1972 NFL draft

1972 NFL draft
General information
Date(s)	February 1–2, 1972
Location	Essex House in New York City, NY
Overview
442 total selections in 17 rounds
League	NFL
First selection	Walt Patulski, DE Buffalo Bills
Mr. Irrelevant	Alphonso Cain, DT Dallas Cowboys
Most selections (23)	New Orleans Saints
Fewest selections (10)	Washington Redskins
Hall of Famers	2 RB Franco Harris WR Cliff Branch
←  1971 1973  →

The 1972 NFL draft was the thirty-seventh annual meeting of National Football League (NFL) franchises to select newly eligible football players. The draft was held on February 1 and 2 at the Essex House in New York City, New York. ^{[1] [2]}

With the first overall pick of the draft, the Buffalo Bills selected defensive end Walt Patulski. Patulski would become viewed as a draft bust, ^{[3] [4]} for the Bills would release him in 1976 — ironically replacing Patuski with second choice Sherman White of California. Twenty-first century NFL historians have frequently described 1972 as one of the league’s worst draft classes ever, ^{[5] [6] [7]} especially regarding the failure of the majority of first-round draftees, which has become viewed worse than other notably weak drafts like 2002 and 2009. ^{[8] [6]} Only seven of thirty first rounders made even one Pro Bowl, and the whole 1972 draft produced just two Hall of Fame members, one of whom, wide receiver Cliff Branch, was inducted posthumously. This is the fewest of any draft class since 1959 had only Dick LeBeau reach Canton.

Player selections

= Pro Bowler [note 1]

= Hall of Famer

Jump to round 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 13 14 15 16 17 * = compensatory selection † = Pro Bowler [note 1] ‡ = Hall of Famer [note 2]

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 [lower-alpha 1] K Kicker [lower-alpha 2] KR Kickoff returner LB Linebacker LS Long snapper MLB Middle linebacker [lower-alpha 3] 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 Also known as offensive guard (OG) Also known as placekicker (PK) Also known as inside linebacker (ILB)

Round one

	Rnd.	Pick No.	NFL team	Player	Pos.	College	Conf.	Notes
	1	1	Buffalo Bills	Walt Patulski	DE	Notre Dame	Ind.
	1	2	Cincinnati Bengals	Sherman White	DE	California	Pac-8
	1	3	Chicago Bears	Lionel Antoine	OT	Southern Illinois	Ind.	from N. Y. Giants
	1	4	St. Louis Cardinals	Bobby Moore  †	WR	Oregon	Pac-8
	1	5	Denver Broncos	Riley Odoms  †	TE	Houston	Ind.
	1	6	Houston Oilers	Greg Sampson	DE	Stanford	Pac-8
	1	7	Green Bay Packers	Willie Buchanon  †	CB	San Diego State	Big West
	1	8	New Orleans Saints	Royce Smith	OG	Georgia	SEC
	1	9	New York Jets	Jerome Barkum  †	WR	Jackson State	SWAC
	1	10	Minnesota Vikings	Jeff Siemon  †	LB	Stanford	Pac-8	from New England
	1	11	Green Bay Packers	Jerry Tagge	QB	Nebraska	Big Eight	from San Diego
	1	12	Chicago Bears	Craig Clemons	S	Iowa	Big Ten
	1	13	Pittsburgh Steelers	Franco Harris ‡†	FB	Penn State	Ind.
	1	14	Philadelphia Eagles	John Reaves	QB	Florida	SEC
	1	15	Atlanta Falcons	Clarence Ellis	S	Notre Dame	Ind.
	1	16	Detroit Lions	Herb Orvis	DE	Colorado	Big Eight
	1	17	New York Giants	Eldridge Small	DB	Texas A&I	LSC	from Los Angeles via New England
	1	18	Cleveland Browns	Thom Darden  †	S	Michigan	Big Ten
	1	19	San Francisco 49ers	Terry Beasley	WR	Auburn	SEC
	1	20	New York Jets	Mike Taylor	LB	Michigan	Big Ten	from Washington
	1	21	Oakland Raiders	Mike Siani	WR	Villanova	Ind.
	1	22	Baltimore Colts	Tom Drougas	OT	Oregon	Pac-8
	1	23	Kansas City Chiefs	Jeff Kinney	RB	Nebraska	Big Eight
	1	24	New York Giants	Larry Jacobson	DE	Nebraska	Big Eight	from Minnesota
	1	25	Miami Dolphins	Mike Kadish	DT	Notre Dame	Ind.
	1	26	Dallas Cowboys	Bill Thomas	RB	Boston College	Ind. (Univ.)

Round two

	Rnd.	Pick No.	NFL team	Player	Pos.	College	Conf.	Notes
	2	27	Buffalo Bills	Reggie McKenzie	OG	Michigan	Big Ten
	2	28	San Francisco 49ers	Ralph McGill	S	Tulsa	MVC	from N. Y. Giants
	2	29	Cincinnati Bengals	Tommy Casanova  †	S	LSU	SEC
	2	30	Los Angeles Rams	Jim Bertelsen  †	RB	Texas	SWC	from Denver via San Diego
	2	31	New Orleans Saints	Willie Hall	LB	USC	Pac-8	from Houston
	2	32	St. Louis Cardinals	Mark Arneson	LB	Arizona	WAC
	2	33	Oakland Raiders	Kelvin Korver	OT	Northwestern (IA)	N/A	from New Orleans
	2	34	Green Bay Packers	Chester Marcol  †	K	Hillsdale	Ind. (NAIA)
	2	35	Dallas Cowboys	Robert Newhouse	RB	Houston	Ind.	from New England
	2	36	San Diego Chargers	Pete Lazetich	DE	Stanford	Pac-8
	2	37	Philadelphia Eagles	Dan Yochum	OT	Syracuse	Ind. (Univ.)	from Chicago
	2	38	Pittsburgh Steelers	Gordon Gravelle	OT	BYU	WAC
	2	39	Dallas Cowboys	John Babinecz	LB	Villanova	Ind.	from N. Y. Jets via Oakland through New Orleans
	2	40	Atlanta Falcons	Pat Sullivan	QB	Auburn	SEC	from Philadelphia via Detroit Heisman Trophy winner [9]
	2	41	Atlanta Falcons	Steve Okoniewski	OT	Montana	Big Sky	from Detroit
	2	42	Atlanta Falcons	Rosie Manning	DT	Northeastern State	OCC
	2	43	Oakland Raiders	John Vella	OT	USC	Pac-8
	2	44	San Francisco 49ers	Jean Barrett	OT	Tulsa	MVC
	2	45	Cleveland Browns	Clifford Brooks	CB	Tennessee State	Ind. (Coll.)
	2	46	Baltimore Colts	Jack Mildren	S	Oklahoma	Big Eight	from Oakland
	2	47	Baltimore Colts	Glenn Doughty	WR	Michigan	Big Ten	from Washington
	2	48	Baltimore Colts	Lydell Mitchell  †	RB	Penn State	Ind.
	2	49	New England Patriots	Tom Reynolds	WR	San Diego State	Big West	from Kansas City
	2	50	Minnesota Vikings	Ed Marinaro	RB	Cornell	Ivy
	2	51	Cleveland Browns	Sims, LesterLester Sims	DE	Alabama State	SIAC	from Miami
	2	52	Dallas Cowboys	Charles McKee	WR	Arizona	WAC

Round three

	Rnd.	Pick No.	NFL team	Player	Pos.	College	Conf.	Notes
	3	53	Buffalo Bills	Swendson, FredFred Swendson	DE	Notre Dame	Ind.
	3	54	Cincinnati Bengals	Jim LeClair  †	DE	North Dakota	NCC
	3	55	New York Giants	John Mendenhall	DT	Grambling	SWAC
	3	56	Houston Oilers	Lewis Jolley	RB	North Carolina	ACC
	3	57	St. Louis Cardinals	Tom Beckman	DE	Michigan	Big Ten
	3	58	Denver Broncos	Phillips, BillBill Phillips	LB	Arkansas State	Southland
	3	59	Minnesota Vikings	Bart Buetow	OT	Minnesota	Big Ten	from Green Bay
	3	60	New Orleans Saints	Bob Kuziel	C	Pittsburgh	Ind. (Univ.)
	3	61	San Diego Chargers	Bill McClard	K	Arkansas	SWC
	3	62	Chicago Bears	Johnny Musso	RB	Alabama	SEC
	3	63	Pittsburgh Steelers	John McMakin	TE	Clemson	ACC
	3	64	Dallas Cowboys	Mike Keller	LB	Michigan	Big Ten	from New England
	3	65	Detroit Lions	Ken Sanders	DE	Howard Payne	LSC	from Philadelphia
	3	66	New York Jets	Gary Hammond	WR	SMU	SWC
	3	67	Atlanta Falcons	Les Goodman	RB	Yankton	N/A
	3	68	Philadelphia Eagles	Tom Luken	OG	Purdue	Big Ten	from Detroit
	3	69	New York Giants	Mozisek, TomTom Mozisek	RB	Houston	Ind.	from Los Angeles
	3	70	Los Angeles Rams	Lawrence McCutcheon  †	RB	Colorado State	WAC
	3	71	San Francisco 49ers	Allen Dunbar	WR	Southern	SWAC
	3	72	Oakland Raiders	Mel Lunsford	DT	Central State	Ind. (NAIA)
	3	73	New England Patriots	White, JimJim White	DE	Colorado State	WAC	from Washington via Los Angeles
	3	74	New Orleans Saints	Tom Myers  †	S	Syracuse	Ind. (Univ.)	from Baltimore via Oakland
	3	75	Houston Oilers	Soloman Freelon	OG	Grambling	SWAC	from Kansas City
	3	76	Philadelphia Eagles	Bobby Majors	DB	Tennessee	SEC	from Minnesota
	3	77	Miami Dolphins	Gary Kosins	RB	Dayton	Ind. (Univ.)
	3	78	Dallas Cowboys	Marv Bateman	P	Utah	WAC

Round four

	Rnd.	Pick No.	NFL team	Player	Pos.	College	Conf.	Notes
	4	79	Buffalo Bills	Randy Jackson	RB	Wichita State	MVC
	4	80	Pittsburgh Steelers	Brinkley, LorenzoLorenzo Brinkley	DB	Missouri	Big Eight	from N. Y. Giants
	4	81	Cincinnati Bengals	Bernard Jackson	CB	Washington State	Pac-8
	4	82	St. Louis Cardinals	Jeff Lyman	LB	BYU	WAC
	4	83	Dallas Cowboys	Tim Kearney	LB	Northern Michigan	N/A	from Denver via New Orleans
	4	84	St. Louis Cardinals	Martin Imhof	DT	San Diego State	Big West	from Houston
	4	85	New Orleans Saints	Mike Crangle	DE	UT Martin	Gulf South
	4	86	Green Bay Packers	Eric Patton	LB	Notre Dame	Ind.
	4	87	Los Angeles Rams	John Saunders	SS	Toledo	MAC	from Chicago
	4	88	Pittsburgh Steelers	Ed Bradley	LB	Wake Forest	ACC
	4	89	New York Jets	Ed Galigher	DE	UCLA	Pac-8
	4	90	Dallas Cowboys	Robert West	WR	San Diego State	Big West	from New England
	4	91	Miami Dolphins	Larry Ball	DE	Louisville	MVC	from San Diego
	4	92	Philadelphia Eagles	Po James	RB	New Mexico State	MVC
	4	93	Dallas Cowboys	Chuck Zapiec	LB	Penn State	Ind.	from Detroit
	4	94	Atlanta Falcons	Howard, AndrewAndrew Howard	DT	Grambling	SWAC
	4	95	Los Angeles Rams	Eddie Phillips	QB	Texas	SWC
	4	96	San Francisco 49ers	Windlan Hall	CB	Arizona State	WAC
	4	97	Kansas City Chiefs	Andy Hamilton	WR	LSU	SEC	from Cleveland
	4	98	Oakland Raiders	Cliff Branch ‡†	WR	Colorado	Big Eight
	4	99	New Orleans Saints	Joe Federspiel	LB	Kentucky	SEC	from Washington via Los Angeles through Philadelphia
	4	100	Oakland Raiders	Dave Dalby  †	C	UCLA	Pac-8	from Baltimore
	4	101	New Orleans Saints	Coleman, MikeMike Coleman	DE	Knoxville	SIAC	from Kansas City
	4	102	Denver Broncos	Tom Graham	LB	Oregon	Pac-8	from Minnesota
	4	103	Miami Dolphins	Benton, AlAl Benton	OT	Ohio	MAC
	4	104	Baltimore Colts	Eric Allen	WR	Michigan State	Big Ten	from Dallas via New Orleans through Detroit

Round five

	Rnd.	Pick No.	NFL team	Player	Pos.	College	Conf.	Notes
	5	105	Buffalo Bills	Leon Garror	CB	Alcorn A&M	SWAC
	5	106	Cincinnati Bengals	Tom DeLeone  †	C	Ohio State	Big Ten
	5	107	New York Giants	Tom Gatewood	WR	Notre Dame	Ind.
	5	108	Buffalo Bills	Bob Penchion	OG	Alcorn A&M	SWAC	from Denver
	5	109	Atlanta Falcons	William Taylor	RB	Michigan	Big Ten	from Houston via Denver through Buffalo
	5	110	St. Louis Cardinals	Conrad Dobler  †	OG	Wyoming	WAC
	5	111	New Orleans Saints	Bill Butler	RB	Kansas State	Big Eight	from Green Bay
	5	112	New Orleans Saints	Carl Johnson	OT	Nebraska	Big Eight
	5	113	Pittsburgh Steelers	Steve Furness	DE	Rhode Island	Yankee
	5	114	New York Jets	Dickie Harris	DB	South Carolina	Ind. (Univ.)
	5	115	Baltimore Colts	Don Croft	DT	UTEP	WAC	from New England
	5	116	San Diego Chargers	Bishop, JimJim Bishop	TE	Tennessee Tech	OVC
	5	117	Chicago Bears	Bob Parsons	TE	Penn State	Ind.
	5	118	Denver Broncos	Jim Krieg	WR	Washington	Pac-8	from Philadelphia
	5	119	Atlanta Falcons	Ralph Cindrich	LB	Pittsburgh	Ind. (Univ.)
	5	120	Los Angeles Rams	Childs, BobBob Childs	OG	Kansas	Big Eight	from Detroit
	5	121	New York Giants	Edwards, LarryLarry Edwards	LB	Texas A&I	LSC	from Los Angeles via Washington
	5	122	Cleveland Browns	George Hunt	K	Tennessee	SEC
	5	123	San Francisco 49ers	Greene, MikeMike Greene	LB	Georgia	SEC
	5	124	New England Patriots	Ron Bolton	CB	Norfolk State	CIAA
	5	125	Los Angeles Rams	Bob Christiansen	TE	UCLA	Pac-8	from Washington
	5	126	New Orleans Saints	Davies, BobBob Davies	DB	South Carolina	Ind. (Univ.)	from Baltimore
	5	127	Kansas City Chiefs	Davis, MiltMilt Davis	DE	Texas–Arlington	—
	5	128	Cleveland Browns	Kucera, GregGreg Kucera	RB	Northern Colorado	RMAC	from Minnesota via Los Angeles
	5	129	Miami Dolphins	Charlie Babb	S	Memphis State	MVC
	5	130	San Diego Chargers	Gooden, HarryHarry Gooden	DE	Alcorn A&M	SWAC	from Dallas

Round six

	Rnd.	Pick No.	NFL team	Player	Pos.	College	Conf.	Notes
	6	131	Oakland Raiders	Dan Medlin	DT	NC State	ACC	from Buffalo
	6	132	New York Giants	John Hill	C	Lehigh	MASCAA
	6	133	Chicago Bears	Bob Pifferini	LB	UCLA	Pac-8	from Cincinnati
	6	134	Houston Oilers	Bullard, JoeJoe Bullard	DB	Tulane	Ind. (Univ.)
	6	135	St. Louis Cardinals	Don Heater	RB	Montana Tech	N/A
	6	136	Houston Oilers	Elmer Allen	LB	Ole Miss	SEC	from Denver
	6	137	New Orleans Saints	Dorton, WayneWayne Dorton	OG	Arkansas State	Southland
	6	138	Green Bay Packers	Ross, NathanielNathaniel Ross	DB	Bethune–Cookman	SIAC
	6	139	New York Jets	Joey Jackson	DE	New Mexico State	MVC
	6	140	Atlanta Falcons	Perfetti, MikeMike Perfetti	DB	Minnesota	Big Ten	from New England via Minnesota
	6	141	San Diego Chargers	Ward, BruceBruce Ward	OG	San Diego State	Big West
	6	142	Green Bay Packers	Dave Pureifory	LB	Eastern Michigan	Ind.	from Chicago
	6	143	Pittsburgh Steelers	Dennis Meyer	S	Arkansas State	Southland
	6	144	Philadelphia Eagles	Winfield, VernVern Winfield	OG	Minnesota	Big Ten
	6	145	Detroit Lions	Potts, CharlesCharles Potts	DB	Purdue	Big Ten
	6	146	Atlanta Falcons	Riley, FredFred Riley	WR	Idaho	Big Sky
	6	147	Green Bay Packers	Bob Hudson	RB	Northeastern State	OCC	from Los Angeles
	6	148	San Francisco 49ers	Jackie Walker	DB	Tennessee	SEC
	6	149	Cleveland Browns	Forey, LeonardLeonard Forey	OG	Texas A&M	SWC
	6	150	New Orleans Saints	Watson, CurtCurt Watson	RB	Tennessee	SEC	from Oakland
	6	151	Los Angeles Rams	Hebert, EdwardEdward Hebert	DT	Texas Southern	SWAC	from Washington
	6	152	Baltimore Colts	Bruce Laird  †	S	American International	—
	6	153	Kansas City Chiefs	Kahler, JohnJohn Kahler	DE	Long Beach State	PCAA
	6	154	Minnesota Vikings	Anthony Martin	LB	Louisville	MVC
	6	155	Miami Dolphins	Ray Nettles	LB	Tennessee	SEC
	6	156	Dallas Cowboys	Bolden, CharlesCharles Bolden	DB	Iowa	Big Ten

Round seven

	Rnd.	Pick No.	NFL team	Player	Pos.	College	Conf.	Notes
	7	157	Buffalo Bills	Stepaniak, RalphRalph Stepaniak	DB	Notre Dame	Ind.
	7	158	Cincinnati Bengals	Conley, SteveSteve Conley	RB	Kansas	Big Eight
	7	159	Pittsburgh Steelers	Colquitt, JoeJoe Colquitt	DE	Kansas State	Big Eight	from N. Y. Giants
	7	160	St. Louis Cardinals	Council Rudolph	DE	Kentucky State	Ind. (NAIA)
	7	161	Miami Dolphins	Bill Adams	OG	Holy Cross	Yankee	from Denver
	7	162	Houston Oilers	Hutchinson, EricEric Hutchinson	DB	Northwestern	Big Ten
	7	163	Green Bay Packers	Bushong, BillBill Bushong	DT	Kentucky	SEC
	7	164	New Orleans Saints	Ernie Jackson	CB	Duke	ACC
	7	165	New England Patriots	Clark Hoss	TE	Oregon State	Pac-8	from Oakland
	7	166	New England Patriots	John Tarver	RB	Colorado	Big Eight	from San Diego
	7	167	Chicago Bears	Jim Fassel	QB	Long Beach State	PCAA
	7	168	Pittsburgh Steelers	Kelly, RobertRobert Kelly	DB	Jackson State	SWAC
	7	169	Baltimore Colts	John Sykes	RB	Morgan State	MEAC	from N. Y. Jets via Washington
	7	170	Philadelphia Eagles	Foster, WillWill Foster	LB	Eastern Michigan	Ind.
	7	171	Atlanta Falcons	Moon, LanceLance Moon	RB	Wisconsin	Big Ten
	7	172	Detroit Lions	Stoudmire, CharlesCharles Stoudmire	WR	Portland State	Ind. (Coll.)	from Los Angeles
	7	173	Oakland Raiders	Jamieson, RayRay Jamieson	RB	Memphis State	MVC
	7	174	Cleveland Browns	Wesley, DonDon Wesley	OT	Maryland State	N/A
	7	175	San Francisco 49ers	Edgar Hardy	OG	Jackson State	SWAC
	7	176	Oakland Raiders	Alonzo "Skip" Thomas	CB	USC	Pac-8
	7	177	New York Giants	Zikas, MikeMike Zikas	DT	Notre Dame	Ind.	from Washington
	7	178	Oakland Raiders	Pete, DennisDennis Pete	DB	San Francisco State	FWC	from Baltimore
	7	179	Kansas City Chiefs	Dean Carlson	QB	Iowa State	Big Eight
	7	180	Miami Dolphins	Calvin Harrell	RB	Arkansas State	Southland
	7	181	Minnesota Vikings	Slater, BillBill Slater	DE	Western Michigan	MAC
	7	182	Chicago Bears	Jim Osborne	DT	Southern	SWAC	from Dallas

Round eight

	Rnd.	Pick No.	NFL team	Player	Pos.	College	Conf.	Notes
	8	183	Buffalo Bills	Paul Gibson	WR	UTEP	WAC
	8	184	New York Giants	Mabry, TomTom Mabry	OT	Arkansas	SWC
	8	185	Cincinnati Bengals	Dan Kratzer	WR	Missouri Valley	N/A
	8	186	Denver Broncos	Ron Estay	DT	LSU	SEC
	8	187	Houston Oilers	Guy Roberts	LB	Maryland	ACC
	8	188	St. Louis Cardinals	Bob Wicks	WR	Utah State	Ind. (Univ.)
	8	189	New Orleans Saints	Vinson, RonRon Vinson	WR	Abilene Christian	Southland
	8	190	Green Bay Packers	Leland Glass	WR	Oregon	Pac-8
	8	191	Baltimore Colts	Qualls, AlAl Qualls	LB	Oklahoma	Big Eight	from San Diego
	8	192	Chicago Bears	Wirtz, RalphRalph Wirtz	WR	North Dakota State	NCC
	8	193	Pittsburgh Steelers	Vincent, StahleStahle Vincent	RB	Rice	SWC
	8	194	New York Jets	Lattimore, MarionMarion Lattimore	OG	Kansas State	Big Eight
	8	195	New England Patriots	Beyrle, SteveSteve Beyrle	OG	Kansas State	Big Eight
	8	196	Philadelphia Eagles	Ratcliff, LarryLarry Ratcliff	RB	Eastern Michigan	Ind.
	8	197	Detroit Lions	Stuckey, HenryHenry Stuckey	DB	Missouri	Big Eight
	8	198	Atlanta Falcons	Brandon, HenryHenry Brandon	RB	Southern	SWAC
	8	199	Los Angeles Rams	Graham, TomTom Graham	WR	Baldwin Wallace	OAC
	8	200	San Francisco 49ers	Tom Wittum  †	P	Northern Illinois	Ind. (Univ.)
	8	201	Cleveland Browns	Hugh McKinnis	RB	Arizona State	WAC
	8	202	Oakland Raiders	Brown, JackieJackie Brown	RB	Stanford	Pac-8
	8	203	Washington Redskins	Moses Denson	RB	Maryland State	N/A
	8	204	Baltimore Colts	Brownson, VanVan Brownson	QB	Nebraska	Big Eight
	8	205	Kansas City Chiefs	Mahoney, ScottScott Mahoney	OG	Colorado	Big Eight
	8	206	Minnesota Vikings	Calvin Demery	WR	Arizona State	WAC
	8	207	Miami Dolphins	Craig Curry	QB	Minnesota	Big Ten
	8	208	Dallas Cowboys	Ralph Coleman	LB	North Carolina A&T	MEAC

Round nine

Pick #	NFL team	Player	Position	College
209	Buffalo Bills	Steve Vogel	Linebacker	Boise State
210	Cincinnati Bengals	Stan Walters	Tackle	Syracuse
211	New York Giants	Ed Richardson	Running back	Southern
212	Houston Oilers	Willie Postler	Tackle	Montana
213	St. Louis Cardinals	Gene Macken	Center	South Dakota
214	Denver Broncos	Floyd Priester	Defensive back	Boston University
215	Baltimore Colts	Gary Hambell	Defensive tackle	Dayton
216	New Orleans Saints	Kent Branstetter	Defensive tackle	Houston
217	Pittsburgh Steelers	Don Kelley	Defensive back	Clemson
218	New York Jets	Jeff Ford	Defensive back	Georgia Tech
219	Chicago Bears	Larry Horton	Defensive end	Iowa
220	New England Patriots	Mike Kelson	Tackle	Arkansas
221	San Diego Chargers	Fran Schmitz	Defensive tackle	St. Norbert
222	Philadelphia Eagles	Pat Gibbs	Defensive back	Lamar University
223	Atlanta Falcons	Bill "Ray" Easterling	Defensive back	Richmond
224	Detroit Lions	Bill McClintock	Defensive back	Drake
225	Los Angeles Rams	Harry Howard	Defensive back	Ohio State
226	Cleveland Browns	Larry McKee	Guard	Arizona
227	San Francisco 49ers	Jerry Brown	Defensive back	Northwestern
228	Oakland Raiders	Dave Bigler	Running back	Morningside
229	Washington Redskins	Steve Boekholder	Defensive end	Drake
230	Cleveland Browns	Billy LeFear	Wide receiver	Henderson State
231	Kansas City Chiefs	Dave Taylor	Defensive tackle	Weber State
232	Minnesota Vikings	Charlie Goodrum	Guard	Florida A&M
233	Miami Dolphins	Greg Johnson	Defensive back	Wisconsin
234	Dallas Cowboys	Roy Bell	Running back	Oklahoma

Round ten

Pick #	NFL team	Player	Position	College
235	Buffalo Bills	Maurice Tyler	Defensive back	Morgan State
236	New York Giants	John Odom	Defensive back	Texas Tech
237	Cincinnati Bengals	Brian Foster	Defensive back	Colorado
238	St. Louis Cardinals	Eric Washington	Defensive back	Texas-El Paso
239	Denver Broncos	Richard Wilkins	Defensive end	Maryland State
240	Houston Oilers	Rhett Dawson	Wide receiver	Florida State
241	New Orleans Saints	Andy Kupp	Guard	Idaho
242	Green Bay Packers	Keith Wortman	Guard	Nebraska
243	Pittsburgh Steelers	Bob Brown	Defensive tackle	Tampa
244	New York Jets	Harley Turner	Defensive back	Tennessee-Chattanooga
245	New England Patriots	Mel Caraway	Defensive back	N.E. Oklahoma
246	San Diego Chargers	Lon Kolstad	Linebacker	Whitewater (Wis)
247	Chicago Bears	Jack Turnbull	Center	Oregon State
248	Philadelphia Eagles	John Bunting	Linebacker	North Carolina
249	Detroit Lions	Jim Teal	Linebacker	Purdue
250	St. Louis Cardinals	Mike Franks	Quarterback	Eastern New Mexico
251	Los Angeles Rams	Jim Massey	Defensive back	Linfield
252	San Francisco 49ers	Steve Williams	Defensive tackle	Western Carolina
253	Cleveland Browns	Hershal Mosier	Defensive tackle	N.W. Oklahoma
254	Oakland Raiders	Phillip Price	Defensive back	Idaho State
255	Washington Redskins	Mike Oldham	Wide receiver	Michigan
256	Baltimore Colts	Dave Shilling	Running back	Oregon State
257	Kansas City Chiefs	Rich Ruppert	Tackle	Hawaii
258	Minnesota Vikings	Willie Aldridge	Running back	South Carolina State
259	Houston Oilers	Jimmy Butler	Tight end	Tulsa
260	Dallas Cowboys	Richard Amman	Defensive tackle	Florida State

Round eleven

Pick #	NFL team	Player	Position	College
261	Cincinnati Bengals	Kent Pederson	Tight end	California-Santa Barbara
262	New York Giants	John Robertson	Defensive back	Kansas State
263	Denver Broncos	Larry Brunson	Wide receiver	Colorado
264	Houston Oilers	Ron Evans	Tackle	Baylor
265	St. Louis Cardinals	Ron Jones	Linebacker	Arkansas
266	Green Bay Packers	David Bailey	Wide receiver	Alabama
267	New Orleans Saints	Paul Dongieux	Linebacker	Mississippi
268	New York Jets	Robert Stevenson	Linebacker	Tennessee State
269	New England Patriots	Rodney Cason	Tackle	Angelo State
270	San Diego Chargers	John Turner	Tight end	Long Beach State
271	Buffalo Bills	Bill Light	Linebacker	Minnesota
272	Chicago Bears	Ed Wimberly	Defensive back	Jackson State
273	Pittsburgh Steelers	Joe Gilliam	Quarterback	Tennessee State
274	Philadelphia Eagles	Dennis Sweeney	Defensive end	Western Michigan
275	Atlanta Falcons	Jack Phillips	Wide receiver	Grambling
276	Detroit Lions	Bob Waldron	Defensive tackle	Tulane
277	Oakland Raiders	Joe Carroll	Linebacker	Pittsburgh
278	Cleveland Browns	Mel Long	Linebacker	Toledo
279	San Francisco 49ers	Tom Laputka	Defensive end	Southern Illinois
280	Los Angeles Rams	Albert Schmidt	Running back	Pittsburg State (KS)
281	Washington Redskins	Jeff Welch	Defensive back	Arkansas Tech
282	Baltimore Colts	Fred DeBernardi	Defensive end	Texas-El Paso
283	Kansas City Chiefs	Elbert Walker	Tackle	Wisconsin
284	Minnesota Vikings	Willie McKelton	Defensive back	Southern
285	Miami Dolphins	Ed Jenkins	Wide receiver	Holy Cross
286	Dallas Cowboys	Lonnie Leonard	Defensive end	North Carolina A&T

Round twelve

Pick #	NFL team	Player	Position	College
287	Buffalo Bills	Jeff Baker	Wide receiver	U.S. International
288	New York Giants	Jay Anderson	Defensive tackle	Mayville
289	Cincinnati Bengals	Frederick Wegis	Defensive back	Cal Poly-San Luis Obispo
290	Houston Oilers	Willie Rodgers	Running back	Kentucky State
291	St. Louis Cardinals	Tommy Gay	Defensive tackle	Arkansas AM&N
292	Denver Broncos	Randy McDougall	Defensive back	Weber State
293	New Orleans Saints	Steve Lockhart	Tight end	Arkansas State
294	Green Bay Packers	Mike Rich	Running back	Florida
295	San Diego Chargers	Sam Key	Linebacker	Elon
296	New England Patriots	Steve Booras	Defensive end	Mesa Jr. College
297	Chicago Bears	Doug Neill	Running back	Texas A&M
298	Pittsburgh Steelers	Ron Curl	Tackle	Michigan State
299	New York Jets	John Bjorklund	Running back	Princeton
300	Philadelphia Eagles	Don Zimmerman	Wide receiver	N.E. Louisiana
301	Detroit Lions	Paul Bradley	Wide receiver	Southern Methodist
302	Atlanta Falcons	Larry Mialik	Tight end	Wisconsin
303	Los Angeles Rams	David Hoot	Defensive back	Texas A&M
304	San Francisco 49ers	Steve Setzler	Defensive end	St. John's
305	Cleveland Browns	Bernard Chapman	Defensive back	Texas-El Paso
306	Oakland Raiders	Kent Gaydos	Tight end	Florida State
307	Washington Redskins	Don Bunce	Quarterback	Stanford
308	Baltimore Colts	Gary Theiler	Tight end	Tennessee
309	Kansas City Chiefs	Mike Williams	Defensive tackle	Oregon
310	Minnesota Vikings	Bob Banaugh	Defensive back	Montana State
311	Miami Dolphins	Ashley Bell	Tight end	Purdue
312	Dallas Cowboys	Jimmy Harris	Wide receiver	Ohio State

Round thirteen

Pick #	NFL team	Player	Position	College
313	Buffalo Bills	Ed Moss	Running back	Southeast Missouri State
314	Cincinnati Bengals	James Hamilton	Quarterback	Arkansas State
315	New York Giants	Chuck Heard	Defensive end	Georgia
316	St. Louis Cardinals	Tom Campana	Defensive back	Ohio State
317	Denver Broncos	Bob Warner	Running back	Bloomsburg (PA)
318	Houston Oilers	Willie Roberts	Defensive back	Houston
319	Green Bay Packers	Jesse Lakes	Running back	Central Michigan
320	New Orleans Saints	Cephus Weatherspoon	Wide receiver	Fort Lewis
321	San Diego Chargers	Andy Selfridge	Linebacker	Virginia
322	Chicago Bears	Jay Rood	Tackle	Southern (S.D.)
323	Pittsburgh Steelers	Ernie Mesmer	Tackle	Villanova
324	New York Jets	Steve Sullivan	Tackle	North Texas State
325	New England Patriots	Sam Elmore	Defensive back	Eastern Michigan
326	Philadelphia Eagles	Preston Carpenter	Defensive end	Mississippi
327	Atlanta Falcons	Henry Sovio	Tight end	Hawaii
328	Detroit Lions	John Kirschner	Tight end	Memphis State
329	Los Angeles Rams	Jaime Nunez	Kicker	Weber State
330	Cleveland Browns	Brian Sipe	Quarterback	San Diego State
331	San Francisco 49ers	Leon Pettigrew	Tackle	San Fernando Valley
332	Washington Redskins	Frank Grant	Wide receiver	Southern Colorado
333	Oakland Raiders	Ted Covington	Wide receiver	San Fernando Valley
334	Baltimore Colts	Herb Washington	Wide receiver	Michigan State
335	Kansas City Chiefs	Tyler Hellams	Defensive back	South Carolina
336	Minnesota Vikings	Franklin Roberts	Running back	Alcorn A&M
337	Miami Dolphins	Archie Robinson	Defensive back	Hillsdale
338	Dallas Cowboys	Jean Fugett	Tight end	Amherst

Round fourteen

Pick #	NFL team	Player	Position	College
339	New York Giants	James Evans	Linebacker	South Carolina State
340	Buffalo Bills	Karl Salb	Defensive tackle	Kansas
341	Cincinnati Bengals	Steve Porter	Wide receiver	Indiana
342	Denver Broncos	Jerome Kundich	Guard	Texas-El Paso
343	Houston Oilers	Gary Crockett	Center	Lamar
344	St. Louis Cardinals	Pat McTeer	Kicker	New Mexico State
345	New Orleans Saints	Steve Barrios	Wide receiver	Tulane
346	Green Bay Packers	Larry Hefner	Linebacker	Clemson
347	Chicago Bears	Bob Brown	Wide receiver	Rice
348	Pittsburgh Steelers	Tom Durrance	Running back	Florida
349	New York Jets	Louis Age	Guard	Southwestern Louisiana
350	New England Patriots	Ed Rideout	Wide receiver	Boston College
351	San Diego Chargers	John Van Reenen	Defensive end	Washington State
352	Philadelphia Eagles	Bill Overmyer	Linebacker	Ashland
353	Detroit Lions	Eric Kelley	Tackle	Whitworth
354	Atlanta Falcons	Tom Chandler	Linebacker	Minnesota
355	Los Angeles Rams	Larry Brooks	Defensive end	Virginia State
356	San Francisco 49ers	Eric Guthrie	Quarterback	Boise State
357	Cleveland Browns	Ed Stewart	Guard	East Central Oklahoma
358	Oakland Raiders	Dennis Cambal	Running back	William & Mary
359	Baltimore Colts	John Morris	Center	Missouri Valley
360	Kansas City Chiefs	David Chaney	Linebacker	San Jose State
361	Minnesota Vikings	Marv Owens	Running back	San Diego State
362	Miami Dolphins	Willie Jones	Linebacker	Tampa
363	Dallas Cowboys	Alan Thompson	Running back	Wisconsin
364	Washington Redskins	Mike O'Quinn	Guard	McNeese State

Round fifteen

Pick #	NFL team	Player	Position	College
365	Oakland Raiders	Charles Hester	Running back	Central State (OH)
366	Cincinnati Bengals	Hosea Minnieweather	Defensive tackle	Jackson State
367	New York Giants	Ken Kavanaugh Jr.	Tight end	LSU
368	Pittsburgh Steelers	John Hulecki	Guard	Massachusetts
369	St. Louis Cardinals	Mark Herman	Tight end	Yankton
370	Denver Broncos	Harold Parmenter	Defensive tackle	Massachusetts
371	Green Bay Packers	Rick Thone	Wide receiver	Arkansas Tech
372	New Orleans Saints	Rusty Lachaussee	Quarterback	Tulane
373	Pittsburgh Steelers	Charles Harrington	Guard	Wichita State
374	New York Jets	Phil Sullivan	Defensive back	Georgia
375	New England Patriots	Joel Klime	Tight end	Pittsburgh
376	San Diego Chargers	Charles Neugent	Defensive back	Tuskegee
377	Chicago Bears	Roger Lawson	Running back	Western Michigan
378	Philadelphia Eagles	Tom Sullivan	Running back	Miami (FL)
379	Atlanta Falcons	Oscar Jenkins	Defensive back	Virginia Union
380	Detroit Lions	Steve Roach	Linebacker	Kansas
381	Los Angeles Rams	Kenny Page	Linebacker	Kansas
382	Cleveland Browns	Jewel McCullar	Linebacker	Chico State
383	San Francisco 49ers	Bob Maddox	Defensive end	Frostburg State (MD)
384	Oakland Raiders	Dave Snesrud	Linebacker	Hamline
385	Washington Redskins	Carl Taibi	Defensive end	Colorado
386	Baltimore Colts	Robin Parkhouse	Linebacker	Alabama
387	Kansas City Chiefs	Larry Marshall	Running back	Maryland
388	Minnesota Vikings	Mike Sivert	Guard	East Tennessee State
389	Miami Dolphins	Bill Davis	Defensive tackle	William & Mary
390	Dallas Cowboys	Carlos Alvarez	Wide receiver	Florida

Round sixteen

Pick #	NFL team	Player	Position	College
391	Buffalo Bills	Brian Linstrom	Quarterback	Arizona
392	New York Giants	Neovia Greyer	Defensive back	Wisconsin
393	Cincinnati Bengals	John Wiegman	Wide receiver	Cal Poly-Pomona
394	St. Louis Cardinals	Henry Alford	Defensive end	Pittsburgh
395	Denver Broncos	Tom Bougus	Running back	Boston College
396	Houston Oilers	Guy Murdock	Center	Michigan
397	New Orleans Saints	Joe Balthrop	Guard	Tennessee
398	Green Bay Packers	Charles Burrell	Defensive tackle	Arkansas AM&N
399	New York Jets	Gary Kipfmiller	Center	Nebraska-Omaha
400	New England Patriots	Eric Dahl	Defensive back	San Jose State
401	San Diego Chargers	James Shaw	Defensive back	Tulsa
402	Chicago Bears	Bill McKinney	Linebacker	West Texas State
403	Pittsburgh Steelers	Nate Hawkins	Wide receiver	Nevada-Las Vegas
404	Philadelphia Eagles	Steve Bielenberg	Linebacker	Oregon State
405	Detroit Lions	Leon Jenkins	Defensive back	West Virginia
406	Atlanta Falcons	Larry Butler	Linebacker	Stanford
407	Los Angeles Rams	Jim Kirby	Wide receiver	Long Beach State
408	San Francisco 49ers	Ron Davis	Guard	Virginia State
409	Cleveland Browns	Richard Wakefield	Wide receiver	Ohio State
410	Oakland Raiders	Willie Wright	Tight end	North Carolina A&T
411	Washington Redskins	Steve Higginbottom	Defensive back	Alabama
412	Baltimore Colts	Gary Wichard	Quarterback	C.W. Post
413	Kansas City Chiefs	Bob Johnson	Defensive end	Hanover (Ind)
414	Minnesota Vikings	Neil Graff	Quarterback	Wisconsin
415	Miami Dolphins	Al Hannah	Wide receiver	Wisconsin
416	Dallas Cowboys	Gordon Longmire	Quarterback	Utah

Round seventeen

Pick #	NFL team	Player	Position	College
417	Buffalo Bills	John Shelly	Defensive back	Oklahoma
418	Cincinnati Bengals	David Green	Punter	Ohio
419	New York Giants	John Seyferth	Running back	Michigan
420	Denver Broncos	Lou Harris	Running back	USC
421	Houston Oilers	Kelly Cochrane	Quarterback	Miami (FL)
422	St. Louis Cardinals	Kent Carter	Linebacker	USC
423	San Diego Chargers	Oscar Dragon	Running back	Arizona State
424	New England Patriots	Dick Graham	Wide receiver	Oklahoma State
425	New England Patriots	Junior Ah You	Linebacker	Arizona State
426	San Diego Chargers	Bob Tackett	Tackle	Texas-El Paso
427	Chicago Bears	LaVerne Dickinson	Defensive back	Southern
428	Pittsburgh Steelers	Ron Linehan	Linebacker	Idaho
429	New York Jets	Ken Gamble	Kicker	Fayetteville
430	Philadelphia Eagles	Tom Nash	Tackle	Georgia
431	Atlanta Falcons	Bill Holland	Running back	USC
432	Detroit Lions	Mike Tyler	Defensive back	Rice
433	Los Angeles Rams	Luther Palmer	Tight end	Virginia Union
434	Cleveland Browns	William Portz	Running back	Sterling (KS)
435	San Francisco 49ers	Ted Alexander	Running back	Langston
436	Los Angeles Rams	John McKean	Center	Oregon
437	Washington Redskins	Kevin Clemente	Linebacker	Boston College
438	Baltimore Colts	Stan White	Linebacker	Ohio State
439	Kansas City Chiefs	Ted Washington	Linebacker	Mississippi Valley
440	Minnesota Vikings	Dick Schmalz	Wide receiver	Auburn
441	Miami Dolphins	Vern Brown	Defensive back	Western Michigan
442 [note 3]	Dallas Cowboys	Alphonso Cain	Defensive tackle	Bethune-Cookman

= Pro Bowler [note 1]

= Hall of Famer

Hall of Famers

• Franco Harris, running back from Penn State, taken 1st round 13th overall by Pittsburgh Steelers

Inducted: Professional Football Hall of Fame class of 1990. ^[10]

• Cliff Branch, wide receiver from Colorado, taken 4th round 98th overall by Oakland Raiders

Inducted: Professional Football Hall of Fame class of 2022 (posthumous).

Notable undrafted players

†	= Pro Bowler [note 1]

Original NFL team	Player	Pos.	College	Conf.	Notes
Atlanta Falcons	John James  †	P	Florida	SEC
Atlanta Falcons	Ted Fritsch	C	St. Norbert	Ind. (Coll.)
Atlanta Falcons	Jack LeVeck	LB	Ohio	MAC
Baltimore Colts	Nelson Munsey	CB	Wyoming	WAC
Dallas Cowboys	Benny Barnes	CB	Stanford	Pac-8
Dallas Cowboys	Brian Goodman	OG	UCLA	Pac-8
Denver Broncos	Mike Ernst	QB	Cal State Fullerton	CCAA
Green Bay Packers	Bob Kroll	CB	Northern Michigan	Ind. (Coll.)
Houston Oilers	Ed Fisher	OG	Arizona State	WAC
Houston Oilers	Rich Lewis	LB	Portland State	Ind. (Coll.)
Miami Dolphins	Maulty Moore	DT	Bethune–Cookman	SIAC
New England Patriots	Sam Adams	OG	Prairie View A&M	SWAC
New England Patriots	Dick Blanchard	LB	Tulsa	MVC
New York Giants	Chuck Crist	S	Penn State	Ind.
Pittsburgh Steelers	Barry Pearson	WR	Northwestern	Big Ten
Washington Redskins	Duane Carrell	P	Florida State	Ind. (Univ.)
Washington Redskins	Herb Mul-Key  †	RB	Alabama State	SIAC

Notes

1. Players are identified as a Pro Bowler if they were selected for the Pro Bowl at any time in their career.
2. Players are identified as a Hall of Famer if they have been inducted into the Pro Football Hall of Fame.
3. This last selection is commonly referred to as Mr. Irrelevant.

References

1. "NFL Draft Locations". FootballGeography.com. October 2, 2014. Archived from the original on September 5, 2015. Retrieved October 23, 2014.
2. 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.
3. "Phillips couldn't outrun off-the-field troubles". ESPN.com. April 2, 2008.
4. Graham, Tim (November 19, 2016). "After 40 Years in the NFL Darkness, Walt Patulski Explains How It All Went Wrong". The Buffalo News.
5. Holder, Larry (April 23, 2022). "NFL Draft's all-time best and worst classes: No. 1 is clear, but recent classes are climbing". The Athletic.
6. Stuart, Chase (May 17, 2014). "Best and Worst Drafts since 1970". Football Perspective.
7. Rosa, Elwood (September 28, 2023). "Ranking the 10 Worst NFL Draft Classes of All-Time — The Biggest Busts". Sporting Free.
8. Kacsmar, Scott (June 3, 2012). "What Was the Worst NFL Draft of the New Millennium?". Bleacher Report.
9. "Heisman Trophy winner 1971: Pat Sullivan". Archived from the original on December 15, 2009. Retrieved August 14, 2013.
10. "Pro Football Hall of Fame: List of 1990s Hall of Fame Inductees". Archived from the original on July 31, 2008. Retrieved October 11, 2008.

External links

• NFL.com – 1972 Draft
• databaseFootball.com – 1972 Draft
• Pro Football Hall of Fame Archived 2006-09-07 at the Wayback Machine