Date(s) February 8, 1936 | ||
Location Ritz-Carlton Hotel
in Philadelphia, PA First selection Jay Berwanger, HB
Philadelphia Eagles Last selection Phil Flanagan, G
New York Giants Most selections (9) each team selected nine players Fewest selections (9) each team selected nine players | ||
The 1936 National Football League Draft was the first draft of the National Football League (NFL). It took place on February 8, 1936, at the Ritz-Carlton Hotel in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania The draft was instituted in an effort to equalize strength amongst the league's teams. The last place team from the previous season would get the first selection, and the process would continue in reverse order of the standings. Under this structure the Philadelphia Eagles, who finished 1935 at 2–9, would select first.
Contents
This was the only draft to have nine rounds; the number increased to ten for the 1937 draft. The first player ever drafted, Jay Berwanger, never played in the NFL. His rights were traded by the Philadelphia Eagles to the Chicago Bears, as the Eagles felt they would be unable to meet Berwanger's reported demand of $1000 per game. The Eagles received tackle Art Buss from the Bears in exchange for Berwanger's rights. George Halas was unable to convince Berwanger to sign with the Bears. Riley Smith, the second pick, was the first player drafted to play in the NFL.
Breakdown of players selected
The following is the breakdown of the 81 players selected: