The National Football League (NFL) is a professional American football league that consists of 32 teams, divided equally between the American Football Conference (AFC) and the National Football Conference (NFC). The NFL is one of the major professional sports leagues in the United States and Canada and the highest professional level of American football in the world. Each NFL season begins annually with a three-week preseason in August, followed by the 18-week regular season which runs from early September to early January, with each team playing 17 games and having one bye week. Following the conclusion of the regular season, seven teams from each conference advance to the playoffs, a single-elimination tournament that culminates in the Super Bowl, which is contested in February and is played between the winners of the AFC and NFC championship games.
The National Football League draft, also called the NFL draft or (officially) the Annual Player Selection Meeting, is an annual event which serves as the most common source of player recruitment in the National Football League. Each team is given a position in the drafting order in reverse order relative to its record in the previous year, which means that the last place team is positioned first and the Super Bowl champion is last. From this position, the team can either select a player or trade its position to another team for other draft positions, a player or players, or any combination thereof. The round is complete when each team has either selected a player or traded its position in the draft. The first draft was held in 1936, and has been held every year since.
David Duke Carr is an American former football quarterback who played 11 seasons in the National Football League (NFL). He played college football for the Fresno State Bulldogs and was selected first overall by the Houston Texans in the 2002 NFL Draft. Carr also played for the Carolina Panthers, the New York Giants, and the San Francisco 49ers. With the Giants, Carr was a member of the team that won Super Bowl XLVI. He currently serves as the offensive coordinator at Bakersfield Christian High School.
Duane Clair Bickett is an American former professional football player who was an linebacker in the National Football League (NFL). He played for the Indianapolis Colts, the Seattle Seahawks, and the Carolina Panthers. Bickett is currently an assistant defensive coach at Torrey Pines High School in San Diego, CA.
Gary Wayne Zimmerman is an American former professional football player who was a Hall of Fame offensive tackle in the National Football League (NFL) and United States Football League (USFL). He earned a Super Bowl ring with the Denver Broncos.
Willard Russell Letlow was an American football guard and tackle who played professionally for the Green Bay Packers of the National Football League (NFL).
In gridiron football, the long snapper is a center on special teams whose duty is to snap the football over a longer distance, typically around 15 yards during punts, and 7–8 yards during field goals and conversion attempts.
The 1986 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 29–30, 1986, at the Marriott Marquis in New York City, New York. The league also held a supplemental draft after the regular draft and before the regular season.
Henry Louis Jones is an American former professional football player who was a safety in the National Football League (NFL). He played for the Buffalo Bills (1991–2000), the Minnesota Vikings (2001), and the Atlanta Falcons (2002).
Oliver Kay Eakin, Jr. was an American football player in the National Football League (NFL) and the All-America Football Conference (AAFC). He was the third overall pick in the 1940 NFL Draft.
Carl E. Banks is an American former professional football player who was a linebacker in the National Football League (NFL). He played from 1984 to 1995 for the New York Giants, the Washington Redskins and the Cleveland Browns. He played college football for the Michigan State Spartans.
Mark Frederick Bruener is an American former professional football player who was a tight end in the National Football League (NFL). He played college football for the Washington Huskies, earning All-American honors in 1993. He was selected by the Pittsburgh Steelers in the first round of the 1995 NFL Draft with the 27th overall pick.
John Michael Alt is a former professional American football offensive tackle in the National Football League (NFL). He played his entire NFL career with the Kansas City Chiefs from 1984 to 1996. He was drafted in the first round of the 1984 NFL Draft with the 21st overall pick. A graduate of Columbia Heights (MN) High School, he played his college years at the University of Iowa.
Michael Glenn Sinclair is an American former football player and coach. He played as a defensive end for 11 seasons in the National Football League (NFL) with the Seattle Seahawks and the Philadelphia Eagles. He was selected in the sixth round of the 1991 NFL draft by the Seahawks. Sinclair was a three-time Pro Bowler in 1996, 1997 and 1998. He led the NFL in sacks in 1998 with 16.5, which is also the Seahawks single season franchise record.
Craig Neil Erickson is an American former professional football player who was a quarterback in the National Football League (NFL). Prior to entering the NFL, he played college football for the Miami Hurricanes. He was selected by the Philadelphia Eagles in the fifth round of the 1991 NFL Draft and also by the Tampa Bay Buccaneers in the fourth round of the 1992 NFL Draft. He is one of the few NFL players to be drafted twice. Coincidentally, each was drafted by the Tampa Bay Buccaneers.
Steven Cyril DeLong was an American football defensive lineman who played professionally in the American Football League (AFL) and the National Football League (NFL). He was a first round draft selection in both the AFL and NFL Drafts in 1965. He played collegiately for the University of Tennessee, and professionally for the San Diego Chargers and Chicago Bears. In 1969 with San Diego, he set a team record with 17 sacks, a mark which stood until Gary Johnson had 17+1⁄2 in 1980. He was traded from the Chargers to the Bears on July 26, 1972, for a fourth-round selection in the 1973 NFL Draft.
James Edward Williams is a former American football linebacker in the National Football League (NFL). He played for the New Orleans Saints (1990–1994), the Jacksonville Jaguars (1995–1996), the San Francisco 49ers (1997–1998), and the Cleveland Browns (1999). He played college football at Mississippi State University and was a sixth round draft choice in the 1990 NFL Draft. He was selected by the Jaguars in the 1995 NFL Expansion Draft.
Laken Tomlinson is an American football offensive guard for the Seattle Seahawks of the National Football League (NFL). He played college football for the Duke Blue Devils. He was selected by the Detroit Lions in the first round of the 2015 NFL draft.
Nicholas John Bosa is an American football defensive end for the San Francisco 49ers of the National Football League (NFL). He played college football for the Ohio State Buckeyes and was selected second overall by the 49ers in the 2019 NFL draft. Bosa was named NFL Defensive Rookie of the Year and helped his team reach Super Bowl LIV. In 2022, he won the NFL Defensive Player of the Year award. He is the son of former NFL defensive end John Bosa and younger brother of Joey Bosa, currently a linebacker for the Los Angeles Chargers.
Caleb Sequan Williams is an American football quarterback for the Chicago Bears of the National Football League (NFL). He played college football for the Oklahoma Sooners and USC Trojans and was selected first overall by the Bears in the 2024 NFL draft. Williams won the Heisman Trophy and several other awards with USC in 2022 after throwing for over 4,500 yards with 52 total touchdowns, the latter being a single-season school record.
