Jared Verse to the Browns, joining Trent McDuffie on a retooled Los Angeles defense.
- Josh Allen tops Barnwell's list at seven first-round picks, having just been named the league's best QB in an executives poll and not missing a start since 2018.
- Drake Maye is valued at six first-round picks after nearly winning MVP in his second NFL season at age 23, with one year remaining before he's eligible for a contract extension.
- Christian Gonzalez commands two first-round picks, matching the Sauce Gardner rate Barnwell cites as the new benchmark for elite young cornerbacks.
- The Dolphins' post-Tua rebuild leaves Patrick Paul, Kadyn Proctor, and Kenneth Grant as their only assets worth a first-round pick, with Paul flagged as Miami's best building block at left tackle.
Why it matters: Barnwell's expansion to 155 players quantifies how aggressively teams now bid for proven defensive talent, with Dexter Lawrence II's top-10-pick return (only the third since 2000) and the Garrett-to-Rams deal setting new benchmarks. Maye's six-first-rounder valuation at age 23 — one year before extension eligibility — shows the premium teams place on cost-controlled franchise QBs.
