1982 NFL draft
The 1982 NFL Draft was the 47th annual player selection meeting held by National Football League (NFL) franchises to select newly eligible amateur college football players, consisting of 12 rounds in which a total of 334 prospects were chosen.[1] Conducted on April 27–28, 1982, the event marked a key step in team building amid a league transitioning through labor tensions that would soon shorten the regular season.[1] The New England Patriots held the first overall pick and selected defensive end Kenneth Sims from the University of Texas, a highly touted pass rusher expected to bolster their defensive line.[2] Subsequent top selections included linebacker Johnie Cooks (2nd overall, Baltimore Colts), linebacker Chip Banks (3rd overall, Cleveland Browns), quarterback Art Schlichter (4th overall, Baltimore Colts), and quarterback Jim McMahon (5th overall, Chicago Bears).[3] This draft class proved particularly rich in long-term talent, producing four Pro Football Hall of Famers: running back Marcus Allen (10th overall, Oakland Raiders), who became a cornerstone of the Raiders' dynasty with over 12,000 rushing yards and a Super Bowl MVP; guard Mike Munchak (8th overall, Houston Oilers), an 11-time Pro Bowler and anchor of the "Hungry Five" offensive line; linebacker Andre Tippett (41st overall, New England Patriots), who led the league in sacks twice and helped revitalize the franchise; and kicker Morten Andersen (86th overall, New Orleans Saints), the NFL's all-time leading scorer at the time of his induction with more than 2,500 points.[2] Other impactful players included offensive tackle Luis Sharpe (16th overall, St. Louis Cardinals), a nine-time Pro Bowler.[2] To address underclassmen eligibility issues, the NFL conducted a supplemental draft on June 30, 1982, where the Detroit Lions selected cornerback Kevin Robinson from North Carolina A&T in the ninth round as the only pick.[4] Overall, the 1982 draft exemplified the era's emphasis on defensive talent early while yielding versatile stars who influenced the league for decades.[3]Background
1981 NFL Season Context
The 1981 NFL season marked a period of competitive balance across the league, with high-scoring offenses and defensive vulnerabilities shaping team performances. The San Francisco 49ers, led by quarterback Joe Montana, finished with the best record at 13-3 and went on to win Super Bowl XVI against the Cincinnati Bengals by a score of 26-21 on January 24, 1982, at the Pontiac Silverdome in Pontiac, Michigan. This victory solidified the 49ers' emergence as a dynasty, while the Bengals' 12-4 campaign highlighted the AFC Central's strength. Overall, the season featured potent passing attacks, with league leaders like Cincinnati's Ken Anderson throwing for 3,754 yards and 29 touchdowns.[5] Draft positioning for the 1982 NFL Draft was determined by reverse order of the 1981 standings, with the New England Patriots earning the No. 1 overall pick after their league-worst 2-14 record. The Baltimore Colts tied the Patriots at 2-14 but received the No. 2 pick via tiebreaker rules, and they also held the No. 4 selection from a prior trade with the Houston Oilers.[3] Other struggling teams, such as the Chicago Bears (6-10) with the 5th pick, while the New Orleans Saints (4-12) and Los Angeles Rams (6-10) selected later due to the Saints' forfeited first-round pick after selecting quarterback Dave Wilson in the 1981 supplemental draft, reflecting widespread needs for roster overhauls. The season's outcomes influenced team strategies heading into the draft, particularly in addressing defensive weaknesses. Many bottom-dwelling teams, like the Colts—who allowed a league-high 533 points and recorded just 13 sacks—suffered from ineffective pass rushes, underscoring the priority for bolstering defensive lines.[6] [7] Quarterback instability further exacerbated issues for franchises such as the Colts, where incumbent Bert Jones threw for 3,094 passing yards in 15 starts amid the team's 2-14 season.[8] Broader league trends emphasized recruiting college players with superior speed and athleticism, as scouts increasingly prioritized 40-yard dash times and combine metrics to counter evolving offensive schemes.[9]Pre-Draft Expectations
As the 1982 NFL Draft approached, scouting reports and media analyses highlighted a talent pool strong in defensive linemen and linebackers, with several prospects drawing comparisons to elite NFL performers due to their athleticism and production. Kenneth Sims, a defensive end from the University of Texas, emerged as the consensus top prospect, widely projected as the No. 1 overall pick for his disruptive pass-rushing ability and physical dominance.[10] In the 1981 season, Sims earned unanimous All-American honors and the Lombardi Award as the nation's top lineman, recording 10 sacks and anchoring Texas's defense en route to a Cotton Bowl victory.[10] Linebacker Chip Banks from USC was another focal point, praised for his exceptional speed—clocking a 4.5-second 40-yard dash—and versatility in coverage and rushing the passer, often likened to emerging star Lawrence Taylor.[11] Banks led USC with 106 tackles in 1981, including 8.5 for loss, positioning him as a top-five lock in most evaluations. Meanwhile, despite the era's devaluation of running backs amid a pass-oriented league shift, USC's Marcus Allen generated significant buzz as a complete back with breakaway speed and receiving skills; his 1981 Heisman Trophy win, coupled with a single-season rushing record of 2,342 yards and 22 touchdowns, made him a projected mid-first-round talent.[12] Quarterbacks also factored into pre-draft discussions, with Ohio State's Art Schlichter viewed as a likely early selection to address league-wide needs at the position following a thin 1981 rookie class. Schlichter, who threw for 7,547 yards and 50 touchdowns over his Buckeye career, was lauded for his strong arm, poise under pressure, and mobility, with scouts emphasizing his leadership in guiding Ohio State to a 10-3 record in 1981.[13] Team-specific rumors intensified the anticipation, particularly for the New England Patriots, who held the first pick after a 2-14 finish in 1981 marred by a porous defense that ranked 22nd in points allowed (370 total, or 23.1 per game) due to weaknesses along the lines and at linebacker. Reports suggested the Patriots were prioritizing defensive reinforcements, with Sims as their ideal target to bolster a unit that struggled against the run and pass rush.[14]Draft Process
Logistics and Format
The 1982 NFL Draft was held over two days, April 27 and 28, at the New York Sheraton Hotel in New York City.[15][16] The event featured representatives from the league's 28 teams gathered in person, with NFL Commissioner Pete Rozelle announcing each selection from a central stage, a tradition that emphasized the draft's formal, conference-style atmosphere.[17] The draft consisted of 12 rounds and resulted in 334 total selections across the participating teams.[16] On the first day, only the initial three rounds were completed, while the remaining nine rounds (4 through 12) took place on the second day, reflecting the era's more deliberate pacing without the compressed schedules of later years.[18] Unlike contemporary drafts, no time limits were imposed on teams for making their picks, allowing for lengthy deliberations, trade negotiations, and occasional delays that extended sessions well into the evening.[19] This draft occurred prior to the widespread adoption of primetime television broadcasts, with coverage limited to select radio and early TV segments rather than the multi-day, evening extravaganzas that became standard starting in 2010.[17] The in-person format at a single venue fostered direct interactions among team executives, scouts, and league officials, underscoring the draft's role as a key annual business meeting for the NFL.Selection Order and Trades
The selection order for the 1982 NFL Draft was determined by the reverse order of each team's 1981 regular-season record, with ties broken first by strength of schedule—the combined winning percentage of opponents faced during the season—and subsequent tiebreakers including head-to-head results and conference record if necessary.[20] This system positioned the two teams that finished 2-14 in 1981—New England and Baltimore—at the top, ordered by their respective strengths of schedule. The New England Patriots earned the No. 1 overall pick due to their worst strength of schedule among the pair, followed by the Baltimore Colts at No. 2.[21][22] Pre-draft transactions significantly altered the top of the order. On April 27, 1982—the first day of the draft—the Baltimore Colts traded quarterback Bert Jones to the Los Angeles Rams in exchange for the Rams' first-round pick (No. 4 overall) and a second-round selection (No. 34 overall).[18][23] Separately, the New Orleans Saints forfeited their original first-round pick (projected at No. 3 based on their 4-12 record, the third-worst in the league) as a penalty for selecting quarterback Dave Wilson with the top choice in the 1981 NFL supplemental draft.[24][25] This forfeiture shifted subsequent teams up one spot, moving the Cleveland Browns from projected No. 4 to No. 3.[2] These changes led to an uneven distribution of early selections, with the Colts holding two picks in the top five (Nos. 2 and 4) while the Saints lacked any first-round choice, forcing them to wait until the second round.[2] Other intra-draft trades further shuffled later positions, such as the Green Bay Packers acquiring the San Diego Chargers' No. 22 pick in exchange for wide receiver John Jefferson and an option to swap picks.[18] Overall, the 12-round draft featured 334 total selections across 28 teams, resulting in most franchises receiving 10 to 12 picks, though trades caused variations— for instance, the San Francisco 49ers ended with only three while the New England Patriots had 13.[2]Main Draft Selections
Round 1
The first round of the 1982 NFL Draft, held on April 27, 1982, at the New York Sheraton Hotel, featured 27 selections due to the New Orleans Saints' forfeiture of their pick following their selection of quarterback Dave Wilson in the 1981 supplemental draft.[2] The New England Patriots held the first overall choice and selected defensive end Kenneth Sims from the University of Texas to bolster their defensive line.[2] This round emphasized offensive talent overall, with 18 of the 27 picks allocated to offensive positions, though defensive selections dominated the early portion, including the first three choices.[2] The complete list of first-round selections is as follows:
A notable development was the Baltimore Colts securing two high selections: linebacker Johnie Cooks at No. 2 and quarterback Art Schlichter at No. 4, allowing them to address multiple needs in one round without on-site trades.[2] No major trades occurred during the first round itself, keeping the proceedings straightforward.[18] Media attention focused on the surprise availability of Heisman Trophy winner Marcus Allen, who fell to the 10th pick despite expectations of an earlier selection, enabling the Oakland Raiders to draft the USC running back.[12] Positionally, the round included seven running backs, four linebackers, four guards, four wide receivers, three defensive ends, two quarterbacks, and one each of tackle, defensive back, and nose tackle, reflecting teams' priorities for skill positions and protection amid a league-wide offensive tilt.[2]