2. Lawrence Taylor, 1981, Giants

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Marshall Faulk was an interesting sleeper for this pick, but it was always going to be a two-horse race between Lawrence Taylor and Eric Dickerson. As good as Dickerson was at running the ball, few defensive players in NFL history made the impact that Taylor did. Flaws and all, he’s the best no. 2 pick of all-time.

Never before had an outside linebacker disrupted opposing offenses the way Taylor did. He actually changed the way that offenses had to attack. Taylor had over 10 sacks in seven consecutive years, including 20.5 to lead the league in 1986. Only he and Alan Page have won MVP honors as a defensive player. He went to 10 Pro Bowls in 11 seasons and helped the Giants to two Super Bowl wins.