# 1981 NFL draft

The 1981 NFL draft was the procedure by which National Football League teams selected amateur college football players. It is officially known as the NFL Annual Player Selection Meeting. The draft was held April 28–29, 1981, at the New York Sheraton Hotel in New York City. The league also held a supplemental draft after the regular draft and before the regular season.
For the first time, the top two picks of the draft, running back George Rogers selected by the New Orleans Saints and linebacker Lawrence Taylor picked by the New York Giants, were named Offensive and Defensive Rookies of the Year, respectively.

## Player selections

| = Pro Bowler | = Hall of Famer |
| * | = compensatory selection |
| † | = Pro Bowler |
| ‡ | = Hall of Famer |
Positions key :
| C | Center | CB | Cornerback | DB | Defensive back | DE | Defensive end |
| DL | Defensive lineman | DT | Defensive tackle | FB | Fullback | FS | Free safety |
| G | Guard | K | Kicker | KR | Kickoff returner | LB | Linebacker |
| LS | Long snapper | MLB | Middle linebacker | OT | Offensive tackle | OL | Offensive lineman |
| OLB | Outside linebacker | NT | Nose tackle | P | Punter | PR | Punt returner |
| QB | Quarterback | RS | Return specialist | RB | Running back | S | Safety |
| SS | Strong safety | TE | Tight end | WR | Wide receiver |
| Rnd. | Pick No. | NFL team | Player | Pos. | College | Conf. | Notes |
| 1 | 1 | New Orleans Saints | George Rogers $^†$ | RB | South Carolina | Ind. (I-A) | Heisman Trophy winner |
| 1 | 2 | New York Giants | Lawrence Taylor$^‡$$^†$ | LB | North Carolina | ACC | |
| 1 | 3 | New York Jets | Freeman McNeil $^†$ | RB | UCLA | Pac-10 | |
| 1 | 4 | Seattle Seahawks | Kenny Easley$^‡$$^†$ | SS | UCLA | Pac-10 | |
| 1 | 5 | St. Louis Cardinals | E. J. Junior $^†$ | LB | Alabama | SEC | |
| 1 | 6 | Green Bay Packers | Rich Campbell | QB | California | Pac-10 | |
| 1 | 7 | Tampa Bay Buccaneers | Hugh Green $^†$ | LB | Pittsburgh | Ind. (I-A) | |
| 1 | 8 | San Francisco 49ers | Ronnie Lott$^‡$$^†$ | CB | USC | Pac-10 | |
| 1 | 9 | Los Angeles Rams | Mel Owens | LB | Michigan | Big Ten | from Washington |
| 1 | 10 | Cincinnati Bengals | David Verser | WR | Kansas | Big Eight | |
| 1 | 11 | Chicago Bears | Keith Van Horne | OT | USC | Pac-10 | |
| 1 | 12 | Baltimore Colts | Randy McMillan | RB | Pittsburgh | Ind. (I-A) | |
| 1 | 13 | Miami Dolphins | David Overstreet | RB | Oklahoma | Big Eight | |
| 1 | 14 | Kansas City Chiefs | Willie Scott | TE | South Carolina | Ind. (I-A) | |
| 1 | 15 | Denver Broncos | Dennis Smith $^†$ | S | USC | Pac-10 | |
| 1 | 16 | Detroit Lions | Mark Nichols | WR | San Jose State | PCAA | |
| 1 | 17 | Pittsburgh Steelers | Keith Gary | DE | Oklahoma | Big Eight | |
| 1 | 18 | Baltimore Colts | Donnell Thompson | DT | North Carolina | ACC | from Minnesota |
| 1 | 19 | New England Patriots | Brian Holloway $^†$ | OT | Stanford | Pac-10 | |
| 1 | 20 | Washington Redskins | Mark May $^†$ | OT | Pittsburgh | Ind. (I-A) | from Los Angeles |
| 1 | 21 | Oakland Raiders | Ted Watts | CB | Texas Tech | SWC | from Houston |
| 1 | 22 | Cleveland Browns | Hanford Dixon $^†$ | CB | Southern Miss | Ind. (I-A) | |
| 1 | 23 | Oakland Raiders | Curt Marsh | OT | Washington | Pac-10 | from Buffalo |
| 1 | 24 | San Diego Chargers | James Brooks $^†$ | RB | Auburn | SEC | |
| 1 | 25 | Atlanta Falcons | Bobby Butler | CB | Florida State | Ind. (I-A) | |
| 1 | 26 | Dallas Cowboys | Howard Richards | OT | Missouri | Big Eight | |
| 1 | 27 | Philadelphia Eagles | Leonard Mitchell | DE | Houston | SWC | |
| 1 | 28 | Buffalo Bills | Booker Moore | RB | Penn State | Ind. (I-A) | from Oakland |
| 2 | 29 | New Orleans Saints | Russell Gary | SS | Nebraska | Big Eight | |
| 2 | 30 | New York Jets | Marion Barber Jr. | RB | Minnesota | Big Ten | |
| 2 | 31 | Seattle Seahawks | David Hughes | RB | Boise State | Big Sky | |
| 2 | 32 | New York Giants | Dave Young | TE | Purdue | Big Ten | |
| 2 | 33 | St. Louis Cardinals | Neil Lomax $^†$ | QB | Portland State | Ind. | |
| 2 | 34 | Tampa Bay Buccaneers | James Wilder Sr. $^†$ | RB | Missouri | Big Eight | |
| 2 | 35 | Green Bay Packers | Gary Lewis | TE | Texas–Arlington | — | |
| 2 | 36 | San Francisco 49ers | John Harty | DT | Iowa | Big Ten | from Washington |
| 2 | 37 | Cincinnati Bengals | Cris Collinsworth $^†$ | WR | Florida | SEC | |
| 2 | 38 | Chicago Bears | Mike Singletary$^‡$$^†$ | LB | Baylor | SWC | from San Francisco |
| 2 | 39 | Minnesota Vikings | Mardye McDole | WR | Mississippi State | SEC | from Baltimore |
| 2 | 40 | San Francisco 49ers | Eric Wright | CB | Missouri | Big Eight | from Chicago |
| 2 | 41 | Kansas City Chiefs | Joe Delaney $^†$ | RB | Northwestern State | Ind. (I-AA) | |
| 2 | 42 | Denver Broncos | Clay Brown | TE | BYU | WAC | |
| 2 | 43 | Los Angeles Rams | Jim Collins $^†$ | LB | Syracuse | Ind. (I-A) | from Miami |
| 2 | 44 | Pittsburgh Steelers | Anthony Washington | CB | Fresno State | PCAA | |
| 2 | 45 | Minnesota Vikings | Robin Sendlein | LB | Texas | SWC | |
| 2 | 46 | Detroit Lions | Curtis Green | DE | Alabama State | Ind. (Div. II) | |
| 2 | 47 | New England Patriots | Tony Collins $^†$ | RB | East Carolina | Ind. (I-A) | |
| 2 | 48 | Oakland Raiders | Howie Long$^‡$$^†$ | DT | Villanova | Ind. | from Houston |
| 2 | 49 | Buffalo Bills | Chris Williams | CB | LSU | SEC | from Cleveland |
| 2 | 50 | Buffalo Bills | Byron Franklin | WR | Auburn | SEC | |
| 2 | 51 | New Orleans Saints | Rickey Jackson$^‡$$^†$ | LB | Pittsburgh | Ind. (I-A) | from San Diego |
| 2 | 52 | Minnesota Vikings | Jarvis Redwine | RB | Nebraska | Big Eight | from Los Angeles via Washington and Baltimore |
| 2 | 53 | Dallas Cowboys | Doug Donley | WR | Ohio State | Big Ten | |
| 2 | 54 | Atlanta Falcons | Lyman White | LB | LSU | SEC | |
| 2 | 55 | Philadelphia Eagles | Dean Miraldi | OG | Utah | WAC | |
| 2 | 56 | Miami Dolphins | Andra Franklin $^†$ | RB | Nebraska | Big Eight | from Oakland vis Los Angeles |
| 3 | 57 | New Orleans Saints | Frank Warren | DE | Auburn | SEC | |
| 3 | 58 | Seattle Seahawks | Bill Dugan | OG | Penn State | Ind. (I-A) | |
| 3 | 59 | New York Giants | John Mistler | WR | Arizona State | Pac-10 | |
| 3 | 60 | New York Jets | Ben Rudolph | DT | Long Beach State | PCAA | |
| 3 | 61 | St. Louis Cardinals | Jeff Griffin | CB | Utah | WAC | |
| 3 | 62 | Green Bay Packers | Ray Stachowicz | P | Michigan State | Big Ten | |
| 3 | 63 | Los Angeles Rams | Greg Meisner | DT | Pittsburgh | Ind. (I-A) | from Tampa Bay |
| 3 | 64 | Cincinnati Bengals | John Simmons | CB | SMU | SWC | |
| 3 | 65 | San Francisco 49ers | Carlton Williamson $^†$ | S | Pittsburgh | Ind. (I-A) | |
| 3 | 66 | Los Angeles Rams | Robert Cobb | DE | Arizona | Pac-10 | from Washington |
| 3 | 67 | Chicago Bears | Ken Margerum | WR | Stanford | Pac-10 | |
| 3 | 68 | Baltimore Colts | Randy Van Divier | OT | Washington | Pac-10 | |
| 3 | 69 | Washington Redskins | Russ Grimm$^‡$$^†$ | OG | Pittsburgh | Ind. (I-A) | from Miami via Los Angeles |
| 3 | 70 | Kansas City Chiefs | Marvin Harvey | TE | Southern Miss | Ind. (I-A) | |
| 3 | 71 | New Orleans Saints | Hoby Brenner $^†$ | TE | USC | Pac-10 | from Minnesota |
| 3 | 72 | Detroit Lions | Don Greco | OG | Western Illinois | MCAA | |
| 3 | 73 | Pittsburgh Steelers | Rick Donnalley | C | North Carolina | ACC | |
| 3 | 74 | Minnesota Vikings | Tim Irwin | OT | Tennessee | SEC | from New England |
| 3 | 75 | Kansas City Chiefs | Roger Taylor | OT | Oklahoma | Big Eight | from Cleveland via Denver |
| 3 | 76 | Buffalo Bills | Mike Mosley | WR | Texas A&M | SWC | |
| 3 | 77 | San Diego Chargers | Irvin Phillips | CB | Arkansas Tech | N/A | |
| 3 | 78 | Kansas City Chiefs | Lloyd Burruss $^†$ | S | Maryland | ACC | from Los Angeles |
| 3 | 79 | Houston Oilers | Michael Holston | WR | Morgan State | Ind. (Div. II) | |
| 3 | 80 | Atlanta Falcons | Scott Woerner | S | Georgia | SEC | |
| 3 | 81 | Dallas Cowboys | Glen Titensor | DE | BYU | WAC | |
| 3 | 82 | Philadelphia Eagles | Greg LaFleur | TE | LSU | SEC | |
| 3 | 83 | Buffalo Bills | Geathers, RobertRobert Geathers | DT | South Carolina State | MEAC | from Oakland |
| 4 | 84 | Miami Dolphins | Greene, SamSam Greene | WR | UNLV | Ind. | from New Orleans |
| 4 | 85 | New York Giants | Clifford Chatman | FB | Central State (OK) | Ind. (NAIA) | |
| 4 | 86 | New York Jets | Al Washington | LB | Ohio State | Big Ten | |
| 4 | 87 | Seattle Seahawks | Phillips, ScottScott Phillips | WR | BYU | WAC | |
| 4 | 88 | St. Louis Cardinals | Steve Rhodes | WR | Oklahoma | Big Eight | |
| 4 | 89 | Tampa Bay Buccaneers | John Holt | CB | West Texas State | MVC | |
| 4 | 90 | Washington Redskins | Tom Flick | QB | Washington | Pac-10 | from Green Bay |
| 4 | 91 | Dallas Cowboys | Scott Pelluer | LB | Washington State | Pac-10 | from San Francisco |
| 4 | 92 | Cleveland Browns | Mike Robinson | DE | Arizona | Pac-10 | from Washington |
| 4 | 93 | Cincinnati Bengals | Guy Frazier | LB | Wyoming | WAC | |
| 4 | 94 | Baltimore Colts | Tim Sherwin | TE | Boston College | Ind. (I-A) | |
| 4 | 95 | Chicago Bears | Todd Bell $^†$ | S | Ohio State | Big Ten | |
| 4 | 96 | Miami Dolphins | Wright, BradBrad Wright | QB | New Mexico | WAC | |
| 4 | 97 | Kansas City Chiefs | Washington, RonRon Washington | WR | Arizona State | Pac-10 | |
| 4 | 98 | Denver Broncos | Mark Herrmann | QB | Purdue | Big Ten | |
| 4 | 99 | Detroit Lions | Tracy Porter | WR | LSU | SEC | |
| 4 | 100 | Pittsburgh Steelers | Robbie Martin | WR | Cal Poly | CCAA | |
| 4 | 101 | Minnesota Vikings | John Swain | CB | Miami (FL) | Ind. (I-A) | |
| 4 | 102 | New England Patriots | Don Blackmon | LB | Tulsa | MVC | |
| 4 | 103 | San Diego Chargers | Amos Lawrence | RB | North Carolina | ACC | |
| 4 | 104 | Los Angeles Rams | George Lilja | C | Michigan | Big Ten | |
| 4 | 105 | Green Bay Packers | Richard Turner | DT | Oklahoma | Big Eight | |
| 4 | 106 | Houston Oilers | Nick Eyre | OT | BYU | WAC | |
| 4 | 107 | San Diego Chargers | Eric Sievers | TE | Maryland | ACC | |
| 4 | 108 | Dallas Cowboys | Derrie Nelson | LB | Nebraska | Big Eight | |
| 4 | 109 | Atlanta Falcons | John Scully | C | Notre Dame | Ind. (I-A) | |
| 4 | 110 | Philadelphia Eagles | Calvin Murray | RB | Ohio State | Big Ten | |
| 4 | 111 | Oakland Raiders | Johnny Robinson | DT | Louisiana Tech University | Southland | |
| 5 | 112 | New Orleans Saints | Louis Oubre | OT | Oklahoma | Big Eight | |
| 5 | 113 | New York Jets | Tyrone Keys | DE | Mississippi State | SEC | |
| 5 | 114 | Seattle Seahawks | Edwin Bailey | OG | South Carolina State | MEAC | |
| 5 | 115 | New York Giants | Bill Neill | DT | Pittsburgh | Ind. (I-A) | |
| 5 | 116 | St. Louis Cardinals | John Gillen | LB | Illinois | Big Ten | |
| 5 | 117 | Green Bay Packers | Byron Braggs | DT | Alabama | SEC | |
| 5 | 118 | Oakland Raiders | James Davis | CB | Southern | SWAC | from Tampa Bay |
| 5 | 119 | Washington Redskins | Dexter Manley $^†$ | DE | Oklahoma State | Big Eight | |
| 5 | 120 | Cincinnati Bengals | Pryor, BenjieBenjie Pryor | TE | Pittsburgh | Ind. (I-A) | |
| 5 | 121 | San Francisco 49ers | Lynn Thomas | DB | Pittsburgh | Ind. (I-A) | |
| 5 | 122 | San Francisco 49ers | Arrington Jones | RB | Winston-Salem State | CIAA | from Chicago |
| 5 | 123 | Minnesota Vikings | Ray, WendellWendell Ray | DE | Missouri | Big Eight | from Baltimore |
| 5 | 124 | Kansas City Chiefs | Todd Thomas | LS | North Dakota | NCC | |
| 5 | 125 | Denver Broncos | Ken Lanier | OT | Florida State | Ind. (I-A) | |
| 5 | 126 | Miami Dolphins | Ken Poole | DE | Northeast Louisiana | Ind. (I-A) | |
| 5 | 127 | Pittsburgh Steelers | Martin, RickyRicky Martin | WR | New Mexico | WAC | |
| 5 | 128 | New Orleans Saints | Jerry Boyarsky | DT | Pittsburgh | Ind. (I-A) | from Minnesota |
| 5 | 129 | Detroit Lions | Larry Lee | OG | UCLA | Pac-10 | |
| 5 | 130 | New England Patriots | Steve Clark | DT | Kansas State | Big Eight | |
| 5 | 131 | San Diego Chargers | Keith Ferguson | LB | Ohio State | Big Ten | |
| 5 | 132 | Washington Redskins | Sayre, GaryGary Sayre | OG | Cameron | Ind. (NAIA) | from L. A. Rams |
| 5 | 133 | Houston Oilers | Delbert Fowler | LB | West Virginia | Ind. (I-A) | |
| 5 | 134 | Cleveland Browns | Steve Cox | P/K | Arkansas | SWC | |
| 5 | 135 | Buffalo Bills | Clark, CalvinCalvin Clark | DE | Purdue | Big Ten | |
| 5 | 136 | Atlanta Falcons | Eric Sanders | OT | Nevada | Big Sky | |
| 5 | 137 | Dallas Cowboys | Danny Spradlin | LB | Tennessee | SEC | |
| 5 | 138 | Miami Dolphins | Tommy Vigorito | RB | Virginia | ACC | from Philadelphia |
| 6 | 139 | New Orleans Saints | Nat Hudson | OG | Georgia | SEC | |
| 6 | 140 | Seattle Seahawks | Steve Durham | DE | Clemson | ACC | |
| 6 | 141 | San Diego Chargers | Andy Gissinger | OT | Syracuse | Ind. (I-A) | from N. Y. Giants |
| 6 | 142 | New York Jets | John Woodring | LB | Brown | Ivy | |
| 6 | 143 | St. Louis Cardinals | Dave Ahrens | LB | Wisconsin | Big Ten | |
| 6 | 144 | New Orleans Saints | Johnnie Poe | CB | Missouri | Big Eight | from Tampa Bay |
| 6 | 145 | New York Giants | Mel Hoover | WR | Arizona State | Pac-10 | from Green Bay |
| 6 | 146 | Cincinnati Bengals | Rex Robinson | K | Georgia | SEC | |
| 6 | 147 | San Francisco 49ers | Pete Kugler | DT | Penn State | Ind. (I-A) | |
| 6 | 148 | Washington Redskins | Larry Kubin | LB | Penn State | Ind. (I-A) | |
| 6 | 149 | Baltimore Colts | Bubba Green | DT | NC State | ACC | |
| 6 | 150 | Chicago Bears | Reuben Henderson | CB | San Diego State | WAC | |
| 6 | 151 | Denver Broncos | Lewis, AlvinAlvin Lewis | RB | Colorado State | WAC | |
| 6 | 152 | Miami Dolphins | Mack Moore | DE | Texas A&M | SWC | |
| 6 | 153 | Kansas City Chiefs | Luckie, DockDock Luckie | DT | Florida | SEC | |
| 6 | 154 | Miami Dolphins | Fulton Walker | CB | West Virginia | Ind. (I-A) | from Minnesota |
| 6 | 155 | Detroit Lions | Sam Johnson | DB | Maryland | ACC | |
| 6 | 156 | Pittsburgh Steelers | Bryan Hinkle | LB | Oregon | Pac-10 | |
| 6 | 157 | New England Patriots | Ron Wooten | OG | North Carolina | ACC | |
| 6 | 158 | Los Angeles Rams | Daniels, WilliamWilliam Daniels | DT | Alabama State | Ind. (Div. II) | |
| 6 | 159 | Houston Oilers | Bill Kay | CB | Purdue | Big Ten | |
| 6 | 160 | Cleveland Browns | Ron Simmons | DT | Florida State | Ind. (I-A) | |
| 6 | 161 | Buffalo Bills | Robert Holt | WR | Baylor | SWC | |
| 6 | 162 | San Diego Chargers | Bobby Duckworth | WR | Arkansas | SWC | |
| 6 | 163 | Dallas Cowboys | Vince Skillings | DB | Ohio State | Big Ten | |
| 6 | 164 | Atlanta Falcons | Harry Stanback | DT | North Carolina | ACC | |
| 6 | 165 | New York Giants | O'Neal, EdwardEdward O'Neal | RB | Tuskegee | SIAC | |
| 6 | 166 | New Orleans Saints | Glen Redd | LB | BYU | WAC | from Oakland |
| 7 | 167 | New Orleans Saints | Kevin Williams | WR | USC | Pac-10 | |
| 7 | 168 | New York Giants | Louis Jackson | RB | Cal Poly | CCAA | |
| 7 | 169 | New York Jets | Kenny Neal | DE | Iowa State | Big Eight | |
| 7 | 170 | Seattle Seahawks | Ron Johnson | WR | Long Beach State | PCAA | |
| 7 | 171 | St. Louis Cardinals | Kevin Donnalley | S | North Dakota State | NCC | |
| 7 | 172 | Green Bay Packers | Bill Whitaker | CB | Missouri | Big Eight | |
| 7 | 173 | Dallas Cowboys | Ron Fellows | CB | Missouri | Big Eight | from Tampa Bay |
| 7 | 174 | Philadelphia Eagles | Alan Duncan | K | Tennessee | SEC | from San Francisco |
| 7 | 175 | Los Angeles Rams | Ron Battle | TE | North Texas State | Ind. | from Washington |
| 7 | 176 | Cincinnati Bengals | Jeff Schuh | LB | Minnesota | Big Ten | |
| 7 | 177 | Chicago Bears | Jeff Fisher | CB | USC | Pac-10 | |
| 7 | 178 | Baltimore Colts | Obed Ariri | K | Clemson | ACC | |
| 7 | 179 | Miami Dolphins | Daum, MikeMike Daum | OT | Cal Poly | CCAA | |
| 7 | 180 | Kansas City Chiefs | Billy Jackson | RB | Alabama | SEC | |
| 7 | 181 | Denver Broncos | Steve Busick | LB | USC | Pac-10 | |
| 7 | 182 | Detroit Lions | Lee Spivey | OT | SMU | SWC | |
| 7 | 183 | Pittsburgh Steelers | David Little $^†$ | LB | Florida | SEC | |
| 7 | 184 | Minnesota Vikings | Shaver, DonDon Shaver | RB | Kutztown (PA) | PSAC | |
| 7 | 185 | New England Patriots | Ken Toler | WR | Ole Miss | SEC | |
| 7 | 186 | Seattle Seahawks | Scovill, BradBrad Scovill | TE | Penn State | Ind. (I-A) | from Houston |
| 7 | 187 | Cleveland Browns | Eddie Johnson | LB | Louisville | Ind. (I-A) | |
| 7 | 188 | Buffalo Bills | Doolittle, SteveSteve Doolittle | LB | Colorado | Big Eight | |
| 7 | 189 | San Diego Chargers | Pete Holohan | TE | Notre Dame | Ind. (I-A) | |
| 7 | 190 | Los Angeles Rams | Mike Clark | DE | Florida | SEC | |
| 7 | 191 | Dallas Cowboys | Ken Miller | CB | Eastern Michigan | MAC | |
| 7 | 192 | Philadelphia Eagles | Doak Field | LB | Baylor | SWC | |
| 7 | 193 | Houston Oilers | Washington, DonDon Washington | DB | Texas A&I | LSC | from Oakland |
| 8 | 194 | New England Patriots | Naber, KenKen Naber | K | Stanford | Pac-10 | from New Orleans |
| 8 | 195 | New York Jets | Jones, LloydLloyd Jones | WR | BYU | WAC | |
| 8 | 196 | Seattle Seahawks | Eric Lane | RB | BYU | WAC | |
| 8 | 197 | New York Giants | Powers, JohnJohn Powers | OG | Michigan | Big Ten | |
| 8 | 198 | St. Louis Cardinals | Mike Fisher | WR | Baylor | SWC | |
| 8 | 199 | Tampa Bay Buccaneers | Denver Johnson | OT | Tulsa | MVC | |
| 8 | 200 | Green Bay Packers | Werts, LarryLarry Werts | LB | Jackson State | SWAC | |
| 8 | 201 | Washington Redskins | Charlie Brown $^†$ | WR | South Carolina State | MEAC | |
| 8 | 202 | Cincinnati Bengals | Bobby Kemp | S | Cal State Fullerton | PCAA | |
| 8 | 203 | San Francisco 49ers | White, GarryGarry White | RB | Minnesota | Big Ten | |
| 8 | 204 | Baltimore Colts | Sitton, KenKen Sitton | DB | Oklahoma | Big Eight | |
| 8 | 205 | Chicago Bears | Zettek, ScottScott Zettek | DT | Notre Dame | Ind. (I-A) | |
| 8 | 206 | Kansas City Chiefs | Dorn, DavidDavid Dorn | WR | Rutgers | Ind. (I-A) | |
| 8 | 207 | New York Giants | Mark Reed | QB | Minnesota State–Moorhead | N/A | from Denver |
| 8 | 208 | Miami Dolphins | William Judson | CB | South Carolina State | MEAC | |
| 8 | 209 | Pittsburgh Steelers | Wilson, FrankFrank Wilson | RB | Rice | SWC | |
| 8 | 210 | Minnesota Vikings | Wade Wilson $^†$ | QB | East Texas State | LSC | |
| 8 | 211 | Detroit Lions | Bob Niziolek | TE | Colorado | Big Eight | |
| 8 | 212 | New England Patriots | Lin Dawson | TE | NC State | ACC | |
| 8 | 213 | New York Jets | J. C. Watts | QB | Oklahoma | Big Eight | from Cleveland |
| 8 | 214 | New Orleans Saints | Gladys, GeneGene Gladys | LB | Penn State | Ind. (I-A) | from Buffalo |
| 8 | 215 | New Orleans Saints | Evans, KevinKevin Evans | DB | Arkansas | SWC | from San Diego |
| 8 | 216 | Los Angeles Rams | Art Plunkett | OT | UNLV | Ind. | |
| 8 | 217 | Houston Oilers | Willie Tullis | WR | Troy State | Gulf South | |
| 8 | 218 | Dallas Cowboys | Paul Piurowski | LB | Florida State | Ind. (I-A) | |
| 8 | 219 | Atlanta Falcons | Cliff Toney | DB | Auburn | SEC | |
| 8 | 220 | Baltimore Colts | Hosea Taylor | DT | Houston | SWC | from Philadelphia |
| 8 | 221 | New York Giants | Billy Ard | OG | Wake Forest | ACC | from Oakland |
| 9 | 222 | New Orleans Saints | Toussaint Tyler | RB | Washington | Pac-10 | |
| 9 | 223 | Seattle Seahawks | Jim Stone | RB | Notre Dame | Ind. (I-A) | |
| 9 | 224 | New York Giants | Byron Hunt | LB | SMU | SWC | |
| 9 | 225 | New York Jets | Admiral Dewey Larry | DB | UNLV | Ind. | |
| 9 | 226 | St. Louis Cardinals | Stump Mitchell | RB | The Citadel | SoCon | |
| 9 | 227 | Green Bay Packers | Tim Huffman | OT | Notre Dame | Ind. (I-A) | |
| 9 | 228 | Tampa Bay Buccaneers | Mike Ford | QB | SMU | SWC | |
| 9 | 229 | Cincinnati Bengals | Jim Hannula | OT | Northern Illinois | MAC | |
| 9 | 230 | Cincinnati Bengals | Samoa, SamoaSamoa Samoa | RB | Washington State | Pac-10 | from San Francisco |
| 9 | 231 | Washington Redskins | Darryl Grant | OG | Rice | SWC | |
| 9 | 232 | Chicago Bears | Ditta, FrankFrank Ditta | OG | Baylor | SWC | |
| 9 | 233 | Baltimore Colts | Gooch, TimTim Gooch | DT | Kentucky | SEC | |
| 9 | 234 | Denver Broncos | Rusty Olsen | DE | Washington | Pac-10 | |
| 9 | 235 | Miami Dolphins | Noonan, JohnJohn Noonan | WR | Nebraska | Big Eight | |
| 9 | 236 | Seattle Seahawks | Whatley, JimJim Whatley | WR | Washington State | Pac-10 | from Minnesota |
| 9 | 237 | Kansas City Chiefs | Vereen, TonyTony Vereen | DB | Southeastern Louisiana | Ind. (I-AA) | |
| 9 | 238 | Detroit Lions | Hugh Jernigan | DB | Arkansas | SWC | |
| 9 | 239 | Pittsburgh Steelers | James Hunter | OT | USC | Pac-10 | |
| 9 | 240 | Detroit Lions | Dave Martin | CB | Villanova | Ind. | from New England |
| 9 | 241 | Buffalo Bills | Robb Riddick | RB | Millersville (PA) | N/A | |
| 9 | 242 | Los Angeles Rams | Ron Seawell | LB | Portland State | Ind. | |
| 9 | 243 | Houston Oilers | Avon Riley | LB | UCLA | Pac-10 | |
| 9 | 244 | Cleveland Browns | Randy Schleusener | OG | Nebraska | Big Eight | |
| 9 | 245 | Atlanta Falcons | Calvin Fance | RB | Rice | SWC | |
| 9 | 246 | Dallas Cowboys | Mike Wilson | WR | Washington State | Pac-10 | |
| 9 | 247 | Philadelphia Eagles | Chuck Commiskey | C | Ole Miss | SEC | |
| 9 | 248 | Oakland Raiders | Curt Mohl | OT | UCLA | Pac-10 | |
| 10 | 249 | New Orleans Saints | Hokie Gajan | RB | LSU | SEC | |
| 10 | 250 | New York Giants | Barber, MikeMike Barber | DT | Grambling State | SWAC | |
| 10 | 251 | New York Jets | Marty Wetzel | LB | Tulane | Ind. (I-A) | |
| 10 | 252 | Seattle Seahawks | Dawson, KenKen Dawson | RB | Savannah State | SIAC | |
| 10 | 253 | St. Louis Cardinals | Mallard, JamesJames Mallard | WR | Alabama | SEC | |
| 10 | 254 | Tampa Bay Buccaneers | McCune, KenKen McCune | DE | Texas | SWC | |
| 10 | 255 | Green Bay Packers | Nickie Hall | QB | Tulane | Ind. (I-A) | |
| 10 | 256 | Baltimore Colts | Gerken, GreggGregg Gerken | LB | Northern Arizona | Big Sky | |
| 10 | 257 | Washington Redskins | Phil Kessel | QB | Northern Michigan | AMCU | |
| 10 | 258 | Cincinnati Bengals | Simpson, HubertHubert Simpson | RB | Tennessee | SEC | |
| 10 | 259 | Baltimore Colts | Trent Bryant | DB | Arkansas | SWC | from San Francisco |
| 10 | 260 | Chicago Bears | Tim Clifford | QB | Indiana | Big Ten | |
| 10 | 261 | Miami Dolphins | Steve Folsom | TE | Utah | WAC | |
| 10 | 262 | Kansas City Chiefs | Les Studdard | OG | Texas | SWC | |
| 10 | 263 | St. Louis Cardinals | Joiner, JimJim Joiner | WR | Miami (FL) | Ind. (I-A) | |
| 10 | 264 | Detroit Lions | Andy Cannavino | LB | Michigan | Big Ten | |
| 10 | 265 | Pittsburgh Steelers | Mike Mayock | S | Boston College | Ind. (I-A) | |
| 10 | 266 | Minnesota Vikings | James Murphy | WR | Utah State | Big West | |
| 10 | 267 | Washington Redskins | Allan Kennedy | T | Washington State | Pac-10 | |
| 10 | 268 | San Diego Chargers | Parham, RobertRobert Parham | RB | Grambling | SWAC | |
| 10 | 269 | Los Angeles Rams | Robert Alexander | RB | West Virginia | Ind. (I-A) | |
| 10 | 270 | Houston Oilers | Jones, LarryLarry Jones | RB | Colorado State | WAC | |
| 10 | 271 | Cleveland Browns | Dean Prater | DE | Oklahoma State | Big Eight | |
| 10 | 272 | Buffalo Bills | Justin Cross | T | Western State (CO) | RMAC | |
| 10 | 273 | Dallas Cowboys | Graham, PatPat Graham | DT | California | Pac-10 | |
| 10 | 274 | Atlanta Falcons | Murphy, RobertRobert Murphy | DB | Ohio State | Big Ten | |
| 10 | 275 | Philadelphia Eagles | Hubie Oliver | RB | Arizona | Pac-10 | |
| 10 | 276 | Oakland Raiders | Frank Hawkins | RB | Nevada | Big Sky | |
| 11 | 277 | New Orleans Saints | Mickens, LesterLester Mickens | WR | Kansas | Big Eight | |
| 11 | 278 | New York Jets | Gall, EdEd Gall | DT | Maryland | ACC | |
| 11 | 279 | Seattle Seahawks | Olander, LanceLance Olander | RB | Colorado | Big Eight | |
| 11 | 280 | San Diego Chargers | Petrzelka, MattMatt Petrzelka | T | Iowa | Big Ten | |
| 11 | 281 | St. Louis Cardinals | Sherrod, MikeMike Sherrod | TE | Illinois | Big Ten | |
| 11 | 282 | Green Bay Packers | Valora, ForrestForrest Valora | LB | Oklahoma | Big Eight | |
| 11 | 283 | Tampa Bay Buccaneers | Smith, Johnny RayJohnny Ray Smith | DB | Lamar | Southland | |
| 11 | 284 | Washington Redskins | Hill, JerryJerry Hill | WR | North Alabama | Gulf South | |
| 11 | 285 | Cincinnati Bengals | Robert Jackson | DB | Central Michigan | MAC | |
| 11 | 286 | San Francisco 49ers | DeBose, RobRob DeBose | TE | UCLA | Pac-10 | |
| 11 | 287 | Chicago Bears | Johnson, LonnieLonnie Johnson | RB | Indiana | Big Ten | |
| 11 | 288 | Baltimore Colts | Smith, HoldenHolden Smith | WR | California | Pac-10 | |
| 11 | 289 | Kansas City Chiefs | Frank Case | DE | Penn State | Ind. (I-A) | |
| 11 | 290 | Denver Broncos | Walker, PatPat Walker | WR | Miami (FL) | Ind. (I-A) | |
| 11 | 291 | Miami Dolphins | Jim Jensen | QB | Boston University | Yankee | |
| 11 | 292 | Pittsburgh Steelers | Rick Trocano | QB | Pittsburgh | Ind. (I-A) | |
| 11 | 293 | Minnesota Vikings | Knourek, BrentBrent Knourek | FB | Oregon State | Pac-10 | |
| 11 | 294 | Detroit Lions | Jackson, WillieWillie Jackson | DB | Mississippi State | SEC | |
| 11 | 295 | New England Patriots | Buckley, BrianBrian Buckley | QB | Harvard | Ivy | |
| 11 | 296 | Los Angeles Rams | Marcellus Greene | DB | Arizona | Pac-10 | |
| 11 | 297 | Houston Oilers | Matthews, ClaudeClaude Matthews | OG | Auburn | SEC | |
| 11 | 298 | Cleveland Browns | Larry Friday | DB | Mississippi State | SEC | |
| 11 | 299 | Buffalo Bills | Buster Barnett | TE | Jackson State | SWAC | |
| 11 | 300 | San Diego Chargers | Carlos Bradley | LB | Wake Forest | ACC | |
| 11 | 301 | Atlanta Falcons | Chappelle, KeithKeith Chappelle | WR | Iowa | Big Ten | |
| 11 | 302 | Dallas Cowboys | Morrison, TimTim Morrison | OG | Georgia | SEC | |
| 11 | 303 | Philadelphia Eagles | Davis, GailGail Davis | DT | Virginia Union | CIAA | |
| 11 | 304 | Oakland Raiders | Chester Willis | RB | Auburn | SEC | |
| 12 | 305 | New Orleans Saints | Jim Wilks | DT | San Diego State | WAC | |
| 12 | 306 | Seattle Seahawks | Bednarek, JeffJeff Bednarek | DT | Pacific | PCAA | |
| 12 | 307 | New York Giants | Maher, MikeMike Maher | TE | Western Illinois | MCAA | |
| 12 | 308 | New York Jets | Moeller, MikeMike Moeller | T | Drake | MVC | |
| 12 | 309 | St. Louis Cardinals | Adams, JoeJoe Adams | OG | Nebraska | Big Eight | |
| 12 | 310 | Tampa Bay Buccaneers | Brad White | DT | Tennessee | SEC | |
| 12 | 311 | Green Bay Packers | Cliff Lewis | LB | Southern Miss | Ind. (I-A) | |
| 12 | 312 | Cincinnati Bengals | O'Connell, MarkMark O'Connell | QB | Ball State | MAC | |
| 12 | 313 | San Francisco 49ers | Ogilvie, MajorMajor Ogilvie | RB | Alabama | SEC | |
| 12 | 314 | Washington Redskins | Clint Didier | TE | Portland State | Ind. | |
| 12 | 315 | Baltimore Colts | Eric Scoggins | LB | USC | Pac-10 | |
| 12 | 316 | Chicago Bears | Shupryt, BobBob Shupryt | LB | New Mexico | WAC | |
| 12 | 317 | Denver Broncos | Hankerd, JohnJohn Hankerd | LB | Notre Dame | Ind. (I-A) | |
| 12 | 318 | Miami Dolphins | Alford, JohnJohn Alford | DT | South Carolina State | MEAC | |
| 12 | 319 | Kansas City Chiefs | Bob Gagliano | QB | Utah State | Big West | |
| 12 | 320 | Minnesota Vikings | Williams, BrianBrian Williams | TE | Southern | SWAC | |
| 12 | 321 | Denver Broncos | Robinson, MandelMandel Robinson | RB | Wyoming | WAC | |
| 12 | 322 | San Francisco 49ers | Joe Adams | QB | Tennessee State | Ind. | from Pittsburgh |
| 12 | 323 | New England Patriots | Cris Crissy | DB | Princeton | Ivy | |
| 12 | 324 | Houston Oilers | Bill Capece | K | Florida State | Ind. (I-A) | |
| 12 | 325 | Cleveland Browns | McGill, KevinKevin McGill | T | Oregon | Pac-10 | |
| 12 | 326 | Buffalo Bills | Clark, KeithKeith Clark | LB | Memphis State | Ind. (I-A) | |
| 12 | 327 | San Diego Chargers | Charles, StacyStacy Charles | WR | Bethune–Cookman | MEAC | |
| 12 | 328 | Los Angeles Rams | Jairo Penaranda | RB | UCLA | Pac-10 | |
| 12 | 329 | Dallas Cowboys | Lundy, NateNate Lundy | WR | Indiana | Big Ten | |
| 12 | 330 | Atlanta Falcons | Mark McCants | DT | Temple | Ind. (I-A) | |
| 12 | 331 | Philadelphia Eagles | Ray Ellis | DB | Ohio State | Big Ten | |
| 12 | 332 | Oakland Raiders | Nelson, PhilPhil Nelson | TE | Delaware | Ind. (I-AA) | |

## Supplemental draft

| Rnd. | Pick No. | NFL team | Player | Pos. | College | Conf. | Notes |
| 1 | | New Orleans Saints | Dave Wilson | QB | Illinois | Big Ten | |
| 11 | | New England Patriots | Chy Davidson | WR | Rhode Island | Yankee | |

## Hall of Famers

* Mike Singletary, linebacker from Baylor, taken 2nd round 38th overall by the Chicago Bears
    Inducted: Professional Football Hall of Fame class of 1998.
* Lawrence Taylor, linebacker from North Carolina, taken 1st round 2nd overall by the New York Giants
    Inducted: Professional Football Hall of Fame class of 1999.
* Ronnie Lott, cornerback from Southern California, taken 1st round 8th overall by the San Francisco 49ers
    Inducted: Professional Football Hall of Fame class of 2000.
* Howie Long, defensive tackle from Villanova, taken 2nd round 48th overall by the Oakland Raiders
    Inducted: Professional Football Hall of Fame class of 2000.
* Rickey Jackson, linebacker from Pittsburgh, taken 2nd round 51st overall by the New Orleans Saints
    Inducted: Professional Football Hall of Fame class of 2010.
* Russ Grimm, offensive guard from Pittsburgh, taken 3rd round 69th overall by the Washington Redskins
    Inducted: Professional Football Hall of Fame class of 2010.
* Kenny Easley, safety from UCLA, taken 1st round 4th overall by the Seattle Seahawks
    Inducted: Professional Football Hall of Fame class of 2017.
* Sam Mills, linebacker from Montclair State, signed undrafted by the Cleveland Browns
    Inducted: Professional Football Hall of Fame class of 2022 (posthumous).

## Notable undrafted players

| † | = Pro Bowler | = Hall of Famer |
| Original NFL team | Player | Pos. | College | Conf. |
| Atlanta Falcons | Jeff Brockhaus | K | Missouri | Big Eight |
| Atlanta Falcons | Blane Gaison | S | Hawaii | WAC |
| Atlanta Falcons | Floyd Hodge | WR | Utah | WAC |
| Atlanta Falcons | Mick Luckhurst | K | California | Pac-10 |
| Atlanta Falcons | Stan Talley | P | TCU | SWC |
| Baltimore Colts | Dave Shula | WR | Dartmouth | Ivy |
| Buffalo Bills | Joe Bock | C | Virginia | ACC |
| Buffalo Bills | Mike Humiston | LB | Weber State | Big Sky |
| Buffalo Bills | Mark Roopenian | DT | Boston College | Ind. (I-A) |
| Chicago Bears | Leslie Frazier | CB | Alcorn State | SWAC |
| Chicago Bears | Jay Hilgenberg $^†$ | C | Iowa | Big Ten |
| Cleveland Browns | Bill Hill | CB | Rutgers | Ind. (I-A) |
| Cleveland Browns | Sam Mills$^‡$$^†$ | LB | Montclair State | NJSAC |
| Dallas Cowboys | Michael Downs | S | Rice | SWC |
| Dallas Cowboys | Joey Hackett | TE | Elon | SAC |
| Dallas Cowboys | Angelo King | LB | South Carolina State | MEAC |
| Dallas Cowboys | Ron Spears | DE | San Diego State | WAC |
| Dallas Cowboys | Everson Walls $^†$ | CB | Grambling State | SWAC |
| Dallas Cowboys | Steve Wright | OT | Northern Iowa | MCAA |
| Denver Broncos | Steve Trimble | DB | Maryland | ACC |
| Green Bay Packers | Rick Kehr | OG | Carthage | CCIW |
| Green Bay Packers | Greg Knafelc | QB | Notre Dame | Ind. (I-A) |
| Green Bay Packers | David Petway | S | Northern Illinois | MAC |
| Green Bay Packers | Randy Scott | LB | Alabama | SEC |
| Houston Oilers | Rich Karlis | K | Cincinnati | Ind. (I-A) |
| Kansas City Chiefs | Deron Cherry $^†$ | S | Rutgers | Ind. (I-A) |
| Los Angeles Rams | Marcus Anderson | WR | Tulane | Ind. (I-A) |
| Los Angeles Rams | Jeff Kemp | QB | Dartmouth | Ivy |
| Miami Dolphins | Rodell Thomas | LB | Alabama State | Ind. (Div. II) |
| New England Patriots | Rich Camarillo $^†$ | P | Washington | Pac-10 |
| New England Patriots | Tim Ross | LB | Bowling Green | MAC |
| New England Patriots | John Tautolo | OG | UCLA | Pac-10 |
| New Orleans Saints | Monte Bennett | DT | Kansas State | Big Eight |
| New Orleans Saints | Victor Jackson | S | Bowie State | CIAA |
| New Orleans Saints | Steve Parker | DE | Eastern Illinois | MCAA |
| New Orleans Saints | Frank Wattelet | S | Kansas | Big Eight |
| New York Giants | Leon Bright | RB | Florida State | Ind. (I-A) |
| New York Giants | Jim Burt $^†$ | DT | Miami | Ind. (I-A) |
| New York Jets | Joe Pellegrini | OG | Harvard | Ivy |
| Oakland Raiders | Paul Davis | LB | North Carolina | ACC |
| Philadelphia Eagles | Greg Brown | DT/DE | Kansas State | Big Eight |
| Philadelphia Eagles | Frank Giddens | T | New Mexico | WAC |
| Philadelphia Eagles | Lyndell Jones | CB | Hawaii | WAC |
| Philadelphia Eagles | Buddy Moor | DE | Eastern Kentucky | OVC |
| Philadelphia Eagles | Chuck Pitcock | OG | Tulane | Ind. (I-A) |
| Philadelphia Eagles | Jay Repko | TE | Ursinus | MAC |
| Pittsburgh Steelers | David Trout | K | Pittsburgh | Ind. (I-A) |
| San Francisco 49ers | Matt Bouza | WR | California | Pac-10 |
| San Francisco 49ers | Rick Gervais | S | Stanford | Pac-10 |
| San Francisco 49ers | Jim Looney | LB | Purdue | Big Ten |
| San Francisco 49ers | Milt McColl | LB | Stanford | Pac-10 |
| Seattle Seahawks | Greg Gaines | LB | Tennessee | SEC |
| Seattle Seahawks | Paul Johns | WR | Tulsa | MVC |
| Seattle Seahawks | Gregg Johnson | CB/S | Oklahoma State | Big Eight |
| Seattle Seahawks | Eugene Rowell | DT | Dubuque | IIAC |
| Seattle Seahawks | Harry Sydney | RB | Kansas | Big Eight |
| Seattle Seahawks | Mike Tice | TE | Maryland | ACC |
| Washington Redskins | Mel Kaufman | LB | Cal Poly | CCAA |
| Washington Redskins | Joe Jacoby $^†$ | OT | Louisville | Ind. (I-A) |
| Washington Redskins | Dave Smigelsky | P | Virginia Tech | Ind. |
| Washington Redskins | Herb Spencer | LB | Newberry | SAC |