The 1969 NFL/AFL draft was part of the

common draft The common draft was the selection of college football players in a combined draft from 1967 to 1969 by the American Football League (AFL) and the National Football League (NFL). This took place after the AFL-NFL merger agreement in 1966. From 1 ...

, the third and final year in which the NFL and AFL held a joint draft of college players. The draft took place January 28–29, 1969. The

draft Draft, the draft, or draught may refer to: Watercraft dimensions * Draft (hull), the distance from waterline to keel of a vessel * Draft (sail), degree of curvature in a sail * Air draft, distance from waterline to the highest point on a v ...

began with first overall pick of

O. J. Simpson Orenthal James Simpson (July 9, 1947 – April 10, 2024), also known by his nickname "the Juice", was an American professional American football, football player, actor, and media personality who played in the National Football League (NFL) ...

, the

Heisman Trophy The Heisman Memorial Trophy ( ; also known simply as the Heisman) is awarded annually since 1935 to the top player in college football. It is considered the most prestigious award in the sport and is presented by the Heisman Trophy Trust followin ...

-winning

running back A running back (RB) is a member of the offensive backfield in gridiron football. The primary roles of a running back are to receive American football plays#Offensive terminology, handoffs from the quarterback to Rush (American football)#Offense ...

from

USC USC may refer to: Education United States * Universidad del Sagrado Corazón, Santurce, Puerto Rico * University of South Carolina, Columbia, South Carolina ** University of South Carolina System, a state university system of South Carolina * ...

, by the American Football League's

Buffalo Bills The Buffalo Bills are a professional American football team based in the Buffalo–Niagara Falls metropolitan area. The Bills compete in the National Football League (NFL) as a member of the American Football Conference (AFC) AFC East, East div ...

. It ended with the twenty-sixth pick in round 17, number 442 overall, of Fred Zirkie,

defensive tackle A defensive tackle (DT) is a position in American football that typically lines up on the line of scrimmage, opposite one of the Guard (American football), offensive guards; however, he may also line up opposite one of the offensive Tackle (gridir ...

from

Duke University Duke University is a Private university, private research university in Durham, North Carolina, United States. Founded by Methodists and Quakers in the present-day city of Trinity, North Carolina, Trinity in 1838, the school moved to Durham in 1 ...

, by the AFL's NY Jets.

Player selections

Round one

Round two

Round three

Round four

Round five

Round six

Round seven

Round eight

Round nine

Round ten

Round eleven

Round twelve

Round thirteen

Round fourteen

Round fifteen

Round sixteen

Round seventeen

Hall of Famers

, running back from Southern California, taken 1st round 1st overall by AFL's Buffalo Bills :Inducted: Professional Football Hall of Fame class of 1985. *

Joe Greene Charles Edward Greene (born September 24, 1946), better known as "Mean" Joe Greene, is an American former professional football defensive tackle who played for the Pittsburgh Steelers of the National Football League (NFL) from 1969 to 1981. A ...

, defensive tackle from North Texas, taken 1st round 4th overall by Pittsburgh Steelers :Inducted: Professional Football Hall of Fame class of 1987. * Ted Hendricks, linebacker from Miami, taken 2nd round 33rd overall by Baltimore Colts :Inducted: Professional Football Hall of Fame class of 1990. * Charlie Joiner, wide receiver from Grambling State, taken 4th round 93rd overall by AFL's Houston Oilers :Inducted: Professional Football Hall of Fame class of 1996. * Roger Wehrli, cornerback from Missouri, taken 1st round 19th overall by St. Louis Cardinals :Inducted: Professional Football Hall of Fame class of 2007. *

Ken Riley Kenneth Jerome Riley (August 6, 1947 – June 7, 2020) was an American professional football cornerback who spent his entire career with the Cincinnati Bengals, first in the American Football League (AFL) in 1969 and then the National Foot ...

, defensive back from Florida A&M, taken 6th round 135th overall by Cincinnati Bengals :Inducted: Professional Football Hall of Fame class of 2023.

Notable undrafted players

References

External links

NFL.com – 1969 Draft
*
Pro Football Hall of Fame
{{DEFAULTSORT:1969 Nfl Draft NFL draft

NFL Draft The NFL draft, officially known as the Annual Player Selection Meeting, is an annual event which serves as the most common source of player recruitment in the National Football League. Each team is given a position in the drafting order in reve ...

Draft Draft, the draft, or draught may refer to: Watercraft dimensions * Draft (hull), the distance from waterline to keel of a vessel * Draft (sail), degree of curvature in a sail * Air draft, distance from waterline to the highest point on a v ...

American football in New York City 1960s in Manhattan Sporting events in New York City Sports in Manhattan