Ten best draft picks by defending Super Bowl champions

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As soon as the final shreds of confetti are swept up off the gra s at University of Phoenix Stadium, the winning team of XLIX will turn its attention to the 2015 in order to aim for a repeat in the 2015 season.Only seven NFL franchises have won back-to-back s, and there could be an eighth if the are able to pull off the hardest feat in sports on Sunday. As any NFL front-office staffer will tell you, keeping a team together after winning the big one -- and getting better -- is a difficult task, but one each Lombardi Trophy winner seeks to accomplish.While it doesn't happen every year, some winners have followed up their on-field succe s with a great draft and managed to grab a franchise star. Here are the 10 best players picked by the champions the following spring.1. WR Jerry Rice, 49ersDrafted: 1st round, 16th overall, 1985 The skinny: Bill Walsh was Brent Burns Kids Jersey  just getting his dynasty in San Francisco started and was fresh off a big win over the in XIX when an intriguing receiver out of Mi si sippi Valley State caught the team's eye. The team traded up from the bottom of the first round with the to leapfrog ahead of the and select Rice, who developed into one of the greatest to ever play the game. Brenden Dillon Women Jersey  2. OL Larry Allen, CowboysDrafted: 2nd round, 46th overall, 1994 The skinny: The were coming off a back-to-back wins (XXVII and XXVIII) when they took a chance on a small-school offensive lineman named Larry Allen from Sonoma State. Little did they know he would turn into one of the best guards ever and a key blocker for the NFL's all-time leading rusher, Emmitt Smith. Allen was named to 11 s and was inducted into the . 3. CB Darrell Green, RedskinsDrafted: 1st round, 28th overall, 1983 The skinny: Talk about the rich getting richer at the bottom of each round, the snagged Green with the final pick of the first round, and he turned into one of the best corners in the game during his 20-season NFL career. Also one of the fastest men to play in the league, Green played until the robust age of 42, won two rings and certainly has a place on the franchise's Mount Rushmore. The team also picked defensive end Charles Mann (third round) in the same draft and signed Nate Newton as an undrafted free agent that year, too. Not bad at all. 4. DL Howie Long, RaidersDrafted: 2nd round, 48th overall, 1981 The skinny: As if the ' defense at the time needed another fearsome lineman, they nabbed a r in the second round just as they were coming off a XV victory. Long earned multiple All-Pro honors and was among the best pa s rushers of his era on his way to grabbing just about every major award there was at the time. 5. DT Vince Wilfork, PatriotsDrafted: 1st round, 21st overall, 2004 The skinny: fans are certainly happy their stud defensive tackle was able to fall to them at the bottom of the first Erik Karlsson Men Jersey  round following their win in XXXVIII. Wilfork has turned into a mainstay of the team's defense ever since and has been a regular in the . He earned a championship ring for himself from XXXIX and has been a part of three other title runs.6. TE Jimmy Graham, SaintsDrafted: 3rd round, 95th overall, 2010 The skinny: After a remarkable run to XLIV that was fueled by and a prolific pa sing attack, all  Joe Pavelski Women Jersey the ' front office did the following spring was draft a basketball player who had only a year of experience on the gridiron. It turned out to be quite the bargain, as Graham has developed into one of the best pa s catchers in the game. His career is still young, but Graham has proven to be a heck of a value pick for New Orleans. 7. WR Desmond Howard, RedskinsDrafted: 1st round, fourth overall, 1992 The skinny: To recap, heading into the 1992 Draft: the had Ark Monk and others on their roster, were just coming off a XXVI title and had a top-four pick. The team grabbed the Heisman Trophy winner from Michigan, and he turned into a solid receiver who really excelled as a kick and punt returner. Howard later won XXXI MVP honors with the .8. DB Lester Hayes, RaidersDrafted: 5th round, 126th overall, 1977 The skinny: Hayes might not be well known to those outside of the Black Hole, but he was among the key members of the franchise's -winning teams (XV and XVIII) after he was drafted. He earned Defensive Player of the Year honors in 1980 after picking off 13 pa ses and was among the lock-down corners of his era. All for a fifth-rounder by the defending champs of XI. 9. OL Logan Mankins, PatriotsDrafted: 1st round, 32nd overall, 2005 The skinny: Mankins never won a ring with the , but he did help the franchise get to two s (XLII and XLVI) Timo Meier Jersey  and was among the most dependable offensive linemen in the league during his prime. A five-time All-Pro and one of the most beloved members of the team until he was traded prior to the 2014 season, Mankins was quite the steal for the New England dynasty with the final pick in the first round back in 2005.10. TE Todd Heap, RavensDrafted: 1st round, 31st overall, 2001 The skinny: Despite having Shannon Sharpe on the roster, the plucked Heap out of Arizona State at the bottom of the first round following XXXV. They wound up with a franchise player who was among the most recognizable players in Baltimore. He earned All-Pro honors and set numerous team records during his 12-year NFL career.*Follow Bryan Fischer on Twitter *