# 1978 NFL draft

The 1978 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 May 2–3, 1978, at the Roosevelt Hotel in New York City, New York. The league also held a supplemental draft after the regular draft and before the regular season.
The Tampa Bay Buccaneers had the first overall pick in the 1978 draft, by virtue of their 2–12 record in 1977. Tampa Bay traded the pick to the Oilers, for tight end Jimmie Giles and the Oilers' first- and second-round picks in the 1978 draft, and their third- and fifth-round picks in 1979.
Leon White, who was drafted in the third round, went on to have an extensive professional wrestling career as Big Van Vader.

## 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 |

### Round one

| Rnd. | Pick No. | NFL team | Player | Pos. | College | Conf. | Notes |
| 1 | 1 | Houston Oilers | Earl Campbell$^‡$$^†$ | RB | Texas | SWC | from Tampa Bay Heisman Trophy winner |
| 1 | 2 | Kansas City Chiefs | Art Still $^†$ | DE | Kentucky | SEC | |
| 1 | 3 | New Orleans Saints | Wes Chandler $^†$ | WR | Florida | SEC | |
| 1 | 4 | New York Jets | Chris Ward | T | Ohio State | Big Ten | |
| 1 | 5 | Buffalo Bills | Terry Miller | RB | Oklahoma State | Big Eight | |
| 1 | 6 | Green Bay Packers | James Lofton$^‡$$^†$ | WR | Stanford | Pac-8 | |
| 1 | 7 | San Francisco 49ers | Ken MacAfee | TE | Notre Dame | Ind. | |
| 1 | 8 | Cincinnati Bengals | Ross Browner | DE | Notre Dame | Ind. | from Philadelphia |
| 1 | 9 | Seattle Seahawks | Keith Simpson | CB | Memphis State | Ind. | |
| 1 | 10 | New York Giants | Gordon King | T | Stanford | Pac-8 | |
| 1 | 11 | Detroit Lions | Luther Bradley | CB | Notre Dame | Ind. | |
| 1 | 12 | Cleveland Browns | Clay Matthews $^†$ | LB | USC | Pac-8 | |
| 1 | 13 | Atlanta Falcons | Mike Kenn $^†$ | T | Michigan | Big Ten | |
| 1 | 14 | San Diego Chargers | John Jefferson $^†$ | WR | Arizona State | WAC | |
| 1 | 15 | St. Louis Cardinals | Steve Little | K | Arkansas | SWC | |
| 1 | 16 | Cincinnati Bengals | Blair Bush | C | Washington | Pac-8 | |
| 1 | 17 | Tampa Bay Buccaneers | Doug Williams | QB | Grambling State | SWAC | from Houston |
| 1 | 18 | New England Patriots | Bob Cryder | OG | Alabama | SEC | |
| 1 | 19 | St. Louis Cardinals | Ken Greene | S | Washington State | Pac-8 | from Washington |
| 1 | 20 | Los Angeles Rams | Elvis Peacock | RB | Oklahoma | Big Eight | from Chicago via Cleveland |
| 1 | 21 | Minnesota Vikings | Randy Holloway | DE | Pittsburgh | Ind. | |
| 1 | 22 | Pittsburgh Steelers | Ron Johnson | CB | Eastern Michigan | MAC | |
| 1 | 23 | Cleveland Browns | Ozzie Newsome$^‡$$^†$ | TE | Alabama | SEC | from Los Angeles |
| 1 | 24 | San Francisco 49ers | Dan Bunz | LB | Long Beach State | PCAA | from Miami |
| 1 | 25 | Baltimore Colts | Reese McCall | TE | Auburn | SEC | |
| 1 | 26 | Green Bay Packers | John Anderson | LB | Michigan | Big Ten | from Oakland |
| 1 | 27 | Denver Broncos | Don Latimer | DT | Miami (FL) | Ind. | |
| 1 | 28 | Dallas Cowboys | Larry Bethea | DE | Michigan State | Big Ten | |

### Round two

| Rnd. | Pick No. | NFL team | Player | Pos. | College | Conf. | Notes |
| 2 | 29 | Kansas City Chiefs | Sylvester Hicks | DE | Tennessee State | Ind. | |
| 2 | 30 | Tampa Bay Buccaneers | Johnny Davis | RB | Alabama | SEC | |
| 2 | 31 | New York Jets | Mark Merrill | LB | Minnesota | Big Ten | |
| 2 | 32 | Buffalo Bills | Dee Hardison | DE | North Carolina | ACC | |
| 2 | 33 | New Orleans Saints | James Taylor | OT | Missouri | Big Eight | |
| 2 | 34 | Green Bay Packers | Mike Hunt | LB | Minnesota | Big Ten | |
| 2 | 35 | Cincinnati Bengals | Ray Griffin | CB | Ohio State | Big Ten | from Philadelphia |
| 2 | 36 | Seattle Seahawks | Keith Butler | LB | Memphis State | Ind. | |
| 2 | 37 | New York Giants | Odis McKinney | CB | Colorado | Big Eight | |
| 2 | 38 | Buffalo Bills | Scott Hutchinson | DE | Florida | SEC | from San Francisco |
| 2 | 39 | Cleveland Browns | Johnny Evans | P | NC State | ACC | |
| 2 | 40 | Detroit Lions | Al Baker $^†$ | DE | Colorado State | WAC | |
| 2 | 41 | San Diego Chargers | Milton Hardaway | OT | Oklahoma State | Big Eight | |
| 2 | 42 | St. Louis Cardinals | John Barefield | LB | Texas A&I | LSC | |
| 2 | 43 | Atlanta Falcons | Steve Stewart | LB | Minnesota | Big Ten | |
| 2 | 44 | Tampa Bay Buccaneers | Brett Moritz | OG | Nebraska | Big Eight | from Houston |
| 2 | 45 | Cincinnati Bengals | Dave Turner | RB | San Diego State | Ind. | |
| 2 | 46 | Los Angeles Rams | Johnson, StanStan Johnson | DT | Tennessee State | Ind. | from Washington |
| 2 | 47 | San Francisco 49ers | Walt Downing | OG | Michigan | Big Ten | from Chicago |
| 2 | 48 | Minnesota Vikings | John Turner | CB | Miami (FL) | Ind. | |
| 2 | 49 | Pittsburgh Steelers | Willie Fry | DE | Notre Dame | Ind. | |
| 2 | 50 | New England Patriots | Matt Cavanaugh | QB | Pittsburgh | Ind. | |
| 2 | 51 | Miami Dolphins | Guy Benjamin | QB | Stanford | Pac-8 | |
| 2 | 52 | Baltimore Colts | Mike Woods | LB | Cincinnati | Ind. | |
| 2 | 53 | Los Angeles Rams | Ron Smith | WR | San Diego State | Ind. | |
| 2 | 54 | Oakland Raiders | Dave Browning | DE | Washington | Pac-8 | |
| 2 | 55 | Denver Broncos | Bill Gay | TE | USC | Pac-8 | |
| 2 | 56 | Dallas Cowboys | Todd Christensen $^†$ | TE | BYU | WAC | |

### Round three

| Rnd. | Pick No. | NFL team | Player | Pos. | College | Conf. | Notes |
| 3 | 57 | Oakland Raiders | Derrick Jensen | RB | Texas Arlington | — | from Tampa Bay |
| 3 | 58 | Kansas City Chiefs | Gary Spani | LB | Kansas State | Big Eight | |
| 3 | 59 | Buffalo Bills | Dennis Johnson | FB | Mississippi State | SEC | |
| 3 | 60 | New Orleans Saints | Barry Bennett | DT | Concordia (Moorhead) | N/A | |
| 3 | 61 | New York Jets | Mickey Shuler | TE | Penn State | Ind. | |
| 3 | 62 | Green Bay Packers | Estus Hood | CB | Illinois State | Ind. | |
| 3 | 63 | Seattle Seahawks | Bob Jury | CB | Pittsburgh | Ind. | |
| 3 | 64 | Miami Dolphins | Lyman Smith | DT | Duke | ACC | from N. Y. Giants |
| 3 | 65 | Buffalo Bills | Danny Fulton | WR | Nebraska–Omaha | NCC | from San Francisco |
| 3 | 66 | Philadelphia Eagles | Reggie Wilkes | LB | Georgia Tech | Ind. | |
| 3 | 67 | Cleveland Browns | Larry Collins | RB | Texas A&I | LSC | from Detroit |
| 3 | 68 | Cleveland Browns | Mark Miller | QB | Bowling Green | MAC | |
| 3 | 69 | St. Louis Cardinals | Doug Greene | DB | Texas A&I | LSC | |
| 3 | 70 | Atlanta Falcons | Stan Waldemore | OG | Nebraska | Big Eight | |
| 3 | 71 | San Diego Chargers | Rickey Anderson | RB | South Carolina State | MEAC | |
| 3 | 72 | Cincinnati Bengals | Ted Vincent | DT | Wichita State | MVC | |
| 3 | 73 | Houston Oilers | Gifford Nielsen | QB | BYU | WAC | |
| 3 | 74 | Chicago Bears | Brad Shearer | DT | Texas | SWC | |
| 3 | 75 | Minnesota Vikings | Whip Walton | LB | San Diego State | Ind. | |
| 3 | 76 | Pittsburgh Steelers | Craig Colquitt | P | Tennessee | SEC | |
| 3 | 77 | New England Patriots | Carlos Pennywell | WR | Grambling State | SWAC | |
| 3 | 78 | Los Angeles Rams | Frank Corral | K | UCLA | Pac-8 | from Washington |
| 3 | 79 | San Francisco 49ers | Ernie Hughes | OG | Notre Dame | Ind. | from Baltimore |
| 3 | 80 | Los Angeles Rams | Leon White | C | Colorado | Big Eight | |
| 3 | 81 | Miami Dolphins | Jimmy Cefalo | WR | Penn State | Ind. | |
| 3 | 82 | Oakland Raiders | Lindsey Mason | OT | Kansas | Big Eight | |
| 3 | 83 | Cincinnati Bengals | Don Bass | WR | Houston | SWC | from Denver |
| 3 | 84 | Dallas Cowboys | Dave Hudgens | OT | Oklahoma | Big Eight | |

### Round four

| Rnd. | Pick No. | NFL team | Player | Pos. | College | Conf. | Notes |
| 4 | 85 | Kansas City Chiefs | Daniel Johnson | LB | Tennessee State | Ind. | |
| 4 | 86 | Oakland Raiders | Maurice Harvey | S | Ball State | MAC | from Tampa Bay |
| 4 | 87 | New Orleans Saints | Don Schwartz | S | Washington State | Pac-8 | |
| 4 | 88 | New York Jets | Donnell, DodieDodie Donnell | RB | Nebraska | Big Eight | |
| 4 | 89 | Buffalo Bills | Lucius Sanford | LB | Georgia Tech | Ind. | |
| 4 | 90 | New York Giants | Billy Taylor | RB | Texas Tech | SWC | |
| 4 | 91 | San Francisco 49ers | Terry LeCount | WR | Florida | SEC | |
| 4 | 92 | Philadelphia Eagles | Dennis Harrison | DT | Vanderbilt | SEC | |
| 4 | 93 | Miami Dolphins | Gerald Small | CB | San Jose State | PCAA | from Cleveland |
| 4 | 94 | Detroit Lions | Fifer, WilliamWilliam Fifer | OT | West Texas State | MVC | |
| 4 | 95 | Atlanta Falcons | Brian Cabral | LB | Colorado | Big Eight | |
| 4 | 96 | St. Louis Cardinals | George Collins | OG | Georgia | SEC | from San Diego |
| 4 | 97 | St. Louis Cardinals | Jimmy Childs | WR | Cal Poly | CCAA | |
| 4 | 98 | Houston Oilers | Mike Renfro | WR | TCU | SWC | |
| 4 | 99 | Cincinnati Bengals | Dennis Law | WR | East Tennessee State | OVC | |
| 4 | 100 | Minnesota Vikings | Jim Hough | C | Utah State | Big West | |
| 4 | 101 | Pittsburgh Steelers | Larry Anderson | CB | Louisiana Tech | Southland | |
| 4 | 102 | New England Patriots | Dwight Wheeler | OT | Tennessee State | Ind. | |
| 4 | 103 | Cleveland Browns | Pallara, PetePete Pallara | OG | Tennessee-Chattanooga | SoCon | from Washington via Los Angeles |
| 4 | 104 | Kansas City Chiefs | Woods, PetePete Woods | QB | Missouri | Big Eight | from Chicago |
| 4 | 105 | Los Angeles Rams | Mark Manges | QB | Maryland | ACC | |
| 4 | 106 | Miami Dolphins | Eric Laakso | OT | Tulane | Ind. | |
| 4 | 107 | Detroit Lions | Homer Elias | OG | Tennessee State | Ind. | from Baltimore |
| 4 | 108 | Oakland Raiders | Joe Stewart | WR | Missouri | Big Eight | |
| 4 | 109 | Detroit Lions | Larry Tearry | C | Wake Forest | ACC | from Denver |
| 4 | 110 | Dallas Cowboys | Alois Blackwell | RB | Houston | SWC | |

### Round five

| Rnd. | Pick No. | NFL team | Player | Pos. | College | Conf. | Notes |
| 5 | 111 | Miami Dolphins | Ted Burgmeier | S | Notre Dame | Ind. | from Tampa Bay |
| 5 | 112 | Kansas City Chiefs | Jerrold McRae | WR | Tennessee State | Ind. | |
| 5 | 113 | New York Jets | Randy Sidler | LB | Penn State | Ind. | |
| 5 | 114 | Buffalo Bills | Spaeth, KenKen Spaeth | TE | Nebraska | Big Eight | |
| 5 | 115 | New Orleans Saints | Eric Felton | CB | Texas Tech | SWC | |
| 5 | 116 | Green Bay Packers | Mike Douglass | LB | San Diego State | Ind. | |
| 5 | 117 | Baltimore Colts | Frank Myers | OT | Texas A&M | SWC | from San Francisco |
| 5 | 118 | Kansas City Chiefs | Carey, DwightDwight Carey | DT | Texas Arlington | — | from Philadelphia |
| 5 | 119 | Seattle Seahawks | Louis Bullard | OT | Jackson State | SWAC | |
| 5 | 120 | New York Giants | Terry Jackson | CB | San Diego State | Ind. | |
| 5 | 121 | Detroit Lions | Amos Fowler | OG | Southern Miss | Ind. | |
| 5 | 122 | Cleveland Browns | Keith Wright | WR | Memphis State | Ind. | |
| 5 | 123 | Detroit Lions | Dan Gray | DE | Rutgers | Ind. | from San Diego |
| 5 | 124 | St. Louis Cardinals | Earl Carr | RB | Florida | SEC | |
| 5 | 125 | Atlanta Falcons | Dennis Pearson | WR | San Diego State | Ind. | |
| 5 | 126 | Cincinnati Bengals | Tom Dinkel | LB | Kansas | Big Eight | |
| 5 | 127 | San Francisco 49ers | Archie Reese | DT | Clemson | ACC | from Houston via Kansas City thorough Chicago |
| 5 | 128 | Green Bay Packers | Wilder, WillieWillie Wilder | RB | Florida | SEC | from Pittsburgh |
| 5 | 129 | New England Patriots | Bill Matthews | LB | South Dakota State | NCC | |
| 5 | 130 | Philadelphia Eagles | Banks, NorrisNorris Banks | RB | Kansas | Big Eight | from Washington |
| 5 | 131 | Cincinnati Bengals | Rob Hertel | QB | USC | Pac-8 | from Chicago |
| 5 | 132 | New York Giants | Jim Krahl | DT | Texas Tech | SWC | from Minnesota |
| 5 | 133 | San Francisco 49ers | Bruce Threadgill | S | Mississippi State | SEC | from Miami |
| 5 | 134 | Kansas City Chiefs | Robert Woods | WR | Grambling State | SWAC | from Baltimore |
| 5 | 135 | San Diego Chargers | John Choma | OG | Virginia | ACC | from Los Angeles |
| 5 | 136 | Oakland Raiders | Derrick Ramsey | TE | Kentucky | SEC | |
| 5 | 137 | New York Giants | Brian DeRoo | WR | Redlands | N/A | from Denver |
| 5 | 138 | Dallas Cowboys | Rosen, RichRich Rosen | OG | Syracuse | Ind. | |

### Round six

| Rnd. | Pick No. | NFL team | Player | Pos. | College | Conf. | Notes |
| 6 | 139 | Chicago Bears | John Skibinski | RB | Purdue | Big Ten | from Kansas City |
| 6 | 140 | Oakland Raiders | Davis, TomTom Davis | C | Nebraska | Big Eight | from Tampa Bay |
| 6 | 141 | New York Jets | Bobby Jackson | CB | Florida State | Ind. | from Buffalo |
| 6 | 142 | New Orleans Saints | Rieker, MikeMike Rieker | QB | Lehigh | Ind. (Div. II) | |
| 6 | 143 | New York Jets | Gregg Robinson | DT | Dartmouth | Ivy | |
| 6 | 144 | Green Bay Packers | Leotis Harris | OG | Arkansas | SWC | |
| 6 | 145 | Buffalo Bills | Smith, EricEric Smith | OT | Southern Miss | Ind. | from Philadelphia |
| 6 | 146 | Seattle Seahawks | Starks, GlennGlenn Starks | WR | Texas A&I | LSC | |
| 6 | 147 | New York Giants | Pass, RandyRandy Pass | OG | Georgia Tech | Ind. | |
| 6 | 148 | San Francisco 49ers | Elliott Walker | RB | Pittsburgh | Ind. | |
| 6 | 149 | Cleveland Browns | Pitts, AlAl Pitts | C | Michigan State | Big Ten | |
| 6 | 150 | Detroit Lions | Dwight Hicks $^†$ | S | Michigan | Big Ten | |
| 6 | 151 | St. Louis Cardinals | Williams, JackJack Williams | DE | Bowling Green | MAC | |
| 6 | 152 | Atlanta Falcons | Rodney Parker | WR | Tennessee State | Ind. | |
| 6 | 153 | Detroit Lions | Tony Ardizzone | OG | Northwestern | Big Ten | from San Diego |
| 6 | 154 | Houston Oilers | Conrad Rucker | TE | Southern | SWAC | |
| 6 | 155 | Cincinnati Bengals | Geise, SteveSteve Geise | RB | Penn State | Ind. | |
| 6 | 156 | New England Patriots | Coleman, KemKem Coleman | LB | Ole Miss | SEC | |
| 6 | 157 | New Orleans Saints | Francis Chesley | LB | Wyoming | WAC | from Washington via Houston |
| 6 | 158 | Chicago Bears | Mekeli Ieremia | DE | BYU | WAC | |
| 6 | 159 | Washington Redskins | Tony Green $^†$ | RB | Florida | SEC | from San Francisco |
| 6 | 160 | Pittsburgh Steelers | Randy Reutershan | WR | Pittsburgh | Ind. | |
| 6 | 161 | Baltimore Colts | Ben Garry | RB | Southern Miss | Ind. | |
| 6 | 162 | Tampa Bay Buccaneers | Marshall, ElijahElijah Marshall | WR | NC State | ACC | from Los Angeles |
| 6 | 163 | Miami Dolphins | Doug Betters $^†$ | DE | Nevada | Ind. (Coll.) | |
| 6 | 164 | Oakland Raiders | Mike Levenseller | WR | Washington State | Pac-8 | |
| 6 | 165 | Detroit Lions | Jesse Thompson | WR | California | Pac-8 | from Denver |
| 6 | 166 | Dallas Cowboys | Harold Randolph | LB | East Carolina | Ind. | |

### Round seven

| Rnd. | Pick No. | NFL team | Player | Pos. | College | Conf. | Notes |
| 7 | 167 | Atlanta Falcons | Alfred Jackson | WR | Texas | SWC | from Tampa Bay |
| 7 | 168 | Kansas City Chiefs | Ricky Odom | CB | USC | Pac-8 | |
| 7 | 169 | New York Jets | Armstrong, LeviLevi Armstrong | DB | UCLA | Pac-8 | from New Orleans |
| 7 | 170 | New York Jets | James Earley | RB | Michigan State | Big Ten | |
| 7 | 171 | Buffalo Bills | Mario Celotto | LB | USC | Pac-8 | |
| 7 | 172 | Green Bay Packers | Plasketes, GeorgeGeorge Plasketes | LB | Ole Miss | SEC | |
| 7 | 173 | Seattle Seahawks | John Harris | S | Arizona State | WAC | |
| 7 | 174 | New York Giants | Dan Doornink | RB | Washington State | Pac-8 | |
| 7 | 175 | San Francisco 49ers | Fred Quillan $^†$ | C | Oregon | Pac-8 | |
| 7 | 176 | Oakland Raiders | Arthur Whittington | RB | SMU | SWC | from Philadelphia |
| 7 | 177 | Detroit Lions | Gibson, BruceBruce Gibson | RB | Pacific | PCAA | |
| 7 | 178 | Miami Dolphins | Karl Baldischwiler | OT | Oklahoma | Big Eight | from Cleveland |
| 7 | 179 | Atlanta Falcons | James Wright | TE | TCU | SWC | |
| 7 | 180 | San Diego Chargers | Cliff Featherstone | DB | Colorado State | WAC | |
| 7 | 181 | St. Louis Cardinals | Dave Stief | WR | Portland State | Ind. (Coll.) | |
| 7 | 182 | Cincinnati Bengals | Branson, JoeJoe Branson | DB | Livingstone | CIAA | |
| 7 | 183 | Buffalo Bills | Steve Powell | RB | Northeast Missouri State | MIAA | from Houston |
| 7 | 184 | Kansas City Chiefs | Bill Kellar | WR | Stanford | Pac-8 | from Washington |
| 7 | 185 | Chicago Bears | Jones, HermanHerman Jones | WR | Ohio State | Big Ten | |
| 7 | 186 | Philadelphia Eagles | Greg Marshall | DT | Oregon State | Pac-8 | from Minnesota |
| 7 | 187 | Pittsburgh Steelers | Dufresne, MarkMark Dufresne | TE | Nebraska | Big Eight | |
| 7 | 188 | New England Patriots | Mike Hawkins | LB | Texas A&I | LSC | |
| 7 | 189 | Los Angeles Rams | Reggie Doss | DE | Hampton | CIAA | |
| 7 | 190 | Miami Dolphins | Henry, LloydLloyd Henry | WR | Northeast Missouri State | N/A | |
| 7 | 191 | Baltimore Colts | Jeff Logan | RB | Ohio State | Big Ten | |
| 7 | 192 | Oakland Raiders | Earl Inmon | LB | Bethune–Cookman | SIAC | |
| 7 | 193 | Cincinnati Bengals | Bass, DannyDanny Bass | OT | Elon | SAC | from Denver |
| 7 | 194 | Dallas Cowboys | Tom Randall | DT | Iowa State | Big Eight | |

### Round eight

| Rnd. | Pick No. | NFL team | Player | Pos. | College | Conf. |
| 8 | 195 | Kansas City Chiefs | John Henry White | RB | Louisiana Tech | Southland |
| 8 | 196 | Tampa Bay Buccaneers | McGriff, JohnJohn McGriff | LB | Miami (FL) | Ind. |
| 8 | 197 | New York Jets | Derrick Gaffney | WR | Florida | SEC |
| 8 | 198 | New England Patriots | Terry Falcon | OG | Montana | Big Sky |
| 8 | 199 | New Orleans Saints | Brooks Williams | TE | North Carolina | ACC |
| 8 | 200 | Green Bay Packers | Dennis Sproul | QB | Arizona State | WAC |
| 8 | 201 | New York Giants | Grady, JeffJeff Grady | LB | Florida A&M | SIAC |
| 8 | 202 | Washington Redskins | Lee, WalkerWalker Lee | WR | North Carolina | ACC |
| 8 | 203 | New York Jets | Mike Mock | P | Texas Tech | SWC |
| 8 | 204 | Minnesota Vikings | Mike Wood | K | Southeast Missouri State | MIAA |
| 8 | 205 | Cleveland Browns | Jesse Turnbow | DT | Tennessee | SEC |
| 8 | 206 | Detroit Lions | Jim Breech | K | California | Pac-8 |
| 8 | 207 | Oakland Raiders | Nichols, MarkMark Nichols | DE | Colorado State | WAC |
| 8 | 208 | Pittsburgh Steelers | Rick Moser | RB | Rhode Island | Yankee |
| 8 | 209 | Atlanta Falcons | Adkins, DavidDavid Adkins | LB | Ohio State | Big Ten |
| 8 | 210 | Houston Oilers | J. C. Wilson | DB | Pittsburgh | Ind. |
| 8 | 211 | Cincinnati Bengals | Miller, BillBill Miller | T | Western Illinois | Ind. (Coll.) |
| 8 | 212 | Chicago Bears | Freitas, GeorgeGeorge Freitas | TE | California | Pac-8 |
| 8 | 213 | New York Jets | Eppes, RoyRoy Eppes | DB | Clemson | ACC |
| 8 | 214 | Pittsburgh Steelers | Keyes, AndreAndre Keyes | WR | Cal Poly | CCAA |
| 8 | 215 | New England Patriots | Mosi Tatupu $^†$ | RB | USC | Pac-8 |
| 8 | 216 | Atlanta Falcons | Williams, DavidDavid Williams | DB | Tennessee–Martin | Gulf South |
| 8 | 217 | Miami Dolphins | Sean Clancy | LB | Amherst | NESCAC |
| 8 | 218 | Baltimore Colts | Anthony, MonteMonte Anthony | RB | Nebraska | Big Eight |
| 8 | 219 | Washington Redskins | Don Hover | LB | Washington State | Pac-8 |
| 8 | 220 | San Diego Chargers | Hendrick, GavinGavin Hendrick | P | Washington State | Pac-8 |
| 8 | 221 | Denver Broncos | Smith, FrankFrank Smith | T | Alabama A&M | SIAC |
| 8 | 222 | Dallas Cowboys | Homer Butler | WR | UCLA | Pac-8 |

### Round nine

| Rnd. | Pick No. | NFL team | Player | Pos. | College | Conf. |
| 9 | 223 | Tampa Bay Buccaneers | Willie Taylor | WR | Pittsburgh | Ind. |
| 9 | 224 | Kansas City Chiefs | Brown, LarryLarry Brown | T | Miami (FL) | Ind. |
| 9 | 225 | New York Jets | Reggie Grant | DB | Oregon | Pac-8 |
| 9 | 226 | New Orleans Saints | Carter, RichardRichard Carter | DB | NC State | ACC |
| 9 | 227 | New York Jets | Hutton, NeilNeil Hutton | DB | Penn State | Ind. |
| 9 | 228 | Green Bay Packers | Myers, KeithKeith Myers | QB | Utah State | Big West |
| 9 | 229 | San Francisco 49ers | Redden, HermanHerman Redden | DB | Howard | MEAC |
| 9 | 230 | Philadelphia Eagles | Charles Williams | DB | Jackson State | SWAC |
| 9 | 231 | Seattle Seahawks | Grimmett, RichRich Grimmett | T | Illinois | Big Ten |
| 9 | 232 | New York Giants | Swiacki, BillBill Swiacki | TE | Amherst | NESCAC |
| 9 | 233 | San Francisco 49ers | Moore, DeanDean Moore | LB | Iowa | Big Ten |
| 9 | 234 | Cleveland Browns | Kramer, JonJon Kramer | OG | Baylor | SWC |
| 9 | 235 | St. Louis Cardinals | Mosley, JoeJoe Mosley | TE | Central State (OH) | Ind. (NAIA) |
| 9 | 236 | Atlanta Falcons | Tom Pridemore | S | West Virginia | Ind. |
| 9 | 237 | San Diego Chargers | Henry Bradley | DT | Alcorn State | SWAC |
| 9 | 238 | Cincinnati Bengals | Ron Shumon | LB | Wichita State | MVC |
| 9 | 239 | Houston Oilers | Mol, JimJim Mol | DE | Morningside | — |
| 9 | 240 | Minnesota Vikings | Deutsch, MikeMike Deutsch | P | Colorado State | WAC |
| 9 | 241 | Pittsburgh Steelers | Reynolds, LanceLance Reynolds | T | BYU | WAC |
| 9 | 242 | New England Patriots | Peterson, TimTim Peterson | LB | Arizona State | WAC |
| 9 | 243 | Washington Redskins | Martin, MikeMike Martin | QB | Santa Clara | — |
| 9 | 244 | Chicago Bears | Martin, MikeMike Martin | LB | Kentucky | SEC |
| 9 | 245 | Baltimore Colts | Dave Studdard | T | Texas | SWC |
| 9 | 246 | Los Angeles Rams | Andre Anderson | DE | New Mexico State | MVC |
| 9 | 247 | Miami Dolphins | Bruce Hardy | TE | Arizona State | WAC |
| 9 | 248 | San Diego Chargers | Blake Whitlatch | LB | LSU | SEC |
| 9 | 249 | San Francisco 49ers | McDaniels, SteveSteve McDaniels | T | Notre Dame | Ind. |
| 9 | 250 | Dallas Cowboys | Williams, RussRuss Williams | DB | Tennessee | SEC |

### Round ten

| Rnd. | Pick No. | NFL team | Player | Pos. | College | Conf. | Notes |
| 10 | 251 | Kansas City Chiefs | Bryant, EarlEarl Bryant | DE | Jackson State | SWAC | |
| 10 | 252 | Tampa Bay Buccaneers | Aaron Brown | LB | Ohio State | Big Ten | |
| 10 | 253 | New York Giants | Jorgensen, GregGreg Jorgensen | OG | Nebraska | Big Eight | |
| 10 | 254 | New York Jets | Richardson, LouisLouis Richardson | DE | Florida State | Ind. | |
| 10 | 255 | Buffalo Bills | Will Grant | C | Kentucky | SEC | |
| 10 | 256 | Green Bay Packers | Larry Key | RB | Florida State | Ind. | |
| 10 | 257 | Atlanta Falcons | Ricky Patton | RB | Jackson State | SWAC | |
| 10 | 258 | Seattle Seahawks | Stewart, RobRob Stewart | N/A | Lafayette | Ind. (I-AA) | |
| 10 | 259 | Green Bay Packers | Totten, MarkMark Totten | C | Florida | SEC | |
| 10 | 260 | San Francisco 49ers | Mike Connell | P | Cincinnati | Ind. | |
| 10 | 261 | Cleveland Browns | Watson, BrentBrent Watson | T | Tennessee | SEC | |
| 10 | 262 | Detroit Lions | Arrington, FredFred Arrington | LB | Purdue | Big Ten | |
| 10 | 263 | Atlanta Falcons | Ray Strong | RB | UNLV | Ind. (Coll.) | |
| 10 | 264 | San Diego Chargers | Price, CharlesCharles Price | TE | Cincinnati | Ind. | |
| 10 | 265 | St. Louis Cardinals | Gill, RandyRandy Gill | LB | San Jose State | PCAA | |
| 10 | 266 | Houston Oilers | Young, SteveSteve Young | TE | Wake Forest | ACC | |
| 10 | 267 | Cincinnati Bengals | Tom DePaso | LB | Penn State | Ind. | |
| 10 | 268 | Pittsburgh Steelers | Doug Becker | LB | Notre Dame | Ind. | |
| 10 | 269 | New England Patriots | Ferguson, BryanBryan Ferguson | DB | Miami (FL) | Ind. | |
| 10 | 270 | Washington Redskins | Hartenstein, ScottScott Hartenstein | DE | Azusa Pacific | Ind. (NAIA) | |
| 10 | 271 | Chicago Bears | Ben Zambiasi | LB | Georgia | SEC | |
| 10 | 272 | Minnesota Vikings | Shaw, HughieHughie Shaw | RB | Texas A&I | LSC | |
| 10 | 273 | Los Angeles Rams | Peal, CharlesCharles Peal | T | Indiana | Big Ten | |
| 10 | 274 | Miami Dolphins | Mark Dennard | C | Texas A&M | SWC | |
| 10 | 275 | Baltimore Colts | Owens, DallasDallas Owens | DB | Kentucky | SEC | |
| 10 | 276 | Pittsburgh Steelers | Tom Jurich | K | Northern Arizona | Big Sky | from Tampa Bay for Ernie Holmes |
| 10 | 277 | Denver Broncos | Kinney, VinceVince Kinney | WR | Maryland | ACC | |
| 10 | 278 | Dallas Cowboys | Tomasetti, BarryBarry Tomasetti | T | Iowa | Big Ten | |

### Round eleven

| Pick # | NFL team | Player | Position | College |
| 279 | Pittsburgh Steelers | Nat Terry | Defensive back | Florida State |
| 280 | Kansas City Chiefs | Ray Milo | Defensive back | New Mexico State |
| 281 | New York Jets | Pat Ryan | Quarterback | Tennessee |
| 282 | Buffalo Bills | Jerry Blanton | Linebacker | Kentucky |
| 283 | New Orleans Saints | Nathan Besaint | Defensive tackle | Southern |
| 284 | Green Bay Packers | Terry Jones | Defensive tackle | Alabama |
| 285 | New Orleans Saints | Dave Riley | Running back | West Virginia |
| 286 | New York Giants | Dennis Heim | Defensive tackle | SW Missouri State |
| 287 | San Francisco 49ers | Willie McCray | Defensive end | Troy State |
| 288 | Philadelphia Eagles | Billy Campfield | Running back | Kansas |
| 289 | Detroit Lions | Richard Murray | Defensive tackle | Oklahoma |
| 290 | Cleveland Browns | Larry Gillard | Defensive tackle | Mississippi State |
| 291 | Oakland Raiders | Dean Jones | Defensive back | Fresno State |
| 292 | Cincinnati Bengals | Cal Prince | Running back | Louisville |
| 293 | Atlanta Falcons | Scooter Reed | Defensive back | Baylor |
| 294 | Cincinnati Bengals | Mark Donahue | Guard | Michigan |
| 295 | Houston Oilers | Willie Thicklen | Wide receiver | Alabama State |
| 296 | New England Patriots | Charlie Williams | Linebacker | Florida |
| 297 | Washington Redskins | Mike Williams | Defensive back | Texas A&M |
| 298 | Chicago Bears | Walt Underwood | Defensive end | USC |
| 299 | Minnesota Vikings | Ron Harris | Running back | Colorado State |
| 300 | Pittsburgh Steelers | Tom Brzoza | Center | Pittsburgh |
| 301 | Seattle Seahawks | George Halas | Linebacker | Miami (FL) |
| 302 | Baltimore Colts | Henry Mason | Wide receiver | Central Missouri State |
| 303 | Los Angeles Rams | Ron Hostetler | Linebacker | Penn State |
| 304 | Oakland Raiders | Bob Glazebrook | Defensive back | Fresno State |
| 305 | Denver Broncos | Lacy Brumley | Tackle | Clemson |
| 306 | Dallas Cowboys | Dennis Thurman | Cornerback | USC |

### Round twelve

| Pick # | NFL team | Player | Position | College |
| 307 | Kansas City Chiefs | Willie Brock | Center | Colorado |
| 308 | Tampa Bay Buccaneers | Kevin McLee | Running back | Georgia |
| 309 | Buffalo Bills | Richard Crump | Running back | Northeastern State (OK) |
| 310 | New Orleans Saints | Larry Hardy | Tight end | Jackson State |
| 311 | New York Jets | Alan Williams | Punter | Florida |
| 312 | Green Bay Packers | Eason Ramson | Tight end | Washington State |
| 313 | New York Giants | Greg Lawson | Running back | Western Illinois |
| 314 | San Francisco 49ers | Dan Irons | Tackle | Texas Tech |
| 315 | Philadelphia Eagles | Mark Slater | Center | Minnesota |
| 316 | Seattle Seahawks | Jeff Bergeron | Running back | Lamar |
| 317 | Cleveland Browns | Leo Biedermann | Tackle | California |
| 318 | Detroit Lions | Mark Patterson | Defensive back | Washington State |
| 319 | St. Louis Cardinals | Anthony Clay | Linebacker | South Carolina State |
| 320 | Atlanta Falcons | Daria Butler | Linebacker | Oklahoma State |
| 321 | San Diego Chargers | Kevin Bell | Wide receiver | Lamar |
| 322 | Houston Oilers | John Schuhmacher | Guard | USC |
| 323 | Cincinnati Bengals | Kim Featsent | Wide receiver | Kent State |
| 324 | Washington Redskins | Steve McCabe | Guard | Bowdoin |
| 325 | Chicago Bears | Lew Sibley | Linebacker | Louisiana State |
| 326 | Minnesota Vikings | Jeff Morrow | Tackle | Minnesota |
| 327 | Pittsburgh Steelers | Brad Carr | Linebacker | Maryland |
| 328 | New England Patriots | John Gibney | Center | Colgate |
| 329 | Baltimore Colts | Bruce Allen | Punter | Richmond |
| 330 | Los Angeles Rams | Gus Coppens | Tackle | UCLA |
| 331 | Miami Dolphins | Mike Moore | Running back | Middle Tennessee State |
| 332 | Oakland Raiders | Joe Conron | Wide receiver | Pacific |
| 333 | Miami Dolphins | Bill Kenney | Quarterback | Northern Colorado |
| 334 | Dallas Cowboys | Lee Washburn | Guard | Montana State |
| = Pro Bowler | = Hall of Famer |

## Supplemental draft

| Rnd. | Pick No. | NFL team | Player | Pos. | College | Conf. | Notes |
| 12 | — | San Francisco 49ers | Connors, RodRod Connors | RB | USC | Pac-8 | |

## Notable undrafted players

| $^†$ | = Pro Bowler | ‡ | = Hall of Famer |
| Original NFL team | Player | Pos. | College | Conf. |
| Atlanta Falcons | Lewis Gilbert | TE | Florida | SEC |
| Atlanta Falcons | Hans Nielsen | K | Michigan State | Big Ten |
| Baltimore Colts | Roger Farmer | WR | Baker | HAAC |
| Buffalo Bills | Joe Shipp | TE | USC | Pac-8 |
| Chicago Bears | Mike Morgan | RB | Wisconsin | Big Ten |
| Chicago Bears | Jack Steptoe | WR | Utah | WAC |
| Chicago Bears | Mike Ulmer | DB | Doane | NIAC |
| Dallas Cowboys | Dave Kraayeveld | DE | Milton | IBFC |
| Dallas Cowboys | Joe Moreino | DT | Idaho State | Big Sky |
| Dallas Cowboys | Robert Steele | WR | North Alabama | Gulf South |
| Denver Broncos | Herb Christopher | S | Morris Brown | SIAC |
| Detroit Lions | Ken Callicutt | RB | Clemson | ACC |
| Detroit Lions | Kit Lathrop | DT | Arizona State | WAC |
| Green Bay Packers | Paul Coffman $^†$ | TE | Kansas State | Big Eight |
| Green Bay Packers | Walt Landers | RB | Clark Atlanta | SIAC |
| Green Bay Packers | Paul Rudzinski | LB | Michigan State | Big Ten |
| Green Bay Packers | Howard Sampson | DB | Arkansas | SWC |
| Houston Oilers | Warren Moon$^‡$ | QB | Washington | Pac-8 |
| Houston Oilers | Guido Merkens $^†$ | QB/WR | Sam Houston State | LSC |
| Los Angeles Rams | Alan Caldwell | DB | North Carolina | ACC |
| Los Angeles Rams | Preston Dennard | WR | New Mexico | WAC |
| Los Angeles Rams | Dwayne O'Steen | CB | San Jose State | PCAA |
| Los Angeles Rams | Doug Smith $^†$ | C/OG | Bowling Green | MAC |
| Miami Dolphins | John Bristor | CB | Waynesburg | — |
| Miami Dolphins | Zac Henderson | DB | Oklahoma | Big Eight |
| Miami Dolphins | George Roberts | P | Virginia Tech | Ind. |
| Minnesota Vikings | Harry Washington | WR | Colorado State | WAC |
| Minnesota Vikings | Kevin Miller | WR | Louisville | Ind. |
| New England Patriots | Tom Birney | K | Michigan State | Big Ten |
| New England Patriots | Nick Lowery $^†$ | K | Dartmouth | Ivy |
| Oakland Raiders | Mark Iwanowski | TE | Penn | Ivy |
| Oakland Raiders | Booker Russell | RB | Texas State | LSC |
| Philadelphia Eagles | Ken Clarke | DT | Syracuse | Ind. |
| Philadelphia Eagles | Dan Rains | LB | Cincinnati | Ind. |
| Philadelphia Eagles | Brenard Wilson | S | Vanderbilt | SEC |
| Pittsburgh Steelers | Thom Dornbrook | C | Kentucky | SEC |
| Seattle Seahawks | Rufus Crawford | RB | Virginia State | CIAA |
| Seattle Seahawks | Kerry Justin | CB | Oregon State | Pac-8 |
| Seattle Seahawks | Brian Peets | TE | Pacific | PCAA |
| Washington Redskins | J. T. Smith $^†$ | WR | North Texas | Ind. |

## Hall of Famers

* Earl Campbell, running back from Texas, taken 1st round 1st overall by Houston Oilers
    Inducted: Professional Football Hall of Fame class of 1991.
* Ozzie Newsome, wide receiver from Alabama, taken 1st round 23rd overall by Cleveland Browns
    Inducted: Professional Football Hall of Fame class of 1999.
* James Lofton, wide receiver from Stanford, taken 1st round 6th overall by Green Bay Packers
    Inducted: Professional Football Hall of Fame class of 2003.
* Warren Moon, quarterback from Washington, signed undrafted by Houston Oilers
    Inducted: Professional Football Hall of Fame class of 2006.