National Football League draft
The 1978 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 May 2–3, 1978 , at the Roosevelt Hotel in New York City , New York .[1] [2] The league also held a supplemental draft after the regular draft and before the regular season.
The Tampa Bay Buccaneers had the first overall pick in the 1978 draft, by virtue of their 2–12 record in 1977 . Tampa Bay traded the pick to the Oilers, for tight end Jimmie Giles and the Oilers' first- and second-round picks in the 1978 draft, and their third- and fifth-round picks in 1979 .[3]
Leon White, who was drafted in the third round, went on to have an extensive professional wrestling career as Big Van Vader .[4]
Player selections [ edit ] ^ a b May sometimes be referred to as an edge rusher (EDGE) ^ Also known as offensive guard (OG) ^ Also known as placekicker (PK) ^ Also known as inside linebacker (ILB)
Round one [ edit ] Round two [ edit ] Round three [ edit ] Round four [ edit ] Round five [ edit ] Pick # NFL team Player Position College 111 Miami Dolphins Ted Burgmeier Defensive back Notre Dame 112 Kansas City Chiefs Jerrold McRae Wide receiver Tennessee State 113 New York Jets Randy Sidler Linebacker Penn State 114 Buffalo Bills Ken Spaeth Tight end Nebraska 115 New Orleans Saints Eric Felton Defensive back Texas Tech 116 Green Bay Packers Mike Douglass Linebacker San Diego State 117 Baltimore Colts Frank Myers Tackle Texas A&M 118 Kansas City Chiefs Dwight Carey Defensive tackle Texas-Arlington 119 Seattle Seahawks Louis Bullard Tackle Jackson State 120 New York Giants Terry Jackson Cornerback San Diego State 121 Detroit Lions Amos Fowler Guard Southern Mississippi 122 Cleveland Browns Keith Wright Wide receiver Memphis State 123 Detroit Lions Dan Gray Defensive end Rutgers 124 St. Louis Cardinals Earl Carr Running back Florida 125 Atlanta Falcons Dennis Pearson Wide receiver San Diego State 126 Cincinnati Bengals Tom Dinkel Linebacker Kansas 127 San Francisco 49ers Archie Reese Defensive tackle Clemson 128 Green Bay Packers (from Steelers for Dave Pureifory )[8] Willie Wilder Running back Florida 129 New England Patriots Bill Matthews Linebacker South Dakota State 130 Philadelphia Eagles Norris Banks Running back Kansas 131 Cincinnati Bengals Rob Hertel Quarterback USC 132 New York Giants Jim Krahl Defensive tackle Texas Tech 133 San Francisco 49ers [from Miami] Bruce Threadgill Defensive back Mississippi State 134 Kansas City Chiefs Robert Woods Wide receiver Grambling 135 San Diego Chargers John Choma Guard Virginia 136 Oakland Raiders Derrick Ramsey Tight end Kentucky 137 New York Giants Brian DeRoo Wide receiver Redlands 138 Dallas Cowboys Rich Rosen Guard Syracuse
Round six [ edit ] Pick # NFL team Player Position College 139 Chicago Bears John Skibinski Running back Purdue 140 Oakland Raiders Tom Davis Center Nebraska 141 New York Jets Bobby Jackson Cornerback Florida State 142 New Orleans Saints Mike Rieker Quarterback Lehigh 143 New York Jets Gregg Robinson Defensive tackle Dartmouth 144 Green Bay Packers Leotis Harris Guard Arkansas 145 Buffalo Bills Eric Smith Tackle Southern Mississippi 146 Seattle Seahawks Glenn Starks Wide receiver Texas A&I 147 New York Giants Randy Pass Guard Georgia Tech 148 San Francisco 49ers Elliott Walker Running back Pittsburgh 149 Cleveland Browns Al Pitts Center Michigan State 150 Detroit Lions Dwight Hicks Safety Michigan 151 St. Louis Cardinals Jack Williams Defensive end Bowling Green 152 Atlanta Falcons Rodney Parker Wide receiver Tennessee State 153 Detroit Lions Tony Ardizzone Guard Northwestern 154 Houston Oilers Conrad Rucker Tight end Southern 155 Cincinnati Bengals Steve Geise Running back Penn State 156 New England Patriots Ken Coleman Linebacker Mississippi 157 New Orleans Saints Francis Chesley Linebacker Wyoming 158 Chicago Bears Mekeli Ieremia Defensive end Brigham Young 159 Washington Redskins Tony Green Running back Florida 160 Pittsburgh Steelers Randy Reutershan Wide receiver Pittsburgh 161 Baltimore Colts Ben Garry Running back Southern Mississippi 162 Tampa Bay Buccaneers Elijah Marshall Wide receiver North Carolina State 163 Miami Dolphins Doug Betters Defensive end Nevada 164 Oakland Raiders Mike Levenseller Wide receiver Washington State 165 Detroit Lions Jesse Thompson Wide receiver California 166 Dallas Cowboys Harold Randolph Linebacker East Carolina
Round seven [ edit ] Pick # NFL team Player Position College 167 Atlanta Falcons Alfred Jackson Wide receiver Texas 168 Kansas City Chiefs Ricky Odom Defensive back USC 169 New York Jets Levi Armstrong Defensive back UCLA 170 New York Jets James Earley Running back Michigan State 171 Buffalo Bills Mario Celotto Linebacker USC 172 Green Bay Packers George Plasketes Linebacker Mississippi 173 Seattle Seahawks John Harris Safety Arizona State 174 New York Giants Dan Doornink Running back Washington State 175 San Francisco 49ers Fred Quillan Center Oregon 176 Oakland Raiders Arthur Whittington Running back Southern Methodist 177 Detroit Lions Bruce Gibson Running back Pacific 178 Miami Dolphins Karl Baldischwiler Tackle Oklahoma 179 Atlanta Falcons James Wright Tight end Texas Christian 180 San Diego Chargers Cliff Featherstone Defensive back Colorado State 181 St. Louis Cardinals Dave Stief Wide receiver Portland State 182 Cincinnati Bengals Joe Branson Defensive back Livingstone College 183 Buffalo Bills Steve Powell Running back N.E. Missouri State 184 Kansas City Chiefs Bill Kellar Wide receiver Stanford 185 Chicago Bears Herman Jones Wide receiver Ohio State 186 Philadelphia Eagles Greg Marshall Defensive tackle Oregon State 187 Pittsburgh Steelers Mark Dufresne Tight end Nebraska 188 New England Patriots Mike Hawkins Linebacker Texas A&I 189 Los Angeles Rams Reggie Doss Defensive end Hampton 190 Miami Dolphins Lloyd Henry Wide receiver N.E. Missouri State 191 Baltimore Colts Jeff Logan Running back Ohio State 192 Oakland Raiders Earl Inmon Linebacker Bethune-Cookman 193 Cincinnati Bengals Danny Bass Tackle Elon 194 Dallas Cowboys Tom Randall Defensive tackle Iowa State
Round eight [ edit ] Pick # NFL team Player Position College 195 Kansas City Chiefs John Henry White Running back Louisiana Tech 196 Tampa Bay Buccaneers John McGriff Linebacker Miami (FL) 197 New York Jets Derrick Gaffney Wide receiver Florida 198 New England Patriots Terry Falcon Guard Montana 199 New Orleans Saints Brooks Williams Tight end North Carolina 200 Green Bay Packers Dennis Sproul Quarterback Arizona State 201 New York Giants Jeff Grady Linebacker Florida A&M 202 Washington Redskins Walker Lee Wide receiver North Carolina 203 New York Jets Mike Mock Punter Texas Tech 204 Minnesota Vikings Mike Wood Kicker Southeast Missouri State 205 Cleveland Browns Jesse Turnbow Defensive tackle Tennessee 206 Detroit Lions Jim Breech Kicker California 207 Oakland Raiders Mark Nichols Defensive end Colorado State 208 Pittsburgh Steelers Rick Moser Running back Rhode Island 209 Atlanta Falcons David Adkins Linebacker Ohio State 210 Houston Oilers J. C. Wilson Defensive back Pittsburgh 211 Cincinnati Bengals Bill Miller Tackle Western Illinois 212 Chicago Bears George Freitas Tight end California 213 New York Jets Roy Eppes Defensive back Clemson 214 Pittsburgh Steelers Andre Keyes Wide receiver Cal Poly San Luis Obispo 215 New England Patriots Mosi Tatupu Running back USC 216 Atlanta Falcons David Williams Defensive back Tennessee-Martin 217 Miami Dolphins Sean Clancy Linebacker Amherst 218 Baltimore Colts Monte Anthony Running back Nebraska 219 Washington Redskins Don Hover Linebacker Washington State 220 San Diego Chargers Gavin Hendrick Punter Washington State 221 Denver Broncos Frank Smith Tackle Alabama A&M 222 Dallas Cowboys Homer Butler Wide receiver UCLA
Round nine [ edit ] Pick # NFL team Player Position College 223 Tampa Bay Buccaneers Willie Taylor Wide receiver Pittsburgh 224 Kansas City Chiefs Larry Brown Tackle Miami (FL) 225 New York Jets Reggie Grant Defensive back Oregon 226 New Orleans Saints Richard Carter Defensive back North Carolina State 227 New York Jets Neil Hutton Defensive back Penn State 228 Green Bay Packers Keith Myers Quarterback Utah State 229 San Francisco 49ers Herman Redden Defensive back Howard 230 Philadelphia Eagles Charles Williams Defensive back Jackson State 231 Seattle Seahawks Rich Grimmett Tackle Illinois 232 New York Giants Bill Swiacki Tight end Amherst 233 San Francisco 49ers Dean Moore Linebacker Iowa 234 Cleveland Browns Jon Kramer Guard Baylor 235 St. Louis Cardinals Joe Mosley Tight end Central State (OH) 236 Atlanta Falcons Tom Pridemore Safety West Virginia 237 San Diego Chargers Henry Bradley Defensive tackle Alcorn State 238 Cincinnati Bengals Ron Shumon Linebacker Wichita State 239 Houston Oilers Jim Mol Defensive end Morningside 240 Minnesota Vikings Mike Deutsch Punter Colorado State 241 Pittsburgh Steelers Lance Reynolds Tackle Brigham Young 242 New England Patriots Tim Petersen Linebacker Arizona State 243 Washington Redskins John Hurley Quarterback Santa Clara 244 Chicago Bears Mike Martin Linebacker Kentucky 245 Baltimore Colts Dave Studdard Tackle Texas 246 Los Angeles Rams Andre Anderson Defensive end New Mexico State 247 Miami Dolphins Bruce Hardy Tight end Arizona State 248 San Diego Chargers Blake Whitlatch Linebacker Louisiana State 249 San Francisco 49ers Steve McDaniels Tackle Notre Dame 250 Dallas Cowboys Russ Williams Defensive back Tennessee
Round ten [ edit ] Pick # NFL team Player Position College 251 Kansas City Chiefs Earl Bryant Defensive end Jackson State 252 Tampa Bay Buccaneers Aaron Brown Linebacker Ohio State 253 New York Giants Greg Jorgensen Guard Nebraska 254 New York Jets Louis Richardson Defensive end Florida State 255 Buffalo Bills Will Grant Center Kentucky 256 Green Bay Packers Larry Key Running back Florida State 257 Atlanta Falcons Ricky Patton Running back Jackson State 258 Seattle Seahawks Rob Stewart Wide receiver Lafayette 259 Green Bay Packers Mark Totten Center Florida 260 San Francisco 49ers Mike Connell Punter Cincinnati 261 Cleveland Browns Brent Watson Tackle Tennessee 262 Detroit Lions Fred Arrington Linebacker Purdue 263 Atlanta Falcons Ray Strong Running back UNLV 264 San Diego Chargers Charles Price Tight end Cincinnati 265 St. Louis Cardinals Randy Gill Linebacker San Jose State 266 Houston Oilers Steve Young Tight end Wake Forest 267 Cincinnati Bengals Tom DePaso Linebacker Penn State 268 Pittsburgh Steelers Doug Becker Linebacker Notre Dame 269 New England Patriots Bryan Ferguson Defensive back Miami (FL) 270 Washington Redskins Scott Hartenstein Defensive end Azusa Pacific 271 Chicago Bears Ben Zambiasi Linebacker Georgia 272 Minnesota Vikings Hughie Shaw Running back Texas A&I 273 Los Angeles Rams Charles Peal Tackle Indiana 274 Miami Dolphins Mark Dennard Center Texas A&M 275 Baltimore Colts Dallas Owens Defensive back Kentucky 276 Pittsburgh Steelers (from Buccaneers for Ernie Holmes )[8] Tom Jurich Kicker Northern Arizona 277 Denver Broncos Vince Kinney Wide receiver Maryland 278 Dallas Cowboys Barry Tomasetti Tackle Iowa 0 Houston Oilers (supplemental draft) Johnnie Dirden Wide receiver Sam Houston State
Round eleven [ edit ] Pick # NFL team Player Position College 279 Pittsburgh Steelers (from Buccaneers for Ernie Holmes )[8] Nat Terry Defensive back Florida State 280 Kansas City Chiefs Ray Milo Defensive back New Mexico State 281 New York Jets Pat Ryan Quarterback Tennessee 282 Buffalo Bills Jerry Blanton Linebacker Kentucky 283 New Orleans Saints Nathan Besaint Defensive tackle Southern 284 Green Bay Packers Terry Jones Defensive tackle Alabama 285 New Orleans Saints Dave Riley Running back West Virginia 286 New York Giants Dennis Heim Defensive tackle SW Missouri State 287 San Francisco 49ers Willie McCray Defensive end Troy State 288 Philadelphia Eagles Billy Campfield Running back Kansas 289 Detroit Lions Richard Murray Defensive tackle Oklahoma 290 Cleveland Browns Larry Gillard Defensive tackle Mississippi State 291 Oakland Raiders Dean Jones Defensive back Fresno State 292 Cincinnati Bengals Cal Prince Running back Louisville 293 Atlanta Falcons Scooter Reed Defensive back Baylor 294 Cincinnati Bengals Mark Donahue Guard Michigan 295 Houston Oilers Willie Thicklen Wide receiver Alabama State 296 New England Patriots Charlie Williams Linebacker Florida 297 Washington Redskins Mike Williams Defensive back Texas A&M 298 Chicago Bears Walt Underwood Defensive end USC 299 Minnesota Vikings Ron Harris Running back Colorado State 300 Pittsburgh Steelers Tom Brzoza Center Pittsburgh 301 Seattle Seahawks George Halas Linebacker Miami (FL) 302 Baltimore Colts Henry Mason Wide receiver Central Missouri State 303 Los Angeles Rams Ron Hostetler Linebacker Penn State 304 Oakland Raiders Bob Glazebrook Defensive back Fresno State 305 Denver Broncos Lacy Brumley Tackle Clemson 306 Dallas Cowboys Dennis Thurman Cornerback USC
Round twelve [ edit ] Pick # NFL team Player Position College 307 Kansas City Chiefs Willie Brock Center Colorado 308 Tampa Bay Buccaneers Kevin McLee Running back Georgia 309 Buffalo Bills Richard Crump Running back Northeastern State (OK) 310 New Orleans Saints Larry Hardy Tight end Jackson State 311 New York Jets Alan Williams Punter Florida 312 Green Bay Packers Eason Ramson Tight end Washington State 313 New York Giants Greg Lawson Running back Western Illinois 314 San Francisco 49ers Dan Irons Tackle Texas Tech 315 Philadelphia Eagles Mark Slater Center Minnesota 316 Seattle Seahawks Jeff Bergeron Running back Lamar 317 Cleveland Browns Leo Biedermann Tackle California 318 Detroit Lions Mark Patterson Defensive back Washington State 319 St. Louis Cardinals Anthony Clay Linebacker South Carolina State 320 Atlanta Falcons Daria Butler Linebacker Oklahoma State 321 San Diego Chargers Kevin Bell Wide receiver Lamar 322 Houston Oilers John Schuhmacher Guard USC 323 Cincinnati Bengals Kim Featsent Wide receiver Kent State 324 Washington Redskins Steve McCabe Guard Bowdoin 325 Chicago Bears Lew Sibley Linebacker Louisiana State 326 Minnesota Vikings Jeff Morrow Tackle Minnesota 327 Pittsburgh Steelers Brad Carr Linebacker Maryland 328 New England Patriots John Gibney Center Colgate 329 Baltimore Colts Bruce Allen Punter Richmond 330 Los Angeles Rams Gus Coppens Tackle UCLA 331 Miami Dolphins Mike Moore Running back Middle Tennessee State 332 Oakland Raiders Joe Conron Wide receiver Pacific 333 Miami Dolphins Bill Kenney Quarterback Northern Colorado 334[9] Dallas Cowboys Lee Washburn Guard Montana State 0 San Francisco 49ers (supplemental draft) Rod Connors Running back Southern California
Notable undrafted players [ edit ] Hall of Famers [ edit ] Earl Campbell , running back from Texas, taken 1st round 1st overall by Houston Oilers Inducted: Professional Football Hall of Fame class of 1991.[10] Ozzie Newsome , wide receiver from Alabama, taken 1st round 23rd overall by Cleveland Browns Inducted: Professional Football Hall of Fame class of 1999.[10] James Lofton , wide receiver from Stanford, taken 1st round 6th overall by Green Bay Packers Inducted: Professional Football Hall of Fame class of 2003.[11] Warren Moon , quarterback from Washington, signed undrafted by Houston Oilers Inducted: Professional Football Hall of Fame class of 2006.[11] References [ edit ] ^ "NFL Draft Locations" . FootballGeography.com . October 2, 2014. Archived from the original on September 5, 2015. Retrieved October 23, 2014 . ^ 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 . ^ Wire services. "Oilers make a deal". Eugene Register-Guard. Apr 25, 1978 ^ Buckner, Brandon (October 23, 2005). "NFL career was ended by an injury - Pro wrestler Vader has son playing with OU" . NewsOK.com . The Oklahoman . Retrieved December 11, 2017 . ^ a b c d Players are identified as a Pro Bowler if they were selected for the Pro Bowl at any time in their career. ^ a b Players are identified as a Hall of Famer if they have been inducted into the Pro Football Hall of Fame. ^ "Heisman Trophy" . Retrieved August 14, 2013 .[permanent dead link ] ^ a b c Sheeley, Glenn (May 3, 1978). "Did Noll Win Draft Lottery?" . Pittsburgh Press . pp. D-1. Retrieved April 2, 2010 . ^ This last selection is commonly referred to as Mr. Irrelevant . ^ a b List of 1990s Hall of Fame Inductee's at profootballhof.com "Pro Football Hall of Fame" . Archived from the original on July 31, 2008. Retrieved October 11, 2008 . ^ a b List of 2000s Hall of Fame Inductee's at profootballhof.com "Pro Football Hall of Fame" . Archived from the original on July 31, 2008. Retrieved October 11, 2008 . External links [ edit ]