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1997 NFL Draft
1997nfldraft
General Information
Date(s) April 19–20, 1997
Location
Picks
First selection Orlando Pace, OT
St. Louis Rams
Mr. Irrelevant Ronnie McAda, QB
Green Bay Packers
Most selections
Fewest selections
Overall selections 253
NFL Draft
 < 1996 1998 > 

The 1997 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 19–20, 1997. No teams elected to claim any players in the supplemental draft that year.

This draft was notable for its high-profile offensive linemen. The first overall selection was Orlando Pace, who has appeared in seven consecutive Pro Bowls from 2000 to 2006. Defensive End Peter Boulware was picked 4th overall in the draft, and finished his career with a Baltimore Ravens team record 70 sacks. Walter Jones was taken 6th overall, and has made 9 Pro Bowls, including seven consecutive from 2001 to 2007. Tarik Glenn was selected 19th overall and has been named to three Pro Bowls as well. Others include Chris Naeole, Dan Neil, Ryan Tucker, Jeff Mitchell, Mike Flynn, and Joe Andruzzi.

The '97 Draft is also well-known for its running backs. Warrick Dunn was drafted 12th overall by the Tampa Bay Buccaneers and rushed for over 10,000 yards in his career. Corey Dillon, Tiki Barber, Antowain Smith, Priest Holmes, and Duce Staley all enjoyed productive seasons in the NFL.

This draft is also well-known for its undrafted Pro Bowl players. Jake Delhomme, Priest Holmes, and Pat Williams all made Pro-Bowl trips at some point in their careers.

Player selections[]

= Pro Bowler [1]

Round one[]

Pick # NFL Team Player Position College
1 St. Louis Rams (from New York Jets) Orlando Pace Offensive tackle Ohio State
2 Oakland Raiders Darrell Russell Defensive tackle USC
3 Seattle Seahawks (from Atlanta Falcons for 1997 1st, 2nd, 3rd and 4th round picks) Shawn Springs Defensive back Ohio State
4 Baltimore Ravens Peter Boulware Linebacker Florida State
5 Detroit Lions Bryant Westbrook Defensive back Texas
6 Seattle Seahawks (from St. Louis Rams via New York Jets and Tampa Bay Buccaneers) Walter Jones Offensive tackle Florida State
7 New York Giants Ike Hilliard Wide receiver Florida
8 New York Jets(from Tampa Bay Buccaneers) James Farrior Linebacker Virginia
9 Arizona Cardinals Tommy Knight Defensive back Iowa
10 New Orleans Saints Chris Naeole Guard Colorado
11 Atlanta Falcons Michael Booker Defensive back Nebraska
12 Tampa Bay Buccaneers Warrick Dunn Running back Florida State
13 Kansas City Chiefs Tony Gonzalez Tight end California
14 Cincinnati Bengals Reinard Wilson Linebacker Florida State
15 Miami Dolphins Yatil Green Wide receiver Miami
16 Tampa Bay Buccaneers Reidel Anthony Wide receiver Florida
17 Washington Redskins Kenard Lang Defensive end Miami
18 Tennessee Oilers Kenny Holmes Defensive end Miami
19 Indianapolis Colts Tarik Glenn Offensive tackle California
20 Minnesota Vikings Dwayne Rudd Linebacker Alabama
21 Jacksonville Jaguars Renaldo Wynn Defensive tackle Notre Dame
22 Dallas Cowboys David LaFleur Tight end LSU
23 Buffalo Bills Antowain Smith Running back Houston
24 Pittsburgh Steelers Chad Scott Defensive back Maryland
25 Philadelphia Eagles Jon Harris Defensive end Virginia
26 San Francisco 49ers Jim Druckenmiller Quarterback Virginia Tech
27 Carolina Panthers Rae Carruth Wide receiver Colorado
28 Denver Broncos Trevor Pryce Defensive lineman Clemson
29 New England Patriots Chris Canty Defensive back Kansas State
30 Green Bay Packers Ross Verba Offensive tackle Iowa

Round two[]

Pick # NFL Team Player Position College
31 New York Jets Rick Terry Defensive tackle North Carolina
32 Atlanta Falcons Nathan Davis Defensive end Indiana
33 New Orleans Saints Rob Kelly Defensive back Ohio State
34 Baltimore Ravens Jamie Sharper Linebacker Virginia
35 Detroit Lions Juan Roque Offensive tackle Arizona State
36 New York Giants Tiki Barber Running back Virginia
37 Tampa Bay Buccaneers Jerry Wunsch Offensive tackle Wisconsin
38 Chicago Bears John Allred Tight end USC
39 New Orleans Saints Jared Tomich Defensive end Nebraska
40 St. Louis Rams Dexter McCleon Defensive back Clemson
41 Atlanta Falcons Byron Hanspard Running back Texas Tech
42 Arizona Cardinals Jake Plummer Quarterback Arizona State
43 Cincinnati Bengals Corey Dillon Running back Washington
44 Miami Dolphins Sam Madison Cornerback Louisville
45 San Diego Chargers Freddie Jones Tight end North Carolina
46 Tennessee Oilers Joey Kent Wide receiver Tennessee
47 Kansas City Chiefs Kevin Lockett Wide receiver Kansas State
48 Indianapolis Colts Adam Meadows Offensive tackle Georgia
49 Minnesota Vikings Torrian Gray Free Safety Virginia Tech
50 Jacksonville Jaguars Mike Logan Cornerback West Virginia
51 Washington Redskins Greg Jones Linebacker Colorado
52 Buffalo Bills Marcellus Wiley Defensive end Columbia
53 Pittsburgh Steelers Will Blackwell Wide receiver San Diego State
54 Detroit Lions Kevin Abrams Cornerback Syracuse
55 San Francisco 49ers Marc Edwards Running back Notre Dame
56 Carolina Panthers Mike Minter Free Safety Nebraska
57 Philadelphia Eagles James Darling Linebacker Washington State
58 Baltimore Ravens Kim Herring Free Safety Penn State
59 New England Patriots Brandon Mitchell Defensive end Texas A&M
60 Green Bay Packers Darren Sharper Defensive back William & Mary

Round three[]

Pick # NFL Team Player Position College
61 New England Patriots Sedrick Shaw Running back Iowa
62 New Orleans Saints Troy Davis Running back Iowa State
63 Tampa Bay Buccaneers Frank Middleton Guard Arizona
64 Baltimore Ravens Jay Graham Running back Tennessee
65 Dallas Cowboys Dexter Coakley Outside linebacker Appalachian State
66 Tampa Bay Buccaneers Ronde Barber Cornerback Virginia
67 Denver Broncos Dan Neil Offensive guard Texas
68 New York Giants Ryan Phillips Linebacker Idaho
69 Chicago Bears Bob Sapp Offensive guard Washington
70 Atlanta Falcons O. J. Santiago Tight end Kent State
71 Philadelphia Eagles Duce Staley Running back South Carolina
72 Oakland Raiders Adam Treu Offensive guard Nebraska
73 Miami Dolphins Jason Taylor Defensive end Akron
74 San Diego Chargers Michael Hamilton Linebacker North Carolina A&T
75 Tennessee Oilers Denard Walker Cornerback Kent State
76 Cincinnati Bengals Rod Payne Center Michigan
77 San Francisco 49ers Greg Clark Tight end Stanford
78 Minnesota Vikings Stalin Colinet Defensive end Boston College
79 Jacksonville Jaguars James Hamilton Linebacker North Carolina
80 Washington Redskins Derek Smith Outside linebacker Arizona State
81 Tennessee Oilers Scott Sanderson Offensive tackle Washington State
82 Pittsburgh Steelers Paul Wiggins Offensive tackle Oregon
83 Dallas Cowboys Steve Scifres Offensive guard Wyoming
84 Arizona Cardinals Ty Howard Cornerback Ohio State
85 Oakland Raiders Tim Kohn Offensive guard Iowa State
86 Indianapolis Colts Bertrand Berry Linebacker Notre Dame
87 Carolina Panthers Kinnon Tatum Linebacker Notre Dame
88 New York Jets Dedric Ward Wide receiver Northern Iowa
89 New England Patriots Chris Carter Defensive back Texas
90 Green Bay Packers Brett Conway Kicker Penn State
91 Pittsburgh Steelers Mike Vrabel Defensive end Ohio State
92 Miami Dolphins Derrick Rodgers Outside linebacker Arizona State
93 Miami Dolphins Ronnie Ward Linebacker Kansas
94 Dallas Cowboys Kenny Wheaton Defensive back Oregon
95 New York Giants Brad Maynard Punter Ball State
96 Miami Dolphins Brent Smith Offensive tackle Mississippi State

Round four[]

Pick # NFL Team Player Position College
97 New England Patriots Damon Denson Offensive guard Michigan
98 Tennessee Oilers Derrick Mason Wide receiver Michigan State
99 New Orleans Saints Danny Wuerffel [2] Quarterback Florida
100 Atlanta Falcons Henri Crockett Linebacker Florida State
101 Dallas Cowboys Antonio Anderson Defensive tackle Syracuse
102 New York Jets Terry Day Defensive end Mississippi State
103 New York Giants Pete Monty Linebacker Wisconsin
104 New York Jets Leon Johnson Running back North Carolina
105 Chicago Bears Darnell Autry Running back Northwestern
106 Arizona Cardinals Chris Dishman Offensive lineman Nebraska
107 Tennessee Oilers Pratt Lyons Defensive Lineman Troy State
108 Chicago Bears Marcus Robinson Wide receiver South Carolina
109 San Diego Chargers Raleigh Roundtree Offensive lineman South Carolina State
110 Kansas City Chiefs Pat Barnes Quarterback California
111 Cincinnati Bengals Tremain Mack Defensive back Miami
112 St. Louis Rams Ryan Tucker Offensive lineman TCU
113 Minnesota Vikings Antonio Banks Defensive back Virginia Tech
114 Jacksonville Jaguars Seth Payne Defensive Lineman Cornell
115 Washington Redskins Albert Connell Wide receiver Texas A&M
116 New Orleans Saints Keith Poole Wide receiver Arizona State
117 Indianapolis Colts Monty Montgomery Defensive back Houston
118 Baltimore Ravens Tyrus McCloud Linebacker Louisville
119 Philadelphia Eagles Damien Robinson Defensive back Iowa
120 Buffalo Bills Jamie Nails Offensive lineman Florida A&M
121 Miami Dolphins Jerome Daniels Tackle Northeastern
122 Carolina Panthers Tarek Saleh Linebacker Wisconsin
123 Oakland Raiders Chad Levitt Running back Cornell
124 Denver Broncos Cory Gilliard Defensive back Ball State
125 New England Patriots Ed Ellis Tackle Buffalo Bulls
126 Green Bay Packers Jermaine Smith Defensive tackle Georgia
127 Dallas Cowboys Macey Brooks Wide receiver James Madison
128 Tampa Bay Buccanneers Alshermond Singleton Linebacker Temple
129 Dallas Cowboys Nicky Sualua Fullback Ohio State
130 Detroit Lions Matt Russell Linebacker Colorado

Round five[]

Pick # NFL Team Player Position College
131 New York Jets Lamont Burns Offensive lineman East Carolina
132 Washington Redskins Jamel Williams Defensive back Nebraska
133 Atlanta Falcons Marcus Wimberly Defensive back Miami (FL)
134 Baltimore Ravens Jeff Mitchell Offensive lineman Florida
135 Detroit Lions Pete Chryplewicz Tight end Notre Dame
136 New York Giants Sam Garnes Defensive back Cincinnati
137 Tampa Bay Buccaneers Patrick Hape Tight end Alabama
138 San Diego Chargers Kenny Bynum Running back South Carolina State
139 Arizona Cardinals Chad Carpenter Wide receiver Washington State
140 Washington Redskins Keith Thibodeaux Defensive back Northwest Louisiana
141 Chicago Bears Van Hiles Defensive back Kentucky
142 Seattle Seahawks Eric Stokes Defensive back Nebraska
143 Tennessee Oilers George McCullough Defensive back Baylor
144 Cincinnati Bengals Andre Purvis Defensive tackle North Carolina
145 New York Jets Raymond Austin Defensive back Tennessee
146 San Diego Chargers Paul Bradford Defensive back Portland State
147 Jacksonville Jaguars Damon Jones Tight end Southern Illinois
148 Washington Redskins Twan Russell Linebacker Miami(FL)
149 Miami Dolphins Barron Tanner Defensive tackle Oklahoma
150 Indianapolis Colts Nate Jacquet Wide receiver San Diego State
151 Minnesota Vikings Tony Williams Defensive tackle Memphis
152 Philadelphia Eagles Ndukwe Kalu Defensive end Rice
153 Buffalo Bills Sean Woodson Defensive back Jackson State
154 Pittsburgh Steelers George Jones Running back San Diego State
155 Philadelphia Eagles Luther Broughton Tight end Furman
156 Indianapolis Colts Carl Powell Defensive end Louisville
157 Miami Dolphins Nick Lopez Defensive end Texas Southern
158 St. Louis Rams Taje Allen Defensive back Texas
159 New England Patriots Vernon Crawford Linebacker Florida State
160 Green Bay Packers Anthony Hicks Linebacker Middle Tennessee State
161 Detroit Lions Duane Ashman Defensive end Virginia
162 Washington Redskins Brad Badger Guard Stanford
163 Kansas City Chiefs June Henley Running back Kansas

Round six[]

Pick # NFL Team Player Position College
164 New York Jets Tim Scharf Linebacker Northwestern
165 New Orleans Saints Nicky Savoie Tight end Louisiana State
166 Miami Dolphins John Fiala Linebacker Washington
167 Baltimore Ravens Steve Lee Running back Indiana
168 Detroit Lions Tony Ramirez Guard Northern Colorado
169 Tampa Bay Buccaneers Al Harris Cornerback Texas A&M-Kingsville
170 Miami Dolphins Brian Manning Wide receiver Stanford
171 New York Giants Mike Cherry Quarterback Murray State
172 Oakland Raiders Calvin Branch Running back Colorado State
173 Miami Dolphins Mike Crawford Linebacker Nevada
174 Seattle Seahawks Itula Mili Tight end Brigham Young
175 Arizona Cardinals Rod Brown Running back North Carolina State
176 Cincinnati Bengals Canute Curtis Linebacker West Virginia
177 Miami Dolphins Ed Perry Tight end James Madison
178 San Diego Chargers Daniel Palmer Center Air Force
179 St. Louis Rams Muadianvita Kazadi Linebacker Tulsa
180 Atlanta Falcons Calvin Collins Center Texas A&M
181 Tennessee Oilers Dennis Stallings Linebacker Illinois
182 Indianapolis Colts Scott Von der Ahe Linebacker Arizona State
183 Minnesota Vikings Robert Tate Wide receiver Cincinnati
184 Jacksonville Jaguars Daimon Shelton Running back Sacramento State
185 Buffalo Bills Marcus Spriggs Guard Houston
186 Pittsburgh Steelers Daryl Porter Defensive back Boston College
187 Dallas Cowboys Lee Vaughn Defensive back Wyoming
188 Arizona Cardinals Tony McCombs Linebacker Eastern Kentucky
189 Carolina Panthers Matt Finkes Defensive end Ohio State
190 Philadelphia Eagles Antwuan Wyatt Wide receiver Bethune-Cookman
191 New York Jets Chuck Clements Quarterback Houston
192 New England Patriots Tony Gaiter Wide receiver Miami (FL)
193 Oakland Raiders Grady Jackson Defensive tackle Knoxville
194 Baltimore Ravens Cornell Brown Defensive end Virginia Tech
195 Kansas City Chiefs Isaac Byrd Wide receiver Kansas
196 Chicago Bears Shawn Swayda Defensive tackle Arizona State
197 Tampa Bay Buccaneers Nigea Carter Wide receiver Michigan State
198 Philadelphia Eagles Ed Jasper Defensive tackle Texas A&M
199 Pittsburgh Steelers Rod Manuel Defensive end Oklahoma
200 Chicago Bears Richard Hogans Linebacker Memphis
201 Chicago Bears Ricky Parker Defensive back San Diego State

Round seven[]

Pick # NFL Team Player Position College
202 New York Jets Steve Rosga Defensive back Colorado
203 Miami Dolphins Hudhaifa Ismaeli Defensive back Northwestern
204 Atlanta Falcons Tony Graziani Quarterback Oregon
205 Baltimore Ravens Chris Ward Defensive end Kentucky
206 Detroit Lions Terry Battle Running back Arizona State
207 Philadelphia Eagles Koy Detmer Quarterback Colorado
208 New York Giants Matt Keneley Defensive tackle USC
209 Tampa Bay Buccaneers Anthony DeGrate Defensive tackle Stephen F. Austin
210 Chicago Bears Mike Miano Defensive tackle SW Missouri State
211 Seattle Seahawks Carlos Jones Defensive back Miami (FL)
212 Arizona Cardinals Mark Smith Defensive end Auburn
213 Green Bay Packers Chris Miller Wide receiver USC
214 Kansas City Chiefs Nathan Parks Tackle Stanford
215 St. Louis Rams Cedric White Defensive end North Carolina A&T
216 Tennessee Oilers Armon Williams Linebacker Arizona
217 Cincinnati Bengals William Carr Defensive tackle Michigan
218 San Diego Chargers Toran James Linebacker North Carolina A&T
219 Indianapolis Colts Clarence Thompson Defensive back Knoxville
220 Minnesota Vikings Artie Ulmer Linebacker Valdosta State
221 Jacksonville Jaguars Jon Hesse Linebacker Nebraska
222 Atlanta Falcons Chris Bayne Defensive back Fresno State
223 Pittsburgh Steelers Mike Adams Wide receiver Texas
224 Dallas Cowboys Omar Stoutmire Defensive back Fresno State
225 Philadelphia Eagles Byron Capers Defensive back Florida State
226 Buffalo Bills Pat Fitzgerald Tight end Texas
227 Philadelphia Eagles Deauntae Brown Defensive back Central State (OH)
228 Carolina Panthers Kris Mangum Tight end Mississippi
229 New York Jets Jason Ferguson Defensive tackle Georgia
230 New England Patriots Scott Rehberg Tackle Central Michigan
231 Green Bay Packers Jerald Sowell Running back Tulane
232 Detroit Lions Marcus Harris Wide receiver Wyoming
233 Chicago Bears Marvin Thomas Defensive end Memphis
234 Baltimore Ravens Wally Richardson Quarterback Penn State
235 Minnesota Vikings Matthew Hatchette Wide receiver Langston
236 Baltimore Ravens Ralph Staten Linebacker Alabama
237 San Diego Chargers Tony Corbin Quarterback Sacramento State
238 Baltimore Ravens Leland Taylor Defensive tackle Louisville
239 Detroit Lions Richard Jordan Linebacker Missouri Southern
240 [3] Green Bay Packers Ronnie McAda Quarterback Army
= Pro Bowler [1]

Notable undrafted players[]

Original NFL Team Player Position College
Baltimore Ravens Priest Holmes Running back Texas
Baltimore Ravens Mike Flynn Center Maine
Buffalo Bills Pat Williams Defensive tackle Texas A&M
Green Bay Packers Joe Andruzzi Offensive lineman Southern Connecticut St
Denver Broncos Matt Lepsis Offensive tackle Colorado
New Orleans Saints Sammy Knight Defensive Back USC
New Orleans Saints Jake Delhomme Quarterback Louisiana-Lafayette
Seattle Seahawks Jon Kitna Quarterback Central Washington
Detroit Lions Travis Kirschke Defensive End UCLA

Hall of famers[]

None of the drafted players from the 1997 NFL Draft have been inducted into the Professional Football Hall of Fame.

References[]

  1. 1.0 1.1 Players are identified as a Pro Bowler if they were selected for the Pro-Bowl at any time in their career.
  2. Danny Wuerffel, 1996 Heisman Trophy winner "1996 Heisman Trophy winner". http://www.heisman.com/winners/d-wuerffel96.html. Retrieved 2008-10-11.[dead link]
  3. This last selection is commonly referred to as Mr. Irrelevant.

External links[]

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