Each NFL franchise seeks to add new players through the annual NFL Draft. The
draft rules were last updated in 2009. The team with the worst record the previous year picks first, the next-worst team second, and so on. Teams that did not make the playoffs are ordered by their regular-season record, with any remaining ties broken by
strength of schedule.
Playoff participants are sequenced after non-playoff teams, based on their round of elimination (
wild card, division, conference, and
Super Bowl).[4]
Before the
merger agreement in 1966, the
American Football League (AFL) operated in direct competition with the NFL and held a
separate draft. This led to a massive bidding war over top prospects between the two leagues, along with the subsequent drafting of the same player in each draft. As part of the merger agreement on June 8, 1966, the two leagues held a multiple round "
Common Draft". Once the AFL officially merged with the NFL in 1970, the "Common Draft" simply became the NFL Draft.[1][2][5]
Jesse Sapolu was drafted 289th overall by the San Francisco 49ers in the 1983 NFL Draft.Jeff Ulbrich was drafted 86th overall by the San Francisco 49ers in the 2000 NFL Draft.Alex Green was drafted 96th overall by the Green Bay Packers in the 2011 NFL Draft.
^Because of the NFL–AFL merger agreement, the history of the AFL is officially recognized by the NFL and therefore this list includes the
AFL Draft (1960–1966) and the
Common Draft (1967–1969).[1][2]
^Golden Richards is listed in sources as being from BYU when drafted, but transferred to Hawaii his senior year of college.
Each NFL franchise seeks to add new players through the annual NFL Draft. The
draft rules were last updated in 2009. The team with the worst record the previous year picks first, the next-worst team second, and so on. Teams that did not make the playoffs are ordered by their regular-season record, with any remaining ties broken by
strength of schedule.
Playoff participants are sequenced after non-playoff teams, based on their round of elimination (
wild card, division, conference, and
Super Bowl).[4]
Before the
merger agreement in 1966, the
American Football League (AFL) operated in direct competition with the NFL and held a
separate draft. This led to a massive bidding war over top prospects between the two leagues, along with the subsequent drafting of the same player in each draft. As part of the merger agreement on June 8, 1966, the two leagues held a multiple round "
Common Draft". Once the AFL officially merged with the NFL in 1970, the "Common Draft" simply became the NFL Draft.[1][2][5]
Jesse Sapolu was drafted 289th overall by the San Francisco 49ers in the 1983 NFL Draft.Jeff Ulbrich was drafted 86th overall by the San Francisco 49ers in the 2000 NFL Draft.Alex Green was drafted 96th overall by the Green Bay Packers in the 2011 NFL Draft.
^Because of the NFL–AFL merger agreement, the history of the AFL is officially recognized by the NFL and therefore this list includes the
AFL Draft (1960–1966) and the
Common Draft (1967–1969).[1][2]
^Golden Richards is listed in sources as being from BYU when drafted, but transferred to Hawaii his senior year of college.