10 Intriguing Facts About the NFL Draft

Every year, for a span of three days, representatives from each of the 32 NFL teams convene to select the next wave of talent, aiming to secure players who can lead their franchises to glory. What began in a Philadelphia Ritz-Carlton in 1936 has evolved into a massive event, drawing a worldwide audience of tens of millions over the multi-day spectacle. During this period, the destinies of entire franchises are reshaped, as future legends and notable disappointments alike step onto the stage to don their new team's jersey.

As the 2022 NFL Draft approaches on April 28, 2022, here are 10 fascinating facts about the most thrilling football event of the year, second only to the Super Bowl.

1. In theory, the team with the worst record picks first, while the team with the best record picks last in the NFL Draft.

The NFL Draft is designed to give struggling teams from the previous season the first opportunity to select players who could turn their fortunes around. As a result, the Super Bowl winners pick last (currently 32nd), followed by the Super Bowl runner-up at 31st, playoff teams, and then non-playoff teams, with the worst-performing team getting the top pick. That's the idea, at least. In practice, the draft order can shift in many ways—teams frequently trade their picks, particularly coveted first-round selections, to acquire established star players from other teams.

A notable instance of draft order upheaval occurred in 1999, when the New Orleans Saints, initially set to pick 12th, traded eight picks across the 1999 and 2000 drafts to climb to the fifth overall spot, held by the Washington Commanders, to secure running back Ricky Williams. The Commanders then traded many of those acquired picks to other teams, further scrambling the draft order.

Teams can also forfeit draft picks for rule violations, as seen when the New England Patriots lost their final selection in the 2017 draft as a penalty for the "Deflategate" controversy.

2. The 2022 draft includes a total of 262 picks.

The total number of picks is determined by the number of teams and rounds. The inaugural draft in 1936 had 81 selections (nine rounds for nine teams) from a pool of 90 players. The 2022 NFL Draft consists of seven rounds for 32 teams, totaling 262 picks, including additional compensatory selections in the later rounds. The Jacksonville Jaguars, who finished with a league-worst 3-14 record in 2021, hold the first pick in 2022, while the San Francisco 49ers will make the final selection of the draft.

3. High school graduates are not eligible for the NFL Draft.

According to NFL regulations, only players who have been out of high school for a minimum of three years and have exhausted their college eligibility before the next college football season begins are eligible for the draft. College athletes have five years (starting after high school graduation) to play four seasons of football, and they are only draft-eligible for one year after their college eligibility ends. Players seeking eligibility outside these rules must petition the league. In 2017, 106 underclassmen received NFL approval to enter the draft early.

4. The draft system was introduced by the Philadelphia Eagles.

During the NFL's expansion in the 1930s, Bert Bell, co-owner of the Philadelphia Eagles, highlighted a major issue: his team couldn't afford to compete for top talent. He suggested a draft system to create a fairer playing field, which the other owners approved. On February 8, 1936, they gathered at the Ritz-Carlton hotel to select from 90 potential players.

5. The first-ever draft pick never played a single NFL game.

If Bell's goal was to give struggling teams access to top talent, he was in for a surprise with the first-ever pick. The Eagles selected halfback Jay Berwanger from the University of Chicago. It seemed like a perfect choice: Berwanger had won the Downtown Athletic Club Trophy (now the Heisman Trophy) in 1935 as the most outstanding college football player. However, the Eagles couldn't meet his salary demands and traded his rights to the Chicago Bears, ending his NFL prospects.

As it turned out, Berwanger also didn't sign with the Bears and opted for a career as a foam-rubber salesman. (Interestingly, Berwanger holds the unique distinction of being the only Heisman winner ever tackled by a future U.S. President, when a young Gerald Ford brought him down during a 1934 game against Michigan.)

6. In the 2000 NFL Draft, Tom Brady was selected as the 199th overall pick.

With seven Super Bowl victories, five Super Bowl MVP awards, and 15 Pro Bowl selections, Tom Brady is celebrated as the greatest quarterback in NFL history. However, his draft day was far from remarkable, as he was picked in the sixth round, 199th overall, by the New England Patriots, who already had three quarterbacks on their roster.

"We saw the potential," recalled Scott Pioli, then-assistant director of player personnel. "We didn’t foresee him becoming a seven-time Super Bowl champion or the franchise icon he turned out to be. We simply thought, ‘There’s too much value here to pass up.’" That year, the QBs selected before Brady included Chad Pennington, Giovanni Carmazzi, Chris Redman, Tee Martin, Marc Bulger, and Spergon Wynn.

7. Thanks to thermal pressers, players receive their draft-day jerseys almost instantly.

The NFL Draft is a chaotic whirlwind of constant changes, with decisions often made at the last second. General managers and coaches are always negotiating trades, securing players, and then trading those players for others. So, how does a player expecting to join the San Francisco 49ers end up holding a Minnesota Vikings jersey on stage? Nike and STAHLS, an apparel company, create the jerseys instantly using a steam presser on-site, customizing the uniform within a two-minute window after the selection is announced. STAHLS boasts they can produce a new jersey in under 60 seconds.

8. The 1984 and 1992 drafts are the only ones without any Hall of Famers.

If a player like Tom Brady can be picked 199th, what’s the true worth of the first pick? In the first 69 drafts, 15 first overall selections made it to the Hall of Fame. While most drafts produce at least one Hall of Famer, 1984 and 1992 are notorious for failing to do so. A supplemental draft in 1984, aimed at signing college athletes who had joined the CFL or USFL, brought in Hall of Famers like Steve Young, Gary Zimmerman, and Reggie White, but the main draft that year didn’t yield any inductees.

9. The Tampa Bay Buccaneers once accidentally drafted the wrong player.

This wasn’t a case of selecting a promising player who underperformed—that’s common. Instead, in 1982, the Tampa Bay Buccaneers mistakenly drafted guard Sean Farrell when they intended to pick defensive end Booker Reese. They had narrowed their choice to these two players, but with only 30 seconds left, a malfunctioning speakerphone and background noise led to the wrong name being submitted.

Ken Herock, the director of player personnel, said, "We’re not going with Sean Farrell, we’re going with Booker Reese. Turn it in." However, equipment manager Pat Marcuccillo misheard the instructions, and chaos erupted in the team’s office when the wrong name was announced. Despite their efforts to correct the mistake, the league upheld the rules, and the pick stood.

10. Notre Dame holds the record for sending the most players to the NFL through the draft.

Among all colleges contributing players to the NFL, Notre Dame leads the pack with 520 draft picks, as reported by Drafthistory.com. USC trails closely with 516, while other schools lag behind. Ohio State has 473, Oklahoma has 402, and Michigan and Alabama compete for fourth place with 387 and 384 picks, respectively. Focusing on drafts from 2000 to 2020, Ohio State takes the lead, sending 141 players to the NFL, with 31 first-round selections, tying with Alabama.