1996 NFL Draft

1996 NFL Draft
	General Information
Date(s)	April 20–21, 1996
Location	Madison Square Garden, New York City
	Picks
First selection	Keyshawn Johnson, WR ; New York Jets
Mr. Irrelevant	Sam Manuel, LB ; San Francisco 49ers
Most selections	New England Patriots (13)
Fewest selections	Detroit Lions (5)
Overall selections	254
< 1995	1997 >

The 1996 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 20–21, 1996. No teams elected to claim any players in the supplemental draft that year.

This draft is considered one of the best draft classes ever for the position of wide receiver. Keyshawn Johnson, Terry Glenn, Eddie Kennison, Marvin Harrison, Eric Moulds, Bobby Engram, Terrell Owens, Muhsin Muhammad, Amani Toomer, Jermaine Lewis, and Joe Horn have all achieved success in the pros, with all except Kennison, Engram, and Toomer having reached the Pro Bowl at least once, and a total of 26 Pro Bowl appearances for the group. In addition to the class having had several successful receivers, none of the five wide receivers drafted in the first round have been busts, as all of them are currently or have recently been starters in the NFL (Keyshawn Johnson retired in 2007). Combined, 1996 wide receivers (through the end of the 2006 season) have totalled 7,646 receptions for 105,866 yards, eclipsing any other class by more than 1,000 receptions and 10,000 yards ^[1].

It was also one of the best draft years for middle linebackers, with two potential hall of famers in Ray Lewis and Zach Thomas selected. Lewis won Super Bowl XXXV and was selected MVP of that game, as well as making 12 Pro Bowls while Thomas has made 7. Other linebackers who made at least one Pro Bowl from this draft are Tedy Bruschi, Kevin Hardy, John Mobley, and Donnie Edwards. The following have enjoyed solid careers: Randall Godfrey, Earl Holmes, and Carlos Emmons.

On draft day, the St. Louis Rams traded running back Jerome Bettis and a third round draft pick to the Pittsburgh Steelers in exchange for a second round pick for that year, as well as a fourth round pick the following year. The trade was made immediately after the Rams drafted Nebraska running back Lawrence Phillips. Bettis went on to have a successful career with the Steelers as well as being one of the team's most popular players, while the Rams wouldn't have another feature back until they traded for Marshall Faulk three years later due to Phillips' off-field problems.

Player selections[edit | edit source]

= Pro Bowler ^[2]

Round one[edit | edit source]

Pick #	NFL Team	Player	Position	College
1	New York Jets	Keyshawn Johnson	Wide Receiver	USC
2	Jacksonville Jaguars	Kevin Hardy	Linebacker	Illinois
3	Arizona Cardinals	Simeon Rice	Defensive End	Illinois
4	Baltimore Ravens	Jonathan Ogden	Tackle	UCLA
5	New York Giants	Cedric Jones	Defensive End	Oklahoma
6	St. Louis Rams	Lawrence Phillips	Running Back	Nebraska
7	New England Patriots	Terry Glenn	Wide Receiver	Ohio State
8	Carolina Panthers	Tim Biakabutuka	Running Back	Michigan
9	Oakland Raiders	Rickey Dudley	Tight End	Ohio State
10	Cincinnati Bengals	Willie Anderson	Tackle	Auburn
11	New Orleans Saints	Alex Molden	Defensive Back	Oregon
12	Tampa Bay Buccaneers	Regan Upshaw	Defensive End	California
13	Chicago Bears	Walt Harris	Defensive Back	Mississippi State
14	Houston Oilers	Eddie George ^[3]	Running Back	Ohio State
15	Denver Broncos	John Mobley	Linebacker	Kutztown
16	Minnesota Vikings	Duane Clemons	Defensive End	California
17	Detroit Lions	Reggie Brown	Linebacker	Texas A&M
18	St. Louis Rams	Eddie Kennison	Wide Receiver	LSU
19	Indianapolis Colts	Marvin Harrison	Wide Receiver	Syracuse
20	Miami Dolphins	Daryl Gardener	Defensive Tackle	Baylor
21	Seattle Seahawks	Pete Kendall	Tackle	Boston College
22	Tampa Bay Buccaneers	Marcus Jones	Defensive End	North Carolina
23	Detroit Lions	Jeff Hartings	Guard	Penn State
24	Buffalo Bills	Eric Moulds	Wide Receiver	Mississippi State
25	Philadelphia Eagles	Jermane Mayberry	Tackle	Texas A&M-Kingsville
26	Baltimore Ravens	Ray Lewis	Linebacker	Miami
27	Green Bay Packers	John Michels	Tackle	USC
28	Kansas City Chiefs	Jerome Woods	Defensive Back	Memphis
29	Pittsburgh Steelers	Jamain Stephens	Tackle	North Carolina A&T
30	Washington Redskins ^{(from Dallas Cowboys)}	Andre Johnson	Tackle	Penn State

Round two[edit | edit source]

Pick #	NFL Team	Player	Position	College
31	New York Jets	Alex Van Dyke	Wide Receiver	Nevada
32	Arizona Cardinals	Leeland McElroy	Running Back	Texas A&M
33	Jacksonville Jaguars	Tony Brackens	Defensive End	Texas
34	New York Giants	Amani Toomer	Wide Receiver	Michigan
35	Tampa Bay Buccaneers	Mike Alstott	Fullback	Purdue
36	New England Patriots	Lawyer Milloy	Strong safety	Washington
37	Dallas Cowboys	Kavika Pittman	Defensive End	McNeese State
38	Houston Oilers	Bryant Mix	Defensive End	Alcorn State
39	Cincinnati Bengals	Marco Battaglia	Tight End	Rutgers
40	New Orleans Saints	Je'Rod Cherry	Strong Safety	California
41	San Diego Chargers	Bryan Still	Wide Receiver	Virginia Tech
42	St. Louis Rams	Tony Banks	Quarterback	Michigan State
43	Carolina Panthers	Muhsin Muhammad	Wide Receiver	Michigan State
44	Denver Broncos	Tory James	Cornerback	Louisiana State
45	Minnesota Vikings	James Manley	Defensive Tackle	Vanderbilt
46	San Francisco 49ers	Israel Ifeanyi	Defensive End	USC
47	Seattle Seahawks	Fred Thomas	Cornerback	Tennessee-Martin
48	Houston Oilers	Jason Layman	Tackle	Tennessee
49	Dallas Cowboys	Randall Godfrey	Linebacker	Georgia
50	San Diego Chargers	Patrick Sapp	Linebacker	Clemson
51	Indianapolis Colts	Dedric Mathis	Defensive back	Houston
52	Chicago Bears	Bobby Engram	Wide Receiver	Penn State
53	Buffalo Bills	Gabe Northern	Defensive End	Louisiana State
54	Philadelphia Eagles	Jason Dunn	Tight End	Eastern Kentucky
55	Baltimore Ravens	DeRon Jenkins	Cornerback	Tennessee
56	Green Bay Packers	Derrick Mayes	Wide Receiver	Notre Dame
57	Oakland Raiders	Lance Johnstone	Defensive End	Temple
58	Kansas City Chiefs	Reggie Tongue	Strong Safety	Oregon State
59	St. Louis Rams	Ernie Conwell	Tight End	Washington
60	Jacksonville Jaguars	Michael Cheever	Center	Georgia Tech
61	Philadelphia Eagles	Brian Dawkins	Free Safety	Clemson

Round three[edit | edit source]

Pick #	NFL Team	Player	Position	College
62	New York Jets	Ray Mickens	Cornerback	Texas A&M
63	Jacksonville Jaguars	Aaron Beasley	Cornerback	West Virginia
64	Arizona Cardinals	Johnny McWilliams	Tight End	USC
65	Denver Broncos	Detron Smith	Running Back	Texas A&M
66	New York Giants	Roman Oben	Tackle	Louisville
67	Dallas Cowboys	Clay Shiver	Center	Florida State
68	Kansas City Chiefs	John Browning	Defensive Tackle	West Virginia
69	Cincinnati Bengals	Ken Blackman	Guard	Illinois
70	New Orleans Saints	Brady Smith	Defensive End	Colorado State
71	Tampa Bay Buccaneers	Donnie Abraham	Cornerback	East Tennessee State
72	Pittsburgh Steelers	Steve Conley	Linebacker	Arkansas
73	Carolina Panthers	Winslow Oliver	Running Back	New Mexico
74	Houston Oilers	Terry Killens	Linebacker	Penn State
75	Minnesota Vikings	Moe Williams	Running Back	Kentucky
76	Detroit Lions	Ryan Stewart	Defensive Back	Georgia Tech
77	Seattle Seahawks	Robert Barr	Offensive Tackle	Rutgers
78	Denver Broncos	Mark Campbell	Defensive Tackle	Florida
79	Miami Dolphins	Dorian Brew	Defensive Back	Kansas
80	Miami Dolphins	Abdul-Karim al-Jabbar	Running Back	UCLA
81	San Diego Chargers	Brian Roche	Tight End	San Jose State
82	Indianapolis Colts	Scott Slutzker	Tight End	Iowa
83	St. Louis Rams	Jerald Moore	Running Back	Oklahoma
84	Atlanta Falcons	Shannon Brown	Defensive Tackle	Alabama
85	Philadelphia Eagles	Bobby Hoying	Quarterback	Ohio State
86	New England Patriots	Tedy Bruschi	Linebacker	Arizona
87	Buffalo Bills	Matt Stevens	Strong safety	Appalachian State
88	Carolina Panthers	J. C. Price	Defensive Tackle	Virginia Tech
89	San Francisco 49ers	Terrell Owens	Wide Receiver	Tennessee-Chattanooga
90	Green Bay Packers	Mike Flanagan	Center	UCLA
91	Seattle Seahawks	Reggie Brown	Running Back	Fresno State
92	Pittsburgh Steelers	Jon Witman	Fullback	Penn State
93	Green Bay Packers	Tyrone Williams	Defensive Back	Nebraska
94	Dallas Cowboys	Stepfret Williams	Wide Receiver	Louisiana-Monroe
95	Dallas Cowboys	Mike Ulufale	Defensive End	Brigham Young

Round four[edit | edit source]

Pick #	NFL Team	Player	Position	College
96	Tampa Bay Buccaneers	Jason Odom	Tackle	Florida
97	Minnesota Vikings	Hunter Goodwin	Guard	Texas A&M
98	Kansas City Chiefs	Donnie Edwards	Linebacker	UCLA
99	Seattle Seahawks	Phillip Daniels	Defensive end	Georgia
100	Denver Broncos	Jeff Lewis	Quarterback	Northern Arizona
101	New England Patriots	Heath Irwin	Guard	Colorado
102	Washington Redskins	Stephen Davis	Running back	Auburn
103	New Orleans Saints	Ricky Whittle	Running back	Oregon
104	Tampa Bay Buccaneers	Eric Austin	Defensive back	Jackson State
105	St. Louis Rams	Percell Gaskins	Linebacker	Kansas State
106	Carolina Panthers	Norberto Garrido	Guard	USC
107	Houston Oilers	Kendrick Burton	Defensive end	Alabama
108	Cincinnati Bengals	Jevon Langford	Defensive end	Oklahoma State
109	Houston Oilers	Jon Runyan	Tackle	Michigan
110	Jacksonville Jaguars	Reggie Barlow	Wide receiver	Alabama State
111	Carolina Panthers	Emmanuel McDaniel	Defensive back	East Carolina
112	Arizona Cardinals	Aaron Graham	Center	Nebraska
113	Miami Dolphins	Kirk Pointer	Defensive back	Austin Peay
114	San Diego Chargers	Charlie Jones	Wide receiver	Fresno State
115	Indianapolis Colts	Brian Milne	Running back	Penn State
116	Chicago Bears	Paul Grasmanis	Defensive tackle	Notre Dame
117	Atlanta Falcons	Richard Huntley	Running back	Winston-Salem State
118	Miami Dolphins	Stanley Pritchett	Running back	South Carolina
119	New England Patriots	Chris Sullivan	Defensive tackle	Boston College
120	Buffalo Bills	Sean Moran	Defensive end	Colorado State
121	Philadelphia Eagles	Ray Farmer	Defensive back	Duke
122	Denver Broncos	Darius Johnson	Defensive back	Oklahoma
123	Green Bay Packers	Chris Darkins	Running back	Minnesota
124	New England Patriots	Kantroy Barber	Running back	West Virginia
125	Miami Dolphins	LaCurtis Jones	Linebacker	Baylor
126	Pittsburgh Steelers	Earl Holmes	Linebacker	Florida A&M
127	Atlanta Falcons	Juran Bolden	Defensive back	Mississippi Delta
128	San Francisco 49ers	Daryl Price	Defensive end	Colorado
129	Detroit Lions	Brad Ford	Defensive back	Alabama
130	New York Giants	Danny Kanell	Quarterback	Florida State
131	Seattle Seahawks	Eric Unverzagt	Linebacker	Wisconsin
132	Pittsburgh Steelers	Jahine Arnold	Wide receiver	Fresno State

Round five[edit | edit source]

Pick #	NFL Team	Player	Position	College
133	New York Jets	Marcus Coleman	Defensive back	Texas Tech
134	Miami Dolphins	Jerris McPhail	Running back	East Carolina
135	Kansas City Chiefs	Joe Horn	Wide receiver	Itawamba J.C.
136	New Orleans Saints	Mercury Hayes	Wide receiver	Michigan
137	Arizona Cardinals	James Dexter	Tackle	South Carolina
138	Washington Redskins	Leomont Evans	Defensive back	Clemson
139	New England Patriots	John Elmore	Guard	Texas
140	Tampa Bay Buccaneers	Jason Maniecki	Defensive tackle	Wisconsin
141	St. Louis Rams	Fred Miller	Tackle	Baylor
142	Carolina Panthers	Marquette Smith	Running back	Central Florida
143	Houston Oilers	Rayna Stewart	Defensive back	Northern Arizona
144	Cincinnati Bengals	Greg Myers	Defensive back	Colorado State
145	New Orleans Saints	Tom Ackerman	Guard	Eastern Washington
146	Jacksonville Jaguars	Jimmy Herndon	Guard	Houston
147	Philadelphia Eagles	Whit Marshall	Linebacker	Georgia
148	Minnesota Vikings	Sean Boyd	Defensive back	North Carolina
149	New England Patriots	Christian Peter	Defensive tackle	Nebraska
150	Miami Dolphins	Shane Burton	Defensive tackle	Tennessee
151	Indianapolis Colts	Steve Martin	Defensive tackle	Missouri
152	Chicago Bears	Chris Villarrial	Guard	Indiana (PA)
153	Baltimore Ravens	Jermaine Lewis	Wide receiver	Maryland
154	Miami Dolphins	Zach Thomas	Linebacker	Texas Tech
155	San Diego Chargers	Junior Soli	Defensive tackle	Arkansas
156	Buffalo Bills	Ray Jackson	Defensive back	Colorado State
157	Dallas Cowboys	Kenneth McDaniel	Guard	Norfolk State
158	Detroit Lions	Kerwin Waldroup	Defensive tackle	Central State (OH)
159	Denver Broncos	Patrick Jeffers	Wide receiver	Virginia
160	San Francisco 49ers	Iheanyi Uwaezuoke	Wide receiver	California
161	Arizona Cardinals	Harry Stamps	Tackle	Oklahoma
162	Arizona Cardinals	Dell McGee	Defensive back	Auburn
163	Pittsburgh Steelers	Israel Raybon	Defensive end	North Alabama
164	Atlanta Falcons	Gary Bandy	Linebacker	Baylor
165	New Orleans Saints	Terry Guess	Wide receiver	Gardner-Webb
166	Oakland Raiders	La'Roi Glover	Defensive tackle	San Diego State
167	Dallas Cowboys	Alan Campos	Linebacker	Louisville

Round six[edit | edit source]

Pick #	NFL Team	Player	Position	College
168	New York Jets	Hugh Hunter	Defensive end	Hampton
169	Arizona Cardinals	Mike Foley	Defensive end	New Hampshire
170	Jacksonville Jaguars	John Fisher	Defensive back	Missouri Western
171	New York Giants	Doug Colman	Linebacker	Nebraska
172	Baltimore Ravens	Dexter Daniels	Linebacker	Florida
173	New England Patriots	Chris Griffin	Tight end	New Mexico
174	Washington Redskins	Kelvin Kinney	Defensive end	Virginia State
175	St. Louis Rams	Derrick Harris	Running back	Miami (FL)
176	Kansas City Chiefs	Dietrich Jells	Wide receiver	Pittsburgh
177	Houston Oilers	Anthony Dorsett	Defensive back	Pittsburgh
178	Cincinnati Bengals	Tom Tumulty	Linebacker	Pittsburgh
179	New Orleans Saints	Keno Hills	Tackle	Southwestern Louisiana
180	Tampa Bay Buccaneers	Nilo Silvan	Wide receiver	Tennessee
181	Denver Broncos	Tony Veland	Defensive back	Nebraska
182	New York Giants	Scott Galyon	Linebacker	Tennessee
183	Oakland Raiders	Tim Hall	Running back	Robert Morris
184	Seattle Seahawks	Reggie Green	Guard	Florida
185	Jacksonville Jaguars	Chris Doering	Wide receiver	Florida
186	Baltimore Ravens	James Roe	Wide receiver	Norfolk State
187	Chicago Bears	Jon Clark	Tackle	Temple
188	Atlanta Falcons	Craig Sauer	Linebacker	Minnesota
189	Miami Dolphins	Shawn Wooden	Defensive back	Notre Dame
190	San Diego Chargers	Jim Mills	Tackle	Idaho
191	Indianapolis Colts	Keith Conlin	Tackle	Penn State
192	San Diego Chargers	Bryan Stoltenberg	Center	Colorado
193	Carolina Panthers	Scott Greene	Running back	Michigan State
194	Philadelphia Eagles	Steve White	Defensive end	Tennessee
195	New England Patriots	Marrio Grier	Running back	Tennessee-Chattanooga
196	Buffalo Bills	Leon Neal	Running back	Washington
197	Philadelphia Eagles	Tony Johnson	Tight end	Alabama
198	San Francisco 49ers	Stephen Pitts	Running back	Penn State
199	Kansas City Chiefs	Philip Riley	Wide receiver	Florida State
200	Pittsburgh Steelers	Orpheus Roye	Defensive end	Florida State
201	St. Louis Rams	Hayward Clay	Tight end	Texas A&M
202	Buffalo Bills	Dusty Zeigler	Center	Notre Dame
203	Pittsburgh Steelers	Spence Fischer	Quarterback	Duke
204	New Orleans Saints	Toderick Malone	Wide receiver	Alabama
205	Indianapolis Colts	Mike Cawley	Quarterback	James Madison
206	New England Patriots	Devin Wyman	Defensive end	Kentucky State
207	Dallas Cowboys	Wendell Davis	Defensive back	Oklahoma
208	Green Bay Packers	Marco Rivera	Guard	Penn State
209	Seattle Seahawks	T. J. Cunningham	Defensive back	Colorado

Round seven[edit | edit source]

Pick #	NFL Team	Player	Position	College
210	New York Jets	Chris Hayes	Defensive back	Washington State
211	Kansas City Chiefs	Ben Lynch	Center	California
212	Arizona Cardinals	Jarius Hayes	Tight end	North Alabama
213	Denver Broncos	Leslie Ratliffe	Tackle	Tennessee
214	New York Giants	Conrad Hamilton	Defensive back	East New Mexico
215	Washington Redskins	Jeremy Asher	Linebacker	Oregon
216	New England Patriots	Lovett Purnell	Tight end	West Virginia
217	Carolina Panthers	Donnell Baker	Wide receiver	Southern
218	Houston Oilers	Mike Archie	Running back	Penn State
219	Cincinnati Bengals	Rod Jones	Tackle	Kansas
220	Oakland Raiders	Sedric Clark	Defensive end	Tulsa
221	Tampa Bay Buccaneers	Reggie Rusk	Defensive back	Kentucky
222	St. Louis Rams	Chuck Osborne	Defensive tackle	Arizona
223	Minnesota Vikings	Jon Merrill	Tackle	Duke
224	Oakland Raiders	Darius Smith	Center	Sam Houston State
225	Seattle Seahawks	Johnie Church	Defensive end	Florida
226	Denver Broncos	Chris Banks	Guard	Kansas
227	Jacksonville Jaguars	Clarence Jones	Wide receiver	Tennessee State
228	Jacksonville Jaguars	Gregory Spann	Wide receiver	Jackson State
229	Atlanta Falcons	Ethan Brooks	Defensive end	Williams
230	Miami Dolphins	Jeff Buckey	Guard	Stanford
231	San Diego Chargers	Freddie Bradley	Running back	Sonoma State
232	Indianapolis Colts	Adrian Robinson	Defensive back	Baylor
233	Chicago Bears	Marcus Keyes	Defensive tackle	North Alabama
234	Carolina Panthers	Kerry Hicks	Defensive tackle	Colorado
235	Denver Broncos	L. T. Levine	Running back	Kansas
236	Denver Broncos	Brian Gragert	Punter	Wyoming
237	Buffalo Bills	Dan Bradenburg	Defensive end	Indiana State
238	Baltimore Ravens	Jon Stark	Quarterback	Trinity
239	San Francisco 49ers	Sean Manuel	Tight end	New Mexico State
240	Green Bay Packers	Kyle Wachholtz	Quarterback	USC
241	Kansas City Chiefs	Jeff Smith	Center	Tennessee
242	Pittsburgh Steelers	Carlos Emmons	Linebacker	Arkansas State
243	Dallas Cowboys	Ryan Wood	Running back	Arizona State
244	Buffalo Bills	Jay Riemersma	Tight end	Michigan
245	Kansas City Chiefs	Darrell Williams	Defensive back	Tennessee State
246	New Orleans Saints	Henry Lusk	Tight end	Utah
247	New England Patriots	J. R. Conrad	Tackle	Oklahoma
248	Oakland Raiders	Joey Wylie	Guard	Stephen F. Austin
249	Buffalo Bills	Eric Smedley	Defensive back	Indiana
250	Washington Redskins	DeAndre Maxwell	Wide receiver	San Diego State
251	Miami Dolphins	Brice Hunter	Wide receiver	Georgia
252	Green Bay Packers	Keith McKenzie	Linebacker	Ball State
253	Chicago Bears	Michael Hicks	Running back	South Carolina State
254 ^[4]	San Francisco 49ers	Sam Manuel	Linebacker	New Mexico State

= Pro Bowler ^[2]

Notable undrafted players[edit | edit source]

NFL Team	Player	Position	College
Green Bay Packers	Joe Nedney	Kicker	San Jose State
New England Patriots	Ray Lucas	Quarterback	Rutgers
Philadelphia Eagles	Hollis Thomas	Defensive Tackle	Northern Illinois
New England Patriots	Adam Vinatieri	Kicker	South Dakota State

Hall of famers[edit | edit source]

None of the drafted players from the 1996 NFL Draft have been inducted into the Professional Football Hall of Fame. However, many of the players drafted are expected to make it when they are eligible.

References[edit | edit source]

↑ Football Prospectus 2007, p. 461
↑ ^2.0 ^2.1 Players are identified as a Pro Bowler if they were selected for the Pro-Bowl at any time in their career.
↑ Eddie George, 1995 Heisman Trophy winner ^{"1995 Heisman Trophy winner". http://www.heisman.com/winners/e-george95.html. Retrieved 2008-10-11.^{[dead link]}}
↑ This last selection is commonly referred to as Mr. Irrelevant.

External links[edit | edit source]

[1] Football Prospectus 2007, p. 461

[Pro_Bowler_note-2] 2.0 ^2.1 Players are identified as a Pro Bowler if they were selected for the Pro-Bowl at any time in their career.

[Heisman_note-3] Eddie George, 1995 Heisman Trophy winner ^{"1995 Heisman Trophy winner". http://www.heisman.com/winners/e-george95.html. Retrieved 2008-10-11.^{[dead link]}}

[Mr._Irrelevant_note-4] This last selection is commonly referred to as Mr. Irrelevant.

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[4]