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The 2023 NFL Draft is just around the corner, and the future stars of the league are eagerly anticipating hearing their names called out on draft night.
However, if they come even remotely close to the class of 1989, this class will go down in history as one of the best ever.
Four of the first five players selected back in 1989 are Hall of Famers, leading their teams to multiple Super Bowls. Here, we revisit the exploits of that class.
Was the 1989 NFL Draft class the best ever?
First overall pick
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Troy Aikman was seen as a sure-fire first overall pick back in 1989, with the UCLA quarterback touted as the next big thing in the NFL.
The Dallas Cowboys were lucky enough to be picking first overall that year, and they wasted no time in making Aikman the future of their franchise.
Aikman didn't disappoint either, as he won three Super Bowl rings with Dallas, as well as making six Pro Bowls.
This was despite a rocky start, where he went 0-11 as a starter in 1989, but he rallied and would end up spending his entire 11-year career with the Cowboys.
Aikman retired in 2000 and was inducted into the Pro Football Hall of Fame in 2006.
Pair of Sanders
Amazingly, two of the best players in NFL history came out during the same NFL Draft class, had the same surname, but were not related.
The Detroit Lions grabbed running back Barry Sanders out of Oklahoma State. The 1988 Heisman Trophy winner became arguably the best back ever.
Despite only playing in the NFL for 10 years, Barry Sanders put up monster numbers year after year. He amassed over 1,000 rushing yards during every year of his career, as well as topping 2,000 yards in 1997.
He won NFL MVP that year and won Offensive Player of the Year twice, as well as being voted All-Pro every year of his career.
His namesake Deion wasn't too bad either!
The Atlanta Falcons drafted cornerback Deion Sanders fifth-overall out of Florida State. He would spend four years in Atlanta.
'Primetime' lived up to his namesake straight away, running just his second kick return in the NFL back for a touchdown, and he would find further success with both the San Francisco 49ers and Dallas Cowboys.
Sanders had perhaps his best season in 1994 with SF, catching six interceptions and returning three of them for touchdowns with an average return of over 50 yards.
He would win two Super Bowl rings in his career, one with the 49ers and one with the Cowboys. He retired in 2005. He had been voted All-Pro eight times and made eight Pro Bowls.
Defensive stalwarts
Derrick Thomas and Steve Atwater are both Hall of Famers who transformed their franchises, and both were selected in round one of the 1989 NFL Draft.
Thomas was taken fourth-overall by the Kansas City Chiefs. The linebacker would go down as one of the best players in team history before his tragic death in 2000.
Thomas won Defensive Rookie of the Year honors in 1989. He was voted to nine Pro Bowls and made five All-Pros. He led the league in sacks in 1990. He also led the league in forced fumbles twice.
During his career, he clocked up 126.5 sacks and 41 forced fumbles and was an posthumous Hall of Fame inductee in 2009.
Safety Steve Atwater had a similarly sized impact with the Denver Broncos.
Atwater was drafted 16 picks later at 20th overall. He would win two Super Bowl rings during his illustrious career.
Atwater also made eight Pro Bowls and was voted an All-Pro on three occasions. He clocked up 24 total interceptions with both the Broncos and New York Jets. He was inducted into the Pro Football Hall of Fame class of 2020.
Pro Bowlers
As well as the aforementioned, plenty of other elite talent made Pro Bowls who were selected in the 1989 NFL Draft.
Donnell Woolford, CB
Trace Armstrong, DE
Eric Metcalf, WR
Wayne Martin, DE
Andre Rison, WR
Steve Wisniewski, OG
Carnell Lake, S
Robert Massey, CB
Wesley Walls, TE
Mark Stepnoski, C
Marv Cook, TE
Tony Tolbert, DE
Tony Martin, WR
Dave Meggett, RB
Chris Jacke, K
Marion Butts, RB
Mark Schlereth, OG
Carlton Haselrig, OG
Bobby Humphrey, WR
David Treadwell, K
With the abundance of talent that came through the 1989 NFL Draft, it's hard to argue against it being the best class ever.
