60 Fun Facts About NFL Draft

In which year was the first NFL draft held?

It began at the Ritz-Carlton Hotel in Philadelphia on February 8, with ninety names written on a blackboard and no media coverage.

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

The trigger was Minnesota running back Stan Kostka holding out for nine months to become the league's highest-paid player.

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

The first Heisman winner never played in the NFL; his aunt used the trophy as a doorstop.

How many rounds does the modern NFL draft have?

Each round has 32 picks, plus up to 32 compensatory selections spread across rounds three to seven.

Which team picks last in each round of the draft?

The order runs in reverse of the previous season's records, so the worst team picks first.

Players must be out of high school for how many years to be draft-eligible?

The rules never say a player must attend college, though almost all draftees have.

Under rules introduced for the 2026 draft, how long did teams get per first-round pick?

Until 2007 the first-round limit was 15 minutes; it dropped to 10 in 2008 and 8 in 2026, with just four minutes in round seven.

The nickname 'Mr. Irrelevant' for the last pick was coined in 1976 by which former receiver?

He founded Irrelevant Week in Newport Beach, where the honoree receives the Lowsman Trophy, a player fumbling a football.

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

Most last picks never make a regular-season roster; kicker Ryan Succop is another notable exception.

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

Rozelle doubted it would be entertaining television; moving the draft to a weekend in 1988 sent ratings soaring.

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

Frustration with Radio City Music Hall's scheduling led the league to put the 2015 draft out to bid, and Chicago won.

Which city hosted the 2015 draft, the first outside New York in fifty years, with a 'Draft Town' festival?

The picks were made inside the Auditorium Theatre while fans watched from Grant Park across the street.

The 2024 draft in Detroit set a then-record attendance of more than how many people?

The crowd filled Campus Martius Park and Hart Plaza; the record was later surpassed in 2026.

Which pandemic-era draft was conducted entirely virtually after its planned Las Vegas event was scrapped?

Las Vegas finally got its draft in 2022 at the Bellagio.

Tom Brady, widely called the biggest steal in draft history, went with which pick in 2000?

The Patriots took the Michigan quarterback in the sixth round.

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

The LSU star was released in 2010 after questions about his work ethic and never returned to the league.

Ryan Leaf, another famous bust, was drafted second overall in 1998 immediately after which quarterback?

The Chargers took Leaf, and Charles Woodson went fourth as the only primarily defensive Heisman winner.

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

The Penn State back missed most of five seasons with the Bengals.

Which quarterback did the reactivated 1999 Cleveland franchise take first overall?

The Kentucky record-setter threw for over 11,000 yards but never lived up to the slot.

The 1983 first round is famous for how many quarterbacks, a record tied only in 2024?

Elway, Blackledge, Kelly, Eason, O'Brien and Marino all went to AFC teams; three reached the Hall of Fame.

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

He had leverage: the Yankees had drafted him in the second round in 1981 and paid him to play minor-league ball.

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

He was swapped to the Giants for fourth pick Philip Rivers; Ben Roethlisberger went 11th, making 2004 the first class with two multiple-Super-Bowl-winning QBs.

Which quarterback did the Colts take first overall in 1998 out of Tennessee?

He turned a struggling franchise into a perennial contender with 11 playoff trips.

Which team took Bo Jackson in the seventh round in 1987, a year after he spurned Tampa Bay for baseball?

He was asleep when the pick was made and only signed after learning Al Davis was a fan.

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

Rodgers said the hours-long wait in the green room left him full of angst.

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

Some teams pulled him off their boards; the Dolphins took him 13th.

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

Many had expected the Browns to grab the Notre Dame quarterback with the third pick.

Which quarterback did the Browns land through the 1985 supplemental draft after acquiring Buffalo's pick?

The Miami star arranged his eligibility so he could bypass the regular draft.

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

Buddy Ryan's Eagles took the Ohio State star in the fourth round, and Chris Berman later coined 'All he does is catch touchdowns'.

Which draft analyst, on ESPN since 1984, drew Colts GM Bill Tobin's 1994 jab of 'Who the hell is…'?

Kiper had criticised the Colts for passing on Trent Dilfer; he is credited with inventing the mock draft.

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

It began in Tampa in 1982 as the National Invitational Camp; drills include the 40-yard dash and 225-pound bench press.

How much weight is used in the combine's bench press test?

Players are also timed in the 40-yard dash, 20-yard shuttle and three-cone drill.

Compensatory picks are awarded to teams based on what?

Up to 32 extra selections a year go to clubs that lost more 'compensatory free agents' than they signed.

Which team has forfeited the most draft picks for rules violations, five over four incidents?

The commissioner has the authority to strip picks; 28 selections have been forfeited since 1980.

The 1989 first round produced how many Hall of Famers among its first five picks?

Troy Aikman, Barry Sanders, Derrick Thomas and Deion Sanders made it; tackle Tony Mandarich, the only miss, is a byword for bust.

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

The Falcons drafted him weeks after his MLB debut with the Yankees.

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

The Virginia Tech end finished with 200 sacks over 19 seasons.

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

The Michigan cornerback beat out Peyton Manning for the award.

Rob Gronkowski slid to the 42nd pick in 2010 largely because of what?

Raiders scouts had privately rated him the best all-around player in the draft before New England traded up for him.

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

His jersey became the second-best-selling rookie jersey that year.

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

The Texans had also chosen the previous defensive No. 1, Mario Williams.

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

Marcus Mariota went second to Tennessee, 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?

All six quarterbacks went inside the first twelve picks.

The 1989 Herschel Walker trade, the largest in league history, moved how many players and picks?

The haul of Vikings picks let Dallas build its 1990s dynasty.

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

George Taliaferro was picked earlier that year but signed with the rival AAFC instead.

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

ABC took over broadcast rights for all three days in 2019, with Taylor Swift co-hosting day one that year.

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

Lambeau Field followed in 2025 and Cleveland's stadium in 2021.

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

The Colts had offered $2.2 million over four years before the draft.

Which team's owner, George Halas, failed to sign the very first draft pick after acquiring his rights?

Only 24 of the 81 players drafted that first year ever played in the NFL.

What pushed the 2014 draft into May and prompted the league to leave New York?

The league then opened bidding, and Commissioner Roger Goodell picked Chicago over Los Angeles for 2015.

Across which days of April was the 2026 NFL draft scheduled?

The event is officially the Annual Player Selection Meeting.

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

Ninety names were chalked on a blackboard, compiled from newspapers and college visits since no team had a scouting department.

How many rounds did the very first NFL draft have?

It received no media coverage at all; today's draft runs seven rounds over three days.

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

Art Rooney lured him for one season with a guaranteed $15,000, double any NFL salary; White later sat on the US Supreme Court.

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

The winner forfeited its final-round pick and was excluded from future draws; by 1958 all twelve clubs had received a bonus pick.

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

The team whose 17 opponents won fewer games picks earlier; division and conference tiebreakers apply after that.

Which Steelers coach had 'the final say' in 1983 and took Gabriel Rivera over Dan Marino?

Rivera, owner Art Rooney's less-favoured choice, played only six games before a car crash ended his career.

What NFL-created body tells college players which round they are likely to be drafted in?

Made up of scouting experts and team executives, its predictions have proven fairly accurate and help players decide whether to leave school.

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

The arena's owner was fighting the proposed West Side Stadium intended for the Jets; the draft later moved to Radio City Music Hall.

How many draft picks have been forfeited for rules violations since 1980?

They cover 23 violations by 15 teams, with three further selections moved down from their original position.