The National Football League (NFL) have drafted 273 players who had played for the University of Arkansas Razorbacks since the league began holding drafts in 1936. [a 1] The Razorbacks' highest draft position was second overall in 1954, when Lamar McHan was selected by the Chicago Cardinals. [3] [4] Arkansas' first drafted player in the NFL was Jack Robbins, who was the fifth overall pick by the Chicago Cardinals in 1938. [5] One former player was selected from the latest NFL draft: Jonathan Marshall in the 6th Round to the New York Jets.
Each NFL franchise seeks to add new players through the annual NFL draft. The team with the worst record the previous year picks first, the next-worst team second, and so on. Teams that did not make the playoffs are ordered by their regular-season record, with any remaining ties broken by strength of schedule. Playoff participants are sequenced after non-playoff teams, based on their round of elimination (wild card, division, conference, and Super Bowl). [6]
Before the AFL–NFL merger agreements in 1966, the American Football League (AFL) operated in direct competition with the NFL and held a separate draft. This led to a massive bidding war over top prospects between the two leagues. As part of the merger agreement on June 8, 1966, the two leagues would hold a multiple round "Common Draft". Once the AFL officially merged with the NFL in 1970, the "common draft" simply became the NFL draft. [1] [2]
QB | QuarterBack [a 2] | K | Kicker | NT | Nose tackle |
C | Center | LB | Linebacker | FB | Fullback |
DB | Defensive back | P | Punter | HB | Halfback |
DE | Defensive end | QB | Quarterback | WR | Wide receiver |
DT | Defensive tackle | RB | Running back | G | Guard |
E | End | T | Offensive tackle | TE | Tight end |
* | Selected to an all-star game (AFL All-Star game, NFL All-Star game or Pro Bowl) | ||||
† | Won a league championship (AFL championship, NFL championship, or Super Bowl) | ||||
‡ | Selected to an all-star game and won a league championship | ||||
Lance Dwight Alworth, nicknamed "Bambi", is an American former professional football wide receiver who played for the San Diego Chargers of the American Football League (AFL) and the National Football League (NFL) and Dallas Cowboys of the NFL. Often considered one of the greatest wide receivers of all time, he played for 11 seasons, from 1962 through 1972, and was elected to the Pro Football Hall of Fame in 1978. He was the first player inducted whose playing career was principally in the AFL. Alworth is also a member of the College Football Hall of Fame. His teammates called him Bambi because he had a baby face and could run like a deer.
The Arkansas Razorbacks football program represents the University of Arkansas in the sport of American football. The Razorbacks compete in the Football Bowl Subdivision (FBS) of the National Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA) and the Western Division of the Southeastern Conference (SEC). The program has one national championship awarded by the Football Writers Association of America (FWAA) and Helms Athletic Foundation (HAF) in 1964 and one national championship awarded by the Rothman Foundation for the Analysis of Competitions and Tournaments in 1977. The school does not claim the 1977 title. The program began in 1894 and has compiled an all-time record of 740–539–40, for a .576 winning percentage. The Razorbacks have won 13 conference championships and have had 58 players named honored as All-Americans.
James William Collier is a former American football tight end who played professionally in the National Football League (NFL) for the New York Giants and the Washington Redskins. He played college football at the University of Arkansas and was drafted in the seventh round of the 1961 NFL Draft. Collier was also selected in the 31st round of the 1962 AFL Draft by the Buffalo Bills. Collier scored the only touchdown for the New York Giants in the 1962 championship game when he recovered a blocked Packers' punt on the goal line.
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