National Football League Draft

The National Football League Draft is an annual event in which the National Football League (NFL) teams select eligible college football players and it is their most common source of player recruitment. The basic design of the draft is each team is given a position in the drafting order in reverse order relative its record in the previous year—the last place gets positioned first. With this position, the team can either select a player or trade their position to another team for other positions, a player, or players, or any combination thereof. After each team had utilized its position in the drafting order, whether by trading it or selecting a player, a round would be complete. Certain aspects of the draft, including team positioning and the number of rounds in the draft, have seen revisions since its first creation in 1936, but the fundamental methodology has remained the same. The original rationale in creating the draft was to increase the competitive parity between the teams as the worst team would, idealistically, have chosen the best player available.

In the early years of the draft, players were chosen based on hearsay, print media, or other rudimentary evidence of a players ability. Colloquially, the name of the draft each year takes on the form of the NFL season in which players picked could begin playing-2010 NFL Draft is for the 2010 NFL season, although the NFL defined name of the process has changed since its inception. In the 1940s, some franchises began employing full-time scouts. The ensuing success of their corresponding teams eventually forced the other franchise to hire scouts also.

The location of the draft has continually changed over the years to accommodate more fans, as the event has gained in popularity.

The draft's popularity now garners it primetime television coverage.

History

Precursor and rational

In late 1934, Art Rooney, owner of the Pittsburgh Pirates, gave the right of usage of two players to the New York Giants because Rooney's team had no chance to participate in the post-season. After the owner of the Boston Redskins, George Preston Marshall, protested the transaction, the president of the NFL, Joe Carr, disallowed the Giants the ability to employ the players.^[1] At a league meeting in December 1934, the NFL introduced a waiver rule to prevent such transactions. Any player released by a team during the season would be able to be claimed by other teams. The selection order to claim the player would be in inverse order to the teams' standings at the time.^[1][2]

Throughout this time, Bert Bell, co-owner of the Philadelphia Eagles, felt his team's lack of competitiveness on the field made it difficult for the Eagles to sell tickets and to be profitable.^[3] Compounding the Eagles problems was players signed with teams that offered the most money,^[4] or if the money being equal, players chose to sign with the most prestigious teams at the time^[5], who had established a winning tradition.^[6] As a result, the NFL was dominated by the Chicago Bears, the Green Bay Packers, the Giants and the Redskins.^[7][8] Bell's inability to sign a desired prospect, Stan Kostka, in 1935,^[9][4][10] eventually led Bell to believe the only way to for the NFL to have enduring success was for all teams to have an equal opportunity to sign eligible players.^[7][11][12] At a league meeting on May 18, 1935, Bell proposed a draft be instituted to enhance the competitive parity on the field in order to ensure the financial viability of all franchises. His proposal was adopted unanimously that day,^{[13][14][15][16]} although the first draft would not occur until the next off-season.^[11][12]

The rules for the selection of the players in the first draft were, first, that a list of college seniors^[17][18] would be assembled by each franchise and submitted into a pool. From this pool, each franchise would select, in inverse order to their team's record in the previous year, a player. With this selection, the franchise had the unilateral right to negotiate a contract with that player,^[19][20] or the ability to trade that player to another team for a player, or players.^[21] If for any reason, the franchise was unsuccessful in negotiating a contract with the player and was unable to trade the player, the president of the NFL, could attempt to arbitrate a settlement between the player and the francise. If the president was unable to settle the dispute, then the player would be placed in the reserve list of the franchise and would be unavailable to play for any team in the NFL that year.^[19][20] In the 1935 NFL season, the Eagles finished in last place at 2–9, thus securing themselves the first pick in the draft.^[22][23][24]

The first draft (1936)

The first NFL draft began at the Ritz-Carlton Hotel in Philadelphia on February 8, 1936.^[11][12] Ninety names were places on a blackboard in the meeting room for which the teams would choose from.^[25][26] As no team had a scouting department, the list was created from either print media sources, visits to local colleges by team executives, or by recommendations to team executives.^[25][27][26] The draft would last for nine rounds,^[28][12][26] and it had no media coverage.^[12] The first player ever selected in the draft was Jay Berwanger. Bell, prior to the draft, was not successfully able to negotiate a contract with Berwanger so Bell traded him to the Bears.^[29][30][31] George Halas, owner of the Bears, was also unsuccessful in signing Berwanger.^[32] Berwanger decision to not play in the NFL was not unusual as only twenty-four of the eighty-one players selected chose to play in the NFL that year.^[33] The draft was recessed on the first day and it was continued and finished on the next day.^[34]

This draft saw the emergence of Wellington Mara as a savant, as he had been subscribing to magazines, local, and out of town papers in order to build up dossiers of college players across the country, which resulted in the Giants' drafting of Tuffy Leemans.^[35] As a result of the institution of the draft, Tim Mara, owner of the Giants, reduced Ken Strong's salary offer to $3,200 from $6,000 a year for 1936 because Mara felt the draft would alter the salary structure of the NFL.^[36] Generally, the franchises' exclusivity in negotiating with draft picks produced the immediate effect of, depending on sources, stopping the escalating salaries of new players,^[12][17] or reducing their salaries.^[37][38] Consequently, contemporary critics charged it was anti-labor.^[39]

Early drafts (1937-1946)

Art Rooney, owner of the Pittsburgh Pirates, chose Byron "Whizzer" White in the first round of the 1938 draft despite White's known public declaration that he would not play professional football and would instead begin work on his Rhodes scholarship. White did, however, agree to play for the 1938 season after Rooney publically gave him a guaranteed contract of $15,000, which was double what any other player had ever made in the NFL.^[40] The size of the dollar amount brought condemnation from other owners because it altered the pay expectations of college draftees.^[41] For the 1939 draft, Wellington, for the first time, was put in charge of drafting players for the Giants. He submitted the list of players into the pool that the Giants, or other franchises, could choose a player from. However, in the first round, he selected a player, Walt Nielson, not on the list of players the Giants, or any other franchise, had submitted. With a grin, Wellington stated, "'I didn't think I said I put every name on that list.'"^[42]

An African-American had not played in the NFL since prior to the draft's institution. In 1939, Kenny Washington was, to no small extent, viewed as one of the greatest college football players of all time. After information was made available, to at least one owner of a franchise, Washington was not drafted by any team for the 1940 NFL Draft.^[43]

The draft would be eventually codified into the NFL Constitution,^[44] albeit sources are bereft of information when that originally occurred.

"Bullet Bill" Dudley was the first overall pick in the 1942 draft and he would eventually become the first overall pick to enter the Pro Football Hall of Fame.^[45]

Scouting Era Begins (1946-1959)

Eddie Kotal became the first scout in 1946 when he was hired by Dan Reeves of the Los Angeles Rams.^[46][47]

The NFL's competition with the AAFC in 1947 resulted in a temporary institution of a bonus pick.

Competitive parity did not, however, quickly arrive in the NFL as perennial losers, such as the Eagles and Chicago Cardinals, standings' did not improve until 1947.^[48][49]

In the thirteenth round, George Taliaferro became the first African-American selected when he was chosen in the 1949 NFL Draft. He however, chose to sign with an AAFC team. Wally Triplett was chosen in the nineteenth and he would be he first African-American to be selected in the draft and make an NFL team.^[50] After the draft and prior to the start of the season, Paul "Tank" Younger was signed by the Los Angeles Rams as a free agent and became the first NFL player from an historically black college.^[47][50] Eddie Robinson, Younger's coach at Grambling, promptly, and unequivocally, impressed upon him that the future of the recruitment and drafting of his colleagues at other black colleges lay in the balance based on his success with the Rams.^[51]

Technology (1960-1979)

The 1960 NFL Draft marked a turning point in the draft's history, due to the pending arrival of the American Football League(AFL), as it became a "high-stakes, competitive affair."^[52]

In 1976, the moniker, Mr. Irrelevant, began being applied to the last overall player selected in the draft.^[53]

ESPN and the digital age (1980-2000)

In 1980, Chet Simmons, president of the year old ESPN, asked Pete Rozelle if the fledgling network could broadcast coverage of the draft live on ESPN. Although Rozelle did not believe it would be entertaining television, he agreed.^[54][55]

In 1988, the NFL moved the draft from weekdays to the weekend and ESPN's ratings of the coverage improved dramatically.^[56][54]

Contemporary procedure and rules

Eligibility

Football players who have been out of high school for at least three years are eligible for the NFL draft. The rules do not state that a player must attend college, but virtually all of the players selected in the NFL draft played college football. A year as a "redshirt" player in college counts toward eligibility even though the player was not allowed to participate in games during that year. Therefore players who have completed their redshirt sophomore year can enter the NFL draft. A few players are also selected from other football leagues like the Arena Football League or the Canadian Football League.

Rules for determining draft order

The selection order is based on each team's win-loss record in the previous season and whether the team reached the playoffs. Teams that did not reach the playoffs the previous season are ranked in reverse order of their records (so the team with the fewest wins is awarded the first selection). Ties between teams with identical records are determined by the following tiebreakers (in order)^[57]:

1. Strength of schedule, which is the combined win-loss record for all 16 of the team's opponents in the previous season (ties count as a half win and half loss). The team with the lower strength of schedule (i.e. their opponents compiled fewer wins) is granted the earlier pick in round one.
2. Division tiebreakers (if the teams are in the same division).
3. Conference tiebreakers (if the teams are in the same conference).
4. Coin flip(s), which occur(s) at the pre-draft NFL Combine.

Teams that reached the playoffs the previous season are then slotted in the order in which they were eliminated as indicated in the table below. Within each tier, the slotting is determined as above (i.e. worst record picks first and the same tiebreakers apply).^[57]

Status	Draft picks
Non-playoff teams	1–20
Eliminated in Wild Card round	21–24
Eliminated in Divisional round	25–28
Eliminated in Conference Championships	29–30
Super Bowl losing team	31
Super Bowl champion	32

Once the order for the first round is determined as described above, the selection order remains the same for subsequent rounds with the exception of teams with similar records within their tier. These tied teams "cycle" picks in each subsequent round. For example, in the 2008 draft, Arizona, Minnesota, Houston, and Philadelphia all finished 8–8, and picked in that order in the first round (based on the tiebreakers described above). In the second round, Arizona cycled to the back of the line with the order becoming Minnesota, Houston, Philadelphia, and Arizona. That cycling continues in each round.^{[citation needed]}

An exception to this ordering strategy occurs when new "expansion teams" are added to the league. An expansion team is automatically granted the first selection. If there are two or more expansion teams added, a coin toss determines which team is awarded the first selection in the regular draft. The loser of the coin toss is awarded the first selection in the expansion draft.^{[citation needed]}

For the first time, the NFL Draft in 2010 was over three days. The first round of the 2010 NFL Draft was on Thursday, April 22 at 7:30 p.m. ET, with the second and third rounds on Friday, April 23 at 6 p.m. ET, followed by Rounds 4–7 on Saturday, April 24 at 10 a.m. ET.^[58]

The first overall pick generally gets the richest contract, but other contracts rely on a number of variables. While they generally are based on the previous year's second overall pick, third overall, etc., each player's position also is taken into account. Quarterbacks, for example, usually command more money than defensive linemen, which can skew those dollar figures slightly.^{[citation needed]}

Each team has its representatives attend the draft. During the draft, one team is always "on the clock." In Round 1, teams have 10 minutes to make their choice (previously 15). The decision time drops to 7 minutes (previously 10) in the second round and 5 minutes in Rounds 3–7. If a team does not make a decision within its allotted time, the team still can submit its selection at any time after its time is up, but the next team can pick before it, thus possibly stealing a player the later team may have been eyeing. This occurred in the 2003 draft, when the Minnesota Vikings, with the 7th overall pick, were late with their selection. The Jacksonville Jaguars drafted quarterback Byron Leftwich and the Carolina Panthers drafted offensive tackle Jordan Gross before the Vikings were able to submit their selection of defensive tackle Kevin Williams.

Pick trades

Teams may negotiate with one another both before and during the draft for the right to pick an additional player in a given round. For example, a team may include draft picks in future drafts in order to acquire a player during a trading period. Teams may also make negotiations during the draft relinquishing the right to pick in a given round for the right to have an additional pick in a later round. Thus teams may have no picks or multiple picks in a given round.

Compensatory picks

In addition to the 32 picks in each round, there are a total of 32 picks awarded at the ends of Rounds 3 through 7. These picks, known as "compensatory picks," are awarded to teams that have lost more qualifying free agents than they gained the previous year in free agency. Teams that gain and lose the same number of players but lose higher-valued players than they gain also can be awarded a pick, but only in the seventh round, after the other compensatory picks. Compensatory picks cannot be traded, and the placement of the picks is determined by a proprietary formula based on the player's salary, playing time, and postseason honors with his new team, with salary being the primary factor. So, for example, a team that lost a linebacker who signed for $2.5 million per year in free agency might get a sixth-round compensatory pick, while a team that lost a wide receiver who signed for $5 million per year might receive a fourth-round pick.

If fewer than 32 such picks are awarded, the remaining picks are awarded in the order in which teams would pick in a hypothetical eighth round of the draft (These are known as "supplemental compensatory selections").

Compensatory picks are awarded each year at the NFL annual meeting which is held at the end of March; typically, about three or four weeks before the draft.

Salaries

The NFL allots each team a certain amount of money from its salary cap to sign its drafted rookies for their first season. That amount is based on an undisclosed formula that assigns a certain value to each pick in the draft; thus, having more picks, or earlier picks, will increase the allotment. In 2008 the highest allotment was about $8.22 million for the Kansas City Chiefs, who had 12 picks, including two first-rounders, while the lowest was the $1.79 million for the Cleveland Browns who had only five picks, and none in the first three rounds.^[59] The exact mechanism for the rookie salary cap is set out in the NFL's collective bargaining agreement (CBA) with the National Football League Players Association (NFLPA). (Those numbers represent the cap hits that each rookie's salary may contribute, not the total amount of money paid out.)

The drafted players are paid salaries commensurate with the position in which they were drafted. High first-round picks get paid the most, and low-round picks get paid the least. There is a de facto pay scale for drafted rookies. After the draft, non-drafted rookies may sign a contract with any team in the league. These rookie free-agents usually do not get paid as well as drafted players, nearly all of them signing for the predetermined rookie minimum and a small signing bonus.

Two other facets of the rookie salary cap impact the makeup of rosters. First, the base salaries of rookie free agents do not count towards the rookie salary cap, though certain bonuses do. Second, if a rookie is traded, his cap allotment remains with the team that originally drafted him, which make trades involving rookie players relatively rare. (This rule does not apply, however, to rookies that are waived by the teams that drafted them.)

Teams can also agree to a contract with a draft-eligible player before the draft itself starts. They can only do this if they have the first overall pick, as by agreeing to terms with a player the team has already "selected" which player they will draft. A recent example of this would be quarterback Matthew Stafford and the Detroit Lions in the 2009 NFL Draft. The Lions, with the first overall selection in the draft, agreed to a 6-year, $78 million deal with $41.7 million guaranteed with Stafford a day before the draft officially started. By agreeing to the deal, Stafford had already been chosen as the first overall pick in the draft.

Forfeiture

The commissioner has the ability to forfeit picks the team is allotted in a draft. For example, in the 2007 NFL season, the New England Patriots were penalized for videotaping the Jets' defensive signals. As a result, the Patriots forfeited their first-round pick in the 2008 NFL Draft. Similarly, the San Francisco 49ers were forced to forfeit a fifth-round pick in the same draft for tampering with a player under contract to the Chicago Bears, and were also forced to swap third-round selections with the Bears (moving the 49ers down and the Bears up six spots).

Events leading up to the Draft

NFL Draft Advisory Board decisions

Main article: NFL Draft Advisory Board

College football players who are considering entering the NFL Draft but who still have eligibility to play college football can request an expert opinion from the NFL-created Draft Advisory Board. The Board, composed of scouting experts and team executives, makes a prediction as to the likely round in which a player would be drafted. This information, which has proved to be fairly accurate, can help college players determine whether to enter the draft or to continue playing and improving at the college level. There are also many famous reporting scouts, such as Mel Kiper Jr. and Todd McShay.

NFL Scouting Combine

Main article: NFL Scouting Combine

The NFL Scouting Combine is a six-day assessment of skills occurring every year in late February or early March in Indianapolis, Indiana's Lucas Oil Stadium. College football players perform physical and mental tests in front of NFL coaches, general managers, and scouts. With increasing interest in the NFL Draft, the scouting combine has grown in scope and significance, allowing personnel directors to evaluate upcoming prospects in a standardized setting. Its origins have evolved from the National, BLESTO and Quadra Scouting services in 1977, to the media frenzy it has become today. Athletes attend by invitation only. Implications of one's performance during the Combine can affect perception, draft status, salary and ultimately his career. The draft has popularized the term "Workout Warrior" (sometimes known as a "Workout Wonder"), describing an athlete who, based on superior measurables such as size, speed and strength, has increased his "draft stock" despite having a possibly average or subpar college career.^[60][61][62]

Pro Day

Each university has a pro day, during which the NCAA allows NFL scouts to visit the school and watch players participate in NFL Combine events together.

Venue

The 2006 draft was held at Radio City Music Hall, the first time this venue has hosted the gala, and it has been held there ever since. The Theater at Madison Square Garden had hosted the event for a ten-year period, but the NFL moved it to the Javits Convention Center in 2005 following a dispute with the Cablevision-owned arena, who were opposing the West Side Stadium, which would have served as home of the New York Jets and the centerpiece of the New York City bid for the 2012 Summer Olympics, because the new stadium would compete with the Garden for concerts and other events.^[63]

Tickets to the NFL Draft are free and made available to fans on a first-come first-served basis. The tickets are distributed at the box office the morning of the draft, one ticket per person.^[64] Long waits in line can be expected for fans hoping to get a live glimpse of their team's high-profile picks. Fans must arrive early in order to attend the draft.^{[citation needed]} In 2010, the NFL draft was moved to primetime on television. Tickets for the first two days, Thursday and Friday were available to fans who waited in long lines. Tickets for day three, Saturday, are generally easy to come by, just by going to Radio City Music Hall in the morning. Those fans who have been grandfathered into the NFL Drafts' Day 2 Diehard program are mailed tickets each year for the NFL draft. This program was discontinued in 2008.

Supplemental Draft

Since 1977, the NFL has also held a Supplemental Draft to accommodate players who did not enter the regular draft. Players generally enter the Supplementary Draft because they missed the filing deadline for the NFL Draft or because issues developed which affected their eligibility (such as academic or disciplinary matters). The draft is scheduled to occur at some point after the regular draft and before the start of the next season. In 1984 the NFL held an additional draft for players who were under contract with either USFL or CFL teams.

Draft order is determined by a weighted system that is divided into three groupings. First come the teams that had six or fewer wins last season, followed by non-playoff teams that had more than six wins, followed by the 12 playoff teams. In the supplemental draft, a team is not required to use any picks. Instead, if a team wants a player in the supplemental draft, they submit a "bid" to the Commissioner with the round they would pick that player. If no other team places a bid on that player at an earlier spot, the team is awarded the player and has to give up an equivalent pick in the following year's draft.^[65] (For example, FS Paul Oliver was taken by the San Diego Chargers in the fourth round of the Supplemental Draft in 2007; thus, in the 2008 NFL Draft, the Chargers forfeited a fourth-round pick.)

The 1985 Supplemental Draft was particularly controversial. Quarterback Bernie Kosar who had led University of Miami to its first National Championship in 1984 was earning his academic degree as a junior. Rather than finish his eligibility at Miami he wanted to turn pro. At this time college players had to wait for their class unless they themselves graduated early.

A plan was devised by football agent A.J. Faigin^[66] that was to get him to his preferred team, the Cleveland Browns. Faigin was representing former University of Miami QB Jim Kelly, then in the USFL, but whose NFL rights were held by the Buffalo Bills. The USFL was in its last days and Kelly would soon be available to the Bills. Faigin's first step was to ask Bill Polian, the GM of Buffalo, if he would be willing to trade the number one Supplemental pick (worth next to nothing at that time) to Cleveland. Polian agreed and Faigin told the Cleveland Browns a trade was available. He next notified Kosar's father he should not formally submit his son's application for the standard NFL draft that was weeks away and declare only afterward; which would put him into the Supplemental Draft.

The result of Kosar’s withdrawal resulted in rare, open warfare among NFL teams played out in the newspapers with threats of lawsuits between them, notably the Minnesota Vikings and New York Giants, who had expressed interest in choosing him in that season's regular draft. But as no rules were broken the Giants and eventually Minnesota had to back down. Kosar went on to lead Cleveland to five playoffs and three AFC Championship games. Following that season, the NFL instituted the current semi-random supplemental draft order.

The strategy devised by A.J. Faigin, to not declare for the NFL until after the regular draft, was subsequently used by other top players for various reasons. In some cases, it was because they did not want to play for the team that would have drafted them in the regular draft. For example, Brian Bosworth did not declare because he did not want to play for the Indianapolis Colts or the Buffalo Bills, the teams who drafted second and third that year. The Colts had offered him a 4 year, $2.2 million deal before the draft.^[67] The Seattle Seahawks won the right to draft first in the supplemental draft, and later signed him to a 10 year, $11 million contract.^[68] At the time that was the largest rookie contract in NFL history.

As of the 1990 season, only players who had graduated or exhausted their college eligibility were made available for the supplemental draft. Since 1993, only players who had planned to attend college but for various reasons could not, have been included in the supplemental draft.

List of NFL Supplemental Draft Picks

Entry #	Year Drafted	Player	Position	Round	NFL Team	College	Reason For Entering Supplemental Draft
1	1977	Al Hunter	RB	4th	Seattle Seahawks	Notre Dame	Suspended from the team for violating dormitory visitation rules.[69]
2	1978	Johnnie Dirden	WR	10th	Houston Oilers	Sam Houston State	dropped out of college after two years.[70]
3	1978	Rod Connors	RB	12th	San Francisco 49ers	USC	dropped out of college with eligibility remaining.[71]
4	1979	Rod Stewart	RB	6th	Buffalo Bills	Kentucky
5	1980	Matthew Teague	DE	7th	Atlanta Falcons	Prairie View A&M
6	1980	Billy Mullins	WR	9th	San Diego Chargers	USC	declared ineligible when it was discovered that he gained credits simultaneously from four junior colleges in the fall of 1977 in order to gain entry to USC.[72]
7	1981	Dave Wilson	QB	1st	New Orleans Saints	Illinois	declared ineligible amid questions about his high school transcript and junior college stay.[73]
8	1981	Chy Davidson	WR	11th	New England Patriots	Rhode Island
9	1982	Kevin Robinson	DB	9th	Detroit Lions	North Carolina A&T
10	1985	Bernie Kosar	QB	1st	Cleveland Browns	Miami (FL)
11	1985	Roosevelt Snipes	RB	8th	San Francisco 49ers	Florida State	suspended from the team for a poor class attendance record.[74]
12	1986	Charles Crawford	RB	7th	Philadelphia Eagles	Oklahoma State	Crawford missed his senior year with an injury and declared for the supplemental draft amid questions about whether his eligibility would be extended.[75]
13	1987	Brian Bosworth	LB	1st	Seattle Seahawks	Oklahoma	Bosworth did not declare for the draft before its deadline.[76]
14	1987	Dan Sileo	DT	3rd	Tampa Bay Buccaneers	Miami (FL)
15	1987	Cris Carter	WR	4th	Philadelphia Eagles	Ohio State	Carter was suspended before his senior season for signing with an agent.[77]
16	1988	Ryan Bethea	WR	5th	Minnesota Vikings	South Carolina
17	1989	Steve Walsh	QB	1st	Dallas Cowboys	Miami (FL)	Walsh did not declare for the draft before its deadline.[78]
18	1989	Timm Rosenbach	QB	1st	Phoenix Cardinals	Washington State	Rosenbach did not declare for the draft before its deadline.[78]
19	1989	Bobby Humphrey	RB	1st	Denver Broncos	Alabama
20	1989	Brett Young	DB	8th	Buffalo Bills	Oregon
21	1989	Mike Lowman	RB	12th	Dallas Cowboys	Coffeyville Community College
22	1990	Rob Moore	WR	1st	New York Jets	Syracuse	Moore graduated from college with a year of eligibility remaining, and did not declare in time for regular draft.[79]
23	1990	Willie Williams	TE	9th	Phoenix Cardinals	LSU
24	1992	Dave Brown	QB	1st	New York Giants	Duke	Brown graduated from college with a year of eligibility remaining, and did not declare for the NFL until after the regular draft had been held.[80]
25	1992	Darren Mickell	DE	2nd	Kansas City Chiefs	Florida	Mickell was suspended from team for senior season for undisclosed violations of team rules.[81]
26	1994	Tito Wooten	DB	4th	New York Giants	Louisiana-Monroe
27	1994	John Davis	TE	5th	Dallas Cowboys	Emporia State
28	1995	Darren Benson	DT	3rd	Dallas Cowboys	Trinity Valley Community College
29	1998	Mike Wahle	OT	2nd	Green Bay Packers	Navy	Wahle was suspended for senior season by the NCAA after testing positive for steroids.[82]
30	1998	Jamal Williams	DT	2nd	San Diego Chargers	Oklahoma State	Williams was declared academically ineligible before his senior season.[83]
31	1999	J'Juan Cherry	DB	4th	New England Patriots	Arizona State
32	2002	Milford Brown[citation needed]	OL	6th	Houston Texans	Florida State	He had used up his five year competition eligibility.[84]
33	2003	Tony Hollings[citation needed]	RB	2nd	Houston Texans	Georgia Tech	He was academically ineligible for the 2003 college season.[85]
34	2005	Manuel Wright[citation needed]	DT	5th	Miami Dolphins	USC	Chose entering the draft over not playing college football while trying to regain his academically eligibility.[86]
35	2006	Ahmad Brooks[citation needed]	LB	3rd	Cincinnati Bengals	Virginia	He was dismissed from his college team.[87]
36	2007	Paul Oliver	S	4th	San Diego Chargers	Georgia	He left college because of academic problems.[88]
37	2007	Jared Gaither[88]	OT	5th	Baltimore Ravens	Maryland	He was declared academically ineligible in college.[89]
38	2009	Jeremy Jarmon	DE	3rd	Washington Redskins	Kentucky	"He tested positive for a banned substance."[90]
39	2010	Harvey Unga[91]	RB	7th	Chicago Bears	BYU	His request for readmission to complete his senior year was denied.[91]
40	2010	Josh Brent[91]	NT	7th	Dallas Cowboys	Illinois	He was "...reportedly academically ineligible for the 2010 [college] season." [92]
41	2011	Terrelle Pryor	QB	3rd	Oakland Raiders	Ohio State	He faced a five game suspension in college.[93]

See also

• Draftnik
• Drafts in sports
• List of football drafts
• List of NFL Draft broadcasters
• List of NFL Draft Mr. Irrelevants
• List of NFL Draft first overall picks

References

1. ^ ^{a b} Coenen, 2005, pp. 92-93.
2. ^ "Pros Make Five Changes in Rules To Improve Game". Milwaukee Sentinel: p. 13. 1934-12-11. http://news.google.com/newspapers?id=HbMVAAAAIBAJ&sjid=0QwEAAAAIBAJ&pg=6169%2C2107110. Retrieved 2011-10-09. 
3. ^ Lyons, 2010, p. 54.
4. ^ ^{a b} MacCambridge, 2005, p. 43.
5. ^ The three most prestigious teams at the time were the Bears, Giants, and the Packers. Maule, 1964, p. 15.
6. ^ The players had an auxiliary financial incentive to play with the best teams because 60% of the profit for the NFL championship game went to the players on the winning team and 40% went to the players on the losing team. Dunscomb, George (1936-12-12). "$6,000 for a Touchdown: George Halas of the Chicago Bears Tells of Costs of Running a Pro Team". Saturday Evening Post: pp. 16, 40, 42. 
7. ^ ^{a b} Lyons, 2010, p. 56.
8. ^ Ruck; Patterson and Weber, 2010, p. 108.
9. ^ Lyons writes Bell tried to sign Kostka in 1933.Lyons, 2010, p. 56.
10. ^ Willis, 2010, p. 338.
11. ^ ^{a b c} Peterson, 1997, p. 119.
12. ^ ^{a b c d e f} Williams, 2006, pp. 41-42.
13. ^ Didinger writes the proposal was accepted the next day, on May 19, 1935. Didinger; Lyons, 2005, p. 256.
14. ^ Lyons, 2010, p. 57–58.
15. ^ Willis, 2010, p. 341–343.
16. ^ DeVito, 2006, p. 84.
17. ^ ^{a b} Baldwin, 2000, p. 192.
18. ^ Barnett, Bob. "1936: The First Draft". http://profootballresearchers.org/Coffin_Corner/05-06-143.pdf. Retrieved 4 October 2011. 
19. ^ ^{a b} Lyons, 2010, pp. 58-59
20. ^ ^{a b} Willis, 2010, p. 342.
21. ^ "Pro Rules on Signing Up of College Players". Milwaukee Sentinel: p. 10. 1936-02-10. http://news.google.com/newspapers?id=i7cVAAAAIBAJ&sjid=EA4EAAAAIBAJ&pg=6650%2C1839038. Retrieved 2011-10-10. 
22. ^ MacCambridge, 2005, p. 44.
23. ^ Didinger; Lyons, 2005, p. 256.
24. ^ Willis, 2010, p. 337.
25. ^ ^{a b} Lyons, 2010, p. 60.
26. ^ ^{a b c} Willis, 2010, p. 350.
27. ^ Davis, 2005, p. 131.
28. ^ Lyons and Willis write the draft was originally setup to have only five rounds but it was changed to nine rounds during the selection meeting. Lyons, 2010, p. 350.
29. ^ "Chicago Bears Granted Option on Jay Berwanger". Milwaukee Journal: p. D4. February 10, 1936. http://news.google.com/newspapers?id=XaVQAAAAIBAJ&sjid=JCIEAAAAIBAJ&pg=3397,1514709&hl=en. Retrieved October 2, 2011.  The Milwaukee Journal implies the Eagles never attempted to negotiate with Berwanger.
30. ^ Lyons writes Bell offer of $150 per game was declined by Berwanger. Lyons, 2010, p. 60.
31. ^ Willis, 2010, p. 351.
32. ^ Davis writes Berwanger requested a two-year no cut contract for $12,500 per year which George Halas declined to meet. Davis, 2005, pp. 131-132.
33. ^ Willis writes four players chosen in the draft eventually changed their mind and enterned into the NFL in 1937. Willis, 2010, p. 351.
34. ^ Lyons, 2010, p. 59.
35. ^ Devito, 2006, p. 85.
36. ^ Coenen, 2005, pp. 96-97.
37. ^ Coenen, 2005, p. 90.
38. ^ "The players coming out of college were not happy, as salaries dropped by almost half." Devito, 2006, pp. 84.
39. ^ Peterson, 1997, pp. 119–120.
40. ^ Ruck; Patterson and Weber, 2010, pp. 138-140.
41. ^ Ruck; Patterson and Weber, 2010, pp. 143, 148.
42. ^ Devito, 2006, pp. 95-96.
43. ^ Pervin writes that "Some NFL owners, including Tim Mara, were encouraged to draft Washington but none chose to break the racial barrier." Pervin, 2009, p. 16.
44. ^ "Organized Professional Team Sports, Part 3 (password protected except at participating U.S. Library)" (PDF), Hearings Before the Antitrust Subcommittee (Subcommittee No. 5) of the Committee on the Judiciary, Washington: United States Government Printing Office, 1957, pp. 2580a-2580at, https://web.lexis-nexis.com/congcomp/getdoc?HEARING-ID=HRG-1957-HJH-0012, retrieved 2011-10-09 
45. ^ "1936: All Time #1". http://www.nfl.com/draft/history/alltimeno1. Retrieved 10 October 2011. 
46. ^ Dougherty, Pete (2011-10-14). "Rams ushered in modern era of scouting with help from former Packers player, coach Eddie Kotal". Green Bay Press-Gazette. http://packersnews.greenbaypressgazette.com/article/20111014/PKR07/111014148/Pete-Dougherty-column-Ex-Packer-Kotal-helped-Rams-transform-NFL-scouting. Retrieved 2011-10-28. 
47. ^ ^{a b} MacCambridge, 2005, pp. 55-57.
48. ^ MacCambridge, 2005, p. 41.
49. ^ Coenen, 2005, p. 90.
50. ^ ^{a b} "African-Americans in Pro Football: Pioneers, Milestones and Firsts". http://www.profootballhof.com/history/general/african-americans.aspx. Retrieved 10 October 2011. 
51. ^ Levy incorrectly writes Younger was drafted by the Rams. Levy 2003, p. 102.
52. ^ Williams, 2006, p. 46.
53. ^ Jacobs, Melissa (2011-04-30). "Irrelevant can be a good thing". http://w.espn.go.com/espnw/news-opinion/6450225/2011-nfl-draft-irrelevant-good-thing. Retrieved 2011-10-11. 
54. ^ ^{a b} Williams, 2006, pp. 52-53.
55. ^ Sandomir, Richard. "Chet Simmons, a Founding Force of ESPN, Dies at 81," The New York Times, Saturday, March 27, 2010.
56. ^ Sandomir, Richard (1991-04-22). "TV SPORTS; ESPN Show Was a Draftnik's Nirvana". New York Times. http://www.nytimes.com/1991/04/22/sports/tv-sports-espn-show-was-a-draftnik-s-nirvana.html?src=pm. Retrieved 2011-10-28. 
57. ^ ^{a b} "Complete order of first round of 2011 NFL Draft determined". NFL.com. January 2, 2011. Archived from the original on November 6, 2011. http://www.nfl.com/news/story/09000d5d81d6b708/article/complete-order-of-first-round-of-2011-nfl-draft-determined. Retrieved November 6, 2011. 
58. ^ NFL draft's first round moves to Thursday night for 2010
59. ^ ESPN – Chiefs get largest rookie pool to pay draft picks – NFL
60. ^ Isaac Cheifetz, Hiring Secrets of the NFL: How Your Company Can Select Talent Like a Champion (2007), 68, available at Google Books
61. ^ Rich Eisen, Total Access: A Journey to the Center of the NFL Universe (2007), 128, available at Google Books
62. ^ David Schoenfield, Page 2: The 100 worst draft picks ever, ESPN.com, April 26, 2006 (see #45, Mike Mamula, a "workout wonder")
63. ^ Hack, Damon (2005-02-11). "N.F.L. Is Seeking New Home for Draft". New York Times. http://www.nytimes.com/2005/02/11/sports/football/11draft.html. Retrieved 2010-01-18. 
64. ^ "NFL Draft Basics: Fan Tickets". Archived from the original on 2008-01-03. http://web.archive.org/web/20080103084157/http://www.draftnotebook.com/draft_basics.htm. Retrieved 2008-01-04. 
65. ^ "The Supplemental Draft - How does it work?". How does the supplemental draft work?. http://www.thedraftthinker.com/1/post/2011/06/the-supplemental-draft-how-does-it-work.html. 
66. ^ Miami Herald, “Sports Weekend” Feb 8, 1985
67. ^ "Colts Insist: Not Trade For Rights to No. 1 Pick". http://www.highbeam.com/doc/1P2-1316132.html. Retrieved 2011-10-09. 
68. ^ "Sports Digest". The Telegraph. 1987-8-15. p. 9. http://news.google.com/newspapers?id=kewlAAAAIBAJ&sjid=JfwFAAAAIBAJ&pg=6224,4330985. Retrieved 2011-10-11. "He brings to the Seahawks...the potential to be a dominating force inside." 
69. ^ "Notre Dame Lose Halfback Al Hunter". Sarasota Herald-Tribune: p. 6D. 1977-07-01. http://news.google.com/newspapers?id=5z41AAAAIBAJ&sjid=XmcEAAAAIBAJ&pg=4963,294004&dq=al-hunter&hl=en. Retrieved 2011-10-10. 
70. ^ Stellino, Vito (1978-10-21). "Cement Trucker Delivers for Oilers". Pittsburgh Post-Gazette: p. 9. http://news.google.com/newspapers?id=a39IAAAAIBAJ&sjid=NG0DAAAAIBAJ&pg=2972,3213826&dq=john+dirden+sam+houston+state&hl=en. Retrieved 2011-10-10. 
71. ^ "Rough Riders Cut Six Players". The Star-Phoenix: p. 62. 1978-7-21. http://news.google.com/newspapers?id=gJVjAAAAIBAJ&sjid=XnoNAAAAIBAJ&pg=2163,2086312&dq=rod-connors&hl=en. Retrieved 2011-10-10. 
72. ^ "'Dumb jocks' trigger report". Edmonton Journal: p. C6. 1980-10-15. http://news.google.com/newspapers?id=JyNlAAAAIBAJ&sjid=S4gNAAAAIBAJ&pg=2204,2439422&dq=billy-mullins&hl=en. Retrieved 2011-10-10. 
73. ^ Gugger, John (1980-12-09). "Big Ten Bothered by 2 Wilson Transcripts". The Blade: pp. 26, 28. http://news.google.com/newspapers?id=NGdRAAAAIBAJ&sjid=PgMEAAAAIBAJ&dq=dave-wilson%20illinois&pg=6982%2C4351276. Retrieved 2011-10-10. 
74. ^ "Transactions". Lawrence Journal-World: p. 14. 1985-03-13. http://news.google.com/newspapers?id=4-ZTAAAAIBAJ&sjid=2TgNAAAAIBAJ&pg=5371,2958868&dq=roosevelt-snipes&hl=en. Retrieved 2011-10-10. 
75. ^ "Keith Byars benched". The Bryan Times: p. 16. 1986-10-16. http://news.google.com/newspapers?id=w8NPAAAAIBAJ&sjid=TFIDAAAAIBAJ&pg=2630,1398462&dq=charles-crawford+oklahoma+state&hl=en. Retrieved 2011-10-11. 
76. ^ "Bosworth misses deadline, won't be in NFL draft". The Milwaukee Sentinel: p. 2 2. 1987-4-14. http://news.google.com/newspapers?id=no5QAAAAIBAJ&sjid=hxIEAAAAIBAJ&pg=7137%2C3491042. Retrieved 2011-10-11. 
77. ^ "Impact NFL Supplemental Draft Picks". Sports Illustrated. 2010-07-06. http://sportsillustrated.cnn.com/vault/gallery/featured/GAL1172200/3/11/index.htm. Retrieved 2011-10-11. 
78. ^ ^{a b} "Walsh, Rosenbach Bypass April Draft". Sarasota Herald-Tribune: pp. 1C, 6C. 1989-4-11. http://news.google.com/newspapers?id=fa4cAAAAIBAJ&sjid=D3oEAAAAIBAJ&pg=6058,521595. Retrieved 2011-10-11. 
79. ^ "Moore catches on with Jets". Reading Eagle: p. 33. 1990-8-22. http://news.google.com/newspapers?id=XPshAAAAIBAJ&sjid=raMFAAAAIBAJ&pg=3918,3304287. Retrieved 2011-10-11. 
80. ^ "Giants choose Brown in supplemental draft". The Times-News: p. 1B. 1992-7-10. http://news.google.com/newspapers?id=dgVPAAAAIBAJ&sjid=JyQEAAAAIBAJ&pg=2545,1959359&dq=supplemental+draft+dave+brown&hl=en. Retrieved 2011-10-11. 
81. ^ "Chiefs take former Gator Mickell in draft". Gainesville Sun: p. 1C. 1992-8-28. http://news.google.com/newspapers?id=03UzAAAAIBAJ&sjid=Y-oDAAAAIBAJ&dq=supplemental%20draft%20darren%20mickell&pg=1405%2C8449724. Retrieved 2011-10-11. 
82. ^ Silverstein, Tom (1998-8-6). "Supplemental pick finally agress to deal". Milwaukee Journal Sentinel: pp. 1C, 3C. http://news.google.com/newspapers?id=O6caAAAAIBAJ&sjid=hS4EAAAAIBAJ&dq=supplemental%20draft%20mike%20wahle&pg=2563%2C1018624. Retrieved 2011-10-11. 
83. ^ "Impact NFL Supplemental Draft Picks". Sports Illustrated. 2010-07-06. http://sportsillustrated.cnn.com/vault/gallery/featured/GAL1172200/9/11/index.htm. Retrieved 2011-10-11. 
84. ^ "Sports Wrap". Las Vegas Review-Journal. 2002-08-22. http://www.reviewjournal.com/lvrj_home/2002/Aug-22-Thu-2002/sports/19469936.html. Retrieved 2011-10-11. 
85. ^ "Bad week for college football fans in Georgia". The Augusta Chronicle. 2003-05-17. http://chronicle.augusta.com/stories/2003/05/17/col_372860.shtml. Retrieved 2011-10-11. 
86. ^ Paskwietz, Gary (2005-05-12). "Manuel Wright declares for NFL supplemental draft". Scout. http://profootball.scout.com/2/378546.html. Retrieved 2011-10-11. 
87. ^ Schlabach, Larry (2006-03-29). "U-Va. Dismisses Brooks, Franklin". The Washington Post. http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2006/03/28/AR2006032801066.html. Retrieved 2011-10-11. 
88. ^ ^{a b} Clayton, John (2007-07-16). "Georgia's Oliver, Maryland's Gaither chosen in supplemental draft". http://sports.espn.go.com/nfl/news/story?id=2934052. Retrieved 2011-10-11. 
89. ^ Pasquarelli, Len (2007-06-28). "Maryland's Gaither applies for entry to supplemental draft". http://sports.espn.go.com/nfl/news/story?id=2920248. Retrieved 2011-10-11. 
90. ^ "Skins sign third-round DE pick Jarmon". 2009-07-28. http://sportsillustrated.cnn.com/2009/football/nfl/07/28/skins-jarmon.ap/index.html. Retrieved 2011-10-11. 
91. ^ ^{a b c} "Bears pick Unga; Price-Brent to Dallas". 2010-07-16. http://sports.espn.go.com/nfl/news/story?id=5383225. Retrieved 2011-10-11. 
92. ^ "Unga, Price-Brent taken in last round of supplemental draft". 2010-07-16. http://www.nfl.com/news/story/09000d5d81922cfd/article/unga-pricebrent-taken-in-last-round-of-supplemental-draft. Retrieved 2011-10-11. 
93. ^ "Pryor eligible to practice with Raiders as five-game ban ends". 2010-07-16. http://www.nfl.com/news/story/09000d5d82303902/article/pryor-eligible-to-practice-with-raiders-as-fivegame-ban-ends. Retrieved 2011-10-11. 

Sources

• Organized Professional Team Sports: Part 3. (password protected except at participating U.S. library) by United States House Committee on the Judiciary III, Subcommittee on Antitrust (1957).
• Baldwin, Douglas Owen (2000). Football—The NFL in Sports in North America: A Documentary History, Volume 8, Sports in the Depression, 1930-1940. Gulf Breeze, FL: Academic International Press. ISBN 0-87569-224-9 pp. 191-207.
• Coenen, Craig R. (2005). From Sandlots to the Super Bowl: The National Football League, 1920–1967. Knoxville, TN: The University of Tennessee Press. ISBN 1-57233-447-9
• Davis, Jeff (2005). Papa Bear, The Life and Legacy of George Halas. New York: McGraw-Hill ISBN 0-07-146054-3
• DeVito, Carlo (2006). Wellington: the Maras, the Giants, and the City of New York. Chicago: Triumph Books. ISBN 978-1-57243-872-9
• Didinger, Ray; with Lyons, Robert S. (2005). The Eagles Encyclopedia. Philadelphia: Temple University Press. ISBN 1-59213-449-1
• Levy, Alan H. (2003). Tackling Jim Crow, Racial Segregation in Professional Football. Jefferson, NC: McFarland and Co., Inc. ISBN 0-7864-1597-5
• Lyons, Robert S. (2010). On Any Given Sunday, A Life of Bert Bell. Philadelphia:Temple University Press. ISBN 978-1-59213-731-2
• MacCambridge, Michael (2004, 2005), America's Game. New York:Anchor Books ISBN 978-0-307-48143-6
• Maule, Tex (1964). The Game; The Official Picture History of the National Football League. New York: Random House
• Pervin, Lawrence A. (2009). Football's New York Giants. Jefferson, NC: McFarland and Company, Inc. ISBN 978-0-7864-4268-3
• Ruck, Rob; with Paterson, Maggie Jones and Weber, Michael P. (2010) Rooney:a Sporting Life. Lincoln:University of Nebraska Press. ISBN 978-0-8032-2283-0
• Peterson, Robert W. (1997). Pigskin New York:Oxford University Press. ISBN 0-19-507607-9
• Williams, Pete (2006). The Draft: a year inside the NFL's search for talent. New York:St. Martin's Press. ISBN 978-0-312-35438-1
• Willis, Chris (2010). The Man Who Built the National Football League: Joe F. Carr. Lanham, MD: Scarecrow Press, Inc. ISBN 978-0-8108-7669-9

Further reading

• N.F.L. Draft Travels Far for a Two-Night Stay
• What Does Fitzpatrick's Wonderlic Mean?
• The Year Greasy Neale was Fired
• 1936-37 NFL Draft by Jim Campbell
• Draft Productivity: A Study by Gary Keller
• The Scout Is A Lonely Hunter by by George Plimpton
• Is the supplemental draft important?
• Oh, for another '58 Packer draft
• Yazoo Smith v. NFL
• Brown, Paul; with Clary, Jack (1979). PB, the Paul Brown Story. New York: Atheneum.
• Carroll, John M. (1999). Red Grange and the Rise of Modern Football. Urbana, IL: University of Illinois Press. ISBN 0-252-02384-6
• Gottehrer, Barry (1963), The Giants of New York. New York:G.P. Putnam's Sons
• Hession, Joseph (1987). The Rams: Five Decades of Football. San Francisco: Foghorn Press.
• Knight, Jonathan (2006). "Bernie Comes Home" in Sundays in the Pound: The Heroics and Heartbreak of the 1985-89 Cleveland Browns. Kent, OH: The Kent State University Press ISBN 978-0-87338-866-5 pp. 15–25.
• Maule, Tex (1964). The Game; The Official Picture History of the National Football League. New York: Random House
• Staudohar, Paul D. (1986). The Sports Industry and Collective Bargaining. Ithaca, NY: ILR Press. ISBN 0-87546-117-4
• Yost, Mark (2006). Tailgating, Sacks and Salary Caps. Chicago: Kaplan Publishing. ISBN 978-1-4195-2600-8

External links

• Sideline Scouting
• Mock Draft Online
• Draft Dog NFL Scouting Service
• NFL Official Draft Site
• NFL History of Draft Selections