# 1983 NFL draft

The 1983 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 26–27, 1983, at the New York Sheraton Hotel in New York City, New York. No teams elected to claim any players in the supplemental draft that year.
The draft is frequently referred to as the quarterback class of 1983, because six quarterbacks were taken in the first round — John Elway, Todd Blackledge, Jim Kelly, Tony Eason, Ken O'Brien, and Dan Marino — tied with the 2024 draft for the highest number taken. Of these quarterbacks, Elway, Kelly, Eason, and Marino played in the Super Bowl, Elway, Kelly, O'Brien, and Marino were selected to play in the Pro Bowl, and Elway, Kelly, and Marino have been inducted into the Pro Football Hall of Fame. All six quarterbacks were drafted by American Football Conference (AFC) teams, with every member of the five-team AFC East (the Baltimore Colts, Miami Dolphins, Buffalo Bills, New York Jets, and New England Patriots) selecting a quarterback. In eleven of the sixteen years following this draft, the AFC was represented in the Super Bowl by a team led by one of these quarterbacks: five with the Denver Broncos and Elway, four with the Bills and Kelly, one with the Dolphins and Marino, and one with the Patriots and Eason.
They met with little success in the Super Bowl, however, compiling a 2–9 record among them, with an 0–9 record for their first 14 years in the league. The only two wins were by Elway in XXXII and XXXIII during his final two seasons in 1997 and 1998. Three of the most lopsided Super Bowl losses in history also came at the hands of quarterbacks from the Class of '83: Elway, a 55–10 loss to the San Francisco 49ers in XXIV; Eason, a 46–10 loss to the Chicago Bears in XX; and Kelly, a 52–17 loss to the Dallas Cowboys in XXVII. Marino would only reach the Super Bowl once in a 38–16 loss to San Francisco in XIX following the end of his second season, when he won league MVP. Kelly and the Bills would appear in the Super Bowl for a record four consecutive years, from 1990 to 1993, but lost all four.
Of the six first round quarterbacks drafted, Hall of Famers Elway and Kelly did not sign with the teams that selected them for the 1983 season. Elway, who had made his antipathy towards the Colts and coach Frank Kush, a harsh disciplinarian, known long before the draft, was also a promising baseball player in the New York Yankees organization. With Yankees owner George Steinbrenner aggressively pursuing a commitment from Elway to play baseball full-time, Elway and his agent, Marvin Demoff, successfully leveraged the threat of Elway abandoning football altogether to compel the Colts to trade Elway to the Broncos a few days after selecting him with the first overall pick of the draft.
Kelly, the other holdout, instead signed with the Houston Gamblers of the United States Football League (USFL), where he led the springtime circuit in passing in both 1984 and 1985. Kelly was set to play for the New Jersey Generals when the USFL planned to switch to a fall season in 1986, but when the USFL won only $1 (tripled to $3) from its antitrust lawsuit vs. the NFL on July 29, 1986, Kelly finally signed with the Bills three weeks later.
Including the aforementioned Elway, Kelly, and Marino, a total of seven players drafted in the first round have been inducted into the Pro Football Hall of Fame, which is the most by any first round class, and a total of eight players overall have been inducted. Each round of this draft also contained at least one player who was later selected to play in the Pro Bowl. Several websites, including Bleacher Report and Athlon Sports, have called the class of 1983 the greatest of all time.

## 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 | Baltimore Colts | John Elway$^‡$$^†$ | QB | Stanford | Pac-10 | Rights later traded to Denver |
| 1 | 2 | Los Angeles Rams | Eric Dickerson$^‡$$^†$ | RB | SMU | SWC | from Houston through Seattle |
| 1 | 3 | Seattle Seahawks | Curt Warner $^†$ | RB | Penn State | Ind. (I-A) | from L. A. Rams |
| 1 | 4 | Denver Broncos | Chris Hinton $^†$ | OG | Northwestern | Big Ten | Rights later traded to Baltimore |
| 1 | 5 | San Diego Chargers | Billy Ray Smith | LB | Arkansas | SWC | from San Francisco |
| 1 | 6 | Chicago Bears | Jim Covert$^‡$$^†$ | OT | Pittsburgh | Ind. (I-A) | |
| 1 | 7 | Kansas City Chiefs | Todd Blackledge | QB | Penn State | Ind. (I-A) | |
| 1 | 8 | Philadelphia Eagles | Michael Haddix | RB | Mississippi State | SEC | |
| 1 | 9 | Houston Oilers | Bruce Matthews$^‡$$^†$ | OT | USC | Pac-10 | from Seattle |
| 1 | 10 | New York Giants | Terry Kinard $^†$ | S | Clemson | ACC | |
| 1 | 11 | Green Bay Packers | Tim Lewis | CB | Pittsburgh | Ind. (I-A) | from New Orleans |
| 1 | 12 | Buffalo Bills | Tony Hunter | TE | Notre Dame | Ind. (I-A) | |
| 1 | 13 | Detroit Lions | James Jones | FB | Florida | SEC | |
| 1 | 14 | Buffalo Bills | Jim Kelly$^‡$$^†$ | QB | Miami (FL) | Ind. (I-A) | from Cleveland |
| 1 | 15 | New England Patriots | Tony Eason | QB | Illinois | Big Ten | |
| 1 | 16 | Atlanta Falcons | Mike Pitts | DE | Alabama | SEC | |
| 1 | 17 | St. Louis Cardinals | Leonard Smith | CB | McNeese State | Southland | |
| 1 | 18 | Chicago Bears | Willie Gault | WR | Tennessee | SEC | from Tampa Bay |
| 1 | 19 | Minnesota Vikings | Joey Browner $^†$ | CB | USC | Pac-10 | |
| 1 | 20 | San Diego Chargers | Gary Anderson $^†$ | RB | Arkansas | SWC | from Green Bay |
| 1 | 21 | Pittsburgh Steelers | Gabriel Rivera | DT | Texas Tech | SWC | |
| 1 | 22 | San Diego Chargers | Gill Byrd $^†$ | CB | San Jose State | PCAA | from San Diego through San Francisco |
| 1 | 23 | Dallas Cowboys | Jim Jeffcoat | DE | Arizona State | Pac-10 | |
| 1 | 24 | New York Jets | Ken O'Brien $^†$ | QB | UC Davis | NCAC | |
| 1 | 25 | Cincinnati Bengals | Dave Rimington | C | Nebraska | Big Eight | |
| 1 | 26 | Los Angeles Raiders | Don Mosebar $^†$ | C | USC | Pac-10 | |
| 1 | 27 | Miami Dolphins | Dan Marino$^‡$$^†$ | QB | Pittsburgh | Ind. (I-A) | |
| 1 | 28 | Washington Redskins | Darrell Green$^‡$$^†$ | CB | Texas A&I | LSC | |
| 2 | 29 | Baltimore Colts | Vernon Maxwell | LB | Arizona State | Pac-10 | |
| 2 | 30 | Houston Oilers | Harvey Salem | OT | California | Pac-10 | |
| 2 | 31 | Denver Broncos | Mark Cooper | OT | Miami (FL) | Ind. (I-A) | |
| 2 | 32 | Los Angeles Rams | Henry Ellard $^†$ | WR | Fresno State | PCAA | |
| 2 | 33 | Chicago Bears | Mike Richardson | CB | Arizona State | Pac-10 | |
| 2 | 34 | Kansas City Chiefs | Dave Lutz | OG | Georgia Tech | Ind. | |
| 2 | 35 | Philadelphia Eagles | Wes Hopkins $^†$ | S | SMU | SWC | |
| 2 | 36 | Los Angeles Rams | Mike Wilcher | LB | North Carolina | ACC | from San Francisco |
| 2 | 37 | New York Giants | Leonard Marshall $^†$ | DE | LSU | SEC | |
| 2 | 38 | New Orleans Saints | Steve Korte | C | Arkansas | SWC | |
| 2 | 39 | Buffalo Bills | Darryl Talley $^†$ | LB | West Virginia | Ind. (I-A) | |
| 2 | 40 | Detroit Lions | Rich Strenger | OT | Michigan | Big Ten | |
| 2 | 41 | Cleveland Browns | Ron Brown $^†$ | WR | Arizona State | Pac-10 | |
| 2 | 42 | Houston Oilers | Keith Bostic $^†$ | S | Michigan | Big Ten | from Seattle |
| 2 | 43 | Atlanta Falcons | James Britt | CB | LSU | SEC | |
| 2 | 44 | St. Louis Cardinals | Cedric Mack | CB | Baylor | SWC | |
| 2 | 45 | Tampa Bay Buccaneers | Randy Grimes | C | Baylor | SWC | |
| 2 | 46 | Philadelphia Eagles | Jody Schulz | LB | East Carolina | Ind. (I-A) | |
| 2 | 47 | New England Patriots | Darryal Wilson | WR | Tennessee | SEC | |
| 2 | 48 | Green Bay Packers | Dave Drechsler | OG | North Carolina | ACC | |
| 2 | 49 | San Francisco 49ers | Roger Craig $^†$ | RB | Nebraska | Big Eight | from San Diego |
| 2 | 50 | Dallas Cowboys | Michael Walter | LB | Oregon | Pac-10 | |
| 2 | 51 | New York Jets | Johnny Hector | RB | Texas A&M | SWC | |
| 2 | 52 | Pittsburgh Steelers | Wayne Capers | WR | Kansas | Big Eight | |
| 2 | 53 | Cincinnati Bengals | Ray Horton | S | Washington | Pac-10 | |
| 2 | 54 | Los Angeles Raiders | Bill Pickel $^†$ | DT | Rutgers | Ind. (I-A) | |
| 2 | 55 | Miami Dolphins | Mike Charles | DT | Syracuse | Ind. (I-A) | |
| 2 | 56 | Washington Redskins | Richard Williams | RB | Memphis State | Ind. (I-A) | |
| 3 | 57 | Baltimore Colts | George Achica | NT | USC | Pac-10 | |
| 3 | 58 | Houston Oilers | Tim Joiner | LB | LSU | SEC | |
| 3 | 59 | San Francisco 49ers | Blanchard Montgomery | LB | UCLA | Pac-10 | from L. A. Rams |
| 3 | 60 | Denver Broncos | Clint Sampson | WR | San Diego State | WAC | |
| 3 | 61 | Kansas City Chiefs | Albert Lewis $^†$ | CB | Grambling State | SWAC | |
| 3 | 62 | Philadelphia Eagles | Glen Young | WR | Mississippi State | SEC | |
| 3 | 63 | New York Giants | Jamie Williams | TE | Nebraska | Big Eight | from San Francisco via L. A. Rams |
| 3 | 64 | Chicago Bears | Dave Duerson $^†$ | S | Notre Dame | Ind. (I-A) | |
| 3 | 65 | New Orleans Saints | John Tice | TE | Maryland | ACC | |
| 3 | 66 | New Orleans Saints | Cliff Austin | RB | Clemson | ACC | from Buffalo via St. Louis |
| 3 | 67 | Detroit Lions | Mike Cofer $^†$ | LB | Tennessee | SEC | |
| 3 | 68 | Cleveland Browns | Reggie Camp | DE | California | Pac-10 | |
| 3 | 69 | Houston Oilers | Chris Dressel | TE | Stanford | Pac-10 | from Seattle |
| 3 | 70 | New York Giants | Karl Nelson | OT | Iowa State | Big Eight | |
| 3 | 71 | St. Louis Cardinals | Ramsey Dardar | DT | LSU | SEC | |
| 3 | 72 | Tampa Bay Buccaneers | Jeremiah Castille | CB | Alabama | SEC | |
| 3 | 73 | Minnesota Vikings | Walker Lee Ashley | LB | Penn State | Ind. (I-A) | |
| 3 | 74 | New England Patriots | Stephen Starring | WR | McNeese State | Southland | |
| 3 | 75 | Atlanta Falcons | Andrew Provence | NT | South Carolina | Ind. (I-A) | |
| 3 | 76 | Miami Dolphins | Charles Benson | DE | Baylor | SWC | from Green Bay via Houston |
| 3 | 77 | Dallas Cowboys | Bryan Caldwell | DE | Arizona State | Pac-10 | |
| 3 | 78 | New York Jets | JoJo Townsell | WR | UCLA | Pac-10 | |
| 3 | 79 | Pittsburgh Steelers | Todd Seabaugh | LB | San Diego State | WAC | |
| 3 | 80 | New England Patriots | Steve Moore | OG | Tennessee State | Ind. (I-AA) | from San Diego |
| 3 | 81 | Cincinnati Bengals | Jimmy Turner | S | UCLA | Pac-10 | |
| 3 | 82 | Los Angeles Raiders | Tony Caldwell | LB | Washington | Pac-10 | |
| 3 | 83 | Houston Oilers | Steve Brown | CB | Oregon | Pac-10 | from Miami |
| 3 | 84 | Washington Redskins | Charles Mann $^†$ | DE | Nevada | Big Sky | |
| 4 | 85 | Baltimore Colts | Phil Smith | WR | San Diego State | WAC | |
| 4 | 86 | Houston Oilers | Greg Hill | CB | Oklahoma State | Big Eight | |
| 4 | 87 | Los Angeles Rams | Chuck Nelson | K | Washington | Pac-10 | from Denver via San Francisco |
| 4 | 88 | Houston Oilers | Mike McCloskey | TE | Penn State | Ind. (I-A) | from L. A. Rams |
| 4 | 89 | Philadelphia Eagles | Mike Williams | RB | Mississippi College | Gulf South | |
| 4 | 90 | San Francisco 49ers | Tom Holmoe | S | BYU | WAC | |
| 4 | 91 | Chicago Bears | Tom Thayer | C | Notre Dame | Ind. (I-A) | |
| 4 | 92 | Kansas City Chiefs | Ron Wetzel | TE | Arizona State | Pac-10 | |
| 4 | 93 | Buffalo Bills | Trey Junkin | LB | Louisiana Tech | Southland | |
| 4 | 94 | Detroit Lions | August Curley | LB | USC | Pac-10 | |
| 4 | 95 | San Diego Chargers | Danny Walters | CB | Arkansas | SWC | from Cleveland |
| 4 | 96 | St. Louis Cardinals | Mark Duda | DT | Maryland | ACC | from Seattle |
| 4 | 97 | Los Angeles Rams | Vince Newsome | CB | Washington | Pac-10 | from N. Y. Giants |
| 4 | 98 | New Orleans Saints | Gary Lewis | DT | Oklahoma State | Big Eight | |
| 4 | 99 | Tampa Bay Buccaneers | Kelly Thomas | OT | USC | Pac-10 | |
| 4 | 100 | Minnesota Vikings | Rush, MarkMark Rush | RB | Miami (FL) | Ind. (I-A) | |
| 4 | 101 | New England Patriots | Johnny Rembert $^†$ | LB | Clemson | ACC | |
| 4 | 102 | Atlanta Falcons | Harper, JohnJohn Harper | LB | Southern Illinois | MVC | |
| 4 | 103 | St. Louis Cardinals | Lionel Washington | CB | Tulane | Ind. (I-A) | |
| 4 | 104 | Green Bay Packers | Mike Miller | WR | Tennessee | SEC | |
| 4 | 105 | New York Jets | Howell, WesWes Howell | TE | California | Pac-10 | |
| 4 | 106 | Pittsburgh Steelers | Metcalf, BoBo Metcalf | CB | Baylor | SWC | |
| 4 | 107 | Chicago Bears | Pat Dunsmore | TE | Drake | MVC | from San Diego |
| 4 | 108 | Dallas Cowboys | Chris Faulkner | TE | Florida | SEC | |
| 4 | 109 | Cincinnati Bengals | Steve Maidlow | LB | Michigan State | Big Ten | |
| 4 | 110 | Los Angeles Raiders | Greg Townsend $^†$ | DE | TCU | SWC | |
| 4 | 111 | Los Angeles Rams | Doug Reed | DT | San Diego State | WAC | from Miami |
| 4 | 112 | Buffalo Bills | Payne, JimmyJimmy Payne | DE | Georgia | SEC | from Washington |
| 5 | 113 | Baltimore Colts | Sid Abramowitz | T | Tulsa | MVC | |
| 5 | 114 | Houston Oilers | Larry Moriarty | RB | Notre Dame | Ind. (I-A) | |
| 5 | 115 | Detroit Lions | Demetrious Johnson | S | Missouri | Big Eight | |
| 5 | 116 | Denver Broncos | Harris, WeedyWeedy Harris | LB | Houston | SWC | |
| 5 | 117 | San Francisco 49ers | Riki Ellison | LB | USC | Pac-10 | |
| 5 | 118 | New England Patriots | Smiley Creswell | DE | Michigan State | Big Ten | |
| 5 | 119 | Kansas City Chiefs | Jim Arnold $^†$ | P | Vanderbilt | SEC | |
| 5 | 120 | Philadelphia Eagles | Byron Darby | DT | USC | Pac-10 | |
| 5 | 121 | Detroit Lions | Steve Mott | C | Alabama | SEC | |
| 5 | 122 | Cleveland Browns | Bill Contz | T | Penn State | Ind. (I-A) | |
| 5 | 123 | Seattle Seahawks | Chris Castor | WR | Duke | ACC | |
| 5 | 124 | New York Giants | Malcolm Scott | TE | LSU | SEC | |
| 5 | 125 | Denver Broncos | Bruce Baldwin | DB | Harding | Arkansas | |
| 5 | 126 | Buffalo Bills | Vandenboom, MattMatt Vandenboom | DB | Wisconsin | Big Ten | |
| 5 | 127 | Minnesota Vikings | Mark Stewart | LB | Washington | Pac-10 | |
| 5 | 128 | New England Patriots | Darryl Lewis | TE | Texas–Arlington | — | |
| 5 | 129 | Atlanta Falcons | Brett Miller | T | Iowa | Big Ten | |
| 5 | 130 | St. Louis Cardinals | Steve Bird | WR | Eastern Kentucky | OVC | |
| 5 | 131 | Tampa Bay Buccaneers | Tony Chickillo | DT | Miami (FL) | Ind. (I-A) | |
| 5 | 132 | Green Bay Packers | Thomas, BryanBryan Thomas | RB | Pittsburgh | Ind. (I-A) | |
| 5 | 133 | Pittsburgh Steelers | Paul Skansi | WR | Washington | Pac-10 | |
| 5 | 134 | Los Angeles Rams | Otis Grant | WR | Michigan State | Big Ten | |
| 5 | 135 | Dallas Cowboys | Chuck McSwain | RB | Clemson | ACC | |
| 5 | 136 | New York Jets | John Walker | DT | Nebraska–Omaha | NCC | |
| 5 | 137 | Cincinnati Bengals | Jeff Christensen | QB | Eastern Illinois | AMCU | |
| 5 | 138 | Los Angeles Raiders | Dokie Williams | WR | UCLA | Pac-10 | |
| 5 | 139 | Houston Oilers | Jerome Foster | DT | Ohio State | Big Ten | |
| 5 | 140 | Pittsburgh Steelers | Gregg Garrity | WR | Penn State | Ind. (I-A) | |
| 6 | 141 | San Diego Chargers | Trumaine Johnson | WR | Grambling State | SWAC | |
| 6 | 142 | Houston Oilers | Steve Haworth | DB | Oklahoma | Big Eight | |
| 6 | 143 | Denver Broncos | Victor Heflin | DB | Delaware State | MEAC | |
| 6 | 144 | Los Angeles Rams | Gary Kowalski | T | Boston College | Ind. (I-A) | |
| 6 | 145 | Cleveland Browns | Tim Stracka | TE | Wisconsin | Big Ten | |
| 6 | 146 | Kansas City Chiefs | Ellis Gardner | T | Georgia Tech | Ind. | |
| 6 | 147 | Philadelphia Eagles | Victor Oatis | WR | Northwestern State | Ind. (I-AA) | |
| 6 | 148 | Tampa Bay Buccaneers | Gene Branton | WR | Texas Southern | SWAC | |
| 6 | 149 | Cleveland Browns | Dave Puzzuoli | DT | Pittsburgh | Ind. (I-A) | |
| 6 | 150 | Seattle Seahawks | Gipson, ReginaldReginald Gipson | RB | Alabama A&M | SIAC | |
| 6 | 151 | New York Giants | Patterson, DarrellDarrell Patterson | LB | TCU | SWC | |
| 6 | 152 | Cincinnati Bengals | Kiki DeAyala | LB | Texas | SWC | |
| 6 | 153 | New York Giants | Kevin Belcher | OG | UTEP | WAC | |
| 6 | 154 | Detroit Lions | Todd Brown | WR | Nebraska | Big Eight | |
| 6 | 155 | New England Patriots | Bass, MikeMike Bass | K | Illinois | Big Ten | |
| 6 | 156 | Atlanta Falcons | Anthony Allen | WR | Washington | Pac-10 | |
| 6 | 157 | St. Louis Cardinals | George Schmitt | DB | Delaware | Ind. (I-AA) | |
| 6 | 158 | Tampa Bay Buccaneers | Ken Kaplan | T | New Hampshire | Yankee | |
| 6 | 159 | Minnesota Vikings | Mike Jones | WR | Tennessee State | Ind. (I-AA) | |
| 6 | 160 | Green Bay Packers | Ron Sams | OG | Pittsburgh | Ind. (I-A) | |
| 6 | 161 | Baltimore Colts | Grant Feasel | C | Abilene Christian | LSC | |
| 6 | 162 | Dallas Cowboys | Reggie Collier | QB | Southern Miss | Ind. (I-A) | |
| 6 | 163 | New York Jets | Vincent White | RB | Stanford | Pac-10 | |
| 6 | 164 | Pittsburgh Steelers | Eric Williams | DB | NC State | ACC | |
| 6 | 165 | Cincinnati Bengals | Larry Kinnebrew | RB | Tennessee State | Ind. (I-AA) | |
| 6 | 166 | Washington Redskins | Winckler, BobBob Winckler | T | Wisconsin | Big Ten | |
| 6 | 167 | Miami Dolphins | Reggie Roby $^†$ | P | Iowa | Big Ten | |
| 6 | 168 | Washington Redskins | Babe Laufenberg | QB | Indiana | Big Ten | |
| 7 | 169 | Baltimore Colts | Alvin Moore | RB | Arizona State | Pac-10 | |
| 7 | 170 | Houston Oilers | Herkie Walls | WR | Texas | SWC | |
| 7 | 171 | Los Angeles Rams | Jeff Simmons | WR | USC | Pac-10 | |
| 7 | 172 | Denver Broncos | Myron Dupree | DB | North Carolina Central | CIAA | |
| 7 | 173 | Kansas City Chiefs | Ken Thomas | RB | San Jose State | PCAA | |
| 7 | 174 | Philadelphia Eagles | Edgar, AnthonyAnthony Edgar | RB | Hawaii | WAC | |
| 7 | 175 | San Francisco 49ers | Gary Moten | LB | SMU | SWC | |
| 7 | 176 | Cleveland Browns | Rocky Belk | WR | Miami (FL) | Ind. (I-A) | |
| 7 | 177 | Seattle Seahawks | Sam Merriman | LB | Idaho | Big Sky | |
| 7 | 178 | New York Giants | Perry Williams | CB | NC State | ACC | |
| 7 | 179 | Kansas City Chiefs | Posey, DarylDaryl Posey | RB | Mississippi College | Gulf South | |
| 7 | 180 | Buffalo Bills | Brown, GurnestGurnest Brown | DT | Maryland | ACC | |
| 7 | 181 | Detroit Lions | Mike Black | P | Arizona State University | Pac-10 | |
| 7 | 182 | Philadelphia Eagles | Schultheis, JonJon Schultheis | OG | Princeton | Ivy | |
| 7 | 183 | Atlanta Falcons | Turk, JeffJeff Turk | DB | Boise State | Big Sky | |
| 7 | 184 | St. Louis Cardinals | Carlos Scott | C | UTEP | WAC | |
| 7 | 185 | Tampa Bay Buccaneers | Ledbetter, WeldonWeldon Ledbetter | RB | Oklahoma | Big Eight | |
| 7 | 186 | Minnesota Vikings | Carl Lee $^†$ | CB | Marshall | SoCon | |
| 7 | 187 | New England Patriots | Craig James $^†$ | RB | SMU | SWC | |
| 7 | 188 | Green Bay Packers | Jessie Clark | RB | Arkansas | SWC | |
| 7 | 189 | Dallas Cowboys | Chris Schultz | T | Arizona | Pac-10 | |
| 7 | 190 | New York Jets | Newbold, DarrinDarrin Newbold | LB | Southwest Missouri State | AMCU | |
| 7 | 191 | Pittsburgh Steelers | Mark Kirchner | OG | Baylor | SWC | |
| 7 | 192 | San Diego Chargers | Elko, BillBill Elko | DT | LSU | SEC | |
| 7 | 193 | Cincinnati Bengals | James Griffin | DB | Middle Tennessee | OVC | |
| 7 | 194 | Los Angeles Raiders | McCall, JeffJeff McCall | RB | Clemson | ACC | |
| 7 | 195 | Miami Dolphins | Woetzel, KeithKeith Woetzel | LB | Rutgers | Ind. (I-A) | |
| 7 | 196 | Washington Redskins | Kelvin Bryant | RB | North Carolina | ACC | |
| 8 | 197 | Denver Broncos | Gary Kubiak | QB | Texas A&M | SWC | |
| 8 | 198 | Houston Oilers | Robert Thompson | LB | Michigan | Big Ten | |
| 8 | 199 | Pittsburgh Steelers | Henry Odom | RB | South Carolina State | MEAC | |
| 8 | 200 | Los Angeles Rams | West, TroyTroy West | DB | USC | Pac-10 | |
| 8 | 201 | Philadelphia Eagles | Kraynak, RichRich Kraynak | LB | Pittsburgh | Ind. (I-A) | |
| 8 | 202 | San Diego Chargers | Earnest Jackson | RB | Texas A&M | SWC | |
| 8 | 203 | Chicago Bears | Richard Dent$^‡$$^†$ | DE | Tennessee State | Ind. (I-AA) | |
| 8 | 204 | Kansas City Chiefs | Irv Eatman | T | UCLA | Pac-10 | |
| 8 | 205 | New York Giants | Andy Headen | LB | Clemson | ACC | |
| 8 | 206 | New Orleans Saints | David Greenwood | DB | Wisconsin | Big Ten | |
| 8 | 207 | Buffalo Bills | Durham, JamesJames Durham | DB | Houston | SWC | |
| 8 | 208 | Detroit Lions | Stapleton, BillBill Stapleton | DB | Washington | Pac-10 | |
| 8 | 209 | Cleveland Browns | McClearn, MikeMike McClearn | OG | Temple | Ind. (I-A) | |
| 8 | 210 | Seattle Seahawks | Matt Hernandez | T | Purdue | Big Ten | |
| 8 | 211 | St. Louis Cardinals | Harris, BobBob Harris | DB | Auburn | SEC | |
| 8 | 212 | Tampa Bay Buccaneers | Samuelson, JohnJohn Samuelson | LB | Azusa Pacific | Ind. (NAIA) | |
| 8 | 213 | Minnesota Vikings | Norris Brown | TE | Georgia | SEC | |
| 8 | 214 | New England Patriots | Ronnie Lippett | DB | Miami (FL) | Ind. (I-A) | |
| 8 | 215 | Atlanta Falcons | John Rade | LB | Boise State | Big Sky | |
| 8 | 216 | Green Bay Packers | Briscoe, CarltonCarlton Briscoe | DB | McNeese State | N/A | |
| 8 | 217 | New York Jets | Mullen, DavlinDavlin Mullen | DB | Western Kentucky | Ind. (I-AA) | |
| 8 | 218 | Pittsburgh Steelers | Craig Dunaway | TE | Michigan | Big Ten | |
| 8 | 219 | Chicago Bears | Mark Bortz $^†$ | OG | Iowa | Big Ten | |
| 8 | 220 | Dallas Cowboys | Lawrence Ricks | RB | Michigan | Big Ten | |
| 8 | 221 | Cincinnati Bengals | Mike Martin | WR | Illinois | Big Ten | |
| 8 | 222 | Los Angeles Raiders | Dotterer, MikeMike Dotterer | RB | Stanford | Pac-10 | |
| 8 | 223 | Miami Dolphins | Mark Clayton $^†$ | WR | Louisville | Ind. (I-A) | |
| 8 | 224 | Washington Redskins | Hallstrom, ToddTodd Hallstrom | T | Minnesota | Big Ten | |
| 9 | 225 | Baltimore Colts | Jim Mills | T | Hawaii | WAC | |
| 9 | 226 | Houston Oilers | Kevin Potter | DB | Missouri | Big Eight | |
| 9 | 227 | Los Angeles Rams | Becher, JackJack Becher | C | Boston College | Ind. (I-A) | |
| 9 | 228 | Denver Broncos | Hawkins, BrianBrian Hawkins | DB | San Jose State | N/A | |
| 9 | 229 | San Francisco 49ers | Mularkey, MikeMike Mularkey | TE | Florida | SEC | |
| 9 | 230 | Chicago Bears | Rob Fada | OG | Pittsburgh | Ind. (I-A) | |
| 9 | 231 | Kansas City Chiefs | Adam Lingner | C | Illinois | Big Ten | |
| 9 | 232 | Philadelphia Eagles | Pelzer, RichRich Pelzer | T | Rhode Island | Yankee | |
| 9 | 233 | New England Patriots | Williams, RickyRicky Williams | RB | Langston | Ind. (NAIA) | |
| 9 | 234 | Buffalo Bills | Parker, GeorgeGeorge Parker | RB | Norfolk State | CIAA | |
| 9 | 235 | Chicago Bears | Zavagnin, MarkMark Zavagnin | LB | Notre Dame | Ind. (I-A) | |
| 9 | 236 | Seattle Seahawks | Bob Clasby | DT | Notre Dame | Ind. (I-A) | |
| 9 | 237 | New York Giants | Ali Haji-Sheikh | K | Michigan | Big Ten | |
| 9 | 238 | Tampa Bay Buccaneers | Hasson Arbubakrr | DT | Texas Tech | SWC | |
| 9 | 239 | Minnesota Vikings | Rod Achter | WR | Toledo | MAC | |
| 9 | 240 | New England Patriots | Mark Keel | TE | Arizona | Pac-10 | |
| 9 | 241 | Baltimore Colts | Rose, ChrisChris Rose | T | Stanford | Pac-10 | |
| 9 | 242 | St. Louis Cardinals | Brown, OtisOtis Brown | RB | Jackson State | SWAC | |
| 9 | 243 | Green Bay Packers | Ham, RobinRobin Ham | C | West Texas State | MVC | |
| 9 | 244 | Pittsburgh Steelers | Blake Wingle | OG | UCLA | Pac-10 | |
| 9 | 245 | San Diego Chargers | Mike Green | LB | Oklahoma State | Big Eight | |
| 9 | 246 | Dallas Cowboys | Al Gross | DB | Arizona | Pac-10 | |
| 9 | 247 | New York Jets | Bobby Humphery | WR | New Mexico State | MVC | |
| 9 | 248 | Cincinnati Bengals | Stanley Wilson | RB | Oklahoma | Big Eight | |
| 9 | 249 | Los Angeles Raiders | Jordan, KentKent Jordan | TE | St. Mary's (CA) | N/A | |
| 9 | 250 | Miami Dolphins | Mark Brown | LB | Purdue | Big Ten | |
| 9 | 251 | Washington Redskins | Gilbert, MarcusMarcus Gilbert | RB | TCU | SWC | |
| 10 | 252 | Baltimore Colts | Hopkins, RonaldRonald Hopkins | DB | Murray State | OVC | |
| 10 | 253 | Green Bay Packers | Byron Williams | WR | Texas Arlington | — | |
| 10 | 254 | Denver Broncos | Walt Bowyer | DE | Arizona State | Pac-10 | |
| 10 | 255 | Minnesota Vikings | Brown, MelvinMelvin Brown | DB | Ole Miss | SEC | |
| 10 | 256 | Chicago Bears | Anthony Hutchinson | RB | Texas Tech | SWC | |
| 10 | 257 | Kansas City Chiefs | Mark Shumate | DT | Wisconsin | Big Ten | |
| 10 | 258 | Philadelphia Eagles | Thomas Strauthers | DT | Jackson State | SWAC | |
| 10 | 259 | San Francisco 49ers | Merrell, JeffJeff Merrell | DT | Nebraska | Big Eight | |
| 10 | 260 | Buffalo Bills | Thorpe, RichardRichard Thorpe | DT | Louisville | Ind. (I-A) | |
| 10 | 261 | Detroit Lions | Laube, DaveDave Laube | OG | Penn State | Ind. (I-A) | |
| 10 | 262 | Cleveland Browns | Thomas Hopkins | T | Alabama State | SWAC | |
| 10 | 263 | Seattle Seahawks | Speros, PetePete Speros | OG | Penn State | Ind. (I-A) | |
| 10 | 264 | New England Patriots | WIlliams, JamesJames WIlliams | TE | Wyoming | WAC | |
| 10 | 265 | New England Patriots | Williams, TobyToby Williams | DE | Nebraska | Big Eight | |
| 10 | 266 | Minnesota Vikings | Tate, WalterWalter Tate | C | Tennessee State | Ind. (I-AA) | |
| 10 | 267 | New England Patriots | Tom Ramsey | QB | UCLA | Pac-10 | |
| 10 | 268 | Atlanta Falcons | Giacomarro, RalphRalph Giacomarro | P | Penn State | Ind. (I-A) | |
| 10 | 269 | St. Louis Cardinals | Tim Lucas | LB | California | Pac-10 | |
| 10 | 270 | Tampa Bay Buccaneers | Darius Durham | WR | San Diego State | WAC | |
| 10 | 271 | Green Bay Packers | Thomas, JimmyJimmy Thomas | DB | Indiana | Big Ten | |
| 10 | 272 | San Diego Chargers | Bruce Mathison | QB | Nebraska | Big Eight | |
| 10 | 273 | Dallas Cowboys | Eric Moran | T | Washington | Pac-10 | |
| 10 | 274 | New York Jets | Dan Fike | T | Florida | SEC | |
| 10 | 275 | Pittsburgh Steelers | Straughter, RooseveltRoosevelt Straughter | DB | Northeast Louisiana | Southland | |
| 10 | 276 | Cincinnati Bengals | Tim Krumrie $^†$ | DT | Wisconsin | Big Ten | |
| 10 | 277 | Los Angeles Raiders | Mervyn Fernandez | WR | San Jose State | PCAA | |
| 10 | 278 | Miami Dolphins | Reed, AnthonyAnthony Reed | RB | South Carolina State | MEAC | |
| 10 | 279 | Washington Redskins | Gandy, GeffGeff Gandy | LB | Baylor | N/A | |
| 11 | 280 | Baltimore Colts | Taylor, Jim BobJim Bob Taylor | QB | Georgia Tech | Ind. | |
| 11 | 281 | New York Giants | Jenkins, LeeLee Jenkins | DB | Tennessee | SEC | |
| 11 | 282 | Los Angeles Rams | Triplett, DannyDanny Triplett | LB | Clemson | ACC | |
| 11 | 283 | Denver Broncos | Don Bailey | C | Miami (FL) | Ind. (I-A) | |
| 11 | 284 | Kansas City Chiefs | Jackson, DwayneDwayne Jackson | DE | South Carolina State | MEAC | |
| 11 | 285 | Philadelphia Eagles | Sebahar, SteveSteve Sebahar | C | Washington State | Pac-10 | |
| 11 | 286 | Chicago Bears | Worthy, GaryGary Worthy | RB | Wilmington (OH) | N/A | |
| 11 | 287 | Detroit Lions | Tate, BenBen Tate | RB | North Carolina Central | CIAA | |
| 11 | 288 | Cleveland Browns | Boyce Green | RB | Carson–Newman | SAC | |
| 11 | 289 | San Francisco 49ers | Jesse Sapolu $^†$ | C | Hawaii | WAC | |
| 11 | 290 | Seattle Seahawks | Mayberry, BobBob Mayberry | OG | Clemson | ACC | |
| 11 | 291 | New York Giants | Pierson, ClenzieClenzie Pierson | DT | Rice | SWC | |
| 11 | 292 | New England Patriots | Parker, SteveSteve Parker | WR | Abilene Christian | LSC | |
| 11 | 293 | Buffalo Bills | White, LarryLarry White | DE | Jackson State | SWAC | |
| 11 | 294 | New England Patriots | Eason, CalvinCalvin Eason | DB | Houston | SWC | |
| 11 | 295 | Atlanta Falcons | Salley, JohnJohn Salley | DB | Wyoming | WAC | |
| 11 | 296 | St. Louis Cardinals | Williams, AaronAaron Williams | WR | Washington | Pac-10 | |
| 11 | 297 | Tampa Bay Buccaneers | Mark Witte | TE | North Texas State | Ind. | |
| 11 | 298 | Minnesota Vikings | Butcher, BrianBrian Butcher | OG | Clemson | ACC | |
| 11 | 299 | Green Bay Packers | Bucky Scribner | P | Kansas | Big Eight | |
| 11 | 300 | Dallas Cowboys | Taylor, DanDan Taylor | T | Idaho State | Big Sky | |
| 11 | 301 | New York Jets | Mike Harmon | WR | Ole Miss | SEC | |
| 11 | 302 | Pittsburgh Steelers | Raugh, MarkMark Raugh | TE | West Virginia | Ind. (I-A) | |
| 11 | 303 | San Diego Chargers | Tim Kearse | WR | San Jose State | PCAA | |
| 11 | 304 | Cincinnati Bengals | Williams, GaryGary Williams | WR | Ohio State | Big Ten | |
| 11 | 305 | Cleveland Browns | McAdoo, HowardHoward McAdoo | LB | Michigan State | Big Ten | |
| 11 | 306 | Miami Dolphins | Lukens, JoeJoe Lukens | OG | Ohio State | Big Ten | |
| 11 | 307 | San Diego Chargers | Tim Spencer | RB | Ohio State | Big Ten | |
| 12 | 308 | Baltimore Colts | Williams, CarlCarl Williams | WR | Texas Southern | SWAC | |
| 12 | 309 | New York Giants | Robbie Jones | LB | Alabama | SEC | |
| 12 | 310 | Denver Broncos | Karl Mecklenburg $^†$ | LB | Minnesota | Big Ten | |
| 12 | 311 | Los Angeles Rams | Casper, CleteClete Casper | QB | Washington State | Pac-10 | |
| 12 | 312 | Philadelphia Eagles | Mangrum, DavidDavid Mangrum | QB | Baylor | SWC | |
| 12 | 313 | Chicago Bears | Oliver Williams | WR | Illinois | Big Ten | |
| 12 | 314 | San Diego Chargers | Blaylock, BillyBilly Blaylock | DB | Tennessee Tech | OVC | |
| 12 | 315 | Kansas City Chiefs | Jones, KenKen Jones | T | Tennessee | SEC | |
| 12 | 316 | Cleveland Browns | Paul Farren | T | Boston University | Yankee | |
| 12 | 317 | Seattle Seahawks | Dow, DonDon Dow | T | Washington | Pac-10 | |
| 12 | 318 | New York Giants | Magwood, FrankFrank Magwood | WR | Clemson | ACC | |
| 12 | 319 | New England Patriots | Kelly, WaddellWaddell Kelly | RB | Arkansas State | Southland | |
| 12 | 320 | Buffalo Bills | Julius Dawkins | WR | Pittsburgh | Ind. (I-A) | |
| 12 | 321 | Detroit Lions | Lane, JimJim Lane | C | Idaho State | Big Sky | |
| 12 | 322 | Atlanta Falcons | Allama Matthews | TE | Vanderbilt | SEC | |
| 12 | 323 | St. Louis Cardinals (NFL) | Lane, JamesJames Lane | LB | Alabama State | SWAC | |
| 12 | 324 | Tampa Bay Buccaneers | Higginbotham, JohnJohn Higginbotham | DT | Northeastern State | OIC | |
| 12 | 325 | Minnesota Vikings | Maurice Turner | RB | Utah State | Big West | |
| 12 | 326 | New England Patriots | Ekern, AndyAndy Ekern | T | Missouri | Big Eight | |
| 12 | 327 | Green Bay Packers | Harvey, JohnJohn Harvey | LB | USC | Pac-10 | |
| 12 | 328 | New York Jets | Crum, StuStu Crum | K | Tulsa | MVC | |
| 12 | 329 | San Diego Chargers | Chuck Ehin | DT | BYU | WAC | |
| 12 | 330 | Pittsburgh Steelers | Wiley, RogerRoger Wiley | RB | Sam Houston State | LSC | |
| 12 | 331 | Dallas Cowboys | Bouier, LorenzoLorenzo Bouier | RB | Maine | Yankee | |
| 12 | 332 | Cincinnati Bengals | Young, AndreAndre Young | LB | Bowling Green | MAC | |
| 12 | 333 | Los Angeles Raiders | Lindquist, ScottScott Lindquist | QB | Northern Arizona | Big Sky | |
| 12 | 334 | Miami Dolphins | Anthony Carter $^†$ | WR | Michigan | Big Ten | |
| 12 | 335 | New York Giants | John Tuggle | RB | California | Pac-10 | |

## Hall of Fame inductees

* Eric Dickerson, running back from Southern Methodist, taken 1st round 2nd overall by Los Angeles Rams
    Inducted: Professional Football Hall of Fame Class of 1999.
* Jim Kelly, quarterback from Miami, taken 1st round 14th overall by Buffalo Bills
    Inducted: Professional Football Hall of Fame Class of 2002.
* John Elway, quarterback from Stanford, taken 1st round 1st overall by Baltimore Colts
    Inducted: Professional Football Hall of Fame Class of 2004.
* Dan Marino, quarterback from Pittsburgh, taken 1st round 27th overall by Miami Dolphins
    Inducted: Professional Football Hall of Fame Class of 2005.
* Bruce Matthews, Southern California center, taken 1st round 9th overall by Houston Oilers
    Inducted: Professional Football Hall of Fame Class of 2007.
* Darrell Green, cornerback from Texas A&I, taken 1st round 28th overall by Washington Redskins
    Inducted: Professional Football Hall of Fame Class of 2008.
* Richard Dent, defensive end from Tennessee State, taken 8th round 203rd overall by Chicago Bears
    Inducted: Professional Football Hall of Fame Class of 2011.
* Jim Covert, offensive tackle from Pittsburgh, taken 1st round 6th overall by Chicago Bears
    Inducted: Professional Football Hall of Fame Class of 2020.

## Notable undrafted players

| $^†$ | = Pro Bowler |
| Original NFL team | Player | Pos. | College | Conf. |
| Atlanta Falcons | Dan Benish | DT | Clemson | ACC |
| Atlanta Falcons | Arthur Cox | TE | Texas Southern | SWAC |
| Atlanta Falcons | David Frye | LB | Purdue | Big Ten |
| Baltimore Colts | John Miller | LB | Mississippi State | SEC |
| Buffalo Bills | David Kilson | DB | Nevada | Big Sky |
| Buffalo Bills | Scott Virkus | DE | Purdue | Big Ten |
| Chicago Bears | Brian Glasgow | TE | Northern Illinois | MAC |
| Chicago Bears | John Janata | T | Illinois | Big Ten |
| Chicago Bears | Dennis McKinnon | WR | Florida State | Ind. (I-A) |
| Cincinnati Bengals | Jim Gustafson | WR | St. Thomas (MN) | MIAC |
| Cleveland Browns | Dale Carver | LB | Georgia | SEC |
| Cleveland Browns | Andy Gibler | TE | Missouri | Big Eight |
| Cleveland Browns | Roger Ruzek | K | Weber State | Big Sky |
| Dallas Cowboys | Raúl Allegre | K | Texas | SWC |
| Dallas Cowboys | Bill Bates $^†$ | S | Tennessee | SEC |
| Dallas Cowboys | Kirk Phillips | WR | Tulsa | MVC |
| Dallas Cowboys | Broderick Thompson | OT | Kansas | Big Eight |
| Dallas Cowboys | Mark Tuinei $^†$ | DT | Hawaii | WAC |
| Dallas Cowboys | John Warren | P | Tennessee | SEC |
| Dallas Cowboys | Jon Zogg | OG | Boise State | Big Sky |
| Denver Broncos | Dan DeRose | LB | CSU Pueblo | RMAC |
| Denver Broncos | Shawn Hollingsworth | T | Angelo State | LSC |
| Denver Broncos | Mike Morris | LS | Truman State | MIAA |
| Denver Broncos | Rich Stachowski | DT | California | Pac-10 |
| Detroit Lions | Jeff Chadwick | WR | Grand Valley State | GLIAC |
| Green Bay Packers | Frank Mattiace | NT | Holy Cross | Ind. (I-AA) |
| Houston Oilers | Bob Hamm | DE | Nevada | Big Sky |
| Houston Oilers | Brian Sochia $^†$ | DT | Northwestern Oklahoma State | OIC |
| Kansas City Chiefs | Van Jakes | CB | Kent State | MAC |
| Kansas City Chiefs | Jim Bob Morris | S | Kansas State | Big Eight |
| Los Angeles Raiders | Vince Courville | WR | Rice | SWC |
| Los Angeles Rams | Mike McDonald | LS | USC | Pac-10 |
| Los Angeles Rams | Scott Tinsley | QB | USC | Pac-10 |
| Minnesota Vikings | Bill Renner | P | Virginia Tech | Ind. |
| New England Patriots | Ed Reynolds | LB | Virginia | ACC |
| New England Patriots | Clarence Weathers | WR | Delaware State | MEAC |
| New Orleans Saints | Bobby Hebert $^†$ | QB | Northwestern State | Ind. (I-AA) |
| New York Giants | Bart Oates $^†$ | C | BYU | WAC |
| New York Giants | Zeke Mowatt | TE | Florida State | Ind. (I-A) |
| New York Jets | Ted Banker | OG | Southeast Missouri State | MIAA |
| New York Jets | Nick Bruckner | WR | Syracuse | Ind. (I-A) |
| Philadelphia Eagles | Major Everett | FB | Mississippi College | Gulf South |
| Philadelphia Eagles | Elbert Foules | CB | Alcorn State | SWAC |
| Pittsburgh Steelers | Lou Rash | DB | Mississippi Valley State | SWAC |
| Pittsburgh Steelers | Pete Rostosky | T | UConn | Yankee |
| St. Louis Cardinals | Fernanza Burgess | WR | Morris Brown | SIAC |
| San Diego Chargers | Gary Plummer | LB | California | Pac-10 |
| San Diego Chargers | Joaquin Zendejas | K | La Verne | SCIAC |
| Seattle Seahawks | Joe Dufek | QB | Yale | Ivy |
| Seattle Seahawks | David Hardy | K | Texas A&M | SWC |
| Seattle Seahawks | Frank Middleton | RB | Florida A&M | MEAC |
| Seattle Seahawks | Paul Moyer | S | Arizona State | Pac-10 |
| Seattle Seahawks | John Stadnik | C | Western Illinois | AMCU |
| Tampa Bay Buccaneers | Bob Hewko | QB | Florida | SEC |
| Tampa Bay Buccaneers | Alan Risher | QB | LSU | SEC |
| Washington Redskins | D.D. Hoggard | DB | NC State | ACC |
| Washington Redskins | Kevin Kellin | DT | Minnesota | Big Ten |
| Washington Redskins | Nate Newton $^†$ | OT | Florida A&M | MEAC |
* 1980s portal