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 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 AFC and NFC conference champions. The league is headquartered in New York City.
The National Football League Draft, also called the NFL Draft or (officially) the Player Selection Meeting, is an annual event which serves as the league's most common source of player recruitment. 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.
Peter Nicholas Boulware is an American former professional football player who was a linebacker in the National Football League (NFL) for nine seasons. He played college football for Florida State University, and was recognized as an All-American. A first-round pick of the Baltimore Ravens in the 1997 NFL Draft, he played his entire pro career for the Ravens.
Orlando Lamar Pace is an American former professional football player who was a tackle for 13 seasons in the National Football League (NFL), primarily with the St. Louis Rams. Pace played college football at Ohio State University, where he twice received unanimous All-American honors, and was selected by the Rams first overall in the 1997 NFL Draft. He spent all but one season of his professional career in St. Louis, concluding his NFL tenure as a member of the Chicago Bears.
Tarik Glenn is a former American football offensive tackle who played 10 seasons for the Indianapolis Colts of the National Football League (NFL).. He played college football for California and was drafted by the Colts in the first round of the 1997 NFL draft. Glenn made three Pro Bowls and was a part of the Colts team that beat the Chicago Bears in Super Bowl XLI.
Gary Wayne Zimmerman is an American former professional football player who played as an offensive tackle in the National Football League (NFL). Zimmerman played for the Minnesota Vikings from 1986 to 1992 and for the Denver Broncos from 1993 to 1997. He won Super Bowl XXXII with the Broncos against the Green Bay Packers. He was selected to the Pro Bowl seven times and was an All-Pro selection eight times. He attended Walnut High School and the University of Oregon whereby he was inducted into the Oregon Sports Hall of Fame in 2002 and the Pro Football Hall of Fame in 2008.
Walter Jones Jr. is an American former professional football player who was an offensive tackle in the National Football League (NFL) for 13 seasons. Born in Alabama, he played college football for the Florida State Seminoles.
Richard Franklin Mirer is a former American football quarterback who played in the National Football League (NFL) for 12 seasons. He played college football at Notre Dame and was selected second overall by the Seattle Seahawks in the 1993 NFL Draft. In his first season, Mirer set the rookie records for passing yards, attempts, and completions. Unable to duplicate his success, however, Mirer was traded after four seasons to the Chicago Bears. He spent the remainder of his career with the New York Jets, San Francisco 49ers, Oakland Raiders, and Detroit Lions, mostly as a backup. Mirer is considered one of the biggest busts in NFL history.
Steven J. Hutchinson is an American former professional football player who played as a guard for twelve seasons in the National Football League (NFL). He played college football for the University of Michigan, and was named a unanimous All-American. The Seattle Seahawks picked him in the first round of the 2001 NFL Draft, and he also played for the Minnesota Vikings and Tennessee Titans. He is a seven-time Pro Bowl selection. He was inducted into the Pro Football Hall of Fame in 2020.
Shawn Springs is an American former professional football player who was a cornerback in the National Football League (NFL) for 13 seasons. He played college football for the Ohio State Buckeyes, earning All-American honors. He was drafted by the Seattle Seahawks third overall in the 1997 NFL Draft, he played professionally for the Seahawks, Washington Redskins and New England Patriots of the NFL, and was a Pro Bowl selection in 1998.
Jerel Jamal Stokes is a former American football wide receiver. Stokes played in the National Football League (NFL) for nine seasons. He played college football for the UCLA Bruins, and was recognized as a unanimous All-American. A first-round selection in the 1995 NFL Draft, drafted by the San Francisco 49ers, he played professionally for the San Francisco 49ers, Jacksonville Jaguars and New England Patriots of the NFL.
Christopher Shawn Patrick Canty is a former American college and professional football player who was a cornerback in the National Football League (NFL) and Arena Football League (AFL). He played college football for Kansas State University, and was a two-time All-American. A first-round pick in the 1997 NFL Draft, he played professionally for the New England Patriots, Seattle Seahawks, and New Orleans Saints of the NFL, and Las Vegas Gladiators and Rio Grande Valley Dorados of the Arena League.
The 1974 NFL draft took place at the Americana Hotel in New York City, New York, on January 29–30, 1974. Each of the 26 NFL teams were granted 17 selections for a total of 442 picks.
Lloyd Raymond Cardwell was an American football player and coach. He played college football for the Nebraska Cornhuskers and professionally in the National Football League (NFL) with the Detroit Lions for seven seasons. He was drafted in the first round of the 1937 NFL Draft with the seventh overall pick. After his playing days, Cardwell was the head football coach at Omaha University—now known as the University of Nebraska Omaha from 1947 to 1959, compiling a record of 57–51. His 1954 team was undefeated and won the Tangerine Bowl. Cardwell also coached track and field at Omaha.
Daniel Patrick Neil is a former American college and professional football player who was an offensive lineman in the National Football League (NFL) for eight seasons. He played college football for the University of Texas, and earned All-American honors. He was drafted by the Denver Broncos in the third round of the 1997 NFL Draft, and played for the Broncos during his entire pro football career. Neil was a candidate for the Texas House of Representatives in the 2010 general election.
Kenneth Jerome Holmes is a former American football defensive end in the National Football League. He was drafted by the Tennessee Oilers 18th overall in the 1997 NFL Draft. He played college football at Miami.
James Reinard Wilson is an American former professional football player who was a linebacker in the National Football League (NFL) for six seasons during the late 1990s and early 2000s. He played college football for the Florida State Seminoles and was recognized as an All-American. He was picked by the Cincinnati Bengals in the first round of the 1997 NFL Draft, and played professionally for the Bengals and Tampa Bay Buccaneers of the NFL.
Jonathan Cecil Harris is a former American football defensive end in the National Football League (NFL) for the Philadelphia Eagles, Cleveland Browns, and the Green Bay Packers. He played college football at the University of Virginia and was drafted in the first round of the 1997 NFL Draft. He currently resides in Swedesboro, New Jersey.
Pat Barnes is a retired National Football League quarterback. He played from 1997 to 2003 in the NFL, XFL, and CFL.
