| 1997 NFL draft | |
|---|---|
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| General information | |
| Date | April 19–20, 1997 |
| Location | Paramount Theatre at MSG in New York City, New York |
| Network | ESPN |
| Overview | |
| 240 total selections in 7 rounds | |
| League | National Football League |
| First selection | Orlando Pace, OT St. Louis Rams |
| Mr. Irrelevant | Ronnie McAda, QB Green Bay Packers |
| Most selections (14) | Miami Dolphins |
| Fewest selections (3) | Denver Broncos San Francisco 49ers |
| Hall of Famers | 5 |
The 1997 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 April 19–20, 1997, at the Paramount Theatre at Madison Square Garden in New York City, New York.12 No teams chose to claim any players in the supplemental draft that year.
This draft was notable for its high-profile offensive linemen. The first overall selection was Orlando Pace, who appeared in seven consecutive Pro Bowls from 2000 to 2006 and was inducted to the Hall of Fame in 2016. Tarik Glenn was selected 19th overall and was also named to three Pro Bowls. Walter Jones, who made nine Pro Bowls (including eight consecutive from 2001 to 2008), was a seven time All-Pro and was inducted to the Hall of Fame in 2014, was selected sixth overall. Others include Chris Naeole, Dan Neil, Ryan Tucker, Jeff Mitchell, Mike Flynn and Joe Andruzzi.
The 1997 draft is also known for its running backs. Warrick Dunn, Corey Dillon and Tiki Barber each rushed for over 10,000 yards in their careers, and Antowain Smith and Duce Staley all enjoyed productive seasons in the NFL. This draft is also well known for its undrafted Pro Bowl players, including Jake Delhomme, Priest Holmes and Pat Williams.
Player selections
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- Players are identified as a Pro Bowler if they were selected for the Pro Bowl at any time in their career.
Notable undrafted players
| † | Pro BowlerN 1 |
- Players are identified as a Pro Bowler if they were selected for the Pro Bowl at any time in their career.
Hall of Famers
- Walter Jones, offensive tackle from Florida State University taken 1st round 6th overall by the Seattle Seahawks.
- inducted: Pro Football Hall of Fame class of 2014.
- Orlando Pace, offensive tackle from Ohio State University taken 1st round 1st overall by the St. Louis Rams.
- inducted: Pro Football Hall of Fame class of 2016.
- Jason Taylor, defensive end from University of Akron taken 3rd round 73rd overall by the Miami Dolphins.
- inducted: Pro Football Hall of Fame class of 2017.
- Tony Gonzalez, tight end from University of California taken 1st round 13th overall by the Kansas City Chiefs.
- inducted: Pro Football Hall of Fame class of 2019.
- Ronde Barber, cornerback from University of Virginia taken 3rd round 66th overall by the Tampa Bay Buccaneers.
- inducted: Pro Football Hall of Fame class of 2023.
Trades
In the explanations below, (D) denotes trades that took place during the 1997 draft, while (PD) indicates trades completed pre-draft.
Round 1
- No. 1: NY Jets → St. Louis (PD). The NY Jets traded a first-round selection (1st overall) to St. Louis in exchange for first-, third-, fourth- and seventh-round selections (6th, 67th, 102nd and 207th overall).
- No. 2: New Orleans → Oakland (PD). New Orleans traded first- and sixth-round selections (2nd and 166th overall) to Oakland in exchange for first-, second- and fourth-round selections (10th, 39th and 107th overall) and WR Daryl Hobbs.
- No. 3: Atlanta → Seattle (PD). Atlanta traded first- and third-round selections (3rd and 63rd overall) to Seattle in exchange for first-, second-, third- and fourth-round selections (11th, 41st, 70th and 100th overall).
- No. 6: St. Louis → NY Jets → Tampa Bay → Seattle. Multiple trades:
St. Louis → NY Jets (PD). See Round 1: NY Jets → St. Louis.
NY Jets → Tampa Bay (PD). The NY Jets traded a first-round selection (6th overall) to Tampa Bay in exchange for first- and fourth-round selections (8th and 104th overall).
Tampa Bay → Seattle (D). Tampa Bay traded a first-round selection (6th overall) to Seattle in exchange for first- and third-round selections (12th and 63rd overall). - No. 8: Tampa Bay → NY Jets (D). See Round 1: NY Jets → Tampa Bay.
- No. 10: Oakland → New Orleans (PD). See Round 1: New Orleans → Oakland.
- No. 11: Chicago → Seattle → Atlanta. Multiple trades:
Chicago → Seattle (PD). Chicago traded a first-round selection (11th overall) to Seattle in exchange for a fourth-round selection (105th overall) and QB Rick Mirer.
Seattle → Atlanta (PD). See Round 1: Atlanta → Seattle. - No. 12: Seattle → Tampa Bay (D). See Round 1: Tampa Bay → Seattle.
- No. 13: Tennessee → Kansas City (D). Tennessee traded first- and fourth-round selections (13th and 110th overall) to Kansas City in exchange for first-, third-, fourth- and sixth-round selections (18th, 81st, 116th and 181st overall).
- No. 16: San Diego → Tampa Bay (PD). San Diego traded a first-round selection (16th overall) to Tampa Bay in exchange for a 1996 second-round selection.
- No. 18: Kansas City → Tennessee (D). See Round 1: Tennessee → Kansas City.
- No. 22: Philadelphia → Dallas (D). Philadelphia traded a first-round selection (22nd overall) to Dallas in exchange for first- and fifth-round selections (25th and 155th overall) and a 1998 third-round selection.
- No. 25: Philadelphia → Dallas (D). See Round 1: Philadelphia → Dallas.
Round 2
- No. 38: St. Louis → Chicago (D). St. Louis traded a second-round selection (38th overall) to Chicago in exchange for second- and sixth-round selections (40th and 173rd overall).
- No. 39: Oakland → New Orleans (PD). See Round 1: New Orleans → Oakland.
- No. 40: Chicago → St. Louis (D). See Round 2: St. Louis → Chicago.
- No. 41: Seattle → New Atlanta (PD). See Round 1: Atlanta → Seattle.
- No. 54: Dallas → Detroit (D). Dallas traded a second-round selection (54th overall) to Detroit in exchange for third- and fourth-round selections (65th and 101st overall).
- No. 55: Philadelphia → San Francisco (D). Philadelphia traded a second-round selection (55th overall) to San Francisco in exchange for second-, sixth- and seventh-round selections (57th, 190th and 227nd overall).
- No. 57: San Francisco → Philadelphia (D). See Round 2: Philadelphia → San Francisco.
- No. 58: Denver → Baltimore (PD). Denver traded a second-round selection (58th overall) to Baltimore in exchange for OT Tony Jones.
Round 3
- No. 61: NY Jets → New England (PD). The NY Jets traded second- and third-round selections (61st and 97th overall), a 1998 second-round selection and a 1999 first-round selection to New England as compensation for hiring Bill Parcells as head coach.
- No. 63: Atlanta → Seattle → Tampa Bay. Multiple trades:
Atlanta → Seattle (PD). See Round 1: Atlanta → Seattle.
Seattle → Tampa Bay (D). See Round 1: Seattle → Tampa Bay. - No. 65: Detroit → Dallas (D). See Round 2: Dallas → Detroit.
- No. 67: St. Louis → NY Jets → Denver. Multiple trades:
St. Louis → NY Jets (PD). See Round 1: NY Jets → St. Louis.
NY Jets → Denver (D). The NY Jets traded a third-round selection (67th overall) to Denver in exchange for third-, sixth- and seventh-round selections (88th, 191st and 229th overall) and a 1998 sixth-round selection. - No. 70: Seattle → Atlanta (PD). See Round 1: Atlanta → Seattle.
- No. 71: Arizona → Philadelphia (D). Arizona traded a third-round selection (71st overall) to Philadelphia in exchange for third- and sixth-round selections (84th and 188th overall).
- No. 77: Indianapolis → San Francisco (D). Indianapolis traded a third-round selection (77th overall) to San Francisco in exchange for third- and fifth-round selections (86th and 156th overall).
- No. 81: Kansas City → Tennessee (D). See Round 1: Tennessee → Kansas City.
- No. 84: Philadelphia → Arizona (D). See Round 3: Arizona → Philadelphia.
- No. 85: Buffalo → Oakland (PD). Buffalo traded a third-round selection (85th overall) to Oakland in exchange for QB Billy Joe Hobert.
- No. 86: Indianapolis → San Francisco (D). See Round 3: Indianapolis → San Francisco.
- No. 88: NY Jets → Denver (D). See Round 3: NY Jets → Denver.
Round 4
- No. 97: NY Jets → New England (PD). See Round 3: NY Jets → New England.
- No. 98: Atlanta → Tennessee (PD). Atlanta traded fourth- and sixth-round selections (98th and 165th overall) to Tennessee in exchange for QB Chris Chandler.
- No. 100: Baltimore → Seattle → Atlanta. Multiple trades:
Baltimore → Seattle (PD). Baltimore traded a fourth-round selection (100th overall) to Seattle in exchange for G Jeff Blackshear.
Seattle → Atlanta (PD). See Round 1: Atlanta → Seattle. - No. 101: Detroit → Dallas (D). See Round 2: Dallas → Detroit.
- No. 102: St. Louis → NY Jets (PD). See Round 1: NY Jets → St. Louis.
- No. 104: Tampa Bay → NY Jets (D). See Round 1: NY Jets → Tampa Bay.
- No. 105: Seattle → Chicago (PD). See Round 1: Chicago → Seattle.
- No. 107: Oakland → New Orleans → Tennessee. Multiple trades:
Oakland → New Orleans (PD). See Round 1: New Orleans → Oakland.
New Orleans → Tennessee (D). New Orleans traded a fourth-round selection (107th overall) to Tennessee in exchange for fourth- and sixth-round selections (116th and 165th overall). - No. 110: Tennessee → Kansas City (D). See Round 1: Tennessee → Kansas City.
- No. 112: Miami → St. Louis (D). Miami traded a fourth-round selection (112th overall) to St. Louis in exchange for a fourth-round selection and two sixth-round selections (121st, 170th and 173rd overall).
- No. 116: Kansas City → Tennessee → New Orleans. Multiple trades:
Kansas City → Tennessee (D). See Round 1: Tennessee → Kansas City.
Tennessee → New Orleans (D). See Round 4: New Orleans → Tennessee. - No. 118: Dallas → Baltimore (D). Dallas traded a fourth-round selection (118th overall) to Baltimore in exchange for a 1996 fifth-round selection.
- No. 121: Pittsburgh → St. Louis → Miami. Multiple trades:
Pittsburgh → St. Louis (PD). Pittsburgh traded a fourth-round selection (121st overall) and a 1996 second-round selection to St. Louis in exchange for a 1996 third-round selection and RB Jerome Bettis.
St. Louis → Miami (D). See Round 4: Miami → St. Louis. - No. 123: San Francisco → Miami → Oakland. Multiple trades:
San Francisco → Miami (PD). San Francisco traded a fourth-round selection (123rd overall) to Miami in exchange for RB Terry Kirby.
Miami → Oakland (D). Miami traded a fourth-round selection (123rd overall) to Oakland in exchange for fifth-, sixth- and seventh-round selections (157th, 166th and 203rd overall). - No. 181: Kansas City → Tennessee (D). See Round 1: Tennessee → Kansas City.
Round 5
- No. 132: New Orleans → Washington (PD). New Orleans traded a fifth-round selection (132nd overall) to Washington in exchange for QB Heath Shuler.
- No. 138: St. Louis → San Diego (D). St. Louis traded a fifth-round selection (138th overall) to San Diego in exchange for a seventh-round selection (215th overall) and a 1998 fourth-round selection.
- No. 140: Oakland → Atlanta → Washington. Multiple trades:
Oakland → Atlanta (PD). Oakland traded a fifth-round selection (140th overall) to Atlanta in exchange for OT Lincoln Kennedy.
Atlanta → Washington (D). Atlanta traded a fifth-round selection (140th overall) to Washington in exchange for sixth- and seventh-round selections (180th and 222nd overall). - No. 145: Miami → NY Jets (PD). Miami traded a fifth-round selection (145th overall) to the NY Jets in exchange for OT James Brown.
- No. 146: San Diego → Pittsburgh → San Diego. Multiple trades:
San Diego → Pittsburgh (PD). San Diego traded a fifth-round selection (146th overall) to Pittsburgh in exchange for a seventh-round selection (218th overall) and a 1996 sixth-round selection.
Pittsburgh → San Diego (D). Pittsburgh traded a fifth-round selection (146th overall) to San Diego in exchange for a 1998 third-round selection. - No. 149: Kansas City → Miami (PD). Kansas City traded a fifth-round selection (149th overall) to Miami in exchange for K Pete Stoyanovich.
- No. 155: Philadelphia → Dallas (D). See Round 1: Philadelphia → Dallas.
- No. 156: Indianapolis → San Francisco (D). See Round 3: Indianapolis → San Francisco.
- No. 157: Carolina → Oakland → Miami. Multiple trades:
Carolina → Oakland (PD). Carolina traded a fifth-round selection (157th overall) to Oakland in exchange for WR Raghib Ismail.
Oakland → Miami (D). See Round 4: Miami → Oakland. - No. 158: Denver → St. Louis (PD). Denver traded a fifth-round selection (158th overall) to St. Louis in exchange for WR Todd Kinchen.
Round 6
- No. 165: Atlanta → Tennessee → New Orleans. Multiple trades:
Atlanta → Tennessee (PD). See Round 4: Atlanta → Tennessee.
Tennessee → New Orleans (D). See Round 4: New Orleans → Tennessee. - No. 166: New Orleans → Oakland → Miami. Multiple trades:
New Orleans → Oakland (PD). See Round 1: New Orleans → Oakland.
Oakland → Miami (D). See Round 4: Miami → Oakland. - No. 121: St. Louis → Miami (D). See Round 4: Miami → St. Louis.
- No. 173: Chicago → St. Louis → Miami. Multiple trades:
Chicago → St. Louis (D). See Round 2: St. Louis → Chicago.
St. Louis → Miami (D). See Round 4: Miami → St. Louis. - No. 179: Tennessee → St. Louis (PD). Tennessee traded a sixth-round selection (179th overall) to St. Louis in exchange for DE Robert Young.
- No. 180: Washington → Atlanta (D). See Round 5: Atlanta → Washington.
- No. 188: Philadelphia → Arizona (D). See Round 3: Arizona → Philadelphia.
- No. 190: San Francisco → Philadelphia (D). See Round 2: Philadelphia → San Francisco.
- No. 191: NY Jets → Denver (D). See Round 3: NY Jets → Denver.
- No. 193: Green Bay → Oakland (D). Green Bay traded a sixth-round selection (193rd overall) to Oakland in exchange for a seventh-round selection (213th overall).
- No. 222: Washington → Atlanta (D). See Round 5: Atlanta → Washington.
Round 7
- No. 203: New Orleans → Oakland → Miami. Multiple trades:
New Orleans → Oakland (PD). New Orleans traded a seventh-round selection (203rd overall) to Oakland in exchange for DT Austin Robbins.
Oakland → Miami (D). See Round 4: Miami → Oakland. - No. 207: St. Louis → NY Jets → Philadelphia. Multiple trades:
St. Louis → NY Jets (PD). See Round 1: NY Jets → St. Louis.
NY Jets → Philadelphia (PD). The NY Jets traded a seventh-round selection (207th overall) to Philadelphia in exchange for DT Ronnie Dixon. - No. 213: Oakland → Green Bay (D). See Round 6: Green Bay → Oakland.
- No. 214: Miami → Kansas City (PD). Miami traded a seventh-round selection (214th overall) and a 1996 fourth-round selection to Kansas City in exchange for two 1996 fourth-round selections.
- No. 215: San Diego → St. Louis (D). See Round 5: St. Louis → San Diego.
- No. 218: Kansas City → Pittsburgh → San Diego. Multiple trades:
Kansas City → Pittsburgh (PD). Kansas City traded a seventh-round selection (218th overall) to Pittsburgh in exchange for DE Brentson Buckner.
Pittsburgh → San Diego (PD). See Round 5: San Diego → Pittsburgh. - No. 227: San Francisco → Philadelphia (D). See Round 2: Philadelphia → San Francisco.
- No. 229: NY Jets → Denver (D). See Round 3: NY Jets → Denver.
References
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.
- Players are identified as a Hall of Famer if they have been inducted into the Pro Football Hall of Fame.
