List of professional American football drafts
The
In the NFL draft, each team is given a position in the drafting order in reverse order relative to its record in the previous year, which means that the last place team is positioned first and the Super Bowl champion is last. From this position, the team can either select a player or trade its position to another team for other draft positions, a player or players, or any combination thereof. The round is complete when each team has either selected a player or traded its position in the draft. The first draft was held in 1936, and has been held every year since.
Certain aspects of the draft, including team positioning and the number of rounds in the draft, have been revised since its creation in 1936, but the fundamental method has remained the same. Currently, the draft consists of seven rounds. The original rationale in creating the draft was to increase the competitive parity between the teams as the worst team would, ideally, be able to choose the best player available. In the early years of the draft, players were chosen based on hearsay, print media, or other rudimentary evidence of ability. In the 1940s, some franchises began employing full-time scouts. The ensuing success of these teams eventually forced the other franchises to also hire scouts.
The NFL-defined name of the process has changed since its inception. The location of the draft has continually changed over the years to accommodate more fans, as the event has gained popularity. The draft's popularity now garners prime-time television coverage. In the league's early years, from the mid-1930s to the mid-1960s, the draft was held in various cities with NFL franchises until the league settled on New York City starting in 1965, where it remained for fifty years until 2015, when future draft locations started being determined through a yearly bidding process.
All-America Football Conference
All American Football League
Professional:
Alliance of American Football
Professional: 2019
American Football League
Collegiate: 1960 1961 1962 1963 1964 1965 1966
National Football League
Collegiate:
Expansion: 1960 1961 1966 1967 1976 1995 1999 2002
United Football League
Dispersal: 2024
United States Football League
World Football League
Collegiate:
Professional: 1974 1975
XFL
Professional: 2001 2020 2023 2024
See also
- List of NFL first overall draft choices