110 Fun Facts About NFL Draft

Which MLB first-round pick went first overall in the 2019 NFL draft?

Kyler Murray won the 2018 Heisman Trophy, then gave up baseball, where he had been drafted ninth overall.

Which team owner proposed the draft in 1935 because his weak club could not sign talent or sell tickets?

Bert Bell of the Eagles wanted the weakest teams to get first choice of college players, ending bidding wars among clubs.

Who was the first player ever selected in an NFL draft?

Jay Berwanger, the first Heisman winner, turned down pro football and took a job selling rubber instead.

Which undrafted Eastern Illinois quarterback later started for Dallas?

Tony Romo signed with Dallas right after the 2003 draft, made four Pro Bowls, then moved into the CBS broadcast booth.

Excluding compensatory picks, which team picks last in each round of the draft?

The Super Bowl champion picks last because the draft order runs in reverse of the previous season's results.

Which Ohio State running back challenged the NFL's three-year eligibility rule in court?

Maurice Clarett won in district court, but Sonia Sotomayor wrote the appeals ruling that reversed it, keeping him out of the 2004 draft.

What happens when the draft clock expires on a pick?

The next team may pick, and the late team can still choose any time after; the Chiefs jumped ahead of the Ravens this way in 2011.

The 'Mr. Irrelevant' title for the draft's last pick was created in 1976 by which former receiver?

Paul Salata, a former 49ers receiver, founded Irrelevant Week, where the last pick gets the Lowsman Trophy, showing a player fumbling.

Which 2022 Mr. Irrelevant became a starting QB and Super Bowl participant?

Brock Purdy, the 262nd and final pick, started Super Bowl LVIII for the 49ers and threw a touchdown pass.

Which network first televised the draft in 1980 after persuading a sceptical Pete Rozelle?

ESPN, on air for only seven months, carried the whole 1980 draft, though Rozelle doubted it would make entertaining television.

Between 1965 and 2014, every draft was held in which metropolis?

New York hosted every draft for those 50 years, moving between city hotels, theaters and a convention center.

Which city won the bidding to host the 2015 draft, complete with a 'Draft Town' fan festival?

Chicago staged the picks in the Auditorium Theatre while Draft Town drew about 200,000 visitors to Grant Park.

The 2024 NFL draft drew more than 750,000 fans to which city?

Detroit held the draft around Hart Plaza, and that crowd stood as the record until Pittsburgh drew 805,000 in 2026.

Which city was set to host the 2020 draft before the pandemic made it virtual?

Las Vegas had planned a floating red carpet in front of the Bellagio fountains, and it finally hosted the draft in 2022.

Which quarterback went 199th overall in the 2000 draft?

Tom Brady, the seventh quarterback taken that year, is widely called the draft's biggest steal after winning seven Super Bowls.

Which quarterback, the first overall pick in 2007, is considered one of the biggest draft busts?

JaMarcus Russell was released in 2010 after three seasons and never played in the NFL again.

Which quarterback did Kansas City trade up with Buffalo to draft 10th overall in 2017?

Patrick Mahomes spent most of his rookie year as a backup, then led the Chiefs to their first Super Bowl win in 50 years.

Ki-Jana Carter, top overall pick in 1995, saw his career derailed by a torn knee ligament suffered when?

Ki-Jana Carter hurt his knee in his debut preseason game in 1995 and missed his entire rookie season.

Which quarterback did the franchise reactivated in 1999 take with the first overall pick?

Tim Couch threw for 11,131 yards over five seasons and reached the playoffs in 2002 before his release in 2004.

Which quarterback from 1983's six-QB first round played two USFL seasons before joining the NFL?

Jim Kelly starred for the USFL's Houston Gamblers, then led Buffalo to four straight Super Bowl appearances.

John Elway refused to play for which team after it drafted him first overall in 1983?

The Baltimore Colts traded John Elway to Denver after he used a baseball career with the Yankees as leverage.

Eli Manning was drafted first overall in 2004 by which team, whom he refused to play for?

The San Diego Chargers swapped him to the Giants for fourth pick Philip Rivers; with Ben Roethlisberger, 2004 became the first class with two multiple-Super-Bowl-winning QBs.

Which quarterback went first overall in 1998 out of Tennessee?

Peyton Manning, chosen over Ryan Leaf, later won Super Bowl XLI and, with a second franchise, Super Bowl 50.

Which team drafted Bo Jackson in 1987's seventh round, after he had refused to sign as the first overall pick?

The Los Angeles Raiders let Bo Jackson keep playing baseball for the Royals, so he starred in both sports at once.

Aaron Rodgers slid to the 24th pick in 2005 after the 49ers took which quarterback first?

The 49ers picked Alex Smith, and Aaron Rodgers, who had expected to go first, waited hours before Green Bay took him 24th.

Which offensive tackle's hacked Twitter posted a gas-mask bong video minutes before the 2016 NFL draft?

Laremy Tunsil slid to Miami at 13th, and after an Instagram leak he admitted taking money from a college coach.

Brady Quinn's long green-room wait in 2007 ended when which team took him 22nd?

The Cleveland Browns traded with Dallas to grab Brady Quinn at 22, after taking tackle Joe Thomas third.

Which quarterback went through the 1985 supplemental draft after his future team traded for Buffalo's pick?

Bernie Kosar graduated early from Miami so he could skip the regular draft and land with his home-state team.

Which future Hall of Fame receiver entered the league via the 1987 supplemental draft?

Cris Carter lost his Ohio State eligibility over secret dealings with an agent, so he had to enter the supplemental draft.

Which draft analyst did general manager Bill Tobin famously dismiss in 1994 for criticising his pick of Trev Alberts?

Mel Kiper Jr. argued Tobin should have taken quarterback Trent Dilfer, and Tobin replied by questioning Kiper's credentials.

The NFL Scouting Combine has been held every February since 1987 in which city?

Indianapolis has hosted the Combine since 1987, and since 2009 it has run inside Lucas Oil Stadium.

Which combine test has players lift 225 pounds as many times as they can?

The bench press counts reps at 225 pounds, and Stephen Paea managed 49 of them at the 2011 combine.

Compensatory picks are awarded to teams based on what?

Teams get extra picks when free agents lost outnumber those gained, and the departed players' new salaries weigh most.

As of 2026, which team had forfeited the most draft picks for rules violations, five over four incidents?

The New England Patriots' forfeits include a first-round pick and a fourth-rounder over Deflategate, the deflated-footballs scandal.

Which quarterback went first overall in 1989, one pick before notorious bust Tony Mandarich?

Troy Aikman won three Super Bowls, and four of that draft's first five picks reached the Hall of Fame.

Deion Sanders, drafted fifth overall in 1989, is the only athlete to do what in the same week?

In 1989, his rookie NFL season, Deion Sanders became the only player to hit an MLB home run and score an NFL touchdown in the same week.

Bruce Smith, first overall pick of the Bills in 1985, retired as the NFL's all-time leader in what?

Sacks: released by Buffalo after the 1999 season, Bruce Smith broke Reggie White's record of 198 with Washington in 2003 and retired with 200.

Charles Woodson, drafted fourth in 1998, was the first Heisman winner of what kind?

No one primarily defensive had won the Heisman before Charles Woodson in 1997, when his Michigan team also shared the national title.

Why did Rob Gronkowski slide to the 42nd pick in 2010?

Back surgery that cost him a season at Arizona in 2009 sank Rob Gronkowski's draft stock, yet he went on to win four Super Bowls.

Michael Sam, selected 249th by the Rams in 2014, made history as the first what?

Michael Sam, the SEC's co-Defensive Player of the Year, became the first openly gay player drafted but was cut before the 2014 season.

Which South Carolina defensive end went first overall to Houston in the 2014 NFL draft?

Jadeveon Clowney was the first defensive player taken first overall since 2006, when Houston also chose a defensive end.

Which team used the first pick of the 2015 draft on Heisman winner Jameis Winston?

The Tampa Bay Buccaneers took Jameis Winston, and Tennessee took Marcus Mariota second, the first time two Heisman winners went 1-2.

Which quarterback went first overall to the Bears in 2024, leading a first round with six QBs?

Caleb Williams went first from USC, and the class tied 1983's record of six first-round quarterbacks.

Which team traded a haul of players and draft picks to Dallas for Herschel Walker in 1989?

The Minnesota Vikings' picks fueled the Cowboys' 1990s dynasty, which won three Super Bowls in four seasons.

In 1949 Wally Triplett became the first African American player to be drafted and do what?

Wally Triplett became the first Black draftee to make an NFL team, after George Taliaferro, picked earlier in 1949, chose the rival AAFC.

Which two networks simulcast the first two nights of the 2018 draft, its first time on over-the-air TV?

Fox and NFL Network simulcast the first two nights in 2018, the draft's first year on broadcast TV, before ABC took over in 2019.

Which venue hosted the 2018 draft, the first held at an NFL team's home field?

AT&T Stadium in Arlington, the Dallas Cowboys' home, made 2018 the first draft held in an NFL stadium and the first in Texas.

Which 1987 linebacker dodged the regular draft and signed a record $11 million Seattle deal via the supplemental draft?

Brian Bosworth sued the NFL to keep his college number 44 and lost, and shoulder injuries ended his career in 1989.

Which 2024 Heisman winner did Jacksonville trade up to draft second overall in 2025?

Travis Hunter played both receiver and cornerback at Colorado, and Tennessee took quarterback Cam Ward one pick earlier.

What pushed the 2014 draft to May and led the NFL to open bidding for new hosts?

A booking clash at Radio City Music Hall, the draft's home since 2006, pushed the 2014 draft into May.

Which future Hall of Fame linebacker did the Giants draft second overall in 1981?

Lawrence Taylor was named Defensive Rookie of the Year, while top pick George Rogers won the offensive award.

At which Philadelphia hotel was the first NFL draft held on February 8, 1936?

The Ritz-Carlton meeting worked from 90 names on a blackboard, gathered from newspapers and college visits because no team had scouts.

Which quarterback did San Francisco draft in the third round in 1979?

Joe Montana lasted until pick 82 out of Notre Dame, then won four Super Bowls and three Super Bowl MVP awards.

Which 1938 Steelers first-rounder had said he would skip football for a Rhodes scholarship?

Byron 'Whizzer' White was the fourth overall pick, and in 1962 President Kennedy appointed him to the US Supreme Court.

From 1947, how was the NFL's first overall pick awarded under the 'bonus pick' system?

The winner of the random draw gave up its final-round pick and couldn't win again, and by 1958 all twelve clubs had had a bonus pick.

When non-playoff teams tie on record, which tiebreaker decides who picks first in round one?

Strength of schedule comes first: the team whose 17 opponents had the weaker combined record picks earlier, with division and conference tiebreakers applied after that.

Which Steelers coach took defensive tackle Gabriel Rivera over hometown quarterback Dan Marino in the 1983 draft?

Chuck Noll chose to rebuild the defense; Rivera played just six games before a drunk-driving crash left him paralyzed.

Which quarterback went undrafted in 1994 and stocked grocery shelves before becoming a Super Bowl MVP?

Kurt Warner worked nights at a Hy-Vee in Cedar Falls for $5.50 an hour, played Arena Football, then led the Rams to victory in Super Bowl XXXIV.

Why did the draft leave the Theater at Madison Square Garden for the Javits Center in 2005?

A feud with Cablevision: the Garden's owner was fighting the proposed West Side Stadium that would have housed the Jets.

Which team forfeited two second-round picks over Bountygate?

The New Orleans Saints lost both picks after defenders were paid bounties for injuring opponents, and head coach Sean Payton was suspended for the entire 2012 season.

Which track star did Dallas draft in 1984's 12th round, though he never played college football?

Carl Lewis was picked as a wide receiver months before he won four gold medals at the 1984 Olympics. The NBA's Bulls drafted him that summer too, though he had never played basketball either.

Which baseball Hall of Famer was drafted in 1973 by teams in the NFL, NBA, ABA and MLB?

Dave Winfield never played college football, yet an NFL team spent a 17th-round pick on him. He chose baseball, and the Padres sent him straight to the major leagues.

The Steelers won a coin toss with the Bears for 1970's first pick and chose which quarterback?

Terry Bradshaw of Louisiana Tech was the prize after both clubs finished 1–13. He won Pittsburgh four Super Bowls in six years, the first quarterback to win that many.

Which team drafted Brett Favre in the second round in 1991, then traded him to Green Bay?

Atlanta Falcons coach Jerry Glanville never wanted the pick, and Favre threw only four passes for the team, two of them intercepted. Green Bay gave up a first-round selection to get him in 1992.

Which Mississippi Valley State receiver did the 49ers trade up to take 16th overall in 1985?

Jerry Rice won over coach Bill Walsh through television highlights of his college games. San Francisco dealt three picks to jump one spot ahead of Dallas, which held the 17th selection.

Which actor plays a general manager trading for the first overall pick in the 2014 film Draft Day?

Kevin Costner's character, Sonny Weaver Jr., spends the film wheeling and dealing picks. Director Ivan Reitman shot the first day of filming at the real 2013 NFL draft.

Which NFL coach traded every remaining 1999 draft pick to move up for one Texas running back?

Mike Ditka added first- and third-round picks for 2000 to reach the fifth selection. Washington turned the haul into future stars Champ Bailey and LaVar Arrington.

Which Alabama quarterback, a 17th-round pick in 1956, went on to win five NFL championships?

Bart Starr lasted until the 200th selection, then spent 16 years with the Packers. He steered them to three straight league titles from 1965 to 1967.

Which future pro wrestling star did the Rams draft in the 11th round in 1990?

Bill Goldberg went 301st overall out of Georgia, but an abdominal tear ended his football career. WCW then built him into a star with a long unbeaten streak in 1997 and 1998.

Which legendary quarterback did Pittsburgh draft in round nine in 1955, then cut before he played a game?

Johnny Unitas lost out as the odd man among four quarterbacks. He worked construction and played semi-pro ball for $6 a game before a second NFL chance made him a three-time MVP.

Which Washington State quarterback, the second pick in 1998, won only four games as an NFL starter?

Ryan Leaf lost 17 of his 21 career starts and threw 36 interceptions against just 14 touchdown passes. He had been a Heisman Trophy finalist the autumn before he was drafted.

Which Heisman winner did Dallas draft in the tenth round in 1964, then wait five years for?

Roger Staubach owed the Navy four years of service and volunteered for a tour in Vietnam. He finally joined Dallas in 1969 as a 27-year-old rookie.

Which Hall of Fame quarterback went undrafted in 1978, then won five straight Grey Cups in Canada?

Warren Moon won all five with Edmonton between 1978 and 1982, twice as Grey Cup MVP. The Oilers finally brought him to the NFL in 1984, and he went on to make nine Pro Bowls.

Which Marshall receiver slid to the 21st pick in 1998 as teams worried about his legal troubles?

Randy Moss answered with a league-leading 17 touchdown catches in 1998 and was named Offensive Rookie of the Year. He had been projected as a high first-round choice.

Which Jackson State running back did the Bears take with the fourth overall pick in 1975?

Walter Payton was twice named a Little All-American at Jackson State. In 1984 he became the NFL's career rushing leader, and he finished with 16,726 yards.

Washington traded three first-round picks in 2012 for a Heisman-winning quarterback from which school?

Baylor's Robert Griffin III went second overall after Washington also gave up a second-round pick. He was named Offensive Rookie of the Year and led the team to its first division title since 1999.

Houston passed on which Heisman-winning USC running back with the first pick of 2006?

Reggie Bush lost the top spot on the night before the draft, when the Texans signed a North Carolina State pass rusher instead. He went second.

Which 50-question, 12-minute aptitude test did prospects sit at the NFL Scouting Combine until 2022?

Wonderlic scores run from 0 to 50, with 20 meant to represent average intelligence. Employers and US government agencies have used the same exam to screen applicants.

The first 'common draft', held in 1967, grew out of the NFL's merger agreement with which rival?

American Football League clubs had been locked in a bidding war with the NFL for college stars. Sharing one draft ended the auctions three years before the leagues fully merged in 1970.

Which undrafted tight end of 2003 had played basketball rather than football at Kent State?

Antonio Gates helped Kent State reach the Elite Eight in 2002, then signed without being drafted. He caught 116 touchdown passes, more than any tight end before him.

Which Syracuse Heisman winner, drafted first in 1962, died of leukemia before playing a pro game?

Ernie Davis was the first Black player to win the Heisman Trophy. Washington chose him first and traded his rights almost at once, but he was diagnosed that year and died aged 23.

Joe Namath turned down which NFL team, which drafted him 12th overall in 1965, to join the Jets?

St. Louis Cardinals bosses wanted him signed before the Orange Bowl, which would have made him ineligible to play in it. The Jets landed him a day after the game for a record $427,000 over three years.

Which Southern Miss star became, in 1973, the first pure punter ever taken in the first round?

Ray Guy went 23rd overall and repaid the gamble with seven Pro Bowls. In 2014 he became the first pure punter enshrined in the Pro Football Hall of Fame.

Which 2010 first pick's $50 million guarantee was the last such deal before the NFL's rookie wage scale?

Sam Bradford's six-year, $78 million contract was the largest ever given to an NFL rookie. After the 2011 labor deal reined in rookie pay, the next top pick signed for about $22 million.

Which Purdue quarterback went 32nd in 2001 to the team that had traded away the Michael Vick pick?

Drew Brees waited until the first pick of round two amid doubts about his height and arm. The same club used the fifth selection, its reward for moving down, on running back LaDainian Tomlinson.

Dallas traded four picks to Seattle for 1977's second overall pick and used it on which Heisman winner?

Tony Dorsett had told Seattle he would not play there. He ran for 1,007 yards in his first year, was named Offensive Rookie of the Year and won a championship ring that same winter.

Which USC receiver led off Pittsburgh's 1974 draft class, which produced four Hall of Famers?

Lynn Swann went 21st overall, followed by Jack Lambert, John Stallworth and Mike Webster. A fifth future Hall of Famer, Donnie Shell, joined Pittsburgh that year after going unselected.

Which Wisconsin tackle, the third pick in 2007, spent draft day fishing on Lake Michigan?

Joe Thomas skipped the ceremony for a boat trip with family and a former Wisconsin lineman. He then played 10,363 consecutive snaps, the longest streak since the NFL began tracking them in 1999.

Which 1973 first overall pick later played the deformed Sloth in the film The Goonies?

John Matuszak was the Houston Oilers' choice at the top of the draft. His Sloth makeup took five hours to apply.

Which team traded receiver DJ Moore and a package of picks to the Bears for 2023's first selection?

Panthers bosses used it on the Alabama quarterback who had won the 2021 Heisman Trophy. The Bears had not owned the first pick since 1947, and dealt it away before draft night.

Which college all-star game, played each winter in Mobile, Alabama, is a major showcase for NFL draft prospects?

Senior Bowl players were once paid to take part, the first time many of them could accept money for playing. The game has been played in Mobile since 1951.

In 2010 the NFL draft became a three-day event, with its first round moved to which slot?

Thursday night gave the first round an 8 pm Eastern start in prime time. Rounds two and three followed on Friday evening, with the last four rounds on Saturday.

San Francisco gave up three first-round picks in 2021 to draft which North Dakota State quarterback?

Trey Lance went third overall, but injuries and limited play followed. After two seasons he was traded to Dallas for a fourth-round pick.

Which Texas receiver ran the 40-yard dash in a combine-record 4.21 seconds in 2024?

Xavier Worthy shaved one hundredth of a second off the previous best, held by John Ross. Kansas City took him 28th overall with a pick acquired from Buffalo.

Which future 49ers quarterback was the first pick of the 1984 supplemental draft of USFL and CFL players?

Steve Young had signed with the USFL's Express for a touted $40 million over ten years. Twenty Express players were chosen in that special draft, eleven of them in the opening round.

Since the 2011 labor deal, what extra right do NFL teams hold over a first-round pick's rookie contract?

A fifth-year option lets the club extend a first-rounder's standard four-year deal by one season. Players taken in rounds two to seven sign slotted four-year contracts with no such clause.

A team that selects a player in the NFL's supplemental draft must give up what in return?

Next year's matching pick is forfeited, so a club that spends a third-round supplemental choice sits out round three of the following regular draft.

Which Notre Dame Heisman winner, nicknamed 'the Golden Boy', went first overall in the 1957 NFL draft?

Paul Hornung won the 1956 Heisman on a Notre Dame team that finished 2–8. With Green Bay he scored 176 points in 1960, a record that stood until 2006.

The draft's final pick is feted each summer at 'Irrelevant Week' in which California city?

Newport Beach has hosted the party since 1976, with a trip to Disneyland, a roast of the draftee and a regatta with no start and no finish. He also receives the Lowsman Trophy.

Which Nebraska star became, in 1984, only the second wide receiver ever drafted first overall?

Irving Fryar followed Dave Parks, taken first in 1964, and went on to play 17 NFL seasons. He was a unanimous All-American in 1983.

Which city's Lower Broadway hosted the 2019 NFL draft before a then-record crowd of at least 600,000?

Nashville beat finalists including Denver and Kansas City for the event. The league said at least 600,000 people attended, overtaking 2017 as the best-attended draft to that point.

Which school produced the first pick in both 2018 and 2019, each a Heisman-winning quarterback?

Oklahoma's Baker Mayfield went first in 2018, and the teammate who had been his backup followed a year later after winning the Heisman himself.

Which Ohio State pass rusher went second in 2019, three years after his older brother went third?

Nick Bosa followed his brother Joey, the third pick in 2016, into the league where their father John had also played. He helped San Francisco reach the Super Bowl as a rookie.

Which former Duke walk-on did the Giants select sixth overall in the 2019 NFL draft?

Daniel Jones had first committed to Princeton before walking on at Duke. He was the second of three quarterbacks chosen in the opening round.

Which name did the seventh overall picks of the 2018 and 2019 NFL drafts share on draft day?

Josh Allen the Wyoming quarterback went to Buffalo in 2018, and Josh Allen the Kentucky pass rusher to Jacksonville a year later. In 2024 the pass rusher became Josh Hines-Allen to honor his family.

Which quarterback, a top-ten pick only a year earlier, was traded to Miami during the 2019 draft?

Josh Rosen was dealt a day after his team spent the first overall pick on another passer. Miami paid a second-round pick and a fifth-rounder, then released him after one season.

Which Ole Miss receiver lasted until the 64th pick in 2019 after eight other wideouts had been taken?

DK Metcalf was the ninth of 28 wide receivers chosen, going to Seattle at the end of round two. In his first playoff game he caught seven passes for 160 yards and a touchdown.

Which university had two tight ends, T.J. Hockenson and Noah Fant, taken in the 2019 first round?

Iowa's T.J. Hockenson went eighth as the winner of the John Mackey Award for the nation's top tight end. Noah Fant followed at 20th, making Iowa the first school with two tight ends in one first round.

Which reigning college title winner saw three of its defensive linemen taken in 2019's first 17 picks?

Clemson's Clelin Ferrell went fourth and Christian Wilkins 13th before the Giants completed the set at 17. A fourth member of the same line, Austin Bryant, was drafted later that weekend.

Which Washington State passer, a sixth-round pick in 2019, inspired fans to wear fake mustaches?

Gardner Minshew began growing his Fu Manchu at East Carolina before he transferred. Jacksonville took him 178th overall, and he set the club's rookie record for touchdown passes.