1972 NFL draft explained
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
Round nine
Pick # | width=40% style="background:#A8BDEC;" | NFL team ! | width=20% style="background:#A8BDEC;" | Player ! | width=13% style="background:#A8BDEC;" | 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 | | Guard | Florida A&M |
233 | Miami Dolphins | Greg Johnson | Defensive back | Wisconsin |
234 | Dallas Cowboys | Roy Bell | Running back | Oklahoma | |
Round ten
Pick # | width=40% style="background:#A8BDEC;" | NFL team ! | width=20% style="background:#A8BDEC;" | Player ! | width=13% style="background:#A8BDEC;" | 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 | | 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 # | width=40% style="background:#A8BDEC;" | NFL team ! | width=20% style="background:#A8BDEC;" | Player ! | width=13% style="background:#A8BDEC;" | 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 # | width=40% style="background:#A8BDEC;" | NFL team ! | width=20% style="background:#A8BDEC;" | Player ! | width=13% style="background:#A8BDEC;" | 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 # | width=40% style="background:#A8BDEC;" | NFL team ! | width=20% style="background:#A8BDEC;" | Player ! | width=13% style="background:#A8BDEC;" | 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 # | width=40% style="background:#A8BDEC;" | NFL team ! | width=20% style="background:#A8BDEC;" | Player ! | width=13% style="background:#A8BDEC;" | 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 # | width=40% style="background:#A8BDEC;" | NFL team ! | width=20% style="background:#A8BDEC;" | Player ! | width=13% style="background:#A8BDEC;" | 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 # | width=40% style="background:#A8BDEC;" | NFL team ! | width=20% style="background:#A8BDEC;" | Player ! | width=13% style="background:#A8BDEC;" | 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 # | width=40% style="background:#A8BDEC;" | NFL team ! | width=20% style="background:#A8BDEC;" | Player ! | width=13% style="background:#A8BDEC;" | 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[11] | Dallas Cowboys | Alphonso Cain | Defensive tackle | Bethune-Cookman | |
| = Pro Bowler | | | = 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.[12]
- 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
External links
Notes and References
- Web site: NFL Draft Locations . . October 2, 2014 . FootballGeography.com . October 23, 2014 . https://web.archive.org/web/20150905090250/http://www.footballgeography.com/nfl-draft-sites/ . September 5, 2015 . dead .
- News: Salomone . Dan . NFL Draft headed to Chicago in 2015 . June 3, 2015 . . Giants.com . October 2, 2014 . https://web.archive.org/web/20150930065327/http://www.giants.com/news-and-blogs/article-1/NFL-Draft-headed-to-Chicago-in-2015/3ac322b1-3b4c-4a16-aba7-6e08d31b1756 . September 30, 2015 . dead .
- Web site: Phillips couldn’t outrun off-the-field troubles. ESPN.com. April 2, 2008.
- Web site: Graham. Tim. After 40 Years in the NFL Darkness, Walt Patulski Explains How It All Went Wrong. The Buffalo News. November 19, 2016.
- Web site: Holder. Larry. NFL Draft’s all-time best and worst classes: No. 1 is clear, but recent classes are climbing. The Athletic. April 23, 2022.
- Web site: Stuart. Chase. Best and Worst Drafts since 1970 . Football Perspective. May 17, 2014.
- Web site: Rosa. Elwood. Ranking the 10 Worst NFL Draft Classes of All-Time — The Biggest Busts. Sporting Free. September 28, 2023.
- Web site: Kacsmar. Scott. What Was the Worst NFL Draft of the New Millennium?. Bleacher Report. June 3, 2012.
- 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.
- This last selection is commonly referred to as Mr. Irrelevant.
- Web site: Pro Football Hall of Fame: List of 1990s Hall of Fame Inductees . October 11, 2008 . https://web.archive.org/web/20080731024937/http://www.profootballhof.com/hof/years.html . July 31, 2008 . dead .