The 1976 NFL draft was an annual player selection meeting held April 8–9, 1976, at the Roosevelt Hotel in New York City, New York.[1][2]
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The draft lasted 17 rounds, with the expansion Tampa Bay Buccaneers and Seattle Seahawks making the first two selections. The Buccaneers were awarded the first overall pick of the draft after winning a draw over the Seahawks, and used that pick to select defensive tackle Lee Roy Selmon. The expansion teams were also given a pair of extra picks at the end of each of rounds 2–5. The 1976 draft was the final NFL draft to last seventeen rounds; it was reduced to twelve rounds in 1977, and it was the first draft to officially have the infamous unofficial award, "Mr. Irrelevant", for the final player selected. Like 1974, the 1976 draft is generally regarded as one of the worst quarterback draft classes of all time. No quarterback from the 1976 draft class ever reached the Pro Bowl, an All-Pro team or a Super Bowl, and according to the estimate of Eldorado this quarterback class was the second-worst after 1996.[3] Only first round pick Richard Todd, who led the New York Jets to their first postseason appearances since Super Bowl III in 1981 and 1982, was ever a regular starter.
Five teams lost picks as a penalty for illegally signing former World Football League players: the New York Giants and Chicago Bears lost sixth-round picks, the Washington Redskins lost their seventh-round pick, and the Atlanta Falcons and New York Jets lost their tenth-round selections.[4]
The college draft was originally scheduled for February 3–4, but was postponed when the owners of the Seahawks and Buccaneers filed a lawsuit against the players' union with worries that the organization would try to prevent the expansion draft. The court case delayed both the expansion draft and the annual college draft.[5]
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Also known as offensive guard (OG)
Also known as placekicker (PK)
Also known as inside linebacker (ILB)
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Round one
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Round two
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Round three
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Round four
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Round five
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Round six
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Round seven
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Round eight
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Round nine
More information Pick #, NFL team ...
Pick # | NFL team | Player | Position | College |
238 | Tampa Bay Buccaneers | Bruce Welch | Guard | Texas A&M |
239 | Seattle Seahawks | Bob Bos | Tackle | Iowa State |
240 | New Orleans Saints | Warren Peiffer | Defensive tackle | Iowa |
241 | Buffalo Bills | Jeff Turner | Linebacker | Kansas |
242 | Cleveland Browns | James Reed | Running back | Mississippi |
243 | New England Patriots | Doug Beaudoin | Defensive back | Minnesota |
244 | New York Jets | Ronnie Moore | Wide receiver | Virginia Military Inst. |
245 | Green Bay Packers | Jim Gueno | Linebacker | Tulane |
246 | Atlanta Falcons | Phil McKinnely | Tackle | UCLA |
247 | Philadelphia Eagles | Mike Hogan | Running back | Tennessee-Chattanooga |
248 | Philadelphia Eagles | Richard Osborne | Tight end | Texas A&M |
249 | Kansas City Chiefs | Tim Collier | Defensive back | East Texas State |
250 | San Francisco 49ers | Ken Harrison | Wide receiver | Southern Methodist |
251 | San Diego Chargers | Glynn Harrison | Running back | Georgia |
252 | Denver Broncos | Jim Czirr | Center | Michigan |
253 | Detroit Lions | Leanell Jones | Tight end | Long Beach State |
254 | Washington Redskins | Curtis Akins | Guard | Hawaii |
255 | Buffalo Bills | Bob Kotzur | Defensive tackle | Southwest Texas State |
256 | Houston Oilers | Art Stringer | Linebacker | Ball State |
257 | Miami Dolphins | Norris Thomas | Defensive back | Southern Mississippi |
258 | Baltimore Colts | Stu Levenick | Tackle | Illinois |
259 | Cincinnati Bengals | Lonnie Allgood | Wide Receiver | Syracuse |
260 | Denver Broncos | Jim Lisko | Linebacker | Arkansas State |
261 | Cleveland Browns | Craig Nagel | Quarterback | Purdue |
262 | Minnesota Vikings | Isaac Hagins | Wide Receiver | Southern |
263 | Los Angeles Rams | Jeb Church | Defensive back | Stanford |
264 | Dallas Cowboys | Beasley Reece | Defensive back | North Texas State |
265 | Pittsburgh Steelers | Wentford Gaines | Defensive back | Cincinnati |
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Round ten
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Pick # | NFL team | Player | Position | College |
266 | Seattle Seahawks | Randy Coffield | Linebacker | Florida State |
267 | Tampa Bay Buccaneers | Sid Smith | Linebacker | Brigham Young |
268 | San Diego Chargers | Jeff Perlinger | Defensive end | Michigan |
269 | New Orleans Saints | Junior Hardin | Linebacker | Eastern Kentucky |
270 | New England Patriots | Ricky Feacher | Wide receiver | Mississippi Valley State |
271 | Cleveland Browns | Doug Kleber | Tackle | Illinois |
272 | Washington Redskins | Paul Strohmeier | Linebacker | Washington |
273 | Philadelphia Eagles | Herb Lusk | Running back | Long Beach State |
274 | Green Bay Packers | Jessie Green | Wide receiver | Tulsa |
275 | San Francisco 49ers | Robin Ross | Tackle | Washington State |
276 | New York Giants | John Thomas | Running back | Valley City State |
277 | Kansas City Chiefs | Whitney Paul | Defensive end | Colorado |
278 | Denver Broncos | Art Gilliam | Defensive end | Grambling |
279 | Detroit Lions | Bill Bowerman | Defensive back | New Mexico State |
280 | Buffalo Bills | Keith Moody | Defensive back | Syracuse |
281 | Miami Dolphins | Gary Fencik | Safety | Yale |
282 | Miami Dolphins | Don Testerman | Running back | Clemson |
283 | Baltimore Colts | Tim Baylor | Defensive back | Morgan State |
284 | Houston Oilers | Steve Kincannon | Quarterback | Humboldt State |
285 | St. Louis Cardinals | Randy Walker | Running back | Bethune-Cookman |
286 | Oakland Raiders | Dwight Lewis | Defensive back | Purdue |
287 | Cincinnati Bengals | Tom Klaban | Kicker | Ohio State |
288 | Los Angeles Rams | Freeman Johns | Wide receiver | Southern Methodist |
289 | Minnesota Vikings | Bill Salmon | Quarterback | Northern Iowa |
290 | Dallas Cowboys | Leroy Cook | Defensive end | Alabama |
291 | Pittsburgh Steelers | Gary Campbell | Linebacker | Colorado |
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Round eleven
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Pick # | NFL team | Player | Position | College |
292 | Tampa Bay Buccaneers | Melvin Washington | Defensive back | Colorado State |
293 | Seattle Seahawks | Keith Muehr | Punter | Southwestern Louisiana |
294 | New Orleans Saints | Greg Kokal | Quarterback | Kent State |
295 | San Diego Chargers | Ray Preston | Linebacker | Syracuse |
296 | New York Jets | Lawrence Pillers | Defensive end | Alcorn State |
297 | Cleveland Browns | Chuck Celek | Defensive end | Kent State |
298 | New England Patriots | Donnie Thomas | Linebacker | Indiana |
299 | Chicago Bears | Norman Andersen | Wide receiver | UCLA |
300 | Philadelphia Eagles | Mike Gilbert | Defensive tackle | San Diego State |
301 | Green Bay Packers | Curtis Leak | Wide receiver | Johnson C. Smith |
302 | Atlanta Falcons | Chuck Brislin | Tackle | Mississippi State |
303 | New York Giants | Craig Brantley | Wide receiver | Clemson |
304 | Kansas City Chiefs | Bob Squires | Tight end | Hastings |
305 | San Francisco 49ers | Paul Hofer | Running back | Mississippi |
306 | Denver Broncos | Greg Pittman | Linebacker | Iowa State |
307 | Detroit Lions | Gary Shugrue | Defensive end | Villanova |
308 | Washington Redskins | Dean Gissler | Defensive end | Nebraska |
309 | Buffalo Bills | Forry Smith | Wide receiver | Iowa State |
310 | Baltimore Colts | Rick Gibney | Defensive tackle | Georgia Tech |
311 | Houston Oilers | Skip Walker | Running back | Texas A&M |
312 | Miami Dolphins | Dexter Pride | Running back | Minnesota |
313 | Oakland Raiders | Rick Jennings | Running back | Maryland |
314 | Cincinnati Bengals | Melvin Morgan | Defensive back | Mississippi Valley State |
315 | St. Louis Cardinals | Marty Akins | Defensive back | Texas |
316 | Minnesota Vikings | Steve Kracher | Running back | Montana State |
317 | Los Angeles Rams | Brian Nemeth | Tight end | South Carolina |
318 | Dallas Cowboys | Cornelius Greene | Quarterback | Ohio State |
319 | Pittsburgh Steelers | Rolland Fuchs | Running back | Arkansas |
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Round twelve
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Pick # | NFL team | Player | Position | College |
320 | Seattle Seahawks | Ron Barnett | Wide receiver | Texas-Arlington |
321 | Tampa Bay Buccaneers | George Ragsdale | Running back | North Carolina A&T |
322 | San Diego Chargers | Ron Lee | Defensive back | Oregon |
323 | New Orleans Saints | Milton Butts | Tackle | North Carolina |
324 | Houston Oilers | Larry Bell | Tackle | East Texas State |
325 | New England Patriots | Nathaniel Bell | Defensive tackle | Tulane |
326 | New York Jets | Don Buckey | Wide receiver | North Carolina State |
327 | New York Jets | Dave Buckey | Quarterback | North Carolina State |
328 | Green Bay Packers | Melvin Jackson | Guard | USC |
329 | Atlanta Falcons | Pat Bolton | Kicker | Montana State |
330 | Chicago Bears | John O'Leary | Running back | Nebraska |
331 | Kansas City Chiefs | Harold Porter | Wide receiver | Southwestern Louisiana |
332 | San Francisco 49ers | Gerald Loper | Guard | Florida |
333 | New York Giants | Jerry Golsteyn | Quarterback | Northern Illinois |
334 | Denver Broncos | Randy Moore | Defensive tackle | Arizona State |
335 | Detroit Lions | Mike McCabe | Center | South Carolina |
336 | Buffalo Bills | Joe Lowery | Running back | Jackson State |
337 | Washington Redskins | Walter Tullis | Defensive back | Delaware State |
338 | San Diego Chargers | Herman Harris | Defensive back | Mississippi Valley State |
339 | Miami Dolphins | Randy Young | Tackle | Iowa State |
340 | Baltimore Colts | Frank Stavroff | Kicker | Indiana |
341 | Cincinnati Bengals | Joe Dale Harris | Wide receiver | Alabama |
342 | Miami Dolphins | Darryl Brandford | Defensive tackle | Northwestern |
343 | Oakland Raiders | Cedric Brown | Defensive back | Kent State |
344 | Los Angeles Rams | Jim Jodat | Running back | Carthage |
345 | Minnesota Vikings | Robert Sparks | Defensive back | San Francisco State |
346 | Dallas Cowboys | Charles McShane | Linebacker | Cal Lutheran |
347 | Pittsburgh Steelers | Bill Carroll | Wide receiver | East Texas State |
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Round thirteen
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Pick # | NFL team | Player | Position | College |
348 | Tampa Bay Buccaneers | Brad Jenkins | Tight end | Nebraska |
349 | Seattle Seahawks | Andy Reid | Running back | Georgia |
350 | New Orleans Saints | Kenny Downing | Defensive back | Missouri |
351 | San Diego Chargers | John Lee | Defensive tackle | Nebraska |
352 | New England Patriots | James Jones | Defensive back | Central Michigan |
353 | Philadelphia Eagles | Terry Tautolo | Linebacker | UCLA |
354 | Cleveland Browns | Brian Murray | Tackle | Arizona |
355 | Green Bay Packers | Bradley Bowman | Defensive back | Southern Mississippi |
356 | Atlanta Falcons | Mike Williams | Tackle | Florida |
357 | Chicago Bears | Dale Kasowski | Running back | North Dakota |
358 | Philadelphia Eagles | Steve Ebbecke | Defensive back | Villanova |
359 | San Francisco 49ers | Larry Brumfield | Defensive back | Indiana State |
360 | New York Giants | Rick Caswell | Wide receiver | Western Kentucky |
361 | Kansas City Chiefs | Joe Bruner | Quarterback | N.E. Louisiana |
362 | Denver Broncos | Donnie McGraw | Defensive back | Houston |
363 | Detroit Lions | Mel Jacobs | Wide receiver | San Diego State |
364 | Washington Redskins | Wayman Britt | Defensive back | Michigan |
365 | Buffalo Bills | Will Wilcox | Guard | Texas |
366 | Miami Dolphins | Bernie Head | Center | Tulsa |
367 | Oakland Raiders | Craig Crnick | Defensive end | Idaho |
368 | Houston Oilers | Dan O'Rourke | Wide receiver | Colorado State |
369 | St. Louis Cardinals | Greg Brewton | Defensive tackle | Michigan State |
370 | Oakland Raiders | Mark Young | Tackle | Washington State |
371 | Cincinnati Bengals | Randy Walker | Defensive back | Miami (OH) |
372 | Minnesota Vikings | Gary Paulson | Defensive end | Colorado State |
373 | Los Angeles Rams | Steve Hamilton | Quarterback | Emporia State |
374 | Dallas Cowboys | Mark Driscoll | Quarterback | Colorado State |
375 | Pittsburgh Steelers | Larry Kain | Tight end | Ohio State |
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Round fourteen
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Pick # | NFL team | Player | Position | College |
376 | Seattle Seahawks | Jarvis Blinks | Defensive back | Northwest Louisiana |
377 | Tampa Bay Buccaneers | Carl Roaches | Wide receiver | Texas A&M |
378 | San Diego Chargers | Ed Jones | Guard | Cincinnati |
379 | New Orleans Saints | Rich Hucke | Defensive end | Western Montana |
380 | New York Jets | Al Gluchoski | Center | West Virginia |
381 | Cleveland Browns | Joe Smalzer | Tight end | Illinois |
382 | New England Patriots | David Quehl | Wide receiver | Holy Cross |
383 | Atlanta Falcons | Mark Husfloen | Defensive end | Washington State |
384 | Chicago Bears | Ron Cuie | Running back | Oregon State |
385 | Philadelphia Eagles | Melvin Shy | Defensive back | Tennessee State |
386 | Green Bay Packers | John Henson | Running back | Cal Poly-San Luis Obispo |
387 | New York Giants | Jerry Mullane | Linebacker | Lehigh |
388 | Kansas City Chiefs | Rick Thurman | Tackle | Texas |
389 | San Francisco 49ers | Johnny Miller | Linebacker | Livingstone College |
390 | Denver Broncos | Larry Evans | Linebacker | Mississippi College |
391 | Detroit Lions | Leonard Elston | Wide receiver | Kentucky State |
392 | Buffalo Bills | Tony Williams | Wide receiver | Middle Tennessee State |
393 | Washington Redskins | Quinn Buckner | Defensive back | Indiana |
394 | Baltimore Colts | Jeremiah Cummings | Defensive end | Albany State |
395 | Houston Oilers | John Reimer | Tackle | Wisconsin |
396 | Miami Dolphins | Bob Gissler | Linebacker | South Dakota State |
397 | Oakland Raiders | Calvin Young | Running back | Fresno State |
398 | Cincinnati Bengals | Greg Coleman | Punter | Florida A&M |
399 | St. Louis Cardinals | Raymond Crosier | Defensive end | Abilene Christian |
400 | Los Angeles Rams | Al Burleson | Defensive back | Washington |
401 | Minnesota Vikings | Jeff Stapleton | Tackle | Purdue |
402 | Dallas Cowboys | Larry Mushinskie | Tight end | Nebraska |
403 | Pittsburgh Steelers | Wayne Field | Defensive back | Florida |
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Round fifteen
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Pick # | NFL team | Player | Position | College |
404 | Tampa Bay Buccaneers | Bob Dzierzak | Defensive tackle | Utah State |
405 | Seattle Seahawks | Dan Smith | Tackle | Washington State |
406 | New Orleans Saints | Steve Seminoff | Defensive tackle | Wichita State |
407 | San Diego Chargers | Jack Hoffman | Defensive tackle | Indiana |
408 | Cleveland Browns | Luther Philyaw | Defensive back | Loyola (CA) |
409 | New England Patriots | Bernard Coleman | Wide receiver | Bethune-Cookman |
410 | New York Jets | Rick Faulk | Punter | San Francisco State |
411 | Chicago Bears | Jerry Meyers | Defensive tackle | Northern Illinois |
412 | Philadelphia Eagles | Brett White | Punter | UCLA |
413 | Green Bay Packers | Jerry Dandridge | Linebacker | Memphis State |
414 | Atlanta Falcons | Ron Olson | Defensive back | Washington |
415 | Kansas City Chiefs | Dave Rozumek | Linebacker | New Hampshire |
416 | San Francisco 49ers | Howard Stidham | Linebacker | Tennessee Tech |
417 | New York Giants | Eddie Morgan | Defensive tackle | Arkansas State |
418 | Denver Broncos | Wilbur Summers | Punter | Louisville |
419 | Detroit Lions | Trent Smock | Wide receiver | Indiana |
420 | St. Louis Cardinals | Lee Nelson | Defensive back | Florida State |
421 | Buffalo Bills | Arnold Robinson | Linebacker | Bethune-Cookman |
422 | Houston Oilers | Bobby Byars | Defensive back | Cheyney (PA) |
423 | Miami Dolphins | Ron Holmes | Running back | Utah State |
424 | Baltimore Colts | Gary Alexander | Tackle | Clemson |
425 | Cincinnati Bengals | Lynn Hieber | Quarterback | Indiana (PA) |
426 | Washington Redskins | John Monroe | Running back | Bluefield State |
427 | Oakland Raiders | Carl Hargrave | Defensive back | Upper Iowa |
428 | Minnesota Vikings | Ron Groce | Running back | Macalester |
429 | Los Angeles Rams | Malcolm Campbell | Wide receiver | Cal State-Los Angeles |
430 | Dallas Cowboys | Dale Curry | Linebacker | UCLA |
431 | Pittsburgh Steelers | Mel Davis | Defensive end | North Texas State |
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Round sixteen
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Pick # | NFL team | Player | Position | College |
432 | Seattle Seahawks | Jeff Urczyk | Guard | Georgia Tech |
433 | Tampa Bay Buccaneers | Tommy West | Linebacker | Tennessee |
434 | San Diego Chargers | Jack Harrison | Guard | California |
435 | New Orleans Saints | Gene Jones | Tackle | Bowling Green |
436 | New England Patriots | Clifford Brown | Defensive tackle | Tuskegee |
437 | New York Jets | James Godwin | Running back | Fayetteville |
438 | Cleveland Browns | Chris Lorenzen | Defensive tackle | Arizona State |
439 | Philadelphia Eagles | Steve Campassi | Running back | Kentucky |
440 | Green Bay Packers | Mike Timmermans | Guard | Northern Iowa |
441 | Atlanta Falcons | Pat Curto | Linebacker | Ohio State |
442 | Chicago Bears | Ronald Parker | Tight end | Texas Christian |
443 | San Francisco 49ers | Reggie Lewis | Defensive end | San Diego State |
444 | New York Giants | David Lawson | Kicker | Air Force |
445 | Kansas City Chiefs | Dennis Anderson | Punter | Arizona |
446 | Denver Broncos | John Huddleston | Linebacker | Utah |
447 | Detroit Lions | Craig McCurdy | Linebacker | William & Mary |
448 | Buffalo Bills | Gary Gorrell | Linebacker | Boise State |
449 | Baltimore Colts | Mike Fuhrman | Tight end | Memphis State |
450 | Miami Dolphins | Mike Green | Punter | Ohio |
451 | Baltimore Colts | Steve Ludwig | Center | Miami (FL) |
452 | Houston Oilers | Claude Johnson | Linebacker | Florida A&M |
453 | St. Louis Cardinals | Cecil Beaird | Wide receiver | Fisk |
454 | Oakland Raiders | Doug Hogan | Defensive back | USC |
455 | Cincinnati Bengals | George Demopoulis | Tackle | Miami (FL) |
456 | Los Angeles Rams | Rick Gage | Wide receiver | Arkansas Tech |
457 | Minnesota Vikings | Randy Hickel | Defensive back | Montana State |
458 | Dallas Cowboys | Rick Costanzo | Tackle | Nebraska |
459 | Pittsburgh Steelers | Randy Butts | Running back | Kearney State |
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Round seventeen
More information Pick #, NFL team ...
Pick # | NFL team | Player | Position | College |
460 | Tampa Bay Buccaneers | Jack Berry | Quarterback | Washington & Lee |
461 | Seattle Seahawks | Chris Rowland | Quarterback | Washington |
462 | New Orleans Saints | Scott MacDonald | Tight end | West Virginia |
463 | San Diego Chargers | Clarence Sanders | Linebacker | Cincinnati |
464 | New York Jets | Darwin Willie | Tight end | Tulane |
465 | Cleveland Browns | Tom Fleming | Wide receiver | Dartmouth |
466 | New England Patriots | Todd Anderson | Center | Stanford |
467 | Green Bay Packers | Ray Hall | Tight end | Cal Poly-San Luis Obispo |
468 | Atlanta Falcons | Tony Green | Defensive back | Texas Tech |
469 | Chicago Bears | Mike Malham | Linebacker | Arkansas State |
470 | Philadelphia Eagles | Anthony Terry | Defensive back | California-Davis |
471 | New York Giants | Steve Curnutte | Defensive back | Vanderbilt |
472 | Kansas City Chiefs | Pat McNeil | Running back | Baylor |
473 | San Francisco 49ers | Darryl Jenkins | Running back | San Jose State |
474 | Denver Broncos | Randy Cozens | Defensive end | Pittsburgh |
475 | Detroit Lions | Jim Meeks | Defensive back | Boise State |
476 | Washington Redskins | Chuck Wills | Defensive back | Oregon |
477 | Buffalo Bills | Bob Berg | Kicker | New Mexico |
478 | Oakland Raiders | Buddy Tate | Defensive back | Tulsa |
479 | Houston Oilers | Allen Misher | Wide receiver | Louisiana State |
480 | Miami Dolphins | Jeff Grantz | Quarterback | South Carolina |
481 | Oakland Raiders | Nate Beasley | Running back | Delaware |
482 | Cincinnati Bengals | Scott Dannelley | Guard | Ohio State |
483 | St. Louis Cardinals | Dan Myers | Defensive back | Georgia Tech |
484 | Minnesota Vikings | Rich Lukowski | Defensive tackle | West Virginia |
485 | Los Angeles Rams | Gary Shaw | Defensive back | Brigham Young |
486 | Dallas Cowboys | Stan Woodfill | Kicker | Oregon |
487 [9] | Pittsburgh Steelers | Kelvin Kirk | Wide receiver | Dayton |
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= Pro Bowler [6] | |
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= Hall of Famer |
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- Steve Largent, wide receiver from Tulsa, taken 4th round 117th overall by Houston Oilers
- Inducted: Professional Football Hall of Fame class of 1995.[10]
- Lee Roy Selmon, defensive end from Oklahoma, taken 1st round 1st overall by Tampa Bay Buccaneers
- Inducted: Professional Football Hall of Fame class of 1995.[10]
- Mike Haynes, cornerback from Arizona State, taken 1st round 5th overall by New England Patriots
- Inducted: Professional Football Hall of Fame class of 1997.[10]
- Jackie Slater, offensive tackle from Jackson State, taken 3rd round 86th overall by Los Angeles Rams
- Inducted: Professional Football Hall of Fame class of 2001.[11]
- Harry Carson, linebacker from South Carolina State, taken 4th round 105th overall by New York Giants
- Inducted: Professional Football Hall of Fame class of 2006.[11]
Wire Services. "Bucs Open Draft By Taking Leroy Selmon". The Sarasota Journal. 8 Apr 1976
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.