A look at the Nielsen/E-Poll N-Scores of the No. 1 football draft picks from the past decade—as well as a review of the top 10 N-Scores of current NFL players—found that draft position rarely translates into long-term marketability.

The appeal of the NFL draft to fans is soaring, with viewership jumping 62 percent over the last six years, according to Nielsen data.
Last year, more than five million viewers tuned in to watch a draft where an offensive tackle (Jake Long) who had already agreed to a deal earlier in the week with Miami was drafted by the Dolphins as the number one pick. That’s almost two million more viewers than in 2002 when the Houston Texans drafted top pick David Carr, whom the franchise hoped would be their …