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1979 NFL draft

National Football League draft

Wikipedia contributorsAdapted for Fathomly · View authors
17 min read
Source updated September 10, 2026
Image credit is listed at the end of this article.

The 1979 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 May 3-4, 1979, at the Waldorf Astoria Hotel in New York City, New York. The league also held a supplemental draft after the regular draft and before the regular season.

The Buffalo Bills held the first overall pick in the draft, acquired from the San Francisco 49ers in the trade which sent O. J. Simpson to his hometown team. The Bills' selection at No. 1, Ohio State linebacker Tom Cousineau, refused to sign with the Bills and instead signed a lucrative deal with the Montreal Alouettes of the Canadian Football League.

01Player selections

Jump to round
* = compensatory selection
† = Pro Bowler
‡ = Hall of Famer
Rnd. Pick Team Player Pos. College Notes
1 1 Buffalo Bills Tom Cousineau  LB Ohio State from San Francisco
1 2 Kansas City Chiefs Mike Bell  DE Colorado State
1 3 Cincinnati Bengals Jack Thompson  QB Washington State
1 4 Chicago Bears Dan Hampton‡† DT Arkansas from Tampa Bay
1 5 Buffalo Bills Jerry Butler † WR Clemson
1 6 Baltimore Colts Barry Krauss  LB Alabama
1 7 New York Giants Phil Simms † QB Morehead State
1 8 St. Louis Cardinals Ottis Anderson † RB Miami (FL)
1 9 Chicago Bears Al Harris  DE Arizona State
1 10 Detroit Lions Keith Dorney † T Penn State
1 11 New Orleans Saints Russell Erxleben  K Texas
1 12 Cincinnati Bengals Charles Alexander  RB LSU from Washington
1 13 San Diego Chargers Kellen Winslow‡† TE Missouri from Cleveland
1 14 New York Jets Marty Lyons  DE Alabama
1 15 Green Bay Packers Eddie Lee Ivery  RB Georgia Tech
1 16 Minnesota Vikings Ted Brown  RB NC State
1 17 Atlanta Falcons Don Smith  DE Miami (FL)
1 18 Seattle Seahawks Manu Tuiasosopo  DT UCLA
1 19 Los Angeles Rams George Andrews  LB Nebraska from Oakland
1 20 Cleveland Browns Willis Adams  WR Houston from San Diego
1 21 Philadelphia Eagles Jerry Robinson † LB UCLA
1 22 Denver Broncos Kelvin Clark  T Nebraska
1 23 Kansas City Chiefs Steve Fuller  QB Clemson from Houston
1 24 Miami Dolphins Jon Giesler  T Michigan
1 25 New England Patriots Rick Sanford  CB South Carolina
1 26 Los Angeles Rams Kent Hill † T Georgia Tech
1 27 Dallas Cowboys Robert Shaw  C Tennessee
1 28 Pittsburgh Steelers Greg Hawthorne  RB Baylor
2 29 San Francisco 49ers James Owens  WR UCLA
2 30 Cincinnati Bengals Dan Ross † TE Northeastern
2 31 Houston Oilers Mike Stensrud  DT Iowa State from Kansas City
2 32 Buffalo Bills Fred Smerlas † DT Boston College
2 33 Tampa Bay Buccaneers Greg Roberts  G Oklahoma from Baltimore
2 34 Tampa Bay Buccaneers Gordon Jones  WR Pittsburgh
2 35 St. Louis Cardinals Theotis Brown  RB UCLA
2 36 New York Giants Earnest Gray  WR Memphis State
2 37 Detroit Lions Ken Fantetti  LB Wyoming
2 38 New Orleans Saints Reggie Mathis  LB Oklahoma
2 39 Chicago Bears Rickey Watts  WR Tulsa
2 40 Cleveland Browns Lawrence Johnson  CB Wisconsin
2 41 New York Jets Mark Gastineau † DE East Central
2 42 Oakland Raiders Willie Jones  DE Florida State from Washington via St. Louis
2 43 Minnesota Vikings Dave Huffman  C Notre Dame
2 44 Green Bay Packers Steve Atkins  RB Maryland
2 45 Seattle Seahawks Joe Norman  LB Indiana
2 46 St. Louis Cardinals Calvin Favron  LB Southeastern Louisiana from Oakland
2 47 Cleveland Browns Sam Claphan  T Oklahoma from San Diego
2 48 Philadelphia Eagles Petey Perot  G Northwestern State from San Diego
2 49 Atlanta Falcons Pat Howell  G USC
2 50 Houston Oilers Jesse Baker  DE Jacksonville State
2 51 Buffalo Bills Jim Haslett  LB IUP from Denver
2 52 New England Patriots Bob Golic † DT Notre Dame
2 53 Miami Dolphins Jeff Toews  T Washington
2 54 Los Angeles Rams Eddie Hill  RB Memphis State
2 55 Dallas Cowboys Aaron Mitchell  CB UNLV
2 56 Pittsburgh Steelers Zack Valentine  LB East Carolina
3 57 Seattle Seahawks Michael Jackson  LB Washington from San Francisco
3 58 Los Angeles Rams Jeff Moore  WR Tennessee from Kansas City
3 59 Cincinnati Bengals Barney Cotton  G Nebraska
3 60 Tampa Bay Buccaneers Jerry Eckwood  RB Arkansas from Baltimore
3 61 Miami Dolphins Tony Nathan  RB Alabama
3 62 Buffalo Bills Jon Borchardt  T Montana State
3 63 Miami Dolphins Mel Land  LB Michigan State from N. Y. Giants
3 64 St. Louis Cardinals Joe Bostic  T Clemson
3 65 Miami Dolphins Ronnie Lee  TE Baylor from New Orleans
3 66 Chicago Bears Willie McClendon  RB Georgia
3 67 Detroit Lions Bo Robinson  RB West Texas State
3 68 New York Jets Donald Dykes  CB Southeastern Louisiana
3 69 Baltimore Colts Kim Anderson  S Arizona State from Washington via Houston
3 70 Cleveland Browns James Ramey  DE Kentucky
3 71 Green Bay Packers Charles Johnson  DT Maryland
3 72 Houston Oilers Kenny King † RB Oklahoma from Oakland via Baltimore
3 73 San Diego Chargers Clifford Thrift  LB East Central
3 74 Philadelphia Eagles Tony Franklin † K Texas A&M
3 75 Atlanta Falcons James Mayberry  RB Colorado
3 76 Dallas Cowboys Doug Cosbie † TE Santa Clara from Seattle
3 77 Denver Broncos Bruce Radford  DE Grambling State
3 78 Tampa Bay Buccaneers Lewis, ReginaldReginald Lewis  DE North Texas from Houston
3 79 Atlanta Falcons William Andrews † RB Auburn from Miami
3 80 Tampa Bay Buccaneers Rick Berns  RB Nebraska from Los Angeles via Washington thorough Miami and Oakland
3 81 Los Angeles Rams Mike Wellman  C Kansas from New England
3 82 San Francisco 49ers Joe Montana‡† QB Notre Dame
3 , Pittsburgh Steelers Selection forfeited when the team was found to have practiced with pads during an off-season period when pads were not allowed
4 83 Buffalo Bills Ken Johnson  DE Knoxville from San Francisco
4 84 Cincinnati Bengals James White  DT Albany State
4 85 Kansas City Chiefs Frank Manumaleuga  LB San Jose State
4 86 Pittsburgh Steelers Russell Davis  RB Michigan from Tampa Bay via Detroit
4 87 Buffalo Bills Jeff Nixon  S Richmond
4 88 Detroit Lions Ulysses Norris  TE Georgia from Baltimore
4 89 St. Louis Cardinals Roy Green † DB Henderson State
4 90 New York Giants Phil Tabor  DE Oklahoma
4 91 Cincinnati Bengals Vaughn Lusby  CB Arkansas from Chicago
4 92 Detroit Lions Jon Brooks  LB Clemson
4 93 New Orleans Saints Jim Kovach  LB Kentucky
4 94 Philadelphia Eagles Ben Cowins  RB Arkansas from Washington
4 95 Cleveland Browns Matt Miller  T Colorado
4 96 New York Jets Eric Cunningham  G Penn State
4 97 Minnesota Vikings Steve Dils  QB Stanford
4 98 New York Jets Johnny Lynn  CB UCLA from Green Bay
4 99 Los Angeles Rams Tucker, DerwinDerwin Tucker  DB Illinois from San Diego
4 100 Atlanta Falcons Lynn Cain  RB USC from Philadelphia
4 101 Atlanta Falcons Charles Johnson  CB Grambling State
4 102 Seattle Seahawks Mark Bell  TE Colorado State
4 103 Washington Redskins Don Warren  TE San Diego State from Oakland via Green Bay
4 104 San Diego Chargers John Floyd  WR Northeast Louisiana from Houston
4 105 Denver Broncos Charles Jefferson  DB McNeese State
4 106 New England Patriots Eddie Hare  P Tulsa
4 107 Miami Dolphins Steve Howell  RB Baylor
4 108 Los Angeles Rams Jerry Wilkinson  DT Oregon State
4 109 Dallas Cowboys Ralph DeLoach  DE California
4 110 Pittsburgh Steelers Calvin Sweeney  WR USC
5 111 San Francisco 49ers Tom Seabron  LB Michigan
5 112 Kansas City Chiefs Earl Gant  RB Missouri
5 113 Cincinnati Bengals Casey Merrill  DE UC Davis
5 114 Buffalo Bills Rod Kush  S Nebraska-Omaha
5 115 Baltimore Colts Larry Braziel  CB USC
5 116 Buffalo Bills Dan Manucci  QB Kansas State from Tampa Bay via Seattle
5 117 New York Giants Cleveland Jackson  TE UNLV
5 118 St. Louis Cardinals Steve Henry  DB Emporia State
5 119 San Francisco 49ers Jerry Aldridge  RB Angelo State from Detroit
5 120 New Orleans Saints Harlan Huckleby  RB Michigan
5 121 Dallas Cowboys Hukill, BobBob Hukill  G North Carolina from Chicago
5 122 Los Angeles Rams Victor Hicks  TE Oklahoma from Cleveland
5 123 New York Jets Kelly Kirchbaum  LB Kentucky
5 124 Cleveland Browns Rich Dimler  DT USC from Washington via Los Angeles
5 125 New York Jets Stan Blinka  LB Sam Houston from Green Bay
5 126 Philadelphia Eagles Scott Fitzkee  WR Penn State
5 127 Atlanta Falcons Mike Zele  DT Kent State
5 128 Dallas Cowboys Curtis Anderson  DE Central State (OH)
5 129 Minnesota Vikings Jerry Meter  LB Michigan
5 130 St. Louis Cardinals Mark Bell  WR Colorado State from Oakland
5 131 Detroit Lions Brown, WaltWalt Brown  C Pittsburgh from San Diego via Los Angeles
5 132 Denver Broncos Rick Leach  QB Michigan
5 133 Tampa Bay Buccaneers Chuck Fusina  QB Penn State from Houston
5 134 Miami Dolphins Don Bessillieu  S Georgia Tech
5 135 New England Patriots John Zamberlin  LB Pacific Lutheran
5 136 Dallas Cowboys Ron Springs  RB Ohio State
5 137 Pittsburgh Steelers Dwaine Board  DE North Carolina A&T
6 138 San Francisco 49ers Ruben Vaughan  DT Colorado
6 139 Cincinnati Bengals Steve Kreider  WR Lehigh
6 140 Kansas City Chiefs Gaines, SpiderSpider Gaines  WR Washington
6 141 Buffalo Bills Burrow, MikeMike Burrow  G Auburn from Baltimore
6 142 Oakland Raiders Ira Matthews  RB Wisconsin from Tampa Bay
6 143 Houston Oilers Daryl Hunt  LB Oklahoma from Buffalo
6 144 St. Louis Cardinals Thomas Lott  RB Oklahoma
6 145 New York Giants Bob Torrey  RB Penn State
6 146 New Orleans Saints Ricky Ray  DB Norfolk State
6 147 Chicago Bears John Sullivan  LB Illinois
6 148 Denver Broncos Jeff McIntyre  LB Arizona State from Detroit
6 149 New York Jets Dufek, BillBill Dufek  G Michigan
6 150 Baltimore Colts Moore, JimJim Moore  T Ohio State from Washington
6 151 Cleveland Browns Clinton Burrell  DB LSU
6 152 Minnesota Vikings Joe Senser † TE West Chester
6 153 Green Bay Packers Dave Simmons  LB North Carolina
6 154 Atlanta Falcons Mike Moroski  QB UC Davis
6 155 Dallas Cowboys Lavender, TimTim Lavender  DB USC from Seattle
6 156 Oakland Raiders Henry Williams  CB San Diego State
6 157 Pittsburgh Steelers Bill Murrell  TE Winston-Salem State from San Diego
6 158 New York Giants Eddie Hicks  RB East Carolina from Philadelphia
6 159 Houston Oilers Mike Murphy  LB SW Missouri State
6 160 Dallas Cowboys Salzano, MikeMike Salzano  G North Carolina from Denver
6 161 Pittsburgh Steelers Dwayne Woodruff  CB Louisville from New England
6 162 Miami Dolphins Lindquist, SteveSteve Lindquist  G Nebraska
6 163 Cleveland Browns Ronan, JimJim Ronan  DT Minnesota from Los Angeles
6 164 Dallas Cowboys Chris DeFrance  WR Arizona State
6 165 Pittsburgh Steelers Matt Bahr  K Penn State
7 166 San Francisco 49ers Phil Francis  RB Stanford
7 167 Kansas City Chiefs Ken Kremer  DE Ball State
7 168 Cincinnati Bengals Max Montoya † G UCLA
7 169 Seattle Seahawks Larry Polowski  LB Boise State from Tampa Bay via Washington
7 170 Buffalo Bills Tom Mullady  TE Rhodes
7 171 Houston Oilers Ries, TimTim Ries  DB SW Missouri State from Baltimore
7 172 New York Giants Steve Alvers  TE Miami (FL)
7 173 St. Louis Cardinals Kirk Gibson  WR Michigan State
7 174 Chicago Bears Lee Kunz  LB Nebraska
7 175 Oakland Raiders Matia, JackJack Matia  T Drake from Detroit via Cleveland
7 176 New Orleans Saints Stan Sytsma  LB Minnesota
7 177 New England Patriots Judson Flint  FS Memphis State from Washington
7 178 Philadelphia Eagles Swafford, DonDon Swafford  T Florida from Cleveland
7 179 New York Jets King, EmmettEmmett King  RB Houston
7 180 Green Bay Packers Henry Monroe  DB Mississippi State
7 181 Minnesota Vikings Bob Winkel  DT Kentucky
7 182 Washington Redskins Rich Milot  LB Penn State from Seattle
7 183 Cleveland Browns Cody Risien † T Texas A&M from Oakland
7 184 Green Bay Packers Rich Wingo  LB Alabama from San Diego
7 185 Philadelphia Eagles Bunche, CurtisCurtis Bunche  DE Albany State
7 186 Atlanta Falcons Westlund, RogerRoger Westlund  T Washington
7 187 New York Jets Brown, KeithKeith Brown  DB Minnesota from Houston
7 188 Denver Broncos Luke Prestridge † P Baylor
7 188.5, New England Patriots The New England Patriots forfeited their 1979 seventh round pick by the NFL office for an illegal tryout
7 189 Miami Dolphins Uwe von Schamann  K Oklahoma
7 190 Los Angeles Rams Jeff Delaney  S Pittsburgh
7 191 Dallas Cowboys Fitzpatrick, GregGreg Fitzpatrick  LB Youngstown State
7 192 Pittsburgh Steelers Bruce Kimball  G UMass
8 193 Green Bay Packers Ron Cassidy  WR Utah State from San Francisco
8 194 Cincinnati Bengals Howie Kurnick  LB Cincinnati
8 195 Kansas City Chiefs Mike Williams  RB New Mexico
8 196 Philadelphia Eagles Chuck Correal  C Penn State from Buffalo
8 197 Baltimore Colts Steve Heimkreiter  LB Notre Dame
8 198 New York Jets Marshall Harris  DT TCU from Tampa Bay
8 199 St. Louis Cardinals Miller, LarryLarry Miller  LB BYU
8 200 New York Giants Perry, D. K.D. K. Perry  DB SMU
8 201 New York Giants Roy Simmons  G Georgia Tech from Detroit
8 202 New Orleans Saints Panfil, DougDoug Panfil  G Tulsa
8 203 Chicago Bears Moss, RickRick Moss  DB Purdue
8 204 Cleveland Browns Perkow, KentKent Perkow  DE San Diego State
8 205 New York Jets Beamon, WillieWillie Beamon  LB Boise State
8 206 Miami Dolphins Jeff Groth  WR Bowling Green from Washington
8 207 Baltimore Colts Nesby Glasgow  S Washington from Minnesota
8 208 Green Bay Packers Rick Partridge  P Utah
8 209 Oakland Raiders Hawkins, RobertRobert Hawkins  RB Kentucky
8 210 San Diego Chargers Wilbert Haslip  RB Hawaii
8 211 Philadelphia Eagles Max Runager  P South Carolina
8 212 Atlanta Falcons Miller, KeithKeith Miller  LB N.E. Oklahoma
8 213 Detroit Lions John Mohring  LB C. W. Post from Seattle
8 214 Houston Oilers Carter Hartwig  CB USC
8 215 Miami Dolphins Glenn Blackwood  S Texas from Denver
8 216 New England Patriots Randy Love  RB Houston
8 217 Tampa Bay Buccaneers Gene Sanders  DT Texas A&M from Miami
8 218 Kansas City Chiefs Brewer, RobertRobert Brewer  G Temple from Los Angeles via St. Louis
8 219 Dallas Cowboys Bruce Thornton  DT Illinois
8 220 Pittsburgh Steelers Tom Graves  LB Michigan State
9 221 San Francisco 49ers Hamilton, SteveSteve Hamilton  DT Missouri
9 222 Kansas City Chiefs Folston, JamesJames Folston  TE Cameron
9 223 Cincinnati Bengals Scott Burk  S Oklahoma State
9 224 Baltimore Colts Henderson, RussRuss Henderson  P Virginia
9 225 Tampa Bay Buccaneers Henry Vereen  WR UNLV
9 226 Buffalo Bills Baker, KevenKeven Baker  DE William Penn
9 227 New York Giants Tom Rusk  LB Iowa
9 228 St. Louis Cardinals Bob Rozier  DE California
9 229 Kansas City Chiefs Robinson, JoeJoe Robinson  T Ohio State from New Orleans
9 230 Chicago Bears Jerome Heavens  RB Notre Dame
9 231 Detroit Lions Jeff Komlo  QB Delaware
9 232 New York Jets Sprattler, GordyGordy Sprattler  RB North Dakota State
9 233 Washington Redskins Kris Haines  WR Notre Dame
9 234 Cleveland Browns Carl McGee  LB Duke
9 235 Green Bay Packers John Thompson  TE Utah State
9 236 Minnesota Vikings Diggs, BillyBilly Diggs  WR Winston-Salem State
9 237 San Diego Chargers Alvin Garrett  WR Angelo State
9 238 Oakland Raiders Jim Rourke  T Boston College from Philadelphia
9 239 Atlanta Falcons Dave Parkin  FS Utah State
9 240 Seattle Seahawks Tate, EzraEzra Tate  RB Mississippi College
9 241 Cleveland Browns Curtis Weathers  TE Ole Miss from Oakland
9 242 Denver Broncos Taylor, CharlieCharlie Taylor  WR Rice
9 243 Houston Oilers Richard Ellender  WR McNeese State
9 244 Miami Dolphins Jeff Weston  DT Notre Dame
9 245 New England Patriots John Spagnola  TE Yale
9 246 Los Angeles Rams Jeff Rutledge  QB Alabama
9 247 Dallas Cowboys Garry Cobb  LB USC
9 248 Pittsburgh Steelers Kirk, RickRick Kirk  DE Denison
10 249 San Francisco 49ers Dwight Clark † WR Clemson
10 250 Cincinnati Bengals Nathan Poole  RB Louisville
10 251 Kansas City Chiefs DuPree, MikeMike DuPree  LB Florida
10 252 San Francisco 49ers Howard Ballage  DB Colorado
10 253 Buffalo Bills Dave Marler  QB Mississippi State
10 254 Baltimore Colts Steve Stephens  TE Oklahoma State
10 255 St. Louis Cardinals Holloway, JerryJerry Holloway  TE Western Illinois
10 256 New York Giants Dan Fowler  G Kentucky
10 257 Chicago Bears Restic, JoeJoe Restic  DB Notre Dame
10 258 Miami Dolphins Stanton, JeromeJerome Stanton  DB Michigan State
10 259 Oakland Raiders Smith, RickyRicky Smith  DB Tulane
10 260 Kansas City Chiefs Gerald Jackson  DB Mississippi State
10 261 Cleveland Browns John Smith  WR Tennessee State
10 262 New York Jets Sybeldon, SteveSteve Sybeldon  T North Dakota
10 263 New York Jets Ed McGlasson  C Youngstown State
10 264 Green Bay Packers Frank Lockett  WR Nebraska
10 265 San Diego Chargers Petruccio, TonyTony Petruccio  DT Penn State
10 266 Atlanta Falcons Bruce Beekley  LB Oregon
10 267 Seattle Seahawks Robert Hardy  DT Jackson State
10 268 Kansas City Chiefs Willis, LarryLarry Willis  WR Alcorn State
10 269 San Diego Chargers Al Green  DB LSU
10 269.5, Houston Oilers The Houston Oilers forfeited their 1979 tenth round pick after selecting Johnnie Dirden in the 1978 Supplemental draft
10 270 New England Patriots Martin Cox  WR Vanderbilt
10 271 New England Patriots Allan Clark  RB Northern Arizona
10 272 Miami Dolphins Mike Kozlowski  RB Colorado
10 273 Los Angeles Rams Ebensberger, GradyGrady Ebensberger  DT Houston
10 274 Dallas Cowboys Mike Calhoun  DT Notre Dame
10 275 Pittsburgh Steelers Thompson, TodTod Thompson  TE BYU
11 276 San Francisco 49ers McBride, BillyBilly McBride  DB Tennessee State
11 277 Kansas City Chiefs Stan Rome  WR Clemson
11 278 Cincinnati Bengals Ken Bungarda  DE Missouri
11 279 Buffalo Bills Lawler, PaulPaul Lawler  DB Colgate
11 280 Baltimore Colts John Priestner  LB Western Ontario
11 281 Tampa Bay Buccaneers Rippentrop, BobBob Rippentrop  TE Fresno State
11 282 New York Giants Mince, MikeMike Mince  DB Fresno State
11 283 St. Louis Cardinals Henderson, NateNate Henderson  T Florida State
11 284 New York Giants Johnson, KenKen Johnson  RB Miami (FL)
11 285 New Orleans Saints Hall, DavidDavid Hall  WR Missouri-Rolla
11 286 Chicago Bears Wright, BobBob Wright  T Cincinnati
11 287 Cleveland Browns Poeschl, RandyRandy Poeschl  DE Nebraska
11 288 New York Jets Danny Sanders  QB Carson-Newman
11 289 Washington Redskins Monte Coleman  LB Central Arkansas
11 290 Green Bay Packers Thorson, MarkMark Thorson  DB Ottawa (KS)
11 291 Minnesota Vikings Nelson, BrianBrian Nelson  WR Texas Tech
11 292 Atlanta Falcons Leer, BillBill Leer  C Colorado State
11 293 Seattle Seahawks Hinesly, JimJim Hinesly  G Michigan State
11 294 Oakland Raiders Bruce Davis  T UCLA
11 295 San Diego Chargers Dave Rader  QB Tulsa
11 296 Philadelphia Eagles Al Chesley  LB Pittsburgh
11 297 Denver Broncos Zach Dixon  RB Temple
11 298 Houston Oilers Taylor, MikeMike Taylor  T Georgia Tech
11 299 Miami Dolphins Blanton, MikeMike Blanton  DE Georgia Tech
11 300 Washington Redskins Hall, TonyTony Hall  WR Knoxville
11 301 Los Angeles Rams Deremus, JesseJesse Deremus  DT Tennessee State
11 302 Detroit Lions Cole, EddieEddie Cole  LB Ole Miss
11 303 Pittsburgh Steelers Moore, CharlieCharlie Moore  C Wichita State
12 303.5, San Francisco 49ers The San Francisco 49ers forfeited their 1979 twelfth round pick after selecting Rod Conners in the 1978 Supplemental draft
12 304 Cincinnati Bengals Jim Browner  DB Notre Dame
12 305 Kansas City Chiefs Michael Forrest  RB Arkansas
12 306 Baltimore Colts Green, CharlieCharlie Green  WR Kansas State
12 307 Tampa Bay Buccaneers David Logan † DT Pittsburgh
12 308 Buffalo Bills Harris, MikeMike Harris  RB Arizona State
12 309 St. Louis Cardinals McBride, RickRick McBride  LB Georgia
12 310 New York Giants Gillespie, TimTim Gillespie  G NC State
12 311 New Orleans Saints Finch, KelseyKelsey Finch  RB Tennessee
12 312 Chicago Bears Dave Becker  DB Iowa
12 313 Detroit Lions Forster, BobBob Forster  C Brown
12 314 New York Jets Paul Darby  WR Southwest Texas State
12 315 Cleveland Browns Methvin, DewittDewitt Methvin  C Tulane
12 316 Oakland Raiders Abernathy, DirkDirk Abernathy  DB Bowling Green
12 317 Minnesota Vikings Stephens, DavidDavid Stephens  LB Kentucky
12 318 Green Bay Packers Moats, BillBill Moats  P South Dakota
12 319 Seattle Seahawks Jeff Moore  RB Jackson State
12 320 Oakland Raiders Reggie Kinlaw  DT Oklahoma
12 321 San Diego Chargers Frank Duncan  DB San Francisco State
12 322 Pittsburgh Steelers Ed Smith  LB Vanderbilt
12 323 Atlanta Falcons Walker, StuartStuart Walker  LB Colorado
12 324 Houston Oilers Wayne Wilson  RB Shepherd
12 325 Denver Broncos Dave Jacobs  K Syracuse
12 326 Detroit Lions Sweeney, BrianBrian Sweeney  WR Texas A&I
12 327 Miami Dolphins Fortner, LarryLarry Fortner  QB Miami (OH)
12 328 Los Angeles Rams Drew Hill † WR Georgia Tech
12 329 Dallas Cowboys Quentin Lowry  LB Youngstown State
12 330 Pittsburgh Steelers Almond, MikeMike Almond  WR Northwestern State

02Supplemental draft

Rnd. Pick Team Player Pos. College Notes
6 Buffalo Bills Stewart, RodRod Stewart  RB Kentucky

03Hall of Famers

  • Kellen Winslow, tight end from Missouri, taken 1st round 13th overall by San Diego Chargers
Inducted: Professional Football Hall of Fame class of 1995.
  • Joe Montana, quarterback from Notre Dame, taken 3rd round 82nd overall by San Francisco 49ers
Inducted: Professional Football Hall of Fame class of 2000.
  • Dan Hampton, defensive tackle from Arkansas, taken 1st round 4th overall by Chicago Bears
Inducted: Professional Football Hall of Fame class of 2002.
  • Bill Cowher, linebacker from North Carolina State, undrafted and signed by Philadelphia Eagles
Inducted: For his Coaching achievements Professional Football Hall of Fame Class of 2020.

04Notable undrafted players

† = Pro Bowler ‡ Hall of Famer
Original NFL team Player Pos. College Notes
Atlanta Falcons Putt Choate  LB SMU
Atlanta Falcons Frank Garcia  P Arizona State
Atlanta Falcons Russ Mikeska  TE Texas A&M
Atlanta Falcons Don Patterson  CB Georgia Tech
Buffalo Bills Chris Keating  LB Maine
Buffalo Bills Jeff Knapple  QB Northern Colorado
Cleveland Browns Dino Hall  RB Glassboro State
Dallas Cowboys Adger Armstrong  FB Texas A&M
Dallas Cowboys Steve Wilson  CB Howard
Denver Broncos James Harrell  LB Florida
Denver Broncos Jim Ryan  LB William & Mary
Denver Broncos Vince Thompson  RB Villanova
Denver Broncos Wylie Turner  CB Angelo State
Denver Broncos Steve Watson † WR Temple
Detroit Lions John Arnold  WR Wyoming
Green Bay Packers Bobby Kimball  WR Oklahoma
Houston Oilers Chuck Brown  C Houston
Kansas City Chiefs M. L. Carter  CB San Jose State
Kansas City Chiefs Steve Gaunty  WR Northern Colorado
Los Angeles Rams Ivory Sully  S Delaware
Miami Dolphins Cleveland Green  T Southern
Miami Dolphins Joel Williams  LB Wisconsin-La Crosse
Minnesota Vikings Douglas Cunningham  WR Rice
Minnesota Vikings Keith Nord  S St. Cloud State
Minnesota Vikings Tony Norman  DE Iowa State
New England Patriots Mark Buben  DE Tufts
New England Patriots Ken Talton  RB Cornell
New Orleans Saints Vickey Ray Anderson  RB Oklahoma
New York Giants Saladin Martin  CB San Diego State
New York Giants Joe McLaughlin  LB UMass
New York Jets Woody Bennett  RB Miami
New York Jets Mike McKibben  LB Kent State
Oakland Raiders Joe Bell  DE Norfolk State
Oakland Raiders Rufus Bess  CB South Carolina State
Philadelphia Eagles Bill Cowher‡ LB NC State
Philadelphia Eagles Steve Kenney  G Clemson
Philadelphia Eagles Al Latimer  CB Clemson
Pittsburgh Steelers Anthony Anderson  RB Temple
San Francisco 49ers Dan Melville  P California
Seattle Seahawks Mark Stevenson  G/C Western Illinois
St. Louis Cardinals Chris Garlich  LB Missouri
St. Louis Cardinals Jeff Lee  WR Nebraska
St. Louis Cardinals Leo Lewis  WR Missouri
St. Louis Cardinals Mike Loyd  QB Missouri Southern
Tampa Bay Buccaneers George Yarno  G Washington State
Washington Redskins Neal Olkewicz  LB Maryland
Washington Redskins Ray Waddy  CB Texas A&I
Watch videos about 1979 NFL draftExplainers and documentaries on YouTube (opens in a new tab)

Sources and credits

This article is adapted from the Wikipedia article “1979 NFL draft”, written by its contributors and licensed under CC BY-SA 4.0. Fathomly has changed the layout, removed citation markers, navigation and maintenance notices, and adjusted punctuation. This adapted version is shared under the same license. For references, see the original article.

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