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.[1][2] The league also held a supplemental draft after the regular draft and before the regular season.
1981 NFL Draft | |
---|---|
General information | |
Date(s) | April 28–29, 1981 |
Location | New York Sheraton Hotel in New York City |
Network(s) | ESPN |
Overview | |
332 total selections in 12 rounds | |
League | NFL |
First selection | George Rogers, RB New Orleans Saints |
Mr. Irrelevant | Phil Nelson, TE Oakland Raiders |
Most selections (17) | New Orleans Saints |
Fewest selections (8) | Tampa Bay Buccaneers |
Hall of Famers | 8 |
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 [3] | = Hall of Famer |
|
|
Round one
Round two
Round three
Round four
Round five
Round six
Round seven
Pick # | NFL team | Player | Position | College |
---|---|---|---|---|
167 | New Orleans Saints | Kevin Williams | Wide receiver | USC |
168 | New York Giants | Louis Jackson | Running back | Cal Poly |
169 | New York Jets | Kenny Neil | Defensive end | Iowa State |
170 | Seattle Seahawks | Ron Johnson | Wide receiver | Long Beach State |
171 | St. Louis Cardinals | Kevin Donnalley | Defensive back | North Dakota State |
172 | Green Bay Packers | Bill Whitaker | Cornerback | Missouri |
173 | Dallas Cowboys | Ron Fellows | Defensive back | Missouri |
174 | Philadelphia Eagles(from San Francisco) | Alan Duncan | Kicker | Tennessee |
175 | Los Angeles Rams | Ron Battle | Tight end | North Texas State |
176 | Cincinnati Bengals | Jeff Schuh | Linebacker | Minnesota |
177 | Chicago Bears | Jeff Fisher | Cornerback | USC |
178 | Baltimore Colts | Obed Ariri | Kicker | Clemson |
179 | Miami Dolphins | Mike Daum | Tackle | Cal Poly |
180 | Kansas City Chiefs | Billy Jackson | Running back | Alabama |
181 | Denver Broncos | Steve Busick | Linebacker | USC |
182 | Detroit Lions | Lee Spivey | Offensive Tackle | Southern Methodist |
183 | Pittsburgh Steelers | David Little | Linebacker | Florida |
184 | Minnesota Vikings | Don Shaver | Running back | Kutztown (PA) |
185 | New England Patriots | Ken Toler | Wide receiver | Mississippi |
186 | Seattle Seahawks | Brad Scovill | Tight end | Penn State |
187 | Cleveland Browns | Eddie Johnson | Linebacker | Louisville |
188 | Buffalo Bills | Steve Doolittle | Linebacker | Colorado |
189 | San Diego Chargers | Pete Holohan | Tight end | Notre Dame |
190 | Los Angeles Rams | Mike Clark | Defensive end | Florida |
191 | Dallas Cowboys | Ken Miller | Defensive back | Eastern Michigan |
192 | Philadelphia Eagles | Doak Field | Linebacker | Baylor |
193 | Houston Oilers | Don Washington | Defensive back | Texas A&I |
Round eight
Pick # | NFL team | Player | Position | College |
---|---|---|---|---|
194 | New England Patriots | Ken Naber | Kicker | Stanford |
195 | New York Jets | Lloyd Jones | Wide receiver | Brigham Young |
196 | Seattle Seahawks | Eric Lane | Running back | Brigham Young |
197 | New York Giants | John Powers | Guard | Michigan |
198 | St. Louis Cardinals | Mike Fisher | Wide receiver | Baylor |
199 | Tampa Bay Buccaneers | Denver Johnson | Tackle | Tulsa |
200 | Green Bay Packers | Larry Werts | Linebacker | Jackson State |
201 | Washington Redskins | Charlie Brown | Wide receiver | South Carolina State |
202 | Cincinnati Bengals | Bobby Kemp | Safety | Fullerton State |
203 | San Francisco 49ers | Garry White | Running back | Minnesota |
204 | Baltimore Colts | Ken Sitton | Defensive back | Oklahoma |
205 | Chicago Bears | Scott Zettek | Defensive tackle | Notre Dame |
206 | Kansas City Chiefs | David Dorn | Wide receiver | Rutgers |
207 | New York Giants | Mark Reed | Quarterback | Morehead State |
208 | Miami Dolphins | William Judson | Cornerback | South Carolina State |
209 | Pittsburgh Steelers | Frank Wilson | Running back | Rice |
210 | Minnesota Vikings | Wade Wilson | Quarterback | East Texas State |
211 | Detroit Lions | Bob Niziolek | Tight end | Colorado |
212 | New England Patriots | Lin Dawson | Tight end | North Carolina State |
213 | New York Jets | J. C. Watts | Quarterback | Oklahoma |
214 | New Orleans Saints | Gene Gladys | Linebacker | Penn State |
215 | New Orleans Saints | Kevin Evans | Defensive back | Arkansas |
216 | Los Angeles Rams | Art Plunkett | Tackle | UNLV |
217 | Houston Oilers | Willie Tullis | Wide receiver | Troy State |
218 | Dallas Cowboys | Paul Piurowski | Linebacker | Florida State |
219 | Atlanta Falcons | Cliff Toney | Defensive back | Auburn |
220 | Baltimore Colts | Hosea Taylor | Defensive tackle | Houston |
221 | New York Giants | Billy Ard | Guard | Wake Forest |
Round nine
Pick # | NFL team | Player | Position | College |
---|---|---|---|---|
222 | New Orleans Saints | Toussaint Tyler | Running back | Washington |
223 | Seattle Seahawks | Jim Stone | Running back | Notre Dame |
224 | New York Giants | Byron Hunt | Linebacker | Southern Methodist |
225 | New York Jets | Admiral Dewey Larry | Defensive back | UNLV |
226 | St. Louis Cardinals | Stump Mitchell | Running back | Citadel |
227 | Green Bay Packers | Tim Huffman | Tackle | Notre Dame |
228 | Tampa Bay Buccaneers | Mike Ford | Quarterback | Southern Methodist |
229 | Cincinnati Bengals | Jim Hannula | Tackle | Northern Illinois |
230 | Cincinnati Bengals(from San Francisco) | Samoa Samoa | Running back | Washington State |
231 | Washington Redskins | Darryl Grant | Guard | Rice |
232 | Chicago Bears | Frank Ditta | Guard | Baylor |
233 | Baltimore Colts | Tim Gooch | Defensive tackle | Kentucky |
234 | Denver Broncos | Rusty Olsen | Defensive end | Washington |
235 | Miami Dolphins | John Noonan | Wide receiver | Nebraska |
236 | Seattle Seahawks | Jim Whatley | Wide receiver | Washington State |
237 | Kansas City Chiefs | Tony Vereen | Defensive back | Southeastern Louisiana |
238 | Detroit Lions | Hugh Jernigan | Defensive back | Arkansas |
239 | Pittsburgh Steelers | James Hunter | Tackle | USC |
240 | Detroit Lions | Dave Martin | Defensive back | Villanova |
241 | Buffalo Bills | Robb Riddick | Running back | Millersville (PA) |
242 | Los Angeles Rams | Ron Seawell | Linebacker | Portland State |
243 | Houston Oilers | Avon Riley | Linebacker | UCLA |
244 | Cleveland Browns | Randy Schleusener | Guard | Nebraska |
245 | Atlanta Falcons | Calvin Fance | Running back | Rice |
246 | Dallas Cowboys | Mike Wilson | Wide receiver | Washington State |
247 | Philadelphia Eagles | Chuck Commiskey | Offensive lineman | Mississippi |
248 | Oakland Raiders | Curt Mohl | Tackle | UCLA |
Round ten
Pick # | NFL team | Player | Position | College |
---|---|---|---|---|
249 | New Orleans Saints | Hokie Gajan | Running back | Louisiana State |
250 | New York Giants | Mike Barker | Defensive tackle | Grambling |
251 | New York Jets | Marty Wetzel | Linebacker | Tulane |
252 | Seattle Seahawks | Ken Dawson | Running back | Savannah State |
253 | St. Louis Cardinals | James Mallard | Wide receiver | Alabama |
254 | Tampa Bay Buccaneers | Ken McCune | Defensive end | Texas |
255 | Green Bay Packers | Nickie Hall | Quarterback | Tulane |
256 | Baltimore Colts | Gregg Gerken | Linebacker | Northern Arizona |
257 | Washington Redskins | Phil Kessel (Sr.) | Quarterback | Northern Michigan |
258 | Cincinnati Bengals | Hubert Simpson | Running back | Tennessee |
259 | Baltimore Colts(from San Francisco) | Trent Bryant | Defensive back | Arkansas |
260 | Chicago Bears | Tim Clifford | Quarterback | Indiana |
261 | Miami Dolphins | Steve Folsom | Tight end | Utah |
262 | Kansas City Chiefs | Les Studdard | Guard | Texas |
263 | St. Louis Cardinals | Jim Joiner | Wide receiver | Miami (FL) |
264 | Detroit Lions | Andy Cannavino | Linebacker | Michigan |
265 | Pittsburgh Steelers | Mike Mayock | Safety | Boston College |
266 | Minnesota Vikings | James Murphy | Wide receiver | Utah State |
267 | Washington Redskins | Allan Kennedy | Tackle | Washington State |
268 | San Diego Chargers | Robert Parham | Running back | Grambling |
269 | Los Angeles Rams | Robert Alexander | Running back | West Virginia |
270 | Houston Oilers | Larry Jones | Running back | Colorado State |
271 | Cleveland Browns | Dean Prater | Defensive end | Oklahoma State |
272 | Buffalo Bills | Justin Cross | Tackle | Western Colorado |
273 | Dallas Cowboys | Pat Graham | Defensive tackle | California |
274 | Atlanta Falcons | Robert Murphy | Defensive back | Ohio State |
275 | Philadelphia Eagles | Hubie Oliver | Running back | Arizona |
276 | Oakland Raiders | Frank Hawkins | Running back | Nevada |
Round eleven
Pick # | NFL team | Player | Position | College |
---|---|---|---|---|
277 | New Orleans Saints | Lester Mickens | Wide receiver | Kansas |
278 | New York Jets | Ed Gall | Defensive tackle | Maryland |
279 | Seattle Seahawks | Lance Olander | Running back | Colorado |
280 | San Diego Chargers | Matt Petrzelka | Tackle | Iowa |
281 | St. Louis Cardinals | Mike Sherrod | Tight end | Illinois |
282 | Green Bay Packers | Forrest Valora | Linebacker | Oklahoma |
283 | Tampa Bay Buccaneers | Johnny Ray Smith | Defensive back | Lamar |
284 | Washington Redskins | Jerry Hill | Wide receiver | North Alabama |
285 | Cincinnati Bengals | Robert Jackson | Defensive back | Central Michigan |
286 | San Francisco 49ers | Rob DeBose | Tight end | UCLA |
287 | Chicago Bears | Lonnie Johnson | Running back | Indiana |
288 | Baltimore Colts | Holden Smith | Wide receiver | California |
289 | Kansas City Chiefs | Frank Case | Defensive end | Penn State |
290 | Denver Broncos | Pat Walker | Wide receiver | Miami (FL) |
291 | Miami Dolphins | Jim Jensen | Quarterback | Boston University |
292 | Pittsburgh Steelers | Rick Trocano | Quarterback | Pittsburgh |
293 | Minnesota Vikings | Brent Knourek | Fullback | Oregon State |
294 | Detroit Lions | Willie Jackson | Defensive back | Mississippi State |
295 | New England Patriots | Brian Buckley | Quarterback | Harvard |
296 | Los Angeles Rams | Marcellus Greene | Defensive back | Arizona |
297 | Houston Oilers | Claude Matthews | Guard | Auburn |
298 | Cleveland Browns | Larry Friday | Defensive back | Mississippi State |
299 | Buffalo Bills | Buster Barnett | Tight end | Jackson State |
300 | San Diego Chargers | Carlos Bradley | Linebacker | Wake Forest |
301 | Atlanta Falcons | Keith Chappelle | Wide receiver | Iowa |
302 | Dallas Cowboys | Tim Morrison | Guard | Georgia |
303 | Philadelphia Eagles | Gail Davis | Defensive tackle | Virginia Union |
304 | Oakland Raiders | Chester Willis | Running back | Auburn |
Round twelve
Pick # | NFL team | Player | Position | College |
---|---|---|---|---|
305 | New Orleans Saints | Jim Wilks | Defensive tackle | San Diego State |
306 | Seattle Seahawks | Jeff Bednarek | Defensive tackle | Pacific |
307 | New York Giants | Mike Maher | Tight end | Western Illinois |
308 | New York Jets | Mike Moeller | Tackle | Drake |
309 | St. Louis Cardinals | Joe Adams | Guard | Nebraska |
310 | Tampa Bay Buccaneers | Brad White | Defensive tackle | Tennessee |
311 | Green Bay Packers | Cliff Lewis | Linebacker | Southern Mississippi |
312 | Cincinnati Bengals | Mark O'Connell | Quarterback | Ball State |
313 | San Francisco 49ers | Major Ogilvie | Running back | Alabama |
314 | Washington Redskins | Clint Didier | Tight end | Portland State |
315 | Baltimore Colts | Eric Scoggins | Linebacker | USC |
316 | Chicago Bears | Bob Shupryt | Linebacker | New Mexico |
317 | Denver Broncos | John Hankerd | Linebacker | Notre Dame |
318 | Miami Dolphins | John Alford | Defensive tackle | South Carolina State |
319 | Kansas City Chiefs | Bob Gagliano | Quarterback | Utah State |
320 | Minnesota Vikings | Brian Williams | Tight end | Southern |
321 | Denver Broncos | Mandel Robinson | Running back | Wyoming |
322 | San Francisco 49ers(from Pittsburgh) | Joe Adams | Quarterback | Tennessee State |
323 | New England Patriots | Cris Crissy | Defensive back | Princeton |
324 | Houston Oilers | Bill Capece | Kicker | Florida State |
325 | Cleveland Browns | Kevin McGill | Tackle | Oregon |
326 | Buffalo Bills | Keith Clark | Linebacker | Memphis State |
327 | San Diego Chargers | Stacy Charles | Wide receiver | Bethune-Cookman |
328 | Los Angeles Rams | Jairo Penaranda | Running back | UCLA |
329 | Dallas Cowboys | Nate Lundy | Wide receiver | Indiana |
330 | Atlanta Falcons | Mark McCants | Defensive back | Temple |
331 | Philadelphia Eagles | Ray Ellis | Defensive back | Ohio State |
332 [6] | Oakland Raiders | Phil Nelson | Tight end | Delaware |
= Pro Bowler [3] | = Hall of Famer |
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.[7]
- 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.[7]
- 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.[8]
- Howie Long, defensive tackle from Villanova, taken 2nd round 48th overall by the Oakland Raiders
- Inducted: Professional Football Hall of Fame class of 2000.[8]
- Rickey Jackson, linebacker from Pittsburgh, taken 2nd round 51st overall by the New Orleans Saints
- Inducted: Professional Football Hall of Fame class of 2010.[9]
- Russ Grimm, offensive guard from Pittsburgh, taken 3rd round 69th overall by the Washington Redskins
- Inducted: Professional Football Hall of Fame class of 2010.[9]
- 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[3] | = Hall of Famer |
References
- "NFL Draft Locations". FootballGeography.com. October 2, 2014. Archived from the original on September 5, 2015. Retrieved October 23, 2014.
- Salomone, Dan (October 2, 2014). "NFL Draft headed to Chicago in 2015". Giants.com. New York Giants. Archived from the original on September 30, 2015. Retrieved June 3, 2015.
- Players are identified as a Pro Bowler if they were selected for the Pro Bowl at any time in their career.
- Players are identified as a Hall of Famer if they have been inducted into the Pro Football Hall of Fame.
- "Heisman Trophy". Archived from the original on October 30, 2013. Retrieved August 14, 2013.
- This last selection is commonly referred to as Mr. Irrelevant.
- List of 1990s Hall of Fame Inductee's at profootballhof.com "Pro Football Hall of Fame". Archived from the original on July 31, 2008. Retrieved October 11, 2008.
- List of 2000s Hall of Fame Inductee's at profootballhof.com "Pro Football Hall of Fame". Archived from the original on July 31, 2008. Retrieved October 11, 2008.
- Pro Football Hall of Fame Class of 2010 announced "Pro Football Hall of Fame". Archived from the original on February 7, 2010. Retrieved February 7, 2010.
External links
- NFL.com – 1981 Draft
- databaseFootball.com – 1981 Draft
- Pro Football Hall of Fame
- VIDEO: 1981 NFL Draft (via YouTube): Part 1 – Part 2 – Part 3 – Part
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