| 1985 NFL draft | |
|---|---|
![]() Park Central Hotel (draft venue), photographed in 2010 | |
| General information | |
| Date | April 30 – May 1, 1985 |
| Location | Omni Park Central Hotel in New York City, New York |
| Network | ESPN |
| Overview | |
| 336 total selections in 12 rounds | |
| League | NFL |
| First selection | Bruce Smith, DE Buffalo Bills |
| Mr. Irrelevant | Donald Chumley, DT San Francisco 49ers |
| Most selections (17) | Buffalo Bills Cincinnati Bengals Los Angeles Raiders |
| Fewest selections (6) | San Francisco 49ers |
| Hall of Famers | 5
|
The 1985 NFL draft was the procedure by which National Football League teams selected amateur college football players. The draft was held April 30 and May 1, 1985, at the Omni Park Central Hotel in New York City, New York.12 The league also held a supplemental draft after the regular draft and before the regular season.
The first six selections of the draft made at least one Pro Bowl, and three of the first 16 picks—Bruce Smith, Chris Doleman, and Jerry Rice—have been inducted into the Pro Football Hall of Fame.
For the second consecutive draft, there were no quarterbacks chosen in the first round (Day One).3 The Buffalo Bills used the first overall pick of the draft to select defensive end Bruce Smith. Randall Cunningham was the first quarterback selected (second round) by the Philadelphia Eagles. Of note, University of Miami quarterback Bernie Kosar was taken by the Cleveland Browns in the supplemental draft several months later.
Player selections
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Supplemental draft
| Rnd. | Pick | Team | Player | Pos. | College | Notes | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | — | Cleveland Browns | Bernie Kosar † | QB | Miami (FL) | ||
| 8 | — | San Francisco 49ers | Snipes, RooseveltRoosevelt Snipes | RB | Florida State |
Hall of Famers
- Bruce Smith, defensive end from Virginia Tech, taken in 1st round 1st overall by Buffalo Bills
- Inducted: Professional Football Hall of Fame class of 2009.8
- Jerry Rice, wide receiver from Mississippi Valley State, taken in 1st round 16th overall by San Francisco 49ers
- Inducted: Professional Football Hall of Fame class of 2010.9
- Chris Doleman, defensive end from Pittsburgh, taken in 1st round 4th overall by Minnesota Vikings
- Inducted: Professional Football Hall of Fame class of 2012.10
- Andre Reed, wide receiver from Kutztown, taken in 4th round 86th overall by Buffalo Bills
- Inducted: Professional Football Hall of Fame class of 2014.11
- Kevin Greene, linebacker from Auburn, taken in 5th round 113th overall by Los Angeles Rams
- Inducted: Professional Football Hall of Fame class of 2016.
Notable undrafted players
| † | Pro Bowler4 |
Trades
In the explanations below, (D) denotes trades that took place during the 1985 Draft, while (PD) indicates trades completed pre-draft.
Round 1
- No. 2: Houston → Minnesota → Atlanta. Multiple trades:
Houston → Minnesota (PD). Houston traded a first-round selection (2nd overall) to Minnesota in exchange for first- and second-round selections (3rd and 30th). The second-round selection was returned to Minnesota after the Vikings neither used the first-round selection to draft DE Ray Childress nor traded it to another team who then used the pick to draft Childress.
Minnesota → Atlanta (D). Minnesota traded a first-round selection (2nd overall) to Atlanta in exchange for first- and third-round selections (3rd and 60th overall). - No. 3: Minnesota → Houston (D). See Round 1: Houston → Minnesota.
- No. 4: Atlanta → Minnesota (D). See Round 1: Minnesota → Atlanta.
- No. 7: Cleveland → Buffalo → Green Bay. Multiple trades:
Cleveland → Buffalo (PD). Cleveland traded first- and third-round selections (7th and 63rd overall), and 1986 first- and sixth-round selections to Buffalo in exchange for QB Bernie Kosar.
Buffalo → Green Bay (D). Buffalo traded a first-round selection (7th overall) and a 1986 fourth-round selection to Green Bay in exchange for first- and second round selections (14th and 42nd overall). - No. 11: New Orleans → Houston (PD). New Orleans traded a first-round selection (11th overall) to Houston in exchange for RB Earl Campbell.
- No. 14: Green Bay → Buffalo (D). See Round 1: Buffalo → Green Bay.
- No. 16: New England → San Francisco (D). New England traded first- and third-round selections (16th and 75th overall) to San Francisco in exchange for first-, second- and third-round selections (28th, 56th and 84th overall).
- No. 24: Washington → New Orleans (PD). Washington traded a first-round selection (24th overall) to New Orleans in exchange for fifth-, tenth- and eleventh-round selections (122nd, 263rd and 290th), and RB George Rogers.
- No. 25: Seattle → Cincinnati (PD). Seattle traded a first-round selection (25th overall) to Cincinnati in exchange for C Blair Bush.
- No. 28: San Francisco → New England (D). See Round 1: New England → San Francisco.
Round 2
- No. 31: Houston → Denver (D). Houston traded a second-round selection (31st overall) to Denver in exchange for second- and fifth-round selections (36th and 138th overall).
- No. 33: Atlanta → Washington (PD). Atlanta traded a second-round selection (33rd overall), and 1986 second- and sixth-round selections to Washington in exchange for a second-round selection (51st overall), a 1986 first-round selection and RB Joe Washington.
- No. 36: Tampa Bay → Denver → Houston. Multiple trades:
Tampa Bay → Denver (PD). Tampa Bay traded a second-round selection (36th overall) and a 1984 fourth-round selection to Denver in exchange for QB Steve DeBerg.
Denver → Houston (D). See Round 2: Houston → Denver. - No. 42: Green Bay → Buffalo (D). See Round 1: Buffalo → Green Bay.
- No. 45: St. Louis → Atlanta (D). St. Louis traded a second-round selection (45th overall) to Atlanta in exchange for second- and fifth-round selections (51st and 116th overall).
- No. 51: Washington → Atlanta → St. Louis. Multiple trades:
Washington → Atlanta (PD). See Round 2: Atlanta → Washington.
Atlanta → St. Louis (D). See Round 2: St. Louis → Atlanta. - No. 52: LA Raiders → New England (PD). The LA Raiders traded a second-round selection (52nd overall) and a 1984 first-round selection to New England in exchange for a seventh-round selection (192nd overall) and CB Mike Haynes.
- No. 55: Miami → San Diego (PD). Miami traded a second-round selection (55th overall) and the rights to DE Dewey Forte to San Diego in exchange for FB Pete Johnson.
- No. 56: San Francisco → New England (D). See Round 1: New England → San Francisco.
Round 3
- No. 58: Houston → NY Giants (PD). Houston traded a third-round selection (58th) to the NY Giants in exchange for RB Butch Woolfolk.
- No. 60: Atlanta → Minnesota (D). See Round 1: Minnesota → Atlanta.
- No. 63: Cleveland → Buffalo (PD). See Round 1: Cleveland → Buffalo.
- No. 65: Philadelphia → Miami (PD). Philadelphia traded a third-round selection (65th overall) to Miami in exchange for C Mark Dennard.
- No. 66: San Diego → Minnesota (PD). San Diego traded a third-round selection (66th overall) to Minnesota in exchange for CB John Turner.
- No. 69: Kansas City → San Diego (PD). Kansas City traded a third-round selection (69th overall) and a 1986 fifth-round selection to San Diego in exchange for C Bob Rush.
- No. 75: New England → San Francisco (D). See Round 1: New England → San Francisco.
- No. 80: Washington → Houston → LA Raiders. Multiple trades:
Washington → Houston (??). Washington traded a third-round selection (80th overall) to Houston in exchange for a 1984 fourth-round selection.
Houston → LA Raiders (PD). Houston traded third- and sixth-round selections (80th and 143rd overall) to the LA Raiders in exchange for C Jim Romano. - No. 81: Seattle → New England → Seattle. Multiple trades:
Seattle → New England (PD). Seattle traded a third-round selection (81st overall) to New England in exchange for OT Bob Cryder.
New England → Seattle (D). New England traded a third-round selection (81st overall) to Seattle in exchange for a 1986 second-round selection. - No. 82: Denver → Houston (PD). Denver traded a third-round selection (82nd overall) to Houston in exchange for WR Butch Johnson.
- No. 84: San Francisco → New England (D). See Round 1: New England → San Francisco.
Round 4
- No. 91: Cleveland → Miami (PD). Cleveland traded a fourth-round selection (91st overall) to Miami in exchange for WR Duriel Harris.
- No. 106: LA Rams → Minnesota (PD). The LA Rams traded a fourth-round selection (106th) to Minnesota in exchange for QB Steve Dils.
- No. 107: Washington → LA Raiders (PD). Washington traded a fourth-round selection (107th overall) to the LA Raiders in exchange for WR Calvin Muhammad.
- No. 108: LA Raiders → New England (PD). The LA Raiders traded a fourth-round selection (108th overall) to New England in exchange for OT Shelby Jordan.
- No. 112: San Francisco → Buffalo (PD). San Francisco traded a fourth-round selection (108th overall) to Buffalo in exchange for CB Mario Clark.
Round 5
- No. 113: Buffalo → LA Rams (PD). Buffalo traded a fifth-round selection (113th overall) to the LA Rams in exchange for WR Preston Dennard.
- No. 114: Houston → Dallas (PD). Houston traded a fifth-round selection (114th overall), a 1984 second-round selection and WR Mike Renfro to Dallas in exchange for a 1984 second-round selection and WR Butch Johnson.
- No. 116: Atlanta → St. Louis (D). See Round 2: St. Louis → Atlanta.
- No. 119: Cleveland → Buffalo → Dallas. Multiple trades:
Cleveland → Buffalo (PD). Cleveland traded a fifth-round selection (119th overall), a 1983 first-round selection and a 1984 third-round selection to Buffalo in exchange for the rights to LB Tom Cousineau.
Buffalo → Dallas (D). Buffalo traded a fifth-round selection (119th overall) and a 1986 sixth-round selection to Dallas in exchange for a fifth-round selection (130th overall) and CB Rod Hill. - No. 120: Tampa Bay → NY Jets (PD). Buffalo traded a fifth-round selection (120th overall) to the NY Jets in exchange for RB Scott Dierking.
- No. 122: New Orleans → Washington (PD). See Round 1: Washington → New Orleans.
- No. 123: San Diego → Seattle (PD). San Diego traded a fifth-round selection (122nd overall) and a 1984 fifth-round selection to Seattle in exchange for WR Roger Carr and RB Sherman Smith.
- No. 128: Pittsburgh → Seattle (PD). Pittsburgh traded a fifth-round selection (128th overall) to Seattle in exchange for OT Steve August.
- No. 129: New England → Cincinnati (PD). New England traded a fifth-round selection (129th), two 1984 first-round selections and a 1984 tenth-round selection to Cincinnati in exchange for a 1984 first-round selection.
- No. 130: Dallas → Buffalo (D). See Round 5: Buffalo → Dallas.
- No. 133: LA Rams → Kansas City → Houston. Multiple trades:
LA Rams → Kansas City (PD). The LA Rams traded a fifth-round selection (133rd overall) and CB Lucious Smith to Kansas City in exchange for QB Steve Fuller.
Kansas City → Houston (PD). Kansas City traded fifth- and sixth-round selections (133rd and 153rd overall) to Houston in exchange for a 1986 fourth-round selection and DE Bob Hamm. - No. 134: Chicago → NY Jets (PD). Chicago traded a fifth-round selection (133rd overall) to the NY Jets in exchange for DE Tyrone Keys.
- No. 136: Washington → Pittsburgh (PD). Washington traded a fifth-round selection (136th overall) to Pittsburgh in exchange for G Rick Donnalley.
- No. 138: Denver → Houston (D). See Round 2: Houston → Denver.
- No. 139: Miami → Denver (PD). Miami traded a fifth-round selection (139th overall) to Denver in exchange for LB Larry Evans.
Round 6
- No. 143: Houston → LA Raiders (PD). See Round 3: Houston → LA Raiders.
- No. 144: Indianapolis → Dallas (PD). Indianapolis traded a sixth-round selection (144th overall) to Dallas in exchange for OT Steve Wright.
- No. 145: Atlanta → Miami (PD). Atlanta traded a sixth-round selection (145th overall) and OT Ronnie Lee to Miami in exchange for CB Gerald Small.
- No. 148: Tampa Bay → Cincinnati (PD). Tampa Bay traded a sixth-round selection (148th overall) to Cincinnati in exchange for OT Don Swafford.
- No. 149: Philadelphia → Kansas City (PD). Philadelphia traded a sixth-round selection (149th overall) to Kansas City in exchange for DB John Bostic.
- No. 152: New Orleans → Atlanta (PD). New Orleans traded a sixth-round selection (152nd overall) to Atlanta in exchange for TE Junior Miller.
- No. 153: Kansas City → Houston (D). See Round 5: Kansas City → Houston.
- No. 156: New England → Philadelphia (PD). New England traded a sixth-round selection (156th overall) to Philadelphia in exchange for K Tony Franklin.
- No. 161: Chicago → LA Rams (PD). Chicago traded a sixth-round selection (161st overall) and a 1984 eleventh-round selection to the LA Rams in exchange for QB Steve Fuller.
- No. 164: LA Raiders → Minnesota (PD). The LA Raiders traded a sixth-round selection (164th overall) and a 1986 second-round selection to Minnesota in exchange for LB Brad Van Pelt.
- No. 165: Seattle → NY Giants (PD). Seattle traded a sixth-round selection (165th overall) to the NY Giants in exchange for CB Terry Jackson.
- No. 166: Denver → NY Jets (PD). Denver traded a sixth-round selection (166th overall) to the NY Jets in exchange for LB Stan Blinka.
Round 7
- No. 171: Minnesota → Green Bay (PD). Minnesota traded a seventh-round selection (171st overall) to Green Bay in exchange for K Jan Stenerud.
- No. 172: Atlanta → Cincinnati (PD). Atlanta traded a seventh-round selection (172nd overall) to Cincinnati in exchange for DE Gary Burley.
- No. 177: Philadelphia → Washington (PD). Philadelphia traded a seventh-round selection (177th overall) to Washington in exchange for QB Bob Holly.
- No. 178: NY Jets → Kansas City → Dallas. Multiple trades:
NY Jets → Kansas City (PD). The NY Jets traded a seventh-round selection (178th overall) to Kansas City in exchange for LB Charles Jackson.
Kansas City → Dallas (PD). Kansas City traded a seventh-round selection (178th overall) to Dallas in exchange for RB Lawrence Ricks. - No. 180: San Diego → Kansas City (PD). San Diego traded a seventh-round selection (180th overall) to Kansas City in exchange for RB Jewerl Thomas.
- No. 185: St. Louis → Kansas City → Washington. Multiple trades:
St. Louis → Kansas City (PD). St. Louis traded a seventh-round selection (185th overall) to Kansas City in exchange for LB Thomas Howard.
Kansas City → Washington (D). Kansas City traded a seventh-round selection (185th overall) to Washington in exchange for a 1986 sixth-round selection. - No. 186: NY Giants → LA Raiders (PD). The NY Giants traded a seventh-round selection (186th overall) to the LA Raiders in exchange for S Kenny Hill.
- No. 188: New England → LA Raiders (PD). New England sent a seventh-round selection (188th overall) to the LA Raiders as compensation for hiring John Polonchek as special assistant to the head coach.6
- No. 192: Washington → New England → LA Raiders. Multiple trades:
Washington → New England (PD). Washington traded a seventh-round selection (192nd overall) to New England in exchange for CB Ricky Smith.
New England → LA Raiders (PD). See Round 2: LA Raiders → New England. - No. 196: San Francisco → San Diego (PD). San Francisco traded a seventh-round selection (196th overall) and a 1983 eighth-round selection to San Diego in exchange for LB Bob Horn.
Round 8
- No. 215: New England → Atlanta (PD). New England traded an eighth-round selection (215th overall) to Atlanta in exchange for CB Rod McSwain.
- No. 224: San Francisco → New England (PD). San Francisco traded an eighth-round selection (224th overall) and a conditional 1986 selection to New England in exchange for QB Matt Cavanaugh.
Round 9
- No. 231: Cleveland → Philadelphia (PD). Cleveland traded a ninth-round selection (231st overall) to Philadelphia in exchange for DL Carl Hairston.
- No. 242: New England → Pittsburgh (PD). New England traded a ninth-round selection (242nd overall) to Pittsburgh in exchange for RB Greg Hawthorne.
- No. 252: San Francisco → San Diego (PD). San Francisco traded a conditional ninth-round selection (252nd overall), and 1984 eighth- and twelfth-round selections to San Diego in exchange for DT Louie Kelcher.
Round 10
- No. 263: New Orleans → Washington (PD). See Round 1: Washington → New Orleans.
- No. 269: New England → Denver (PD). New England traded a tenth-round selection (269th overall) to Denver in exchange for P Luke Prestridge.
- No. 275: Washington → LA Raiders (PD). Washington traded a tenth-round selection (275th overall) to the LA Raiders in exchange for OT Morris Towns.
- No. 280: San Francisco → Seattle (PD). San Francisco traded a tenth-round selection (280th overall) and a 1984 fourth-round selection to Seattle in exchange for DT Manu Tuiasosopo.
Round 11
- No. 285: Indianapolis → LA Rams (PD). Indianapolis traded an eleventh-round selection (285th overall) to the LA Rams in exchange for DB George Radachowsky.
- No. 290: New Orleans → Washington (PD). See Round 1: Washington → New Orleans.
Round 12
- No. 309: Buffalo → Washington (??). Terms unknown.
- No. 329: Chicago → San Diego (PD). Chicago traded a twelfth-round selection (329th overall) to San Diego in exchange for P Dave Finzer.
- No. 330: LA Rams → Tampa Bay (PD). The LA Rams traded a twelfth-round selection (330th overall) to Tampa Bay in exchange for DE Booker Reese.
- No. 333: Seattle → Buffalo (PD). Seattle traded a twelfth-round selection (333rd overall) to Buffalo in exchange for G Reggie McKenzie.
Notes and 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.
- NFL Draft History: Quarterback Draft Class Facts and Figures
- Players are identified as a Pro Bowler if they were selected for the Pro Bowl at any time in their career.
- Players are identified as a Hall of Famer if they have been inducted into the Pro Football Hall of Fame.
- "Raiders Get a Seventh-Round Draft Pick as Rozelle Rules That Patriots Tampered". Los Angeles Times. April 28, 1985. Retrieved June 2, 2026.
- "Heisman Trophy". Archived from the original on June 9, 2007. Retrieved August 4, 2008.
- "Hall of Famers by Year of Induction: Class of 2009". Pro Football Hall of Fame website. Archived from the original on July 31, 2008. Retrieved October 11, 2008.
- "Pro Football Hall of Fame". Archived from the original on February 7, 2010. Retrieved February 7, 2010.
- "Enshrinement » The Drafting of the 2012 Class – Chris Doleman". Profootballhof.com. July 17, 2012. Archived from the original on July 18, 2012. Retrieved August 19, 2012.
- "Hall of Famers >> ANDRE REED". profootballhof.com. Retrieved February 22, 2014.
