Russell Maryland Madden Career 1992-2000 - Peak 85 OVR

Russell Maryland was the first overall pick in the 1991 draft, and the selection surprised almost no one who knew Jimmy Johnson. The Cowboys coach had coached Maryland at Miami, where he won the Outland Trophy, and reunited with his old defensive tackle at the top of the draft, betting on a high-motor run-stuffer over flashier prospects.

Madden's grades for him bounce around, as interior-lineman ratings tend to on the old scale. Maryland ranged from the 40s to the 80s across his cards, with an 82 for his 1993 season and later peaks of 85 in Oakland and Green Bay, the numbers of a solid, stout starter rather than a dominant one. The grade matched the player: Maryland was a good, dependable tackle who clogged the middle, not a game-wrecker.

He made a Pro Bowl in 1993, won three Super Bowls with Dallas, and played ten seasons in all, finishing up with the Raiders and Packers. His 24.5 career sacks are a modest total for a first overall pick, but sacks were never his job; occupying blockers so the linebackers ran free was. Madden rated him a steady starter throughout, which undersells the draft slot and gets the player exactly right.