NFL Draft Day Throwback Thursday Photos of Past Picks

Enjoy this blast from the past as the 2015 NFL Draft Day begins tonight.

ByABC News
April 30, 2015, 4:23 PM

— -- It's day one of the 2015 NFL Draft starting tonight in Chicago when dreams are born for some of college football's best players. A look back at the first overall draft picks of the past show hopeful eyes -- as well as heads full of hair -- of some of the league's greatest players.

And it's not just the first-round picks who would rise to football's elite. Back in 1991, Brett Favre, quarterback at Southern Mississippi, was in his bedroom when he received a call from the Atlanta Falcons during the second round that he had been drafted.

PHOTO: Brett Farve visits FOX Business Network at FOX Studios on Feb. 10, 2015 in New York.
Brett Farve visits FOX Business Network at FOX Studios on Feb. 10, 2015 in New York.

Some young players and their families take the day more seriously than others.

PHOTO: NFL Commissioner Pete Rozelle, left, stands with Auburn running back Bo Jackson after he was chosen first in the NFL draft in New York  April 29, 1986.
NFL Commissioner Pete Rozelle, left, stands with Auburn running back Bo Jackson after he was chosen first in the NFL draft in New York April 29, 1986.

In 1986, Heisman Trophy winner Vincent Edward "Bo" Jackson, who attended Auburn University, was selected by the Tampa Bay Buccaneers as the first overall pick.

PHOTO: Bo Jackson waves to the crowd as as he is introduced before the 2013 Civil Rights Game between the Chicago White Sox and the Texas Ranger Aug. 24, 2013 in Chicago.
Bo Jackson waves to the crowd as as he is introduced before the 2013 Civil Rights Game between the Chicago White Sox and the Texas Ranger Aug. 24, 2013 in Chicago.

The retired football and baseball player still proves "Bo knows" golf during charity tournaments.

PHOTO: Stanford University quarterback John Elway, right, laughs with his father Jack Elway during a press conference in afternoon on Tuesday, April 26, 1983 in San Jose, Calif.
Stanford University quarterback John Elway, right, laughs with his father Jack Elway during a press conference in afternoon on Tuesday, April 26, 1983 in San Jose, Calif.

In 1983, the Baltimore Colts chose Stanford's John Elway before he was traded to the Denver Broncos.

PHOTO: Denver Broncos John Elway at a press conference on April 23, 2015 in Chicago.
Denver Broncos John Elway at a press conference on April 23, 2015 in Chicago.

Elway would later become a Super Bowl and NFL MVP.

PHOTO: Pittsburgh Steelers' No. 1 draft choice Terry Bradshaw, right, poses with Pittsburgh coach Chuck Noll, center, and his father, William M. Bradshaw, left, in Pittsburgh, Feb. 13, 1970.
Pittsburgh Steelers' No. 1 draft choice Terry Bradshaw, right, poses with Pittsburgh coach Chuck Noll, center, and his father, William M. Bradshaw, left, in Pittsburgh, Feb. 13, 1970.

Blonde and with a dimpled chin, Terry Bradshaw from Louisiana Tech was the first pick in the 1970 draft. He went on to join the Pittsburgh Steelers and become an MVP and a four-time Super Bowl champion.

PHOTO: Honoree Terry Bradshaw onstage at the Friars Club Roast of Terry Bradshaw on Jan. 29, 2015 in Phoenix.
Honoree Terry Bradshaw onstage at the Friars Club Roast of Terry Bradshaw on Jan. 29, 2015 in Phoenix.

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