1977 NFL Draft
The 1977 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 3–4, 1977, at the Roosevelt Hotel in New York City, New York.[1][2] The league also held its first supplemental draft, which took place after the regular draft and before the regular season.
1977 NFL Draft | |
---|---|
General information | |
Date(s) | May 3–4, 1977 |
Location | Roosevelt Hotel in New York City, NY |
Overview | |
335 total selections in 12 rounds | |
League | NFL |
First selection | Ricky Bell, RB Tampa Bay Buccaneers |
Mr. Irrelevant | Jim Kelleher, RB Minnesota Vikings |
Most selections (18) | Cincinnati Bengals Pittsburgh Steelers |
Fewest selections (6) | Washington Redskins |
Hall of Famers | 3
|
This was the first draft in the common draft era (since 1967) to be 12 rounds, five rounds fewer than drafts of 1967–1976. The draft remained at 12 rounds through 1992 before being reduced to seven, where it has remained through 2022.
The draft began with commissioner Pete Rozelle dedicating a moment of silence to California Golden Bears quarterback Joe Roth, one of the most electric passers in college football who was eligible for the 1977 draft. He died in February from skin cancer at the age of 21.
With the first overall pick of the draft, the Tampa Bay Buccaneers selected running back Ricky Bell.
Player selections
= Pro Bowler [3] | = Hall of Famer |
|
|
Round One-Six
Round Seven
Pick # | NFL team | Player | Position | College |
---|---|---|---|---|
168 | New York Jets | Charles White | Running Back | Bethune-Cookman |
169 | Seattle Seahawks | David Sims | Running Back | Georgia Tech |
170 | Buffalo Bills | Mike Nelms | Defensive Back | Baylor |
171 | New York Jets | Bob Grupp | Defensive Back | Duke |
172 | Green Bay Packers | Derrel Gofourth | Center | Oklahoma State |
173 | Cleveland Browns | Ken Randle | Wide Receiver | USC |
174 | New Orleans Saints | Greg Boykin | Running Back | Northwestern |
175 | Philadelphia Eagles | Charles Johnson | Defensive Tackle | Colorado |
176 | Green Bay Packers | Rell Tipton | Guard | Baylor |
177 | Kansas City Chiefs | Chris Golub | Defensive Back | Kansas |
178 | New York Giants | Al Dixon | Tight End | Iowa State |
179 | Detroit Lions | Tim Black | Linebacker | Baylor |
180 | Miami Dolphins | Bruce Herron | Linebacker | New Mexico |
181 | San Diego Chargers | Ron Bush | Defensive Back | USC |
182 | Chicago Bears | Gerald Butler | Wide Receiver | Nicholls State |
183 | San Francisco 49ers | Jim Van Wagner | Running Back | Michigan Tech |
184 | Cleveland Browns | Blane Smith | Tight End | Purdue |
185 | Denver Broncos | Larry Swider | Punter | Pittsburgh |
186 | Pittsburgh Steelers | Randy Frisch | Defensive Tackle | Missouri |
187 | Cincinnati Bengals | Louis Breeden | Defensive Back | North Carolina Central |
188 | Oakland Raiders | Rich Martini | Wide Receiver | California-Davis |
189 | Cleveland Browns | Bob Lingenfelter | Tackle | Nebraska |
190 | Washington Redskins | Reggie Haynes | Tight End | UNLV |
191 | Dallas Cowboys | Dave Stalls | Defensive Tackle | Northern Colorado |
192 | New England Patriots | Ken Smith | Wide Receiver | Arkansas-Pine Bluff |
193 | Baltimore Colts | Blanchard Carter | Tackle | UNLV |
194 | Cincinnati Bengals | Jim Corbett | Tight End | Pittsburgh |
195 | New York Jets | Kevin Long | Running Back | South Carolina |
Round Eight
Pick # | NFL team | Player | Position | College |
---|---|---|---|---|
196 | Tampa Bay Buccaneers | Randy Hedberg | Quarterback | Minot State |
197 | Buffalo Bills | Greg Morton | Defensive Tackle | Michigan |
198 | Houston Oilers (from Seattle) | Steve Davis | Wide Receiver | Georgia |
199 | New York Giants | Bill Rice | Defensive Tackle | Brigham Young |
200 | New York Jets | Dan Alexander | Defensive Tackle | Louisiana State |
201 | New Orleans Saints | Jimmy Stewart | Defensive Back | Tulsa |
202 | Philadelphia Eagles | Cleveland Franklin | Running Back | Baylor |
203 | Atlanta Falcons | Walter Packer | Wide Receiver | Mississippi State |
204 | Kansas City Chiefs | Ron Olsonoski | Linebacker | St. Thomas (MN) |
205 | Houston Oilers | Eddie Foster | Wide Receiver | Houston |
206 | Green Bay Packers | David Whitehurst | Quarterback | Furman |
207 | Miami Dolphins | Horace Perkins | Defensive Back | Colorado |
208 | Dallas Cowboys | Al Cleveland | Defensive End | Pacific |
209 | Detroit Lions | Mark Griffin | Tackle | North Carolina |
210 | New York Jets | Ed Thompson | Linebacker | Ohio State |
211 | New York Giants | Otis Rodgers | Linebacker | Iowa State |
212 | Denver Broncos | Calvin Culliver | Running Back | Alabama |
213 | Cleveland Browns | Bill Armstrong | Defensive Back | Wake Forest |
214 | Cincinnati Bengals | Jose St. Victor | Guard | Syracuse |
215 | Kansas City Chiefs | Waddell Smith | Wide Receiver | Kansas |
216 | St. Louis Cardinals | Eric Williams | Linebacker | USC |
217 | Pittsburgh Steelers | Phil August | Wide Receiver | Miami (FL) |
218 | Los Angeles Rams | Rod Bockwoldt | Defensive Back | Weber State |
219 | New England Patriots | Brad Benson | Guard | Penn State |
220 | Baltimore Colts | Ken Helms | Tackle | Georgia |
221 | Dallas Cowboys | Fred Williams | Running Back | Arizona State |
222 | Minnesota Vikings | Clint Strozier | Defensive Back | USC |
223 | Oakland Raiders | Terry Robiskie | Running Back | Louisiana State |
Round Nine
Pick # | NFL team | Player | Position | College |
---|---|---|---|---|
224 | Tampa Bay Buccaneers | Byron Hemingway | Linebacker | Boston College |
225 | Seattle Seahawks | George Adzick | Defensive back | Minnesota |
226 | Kansas City Chiefs | Derrick Glanton | Defensive end | Bishop |
227 | New York Jets | Matt Robinson | Quarterback | Georgia |
228 | New York Giants | Ken Mullins | Defensive end | Florida A&M |
229 | Philadelphia Eagles | T.J. Humphreys | Guard | Arkansas State |
230 | Atlanta Falcons | John Maxwell | Tackle | Boston College |
231 | New Orleans Saints | Dave Knowles | Tackle | Indiana |
232 | Houston Oilers | Bill Currier | Defensive back | South Carolina |
233 | Green Bay Packers | Joel Mullins | Tackle | Arkansas State |
234 | Kansas City Chiefs | Dave Green | Tackle | New Mexico |
235 | San Diego Chargers | Gene Washington | Wide receiver | Georgia |
236 | Detroit Lions | Steve Mathieson | Quarterback | Florida State |
237 | Miami Dolphins | Robert Turner | Running back | Oklahoma State |
238 | Chicago Bears | Nick Buonamici | Defensive tackle | Ohio State |
239 | San Francisco 49ers | David Posey | Kicker | Florida |
240 | Cleveland Browns | Daryl Brown | Defensive back | Tufts |
241 | Denver Broncos | Charles Jackson | Defensive tackle | Washington |
242 | Atlanta Falcons | Robert Speer | Defensive end | Arkansas State |
243 | St. Louis Cardinals | Johnny Jackson | Defensive tackle | Southern |
244 | Pittsburgh Steelers | Roosevelt Kelly | Tight end | Eastern Kentucky |
245 | Cincinnati Bengals | Willie Zachary | Wide receiver | Central State (OH) |
246 | Washington Redskins | Mike Northington | Running back | Purdue |
247 | Baltimore Colts | Glen Capriola | Running back | Boston College |
248 | Dallas Cowboys | Mark Cantrell | Center | North Carolina |
249 | New England Patriots | Jerry Vogele | Linebacker | Michigan |
250 | Minnesota Vikings | Scott Studwell | Linebacker | Illinois |
251 | Tampa Bay Buccaneers | Larry Mucker | Wide receiver | Arizona State |
Round Ten
Pick # | NFL team | Player | Position | College |
---|---|---|---|---|
252 | Tampa Bay Buccaneers | Robert Morgan | Running back | Florida |
253 | Pittsburgh Steelers | Alvin Cowans | Defensive back | Florida |
254 | Seattle Seahawks | Sam Adkins | Quarterback | Wichita State |
255 | New York Giants | Mike Jones | Wide receiver | Minnesota |
256 | New York Jets | John Hennessy | Defensive end | Michigan |
257 | Atlanta Falcons | Billy Ryckman | Wide receiver | Louisiana Tech |
258 | New Orleans Saints | Rafael Septién | Kicker | Southwestern Louisiana |
259 | Philadelphia Eagles | John Mastronardo | Wide receiver | Villanova |
260 | Green Bay Packers | Jim Culbreath | Running back | Oklahoma |
261 | Kansas City Chiefs | Mark Vitali | Quarterback | Purdue |
262 | Houston Oilers | Harvey Hull | Linebacker | Mississippi State |
263 | Detroit Lions | Gary Anderson | Guard | Stanford |
264 | Miami Dolphins | Mark Carter | Tight end | Eastern Michigan |
265 | San Diego Chargers | Curtis Townsend | Linebacker | Arkansas |
266 | Chicago Bears | Dennis Breckner | Defensive end | Miami (FL) |
267 | Tampa Bay Buccaneers | Aaron Ball | Linebacker | Fullerton State |
268 | Denver Broncos | Oren Middlebrook | Wide receiver | Arkansas State |
269 | Cleveland Browns | Tom Burkett | Tackle | North Carolina |
270 | St. Louis Cardinals | Jim LeJay | Wide receiver | San Jose State |
271 | Pittsburgh Steelers | Dave LaCrosse | Linebacker | Wake Forest |
272 | Cincinnati Bengals | Bob Bialik | Punter | Hillsdale |
273 | Washington Redskins | James Sykes | Running back | Rice |
274 | Los Angeles Rams | Don Petersen | Tight end | Boston College |
275 | Dallas Cowboys | Steve DeBerg | Quarterback | San Jose State |
276 | New England Patriots | John Rasmussen | Tackle | Wisconsin |
277 | Baltimore Colts | Ron Baker | Guard | Oklahoma State |
278 | Minnesota Vikings | Dan Beaver | Kicker | Illinois |
279 | New England Patriots | Giles Alexander | Defensive end | Tulsa |
Round Eleven
Pick # | NFL team | Player | Position | College |
---|---|---|---|---|
280 | Tampa Bay Buccaneers | Chuck Rodgers | Defensive back | North Dakota State |
281 | Seattle Seahawks | Bill Westbeld | Tackle | Dayton |
282 | Buffalo Bills | Nate Jackson | Running back | Tennessee State |
283 | Philadelphia Eagles | Rocco Moore | Tackle | Western Michigan |
284 | New York Giants | Bill Helms | Tight end | San Diego State |
285 | New Orleans Saints | John Blain | Tackle | San Jose State |
286 | Philadelphia Eagles | Mike Cordova | Quarterback | Stanford |
287 | Atlanta Falcons | Dave Farmer | Running back | USC |
288 | Kansas City Chiefs | Maurice Mitchell | Wide receiver | Northern Michigan |
289 | Houston Oilers | Al Romano | Linebacker | Pittsburgh |
290 | Green Bay Packers | Terry Randolph | Defensive back | American International |
291 | Miami Dolphins | John Alexander | Defensive end | Rutgers |
292 | Cincinnati Bengals | Joel Parrish | Guard | Georgia |
293 | Detroit Lions | Tony Daykin | Linebacker | Georgia Tech |
294 | Chicago Bears | Connie Zelencik | Center | Purdue |
295 | San Francisco 49ers | Brian Billick | Tight end | Brigham Young |
296 | Cleveland Browns | Charles Nash | Wide receiver | Arizona |
297 | Denver Broncos | Phil Heck | Linebacker | California |
298 | Pittsburgh Steelers | Lou West | Defensive back | Cincinnati |
299 | Cincinnati Bengals | Carl Allen | Defensive back | Southern Mississippi |
300 | Washington Redskins | Don Harris | Defensive back | Rutgers |
301 | St. Louis Cardinals | Greg Lee | Defensive back | Western Illinois |
302 | Los Angeles Rams | Carson Long | Kicker | Pittsburgh |
303 | New England Patriots | Ray Costict | Linebacker | Mississippi State |
304 | Baltimore Colts | Brian Ruff | Linebacker | The Citadel |
305 | Dallas Cowboys | Don Wardlow | Tight end | Washington |
306 | Minnesota Vikings | Keith Hartwig | Wide receiver | Arizona |
307 | New York Jets | Dave Butterfield | Defensive back | Nebraska |
Round Twelve
Pick # | NFL team | Player | Position | College |
---|---|---|---|---|
308 | Tampa Bay Buccaneers | Chip Sheffield | Wide receiver | Lenoir-Rhyne |
309 | Buffalo Bills | Charles Romes | Defensive back | North Carolina Central |
310 | Pittsburgh Steelers | Jimmy Stephens | Tight end | Florida |
311 | New York Giants | Elmo Simmons | Running back | Texas-Arlington |
312 | New York Jets | Phil Gargis | Running back | Auburn |
313 | New York Jets | Dave Conrad | Tackle | Maryland |
314 | St. Louis Cardinals | Don Parrish | Defensive end | Pittsburgh |
315 | New Orleans Saints | Oakley Dalton | Defensive tackle | Jackson State |
316 | Houston Oilers | Ove Johansson | Kicker | Abilene Christian |
317 | Oakland Raiders | Rod Martin | Linebacker | USC |
318 | Kansas City Chiefs | Ray Burks | Linebacker | UCLA |
319 | San Diego Chargers | Jim Stansik | Tight end | Eastern Michigan |
320 | Detroit Lions | Dave Greenwood | Guard | Iowa State |
321 | Miami Dolphins | Terry Anderson | Wide receiver | Bethune-Cookman |
322 | Chicago Bears | Terry Irvin | Defensive back | Jackson State |
323 | San Francisco 49ers | Scott Martin | Guard | North Dakota |
324 | Denver Broncos | Scott Levenhagen | Tight end | Western Illinois |
325 | Cleveland Browns | Leo Tierney | Center | Georgia Tech |
326 | Cincinnati Bengals | Alex Percival | Wide receiver | Morehouse (GA) |
327 | Washington Redskins | Curtis Kirkland | Defensive end | Missouri |
328 | St. Louis Cardinals | Rick Fenlaw | Linebacker | Texas |
329 | Seattle Seahawks | I. V. Wilson | Defensive tackle | Tulsa |
330 | Los Angeles Rams | Barry Caudill | Center | Southern Mississippi |
331 | Baltimore Colts | Bill Deutsch | Running back | North Dakota |
332 | Dallas Cowboys | Greg Peters | Guard | California |
333 | New England Patriots | Dave Preston | Running back | Bowling Green |
334 | Oakland Raiders | Rolf Benirschke | Kicker | California-Davis |
335 [5] | Minnesota Vikings | Jim Kelleher | Running back | Colorado |
= Pro Bowler [3] | = Hall of Famer |
Supplemental draft
Rnd. | Pick No. | NFL team | Player | Pos. | College | Conf. | Notes | |
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
3 | Seattle Seahawks | Al Hunter | RB | Notre Dame | Ind. |
Hall of Famers
- Tony Dorsett, running back from Pittsburgh, taken 1st round 2nd overall by Dallas Cowboys
- Inducted: Professional Football Hall of Fame class of 1994.[6]
- Tony Dungy, safety from Minnesota, undrafted and signed by Pittsburgh Steelers
- Inducted: For his Head Coaching achievements Professional Football Hall of Fame class of 2016.
- Joe Klecko, defensive tackle from Temple, taken 6th round 144th overall by New York Jets
- Inducted: Professional Football Hall of Fame Class of 2023.
Notable undrafted players
† | = Pro Bowler[3] | ‡ | = Hall of Famer[4] |
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.
- 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.