| 1996 NFL draft | |
|---|---|
 | |
| General information | |
| Date(s) | April 20–21, 1996 |
| Location | Paramount Theatre at MSG in New York City, NY |
| Network(s) | ESPN |
| Overview | |
| 254 total selections in 7 rounds | |
| League | NFL |
| First selection | Keyshawn Johnson, WR New York Jets |
| Mr. Irrelevant | Sam Manuel, LB San Francisco 49ers |
| Most selections (13) | New England Patriots |
| Fewest selections (5) | Kansas City Chiefs |
| Hall of Famers | 6 |
The 1996 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 20–21, 1996, at the Paramount Theatre at Madison Square Garden in New York City, New York.[1][2] No teams chose to claim any players in the supplemental draft that year. As a result of the Cleveland Browns relocation controversy, all draft rights held by the deactivated Cleveland Browns franchise were transferred to the new Baltimore Ravens franchise.
On draft day, the St. Louis Rams traded running back Jerome Bettis and a third-round draft pick to the Pittsburgh Steelers in exchange for a second round pick for that year, as well as a fourth round pick the following year. The trade was made immediately after the Rams drafted Nebraska running back Lawrence Phillips. Bettis went on to have a successful career with the Steelers as well as being one of the team's most popular players, while the Rams did not have another feature back until they traded for Marshall Faulk three years later due to Phillips' off-field problems.
The draft also saw one of the longest waits for a player in attendance of the draft, as Leeland McElroy waited until being selected in the second round by the Arizona Cardinals with the 32nd pick. McElroy, who ended up being a draft bust, would set the precedent for later players who have waited while in attendance, including Ben Roethlisberger and Aaron Rodgers, who unlike McElroy would go on to successful NFL careers.
This draft is considered one of the best draft classes ever for the position of wide receiver.[3] Keyshawn Johnson, Terry Glenn, Eddie Kennison, Marvin Harrison, Eric Moulds, Bobby Engram, Terrell Owens, Muhsin Muhammad, Amani Toomer, Jermaine Lewis, and Joe Horn have all achieved success in the pros, with all except Kennison, Engram, and Toomer having reached the Pro Bowl at least once, and a total of 26 Pro Bowl appearances for the group. In addition to the class having had several successful receivers, none of the five wide receivers drafted in the first round have been busts, as all of them spent at least a reasonable amount of time as starters in the NFL. Combined, 1996 wide receivers (through the end of the 2006 season) have totalled 7,646 receptions for 105,866 yards, eclipsing any other class by more than 1,000 receptions and 10,000 yards.[4]
It was also one of the best draft years for middle linebackers, with Hall of Famers Ray Lewis and Zach Thomas selected. Lewis won Super Bowl XXXV with the Baltimore Ravens and was selected MVP of that game. Lewis also won Super Bowl XLVII in the final game of his career and made 13 Pro Bowls along with being a 7× First-team All-Pro, while Zach Thomas made 7 Pro Bowls, and was a 5× First-team All-Pro. Other linebackers who made at least one Pro Bowl from this draft are Tedy Bruschi, Kevin Hardy, Simeon Rice, John Mobley, and Donnie Edwards. Randall Godfrey, Earl Holmes, and Carlos Emmons also had solid careers in the league. Ironically, ESPN draft expert Mel Kiper said before the draft that it was one of the weakest for the position, which he would ultimately be proven wrong.
In contrast to its successes at wide receiver and linebacker, the 1996 draft had often been rated as the worst for quarterbacks.[5] None of the eight drafted quarterbacks made the Pro Bowl or an All-Pro team and half did not play. As of 2022[update], this remains the last draft without a quarterback selected in the first round. Previously, the 1988 draft had been the last with no quarterback selected in the first round.[note 1]
The last remaining active player in the NFL from the 1996 draft class was Ray Lewis, who retired after the 2012 season, right after winning Super Bowl XLVII as a member of the Baltimore Ravens.
- ^ "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.
- ^ Barnwell, Bill (April 11, 2019). "The best (and worst) NFL draft classes at every position: All-time ranking – Wide receiver". ESPN.
- ^ Football Prospectus 2007, p. 461
- ^ NFL Draft History: Quarterback Draft Class Facts and Figures
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