From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
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 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
Round one
Round two
Pick #
NFL Team
Player
Position
College
29
Kansas City Chiefs
Sylvester Hicks
Defensive end
Tennessee State
30
Tampa Bay Buccaneers
Johnny Davis
Running back
Alabama
31
New York Jets
Mark Merrill
Linebacker
Minnesota
32
Buffalo Bills
Dee Hardison
Defensive end
North Carolina
33
New Orleans Saints
James Taylor
Tackle
Missouri
34
Green Bay Packers
Mike Hunt
Linebacker
Minnesota
35
Cincinnati Bengals [from Philadelphia (for Bill Bergey , 1974)]
Ray Griffin
Defensive back
Ohio State
36
Seattle Seahawks
Keith Butler
Linebacker
Memphis State
37
New York Giants
Odis McKinney
Defensive back
Colorado
38
Buffalo Bills
Scott Hutchinson
Defensive end
Florida
39
Cleveland Browns
Johnny Evans
Punter
North Carolina State
40
Detroit Lions
Al Baker
Defensive end
Colorado State
41
San Diego Chargers
Milton Hardaway
Tackle
Oklahoma State
42
St. Louis Cardinals
John Barefield
Linebacker
Texas A&I
43
Atlanta Falcons
Steve Stewart
Linebacker
Minnesota
44
Tampa Bay Buccaneers [from Houston]
Brett Moritz
Guard
Nebraska
45
Cincinnati Bengals
Dave Turner
Running back
San Diego State
46
Los Angeles Rams
Stan Johnson
Defensive tackle
Tennessee State
47
San Francisco 49ers
Walt Downing
Guard
Michigan
48
Minnesota Vikings
John Turner
Defensive back
Miami (FL)
49
Pittsburgh Steelers
Willie Fry
Defensive end
Notre Dame
50
New England Patriots
Matt Cavanaugh
Quarterback
Pittsburgh
51
Miami Dolphins
Guy Benjamin
Quarterback
Stanford
52
Baltimore Colts
Mike Woods
Linebacker
Cincinnati
53
Los Angeles Rams
Ron Smith
Wide receiver
San Diego State
54
Oakland Raiders
Dave Browning
Defensive end
Washington
55
Denver Broncos
Bill Gay
Tight end
USC
56
Dallas Cowboys
Todd Christensen
Tight end
Brigham Young
Round three
Round four
Pick #
NFL Team
Player
Position
College
85
Kansas City Chiefs
Daniel Johnson
Linebacker
Tennessee State
86
Oakland Raiders [from Tampa Bay (for Jeff Winans )]
Maurice Harvey
Safety
Ball State
87
New Orleans Saints
Don Schwartz
Defensive back
Washington State
88
New York Jets
Dodie Donnell
Running back
Nebraska
89
Buffalo Bills
Lucius Sanford
Linebacker
Georgia Tech
90
New York Giants
Billy Taylor
Running back
Texas Tech
91
San Francisco 49ers
Terry LeCount
Wide receiver
Florida
92
Philadelphia Eagles
Dennis Harrison
Defensive tackle
Vanderbilt
93
Miami Dolphins
Gerald Small
Cornerback
San Jose State
94
Detroit Lions
William Fifer
Tackle
West Texas State
95
Atlanta Falcons
Brian Cabral
Linebacker
Colorado
96
St. Louis Cardinals
George Collins
Guard
Georgia
97
St. Louis Cardinals
Jim Childs
Wide receiver
Cal Poly-San Luis Obispo
98
Houston Oilers
Mike Renfro
Wide receiver
Texas Christian
99
Cincinnati Bengals
Dennis Law
Wide receiver
East Tennessee State
100
Minnesota Vikings
Jim Hough
Center
Utah State
101
Pittsburgh Steelers
Larry Anderson
Cornerback
Louisiana Tech
102
New England Patriots
Dwight Wheeler
Tackle
Tennessee State
103
Cleveland Browns
Pete Pallara
Guard
Tennessee-Chattanooga
104
Kansas City Chiefs
Pete Woods
Quarterback
Missouri
105
Los Angeles Rams
Mark Manges
Quarterback
Maryland
106
Miami Dolphins
Eric Laakso
Tackle
Tulane
107
Detroit Lions
Homer Elias
Guard
Tennessee State
108
Oakland Raiders
Joe Stewart
Wide receiver
Missouri
109
Detroit Lions
Larry Tearry
Center
Wake Forest
110
Dallas Cowboys
Alois Blackwell
Running back
Houston
Round five
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 )[ 7]
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
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
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 Inman
Linebacker
Bethune-Cookman
193
Cincinnati Bengals
Danny Bass
Tackle
Elon
194
Dallas Cowboys
Tom Randall
Defensive tackle
Iowa State
Round eight
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 Keys
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
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
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 )[ 7]
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
Pick #
NFL Team
Player
Position
College
279
Pittsburgh Steelers (from Buccaneers for Ernie Holmes )[ 7]
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
Bill 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
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
N.E. Oklahoma A&M
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 Bidermann
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[ 8]
Dallas Cowboys
Lee Washburn
Guard
Montana State
0
San Francisco 49ers (supplemental draft)
Rod Connors
Running back
Southern California
Notable undrafted players
Hall of Famers
Earl Campbell , running back from University of Texas at Austin Houston taken 1st round 1st overall by the Houston Oilers.
Inducted: Professional Football Hall of Fame class of 1991.[ 10]
Ozzie Newsome , wide receiver from Alabama taken 1st round 23rd overall by the Cleveland Browns.
Inducted: Professional Football Hall of Fame class of 1999.[ 10]
James Lofton , wide receiver from Stanford taken 1st round 6th overall by the Green Bay Packers.
Inducted: Professional Football Hall of Fame class of 2003.[ 11]
Inducted: Professional Football Hall of Fame class of 2006.[ 11]
References
^ "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 Players are identified as a Pro Bowler if they were selected for the Pro-Bowl at any time in their career.
^ Earl Campbell, 1977 Heisman Trophy winner "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 .
^ Players are identified as a Hall of Famer if they have been inducted into the Pro Football Hall of Fame.
^ 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