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1981 NFL draft

National Football League draft

Wikipedia contributorsAdapted for Fathomly · View authors
18 min read
Source updated July 11, 2026
Image credit is listed at the end of this article.

The 1981 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 during April 28-29, 1981, at the New York Sheraton Hotel in New York City. The league also held a supplemental draft after the regular draft and before the regular season.

For the first time, the top two picks of the draft, running back George Rogers selected by the New Orleans Saints and linebacker Lawrence Taylor picked by the New York Giants, were named Offensive and Defensive Rookies of the Year, respectively.

01Player selections

Jump to round
* = compensatory selection
† = Pro Bowler
‡ = Hall of Famer
Rnd. Pick Team Player Pos. College Notes
1 1 New Orleans Saints George Rogers † RB South Carolina Heisman Trophy winner
1 2 New York Giants Lawrence Taylor‡† LB North Carolina
1 3 New York Jets Freeman McNeil † RB UCLA
1 4 Seattle Seahawks Kenny Easley‡† SS UCLA
1 5 St. Louis Cardinals E. J. Junior † LB Alabama
1 6 Green Bay Packers Rich Campbell  QB California
1 7 Tampa Bay Buccaneers Hugh Green † LB Pittsburgh
1 8 San Francisco 49ers Ronnie Lott‡† CB USC
1 9 Los Angeles Rams Mel Owens  LB Michigan from Washington
1 10 Cincinnati Bengals David Verser  WR Kansas
1 11 Chicago Bears Keith Van Horne  T USC
1 12 Baltimore Colts Randy McMillan  RB Pittsburgh
1 13 Miami Dolphins David Overstreet  RB Oklahoma
1 14 Kansas City Chiefs Willie Scott  TE South Carolina
1 15 Denver Broncos Dennis Smith † S USC
1 16 Detroit Lions Mark Nichols  WR San Jose State
1 17 Pittsburgh Steelers Keith Gary  DE Oklahoma
1 18 Baltimore Colts Donnell Thompson  DT North Carolina from Minnesota
1 19 New England Patriots Brian Holloway † T Stanford
1 20 Washington Redskins Mark May † T Pittsburgh from Los Angeles
1 21 Oakland Raiders Ted Watts  CB Texas Tech from Houston
1 22 Cleveland Browns Hanford Dixon † CB Southern Miss
1 23 Oakland Raiders Curt Marsh  T Washington from Buffalo
1 24 San Diego Chargers James Brooks † RB Auburn
1 25 Atlanta Falcons Bobby Butler  CB Florida State
1 26 Dallas Cowboys Howard Richards  T Missouri
1 27 Philadelphia Eagles Leonard Mitchell  DE Houston
1 28 Buffalo Bills Booker Moore  RB Penn State from Oakland
2 29 New Orleans Saints Russell Gary  SS Nebraska
2 30 New York Jets Marion Barber Jr.  RB Minnesota
2 31 Seattle Seahawks David Hughes  RB Boise State
2 32 New York Giants Dave Young  TE Purdue
2 33 St. Louis Cardinals Neil Lomax † QB Portland State
2 34 Tampa Bay Buccaneers James Wilder Sr. † RB Missouri
2 35 Green Bay Packers Gary Lewis  TE Texas-Arlington
2 36 San Francisco 49ers John Harty  DT Iowa from Washington
2 37 Cincinnati Bengals Cris Collinsworth † WR Florida
2 38 Chicago Bears Mike Singletary‡† LB Baylor from San Francisco
2 39 Minnesota Vikings Mardye McDole  WR Mississippi State from Baltimore
2 40 San Francisco 49ers Eric Wright † CB Missouri from Chicago
2 41 Kansas City Chiefs Joe Delaney † RB Northwestern State
2 42 Denver Broncos Clay Brown  TE BYU
2 43 Los Angeles Rams Jim Collins † LB Syracuse from Miami
2 44 Pittsburgh Steelers Anthony Washington  CB Fresno State
2 45 Minnesota Vikings Robin Sendlein  LB Texas
2 46 Detroit Lions Curtis Green  DE Alabama State
2 47 New England Patriots Tony Collins † RB East Carolina
2 48 Oakland Raiders Howie Long‡† DT Villanova from Houston
2 49 Buffalo Bills Chris Williams  CB LSU from Cleveland
2 50 Buffalo Bills Byron Franklin  WR Auburn
2 51 New Orleans Saints Rickey Jackson‡† LB Pittsburgh from San Diego
2 52 Minnesota Vikings Jarvis Redwine  RB Nebraska from Los Angeles via Washington and Baltimore
2 53 Dallas Cowboys Doug Donley  WR Ohio State
2 54 Atlanta Falcons Lyman White  LB LSU
2 55 Philadelphia Eagles Dean Miraldi  G Utah
2 56 Miami Dolphins Andra Franklin † RB Nebraska from Oakland vis Los Angeles
3 57 New Orleans Saints Frank Warren  DE Auburn
3 58 Seattle Seahawks Bill Dugan  G Penn State
3 59 New York Giants John Mistler  WR Arizona State
3 60 New York Jets Ben Rudolph  DT Long Beach State
3 61 St. Louis Cardinals Jeff Griffin  CB Utah
3 62 Green Bay Packers Ray Stachowicz  P Michigan State
3 63 Los Angeles Rams Greg Meisner  DT Pittsburgh from Tampa Bay
3 64 Cincinnati Bengals John Simmons  CB SMU
3 65 San Francisco 49ers Carlton Williamson † S Pittsburgh
3 66 Los Angeles Rams Robert Cobb  DE Arizona from Washington
3 67 Chicago Bears Ken Margerum  WR Stanford
3 68 Baltimore Colts Randy Van Divier  T Washington
3 69 Washington Redskins Russ Grimm‡† G Pittsburgh from Miami via Los Angeles
3 70 Kansas City Chiefs Marvin Harvey  TE Southern Miss
3 71 New Orleans Saints Hoby Brenner † TE USC from Minnesota
3 72 Detroit Lions Don Greco  G Western Illinois
3 73 Pittsburgh Steelers Rick Donnalley  C North Carolina
3 74 Minnesota Vikings Tim Irwin  T Tennessee from New England
3 75 Kansas City Chiefs Roger Taylor  T Oklahoma from Cleveland via Denver
3 76 Buffalo Bills Mike Mosley  WR Texas A&M
3 77 San Diego Chargers Irvin Phillips  CB Arkansas Tech
3 78 Kansas City Chiefs Lloyd Burruss † S Maryland from Los Angeles
3 79 Houston Oilers Michael Holston  WR Morgan State
3 80 Atlanta Falcons Scott Woerner  S Georgia
3 81 Dallas Cowboys Glen Titensor  DE BYU
3 82 Philadelphia Eagles Greg LaFleur  TE LSU
3 83 Buffalo Bills Geathers, RobertRobert Geathers  DT South Carolina State from Oakland
4 84 Miami Dolphins Sammy Greene  WR UNLV from New Orleans
4 85 New York Giants Clifford Chatman  FB Central State (OK)
4 86 New York Jets Al Washington  LB Ohio State
4 87 Seattle Seahawks Phillips, ScottScott Phillips  WR BYU
4 88 St. Louis Cardinals Steve Rhodes  WR Oklahoma
4 89 Tampa Bay Buccaneers John Holt  CB West Texas State
4 90 Washington Redskins Tom Flick  QB Washington from Green Bay
4 91 Dallas Cowboys Scott Pelluer  LB Washington State from San Francisco
4 92 Cleveland Browns Mike Robinson  DE Arizona from Washington
4 93 Cincinnati Bengals Guy Frazier  LB Wyoming
4 94 Baltimore Colts Tim Sherwin  TE Boston College
4 95 Chicago Bears Todd Bell † S Ohio State
4 96 Miami Dolphins Wright, BradBrad Wright  QB New Mexico
4 97 Kansas City Chiefs Washington, RonRon Washington  WR Arizona State
4 98 Denver Broncos Mark Herrmann  QB Purdue
4 99 Detroit Lions Tracy Porter  WR LSU
4 100 Pittsburgh Steelers Robbie Martin  WR Cal Poly
4 101 Minnesota Vikings John Swain  CB Miami (FL)
4 102 New England Patriots Don Blackmon  LB Tulsa
4 103 San Diego Chargers Amos Lawrence  RB North Carolina
4 104 Los Angeles Rams George Lilja  C Michigan
4 105 Green Bay Packers Richard Turner  DT Oklahoma
4 106 Houston Oilers Nick Eyre  T BYU
4 107 San Diego Chargers Eric Sievers  TE Maryland
4 108 Dallas Cowboys Derrie Nelson  LB Nebraska
4 109 Atlanta Falcons John Scully  C Notre Dame
4 110 Philadelphia Eagles Calvin Murray  RB Ohio State
4 111 Oakland Raiders Johnny Robinson  DT Louisiana Tech University
5 112 New Orleans Saints Louis Oubre  T Oklahoma
5 113 New York Jets Tyrone Keys  DE Mississippi State
5 114 Seattle Seahawks Edwin Bailey  G South Carolina State
5 115 New York Giants Bill Neill  DT Pittsburgh
5 116 St. Louis Cardinals John Gillen  LB Illinois
5 117 Green Bay Packers Byron Braggs  DT Alabama
5 118 Oakland Raiders James Davis  CB Southern from Tampa Bay
5 119 Washington Redskins Dexter Manley † DE Oklahoma State
5 120 Cincinnati Bengals Pryor, BenjieBenjie Pryor  TE Pittsburgh
5 121 San Francisco 49ers Lynn Thomas  DB Pittsburgh
5 122 San Francisco 49ers Arrington Jones  RB Winston-Salem State from Chicago
5 123 Minnesota Vikings Ray, WendellWendell Ray  DE Missouri from Baltimore
5 124 Kansas City Chiefs Todd Thomas  LS North Dakota
5 125 Denver Broncos Ken Lanier  T Florida State
5 126 Miami Dolphins Ken Poole  DE Northeast Louisiana
5 127 Pittsburgh Steelers Martin, RickyRicky Martin  WR New Mexico
5 128 New Orleans Saints Jerry Boyarsky  DT Pittsburgh from Minnesota
5 129 Detroit Lions Larry Lee  G UCLA
5 130 New England Patriots Steve Clark  DT Kansas State
5 131 San Diego Chargers Keith Ferguson  LB Ohio State
5 132 Washington Redskins Sayre, GaryGary Sayre  G Cameron from L. A. Rams
5 133 Houston Oilers Delbert Fowler  LB West Virginia
5 134 Cleveland Browns Steve Cox  P/K Arkansas
5 135 Buffalo Bills Clark, CalvinCalvin Clark  DE Purdue
5 136 Atlanta Falcons Eric Sanders  T Nevada
5 137 Dallas Cowboys Danny Spradlin  LB Tennessee
5 138 Miami Dolphins Tommy Vigorito  RB Virginia from Philadelphia
6 139 New Orleans Saints Nat Hudson  G Georgia
6 140 Seattle Seahawks Steve Durham  DE Clemson
6 141 San Diego Chargers Andy Gissinger  T Syracuse from N. Y. Giants
6 142 New York Jets John Woodring  LB Brown
6 143 St. Louis Cardinals Dave Ahrens  LB Wisconsin
6 144 New Orleans Saints Johnnie Poe  CB Missouri from Tampa Bay
6 145 New York Giants Mel Hoover  WR Arizona State from Green Bay
6 146 Cincinnati Bengals Rex Robinson  K Georgia
6 147 San Francisco 49ers Pete Kugler  DT Penn State
6 148 Washington Redskins Larry Kubin  LB Penn State
6 149 Baltimore Colts Bubba Green  DT NC State
6 150 Chicago Bears Reuben Henderson  CB San Diego State
6 151 Denver Broncos Lewis, AlvinAlvin Lewis  RB Colorado State
6 152 Miami Dolphins Mack Moore  DE Texas A&M
6 153 Kansas City Chiefs Luckie, DockDock Luckie  DT Florida
6 154 Miami Dolphins Fulton Walker  CB West Virginia from Minnesota
6 155 Detroit Lions Sam Johnson  DB Maryland
6 156 Pittsburgh Steelers Bryan Hinkle  LB Oregon
6 157 New England Patriots Ron Wooten  G North Carolina
6 158 Los Angeles Rams Daniels, WilliamWilliam Daniels  DT Alabama State
6 159 Houston Oilers Bill Kay  CB Purdue
6 160 Cleveland Browns Ron Simmons  DT Florida State
6 161 Buffalo Bills Robert Holt  WR Baylor
6 162 San Diego Chargers Bobby Duckworth  WR Arkansas
6 163 Dallas Cowboys Vince Skillings  DB Ohio State
6 164 Atlanta Falcons Harry Stanback  DT North Carolina
6 165 New York Giants O'Neal, EdwardEdward O'Neal  RB Tuskegee
6 166 New Orleans Saints Glen Redd  LB BYU from Oakland
7 167 New Orleans Saints Kevin Williams  WR USC
7 168 New York Giants Louis Jackson  RB Cal Poly
7 169 New York Jets Kenny Neal  DE Iowa State
7 170 Seattle Seahawks Ron Johnson  WR Long Beach State
7 171 St. Louis Cardinals Kevin Donnalley  S North Dakota State
7 172 Green Bay Packers Bill Whitaker  CB Missouri
7 173 Dallas Cowboys Ron Fellows  CB Missouri from Tampa Bay
7 174 Philadelphia Eagles Alan Duncan  K Tennessee from San Francisco
7 175 Los Angeles Rams Ron Battle  TE North Texas State from Washington
7 176 Cincinnati Bengals Jeff Schuh  LB Minnesota
7 177 Chicago Bears Jeff Fisher  CB USC
7 178 Baltimore Colts Obed Ariri  K Clemson
7 179 Miami Dolphins Daum, MikeMike Daum  T Cal Poly
7 180 Kansas City Chiefs Billy Jackson  RB Alabama
7 181 Denver Broncos Steve Busick  LB USC
7 182 Detroit Lions Lee Spivey  T SMU
7 183 Pittsburgh Steelers David Little † LB Florida
7 184 Minnesota Vikings Shaver, DonDon Shaver  RB Kutztown (PA)
7 185 New England Patriots Ken Toler  WR Ole Miss
7 186 Seattle Seahawks Scovill, BradBrad Scovill  TE Penn State from Houston
7 187 Cleveland Browns Eddie Johnson  LB Louisville
7 188 Buffalo Bills Doolittle, SteveSteve Doolittle  LB Colorado
7 189 San Diego Chargers Pete Holohan  TE Notre Dame
7 190 Los Angeles Rams Mike Clark  DE Florida
7 191.5, Atlanta Falcons The Atlanta Falcons forfeited their 1981 seventh round pick after selecting Matthew Teague in the 1980 Supplemental draft
7 191 Dallas Cowboys Ken Miller  CB Eastern Michigan
7 192 Philadelphia Eagles Doak Field  LB Baylor
7 193 Houston Oilers Washington, DonDon Washington  DB Texas A&I from Oakland
8 194 New England Patriots Naber, KenKen Naber  K Stanford from New Orleans
8 195 New York Jets Jones, LloydLloyd Jones  WR BYU
8 196 Seattle Seahawks Eric Lane  RB BYU
8 197 New York Giants Powers, JohnJohn Powers  G Michigan
8 198 St. Louis Cardinals Mike Fisher  WR Baylor
8 199 Tampa Bay Buccaneers Denver Johnson  T Tulsa
8 200 Green Bay Packers Werts, LarryLarry Werts  LB Jackson State
8 201 Washington Redskins Charlie Brown † WR South Carolina State
8 202 Cincinnati Bengals Bobby Kemp  S Cal State Fullerton
8 203 San Francisco 49ers White, GarryGarry White  RB Minnesota
8 204 Baltimore Colts Sitton, KenKen Sitton  DB Oklahoma
8 205 Chicago Bears Zettek, ScottScott Zettek  DT Notre Dame
8 206 Kansas City Chiefs Dorn, DavidDavid Dorn  WR Rutgers
8 207 New York Giants Mark Reed  QB Minnesota State-Moorhead from Denver
8 208 Miami Dolphins William Judson  CB South Carolina State
8 209 Pittsburgh Steelers Wilson, FrankFrank Wilson  RB Rice
8 210 Minnesota Vikings Wade Wilson † QB East Texas State
8 211 Detroit Lions Bob Niziolek  TE Colorado
8 212 New England Patriots Lin Dawson  TE NC State
8 213 New York Jets J. C. Watts  QB Oklahoma from Cleveland
8 214 New Orleans Saints Gladys, GeneGene Gladys  LB Penn State from Buffalo
8 215 New Orleans Saints Evans, KevinKevin Evans  DB Arkansas from San Diego
8 216 Los Angeles Rams Art Plunkett  T UNLV
8 217 Houston Oilers Willie Tullis  WR Troy State
8 218 Dallas Cowboys Paul Piurowski  LB Florida State
8 219 Atlanta Falcons Cliff Toney  DB Auburn
8 220 Baltimore Colts Hosea Taylor  DT Houston from Philadelphia
8 221 New York Giants Billy Ard  G Wake Forest from Oakland
9 222 New Orleans Saints Toussaint Tyler  RB Washington
9 223 Seattle Seahawks Jim Stone  RB Notre Dame
9 224 New York Giants Byron Hunt  LB SMU
9 225 New York Jets Admiral Dewey Larry  DB UNLV
9 226 St. Louis Cardinals Stump Mitchell  RB The Citadel
9 227 Green Bay Packers Tim Huffman  T Notre Dame
9 228 Tampa Bay Buccaneers Mike Ford  QB SMU
9 229 Cincinnati Bengals Jim Hannula  T Northern Illinois
9 230 Cincinnati Bengals Samoa Samoa  RB Washington State from San Francisco
9 231 Washington Redskins Darryl Grant  G Rice
9 232 Chicago Bears Ditta, FrankFrank Ditta  G Baylor
9 233 Baltimore Colts Gooch, TimTim Gooch  DT Kentucky
9 234 Denver Broncos Rusty Olsen  DE Washington
9 235 Miami Dolphins Noonan, JohnJohn Noonan  WR Nebraska
9 236 Seattle Seahawks Whatley, JimJim Whatley  WR Washington State from Minnesota
9 237 Kansas City Chiefs Vereen, TonyTony Vereen  DB Southeastern Louisiana
9 238 Detroit Lions Hugh Jernigan  DB Arkansas
9 239 Pittsburgh Steelers James Hunter  T USC
9 240 Detroit Lions Dave Martin  CB Villanova from New England
9 241 Buffalo Bills Robb Riddick  RB Millersville (PA)
9 242.5, San Diego Chargers The San Diego Chargers forfeited their 1981 ninth round pick after selecting Billy Mullins in the 1980 Supplemental draft
9 242 Los Angeles Rams Ron Seawell  LB Portland State
9 243 Houston Oilers Avon Riley  LB UCLA
9 244 Cleveland Browns Randy Schleusener  G Nebraska
9 245 Atlanta Falcons Calvin Fance  RB Rice
9 246 Dallas Cowboys Mike Wilson  WR Washington State
9 247 Philadelphia Eagles Chuck Commiskey  C Ole Miss
9 248 Oakland Raiders Curt Mohl  T UCLA
10 249 New Orleans Saints Hokie Gajan  RB LSU
10 250 New York Giants Barber, MikeMike Barber  DT Grambling State
10 251 New York Jets Marty Wetzel  LB Tulane
10 252 Seattle Seahawks Dawson, KenKen Dawson  RB Savannah State
10 253 St. Louis Cardinals Mallard, JamesJames Mallard  WR Alabama
10 254 Tampa Bay Buccaneers McCune, KenKen McCune  DE Texas
10 255 Green Bay Packers Nickie Hall  QB Tulane
10 256 Baltimore Colts Gerken, GreggGregg Gerken  LB Northern Arizona
10 257 Washington Redskins Phil Kessel  QB Northern Michigan
10 258 Cincinnati Bengals Simpson, HubertHubert Simpson  RB Tennessee
10 259 Baltimore Colts Trent Bryant  DB Arkansas from San Francisco
10 260 Chicago Bears Tim Clifford  QB Indiana
10 261 Miami Dolphins Steve Folsom  TE Utah
10 262 Kansas City Chiefs Les Studdard  G Texas
10 263 St. Louis Cardinals Joiner, JimJim Joiner  WR Miami (FL)
10 264 Detroit Lions Andy Cannavino  LB Michigan
10 265 Pittsburgh Steelers Mike Mayock  S Boston College
10 266 Minnesota Vikings James Murphy  WR Utah State
10 267 Washington Redskins Allan Kennedy  T Washington State
10 268 San Diego Chargers Parham, RobertRobert Parham  RB Grambling
10 269 Los Angeles Rams Robert Alexander  RB West Virginia
10 270 Houston Oilers Jones, LarryLarry Jones  RB Colorado State
10 271 Cleveland Browns Dean Prater  DE Oklahoma State
10 272 Buffalo Bills Justin Cross  T Western State (CO)
10 273 Dallas Cowboys Graham, PatPat Graham  DT California
10 274 Atlanta Falcons Murphy, RobertRobert Murphy  DB Ohio State
10 275 Philadelphia Eagles Hubie Oliver  RB Arizona
10 276 Oakland Raiders Frank Hawkins  RB Nevada
11 277 New Orleans Saints Mickens, LesterLester Mickens  WR Kansas
11 278 New York Jets Gall, EdEd Gall  DT Maryland
11 279 Seattle Seahawks Olander, LanceLance Olander  RB Colorado
11 280 San Diego Chargers Petrzelka, MattMatt Petrzelka  T Iowa
11 281 St. Louis Cardinals Sherrod, MikeMike Sherrod  TE Illinois
11 282 Green Bay Packers Valora, ForrestForrest Valora  LB Oklahoma
11 283 Tampa Bay Buccaneers Johnny Ray Smith  DB Lamar
11 284 Washington Redskins Hill, JerryJerry Hill  WR North Alabama
11 285 Cincinnati Bengals Robert Jackson  DB Central Michigan
11 286 San Francisco 49ers DeBose, RobRob DeBose  TE UCLA
11 287 Chicago Bears Johnson, LonnieLonnie Johnson  RB Indiana
11 288 Baltimore Colts Smith, HoldenHolden Smith  WR California
11 289 Kansas City Chiefs Frank Case  DE Penn State
11 290 Denver Broncos Walker, PatPat Walker  WR Miami (FL)
11 291 Miami Dolphins Jim Jensen  QB Boston University
11 292 Pittsburgh Steelers Rick Trocano  QB Pittsburgh
11 293 Minnesota Vikings Knourek, BrentBrent Knourek  FB Oregon State
11 294 Detroit Lions Jackson, WillieWillie Jackson  DB Mississippi State
11 295 New England Patriots Buckley, BrianBrian Buckley  QB Harvard
11 296 Los Angeles Rams Marcellus Greene  DB Arizona
11 297 Houston Oilers Matthews, ClaudeClaude Matthews  G Auburn
11 298 Cleveland Browns Larry Friday  DB Mississippi State
11 299 Buffalo Bills Buster Barnett  TE Jackson State
11 300 San Diego Chargers Carlos Bradley  LB Wake Forest
11 301 Atlanta Falcons Chappelle, KeithKeith Chappelle  WR Iowa
11 302 Dallas Cowboys Morrison, TimTim Morrison  G Georgia
11 303 Philadelphia Eagles Davis, GailGail Davis  DT Virginia Union
11 304 Oakland Raiders Chester Willis  RB Auburn
12 305 New Orleans Saints Jim Wilks  DT San Diego State
12 306 Seattle Seahawks Bednarek, JeffJeff Bednarek  DT Pacific
12 307 New York Giants Maher, MikeMike Maher  TE Western Illinois
12 308 New York Jets Moeller, MikeMike Moeller  T Drake
12 309 St. Louis Cardinals Adams, JoeJoe Adams  G Nebraska
12 310 Tampa Bay Buccaneers Brad White  DT Tennessee
12 311 Green Bay Packers Cliff Lewis  LB Southern Miss
12 312 Cincinnati Bengals O'Connell, MarkMark O'Connell  QB Ball State
12 313 San Francisco 49ers Ogilvie, MajorMajor Ogilvie  RB Alabama
12 314 Washington Redskins Clint Didier  TE Portland State
12 315 Baltimore Colts Eric Scoggins  LB USC
12 316 Chicago Bears Shupryt, BobBob Shupryt  LB New Mexico
12 317 Denver Broncos Hankerd, JohnJohn Hankerd  LB Notre Dame
12 318 Miami Dolphins Alford, JohnJohn Alford  DT South Carolina State
12 319 Kansas City Chiefs Bob Gagliano  QB Utah State
12 320 Minnesota Vikings Williams, BrianBrian Williams  TE Southern
12 321 Denver Broncos Robinson, MandelMandel Robinson  RB Wyoming
12 322 San Francisco 49ers Joe Adams  QB Tennessee State from Pittsburgh
12 323 New England Patriots Cris Crissy  DB Princeton
12 324 Houston Oilers Bill Capece  K Florida State
12 325 Cleveland Browns McGill, KevinKevin McGill  T Oregon
12 326 Buffalo Bills Clark, KeithKeith Clark  LB Memphis State
12 327 San Diego Chargers Charles, StacyStacy Charles  WR Bethune-Cookman
12 328 Los Angeles Rams Jairo Penaranda  RB UCLA
12 329 Dallas Cowboys Lundy, NateNate Lundy  WR Indiana
12 330 Atlanta Falcons Mark McCants  DT Temple
12 331 Philadelphia Eagles Ray Ellis  DB Ohio State
12 332 Oakland Raiders Nelson, PhilPhil Nelson  TE Delaware

02Supplemental draft

Rnd. Pick Team Player Pos. College Notes
1 New Orleans Saints Dave Wilson  QB Illinois
11 New England Patriots Chy Davidson  WR Rhode Island

03Hall of Famers

  • Mike Singletary, linebacker from Baylor, taken 2nd round 38th overall by the Chicago Bears
Inducted: Professional Football Hall of Fame class of 1998.
  • Lawrence Taylor, linebacker from North Carolina, taken 1st round 2nd overall by the New York Giants
Inducted: Professional Football Hall of Fame class of 1999.
  • Ronnie Lott, cornerback from Southern California, taken 1st round 8th overall by the San Francisco 49ers
Inducted: Professional Football Hall of Fame class of 2000.
  • Howie Long, defensive tackle from Villanova, taken 2nd round 48th overall by the Oakland Raiders
Inducted: Professional Football Hall of Fame class of 2000.
  • Rickey Jackson, linebacker from Pittsburgh, taken 2nd round 51st overall by the New Orleans Saints
Inducted: Professional Football Hall of Fame class of 2010.
  • Russ Grimm, offensive guard from Pittsburgh, taken 3rd round 69th overall by the Washington Redskins
Inducted: Professional Football Hall of Fame class of 2010.
  • Kenny Easley, safety from UCLA, taken 1st round 4th overall by the Seattle Seahawks
Inducted: Professional Football Hall of Fame class of 2017.
  • Sam Mills, linebacker from Montclair State, signed undrafted by the Cleveland Browns
Inducted: Professional Football Hall of Fame class of 2022 (posthumous).

04Notable undrafted players

† = Pro Bowler = Hall of Famer
Original NFL team Player Pos. College Notes
Atlanta Falcons Jeff Brockhaus  K Missouri
Atlanta Falcons Blane Gaison  S Hawaii
Atlanta Falcons Floyd Hodge  WR Utah
Atlanta Falcons Mick Luckhurst  K California
Atlanta Falcons Stan Talley  P TCU
Baltimore Colts Steve Parker  DE Eastern Illinois
Baltimore Colts Dave Shula  WR Dartmouth
Buffalo Bills Joe Bock  C Virginia
Buffalo Bills Mike Humiston  LB Weber State
Buffalo Bills Mark Roopenian  DT Boston College
Chicago Bears Leslie Frazier  CB Alcorn State
Chicago Bears Jay Hilgenberg † C Iowa
Cleveland Browns Bill Hill  CB Rutgers
Cleveland Browns Sam Mills‡† LB Montclair State
Dallas Cowboys Michael Downs  S Rice
Dallas Cowboys Joey Hackett  TE Elon
Dallas Cowboys Angelo King  LB South Carolina State
Dallas Cowboys Ron Spears  DE San Diego State
Dallas Cowboys Everson Walls † CB Grambling State
Dallas Cowboys Steve Wright  T Northern Iowa
Denver Broncos Steve Trimble  DB Maryland
Green Bay Packers Rick Kehr  G Carthage
Green Bay Packers Greg Knafelc  QB Notre Dame
Green Bay Packers David Petway  S Northern Illinois
Green Bay Packers Randy Scott  LB Alabama
Houston Oilers Rich Karlis  K Cincinnati
Houston Oilers Ralph Williams  T Southern
Kansas City Chiefs Deron Cherry † S Rutgers
Los Angeles Rams Marcus Anderson  WR Tulane
Los Angeles Rams Jeff Kemp  QB Dartmouth
Miami Dolphins Rodell Thomas  LB Alabama State
New England Patriots Rich Camarillo † P Washington
New England Patriots Tim Ross  LB Bowling Green
New England Patriots John Tautolo  G UCLA
New Orleans Saints Monte Bennett  DT Kansas State
New Orleans Saints Victor Jackson  S Bowie State
New Orleans Saints Steve Parker  DE Eastern Illinois
New Orleans Saints Frank Wattelet  S Kansas
New York Giants Leon Bright  RB Florida State
New York Giants Jim Burt † DT Miami
New York Jets Joe Pellegrini  G Harvard
Oakland Raiders Melvin Byrd  DB UC Davis
Oakland Raiders Paul Davis  LB North Carolina
Philadelphia Eagles Greg Brown  DT/DE Kansas State
Philadelphia Eagles Frank Giddens  T New Mexico
Philadelphia Eagles Lyndell Jones  CB Hawaii
Philadelphia Eagles Buddy Moor  DE Eastern Kentucky
Philadelphia Eagles Chuck Pitcock  G Tulane
Philadelphia Eagles Jay Repko  TE Ursinus
Pittsburgh Steelers David Trout  K Pittsburgh
San Diego Chargers Rick Ackerman  DT Memphis State
San Francisco 49ers Matt Bouza  WR California
San Francisco 49ers Rick Gervais  S Stanford
San Francisco 49ers Jim Looney  LB Purdue
San Francisco 49ers Milt McColl  LB Stanford
Seattle Seahawks Wilson Alvarez  K Southeastern Louisiana
Seattle Seahawks Greg Gaines  LB Tennessee
Seattle Seahawks Paul Johns  WR Tulsa
Seattle Seahawks Gregg Johnson  CB/S Oklahoma State
Seattle Seahawks Eugene Rowell  DT Dubuque
Seattle Seahawks Harry Sydney  RB Kansas
Seattle Seahawks Mike Tice  TE Maryland
Washington Redskins Neil Elshire  DE Oregon
Washington Redskins Mel Kaufman  LB Cal Poly
Washington Redskins Joe Jacoby † T Louisville
Washington Redskins Dave Smigelsky  P Virginia Tech
Washington Redskins Herb Spencer  LB Newberry
Watch videos about 1981 NFL draftExplainers and documentaries on YouTube (opens in a new tab)

Sources and credits

This article is adapted from the Wikipedia article “1981 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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