The 1995 NFL draft was the procedure by which
National Football League
The National Football League (NFL) is a Professional gridiron football, professional American football league in the United States. Composed of 32 teams, it is divided equally between the American Football Conference (AFC) and the National ...
teams selected amateur
college football
College football is gridiron football that is played by teams of amateur Student athlete, student-athletes at universities and colleges. It was through collegiate competition that gridiron football American football in the United States, firs ...
players. It is officially known as the NFL Annual Player Selection Meeting. The
draft
Draft, the draft, or draught may refer to:
Watercraft dimensions
* Draft (hull), the distance from waterline to keel of a vessel
* Draft (sail), degree of curvature in a sail
* Air draft, distance from waterline to the highest point on a v ...
was held April 22–23,
1995 at the
Paramount Theatre at
Madison Square Garden
Madison Square Garden, colloquially known as the Garden or by its initials MSG, is a multi-purpose indoor arena in New York City. It is located in Midtown Manhattan between Seventh Avenue (Manhattan), Seventh and Eighth Avenue (Manhattan), Eig ...
in
New York City
New York, often called New York City (NYC), is the most populous city in the United States, located at the southern tip of New York State on one of the world's largest natural harbors. The city comprises five boroughs, each coextensive w ...
,
New York.
The league also held a
supplemental draft after the regular draft and before the regular season.
The draft was the first with the expansion
Carolina Panthers and
Jacksonville Jaguars
The Jacksonville Jaguars are a professional American football team based in Jacksonville, Florida. The Jaguars compete in the National Football League (NFL) as a member of the American Football Conference (AFC) AFC South, South division. The team ...
franchises, who each received two extra picks between the first and second rounds. The Panthers, having selected second in the
1995 NFL expansion draft, were awarded the first overall pick in the main draft and the Jaguars, who held the first pick in the expansion draft, selected second. However, the Panthers traded their number one pick to the
Cincinnati Bengals
The Cincinnati Bengals are a professional American football team based in Cincinnati. The Bengals compete in the National Football League (NFL) as a member of the American Football Conference (AFC) AFC North, North division. The team plays its h ...
for the Bengals' fifth overall pick and their fourth pick in the second round. The Bengals used the selection on
Ki-Jana Carter, who is the most recent running back taken first overall. The Panthers were also stripped of two supplemental picks for improperly recruiting
Pittsburgh Steelers
The Pittsburgh Steelers are a professional American football team based in Pittsburgh. The Steelers compete in the National Football League (NFL) as a member of the American Football Conference (AFC) AFC North, North division. Founded in 1933 P ...
defensive coordinator
Dom Capers as their head coach.
In the first round, the
Tampa Bay Buccaneers selected future
Hall of Fame players
Warren Sapp and
Derrick Brooks. This was the second of three times two Hall of Fame inductees were selected by the same team in the first round, along with the
Chicago Bears
The Chicago Bears are a professional American football team based in Chicago. The Bears compete in the National Football League (NFL) as a member of the National Football Conference (NFC) NFC North, North division. They are one of two remaining ...
in
1965
Events January–February
* January 14 – The First Minister of Northern Ireland and the Taoiseach of the Republic of Ireland meet for the first time in 43 years.
* January 20
** Lyndon B. Johnson is Second inauguration of Lynd ...
and the
Baltimore Ravens
The Baltimore Ravens are a professional American football team based in Baltimore. The Ravens compete in the National Football League (NFL) as a member of the American Football Conference (AFC) AFC North, North division. The team plays its home g ...
in the
following year's draft. Although Sapp was projected to be a top 10 pick, he slid to the 12th selection due to allegations of failed drug tests. He and Brooks would go on to lead the
Tampa 2 defense that brought the Buccaneers to their first
Super Bowl
The Super Bowl is the annual History of the NFL championship, league championship game of the National Football League (NFL) of the United States. It has served as the final game of every NFL season since 1966 NFL season, 1966 (with the excep ...
title in
Super Bowl XXXVII.
The draft was also the last to feature a team based in Los Angeles until
2016
2016 was designated as:
* International Year of Pulses by the sixty-eighth session of the United Nations General Assembly.
* International Year of Global Understanding (IYGU) by the International Council for Science (ICSU), the Internationa ...
due to the
Los Angeles Raiders returning to
Oakland later in the year.
[Although the Raiders returned to Oakland for the 1995 season, they were based in Los Angeles during the draft and did not relocate until after it was held.]
Player selections
Supplemental draft
Trades
In the explanations below, (D) denotes trades that took place during the 1994 Draft, while (PD) indicates trades completed pre-draft.
;Round one
;Round two
;Round three
;Round four
;Round five
;Round six
;Round seven
Notable undrafted players
Hall of Famers
*
Curtis Martin, running back from University of Pittsburgh, taken 3rd round, 74th overall by the New England Patriots.
:Inducted: Professional Football Hall of Fame class of 2012.
[
* Warren Sapp, defensive tackle from University of Miami (FL), taken 1st round, 12th overall by the Tampa Bay Buccaneers.
:Inducted: Professional Football Hall of Fame class of 2013.][
* Derrick Brooks, linebacker from Florida State University, taken 1st round, 28th overall by the Tampa Bay Buccaneers.
:Inducted: Professional Football Hall of Fame class of 2014.][
* Terrell Davis, running back from University of Georgia, taken 6th round, 196th overall by the Denver Broncos.
:Inducted: Professional Football Hall of Fame class of 2017.
* Ty Law, defensive back from University of Michigan, taken 1st round, 23rd overall by the New England Patriots.
:Inducted: Professional Football Hall of Fame class of 2019.
* Tony Boselli, offensive tackle from University of Southern California, taken 1st round, 2nd overall by the Jacksonville Jaguars.
:Inducted: Professional Football Hall of Fame class of 2022.
]
Notes
References
;General references
*
*
;Specific references
External links
NFL.com – 1995 Draft
*
{{DEFAULTSORT:1995 Nfl Draft
NFL draft
NFL Draft
The NFL draft, officially known as the Annual Player Selection Meeting, is an annual event which serves as the most common source of player recruitment in the National Football League. Each team is given a position in the drafting order in reve ...
Draft
Draft, the draft, or draught may refer to:
Watercraft dimensions
* Draft (hull), the distance from waterline to keel of a vessel
* Draft (sail), degree of curvature in a sail
* Air draft, distance from waterline to the highest point on a v ...
NFL Draft
The NFL draft, officially known as the Annual Player Selection Meeting, is an annual event which serves as the most common source of player recruitment in the National Football League. Each team is given a position in the drafting order in reve ...
NFL Draft
The NFL draft, officially known as the Annual Player Selection Meeting, is an annual event which serves as the most common source of player recruitment in the National Football League. Each team is given a position in the drafting order in reve ...
American football in New York City
1990s in Manhattan
Sporting events in New York City