The 1974 NFL draft took place at the Americana Hotel in

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, on January 29–30, 1974. Each of the 26 NFL teams were granted 17 selections for a total of 442 picks. Many experts consider the

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to have had the best draft class in NFL history as they selected four players later inducted into the

Pro Football Hall of Fame The Pro Football Hall of Fame is the hall of fame for professional football (gridiron), professional American football, located in Canton, Ohio. Opened on September 7, 1963, the Hall of Fame enshrines exceptional figures in the sport of profes ...

(

Lynn Swann Lynn Curtis Swann (born March 7, 1952) is an American former professional football player, broadcaster, politician, and athletic director, best known for his association with the University of Southern California and the Pittsburgh Steelers. He ...

, Jack Lambert, John Stallworth, and Mike Webster). A fifth Hall of Famer, Donnie Shell, was signed by Pittsburgh after going unselected in the draft. The closest any other team has come to this success in a draft is the

Dallas Cowboys The Dallas Cowboys are a professional American football team based in the Dallas–Fort Worth metroplex. The Cowboys compete in the National Football League (NFL) as a member of the National Football Conference (NFC) NFC East, East division. T ...

' 1964 draft, when three Hall of Famers were taken (

Roger Staubach Roger Thomas Staubach (, -; , -; born February 5, 1942), nicknamed "Roger the Dodger", "Captain America", and "Captain Comeback", is an American former professional football quarterback who played in the National Football League (NFL) for 11 se ...

Mel Renfro Melvin Lacy Renfro (born December 30, 1941) is an American former professional football player who spent his entire 14-year career as a cornerback for the Dallas Cowboys of the National Football League (NFL). He is a member of the Pro Football H ...

, and

Bob Hayes Robert Lee Hayes (December 20, 1942 – September 18, 2002), nicknamed "Bullet Bob", was an American sprinter and professional football player. After winning gold medals at the 1964 Summer Olympics, he played as a split end in the National F ...

. The

Green Bay Packers The Green Bay Packers are a professional American football team based in Green Bay, Wisconsin. The Packers compete in the National Football League (NFL) as a member of the National Football Conference (NFC) NFC North, North division. They ar ...

also selected three Hall of Famers in

1958 Events January * January 1 – The European Economic Community (EEC) comes into being. * January 3 – The West Indies Federation is formed. * January 4 ** Edmund Hillary's Commonwealth Trans-Antarctic Expedition completes the thir ...

( Jim Taylor,

Ray Nitschke Raymond Ernest Nitschke (December 29, 1936 – March 8, 1998) was an American professional football player who spent his entire 15-year career as a linebacker in the National Football League (NFL) with the Green Bay Packers. Enshrined in the Pr ...

, and

Jerry Kramer Gerald Louis Kramer (born January 23, 1936) is an American former professional football player, author and sports commentator. He played 11 years as a guard and placekicker with the Green Bay Packers of the National Football League (NFL). He w ...

). The

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had the first pick in the 1974 draft based on their one-win record in

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, but they traded the first overall pick—as well as the first pick of the third round, #53 overall—to the

in exchange for

defensive end Defensive end (DE) is a defensive position in the sport of gridiron football. This position has designated the players at each end of the defensive line, but changes in formation (American football), formations over the years have substantially ...

Tody Smith and

wide receiver A wide receiver (WR), also referred to as a wideout, and historically known as a split end (SE) or flanker (FL), is an eligible receiver in gridiron football. A key skill position of the offense (American football), offense, WR gets its name ...

Billy Parks. Dallas used the two picks to select two future Pro Bowlers, defensive end Ed "Too Tall" Jones and quarterback Danny White. This was the first NFL draft since

1938 Events January * January 1 – state-owned enterprise, State-owned railway networks are created by merger, in France (SNCF) and the Netherlands (Nederlandse Spoorwegen – NS). * January 20 – King Farouk of Egypt marries Saf ...

to not have any quarterbacks taken in the first round, and one of only five. Along with 1988, it is the only draft where no quarterback was taken in the first two rounds, and 1974 is generally regarded as one of the worst quarterback draft classes of all time, with only Danny White (the first quarterback taken, with the first pick in the third round) and fourth round pick Mike Boryla reaching the Pro Bowl, and even Boryla was out of the NFL by 1978. In the seventeenth round, the

selected wide receiver Randy Woodfield of Portland State (428th overall). Cut in training camp, he later became a convicted serial killer, known as the 'I-5 killer'. The last remaining active player in the NFL from the 1974 draft class was center Mike Webster, who retired after the 1990 season.

Player selections

Round one-twelve

Round thirteen

Round fourteen

Round fifteen

Round sixteen

Round seventeen

Notable undrafted players

Hall of Famers

* Jack Lambert, linebacker from Kent State, taken 2nd round 46th overall by Pittsburgh Steelers :Inducted: Professional Football Hall of Fame class of 1990.List of 1990s Hall of Fame Inductee's at profootballhof.com * Mike Webster, center from Wisconsin, taken 5th round 125th overall by Pittsburgh Steelers :Inducted: Professional Football Hall of Fame class of 1997. *

, wide receiver from Southern California, taken 1st round 21st overall by Pittsburgh Steelers :Inducted: Professional Football Hall of Fame class of 2001.List of 2000s Hall of Fame Inductee's at profootballhof.com * Dave Casper, tight end from Notre Dame, taken 2nd round 45th overall by Oakland Raiders :Inducted: Professional Football Hall of Fame class of 2002. * John Stallworth, wide receiver from Alabama A&M, taken 4th round 82nd overall by Pittsburgh Steelers :Inducted: Professional Football Hall of Fame class of 2002. * Donnie Shell, safety from South Carolina State, undrafted and signed by Pittsburgh Steelers :Inducted: Professional Football Hall of Fame class of 2020. * Randy Gradishar, linebacker from Ohio State, taken 1st round 14th overall by Denver Broncos :Inducted: Professional Football Hall of Fame class of 2024.

References

External links

NFL.com – 1974 Draft
*
Pro Football Hall of Fame
{{DEFAULTSORT:1974 Nfl Draft NFL draft

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