The 1969 National Football League draft was part of the common draft, the third and final year in which the NFL and

American Football League The American Football League (AFL) was a major professional American football league that operated for ten seasons from 1960 until 1970, when it merged with the older National Football League (NFL), and became the American Football Conference. ...

(AFL) held a joint draft of college players. The draft took place January 28–29, 1969. 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 vesse ...

began with first overall pick of O. J. Simpson, the

Heisman Trophy The Heisman Memorial Trophy (usually known colloquially as the Heisman Trophy or The Heisman) is awarded annually to the most outstanding player in college football. Winners epitomize great ability combined with diligence, perseverance, and hard ...

-winning

running back A running back (RB) is a member of the offensive backfield in gridiron football. The primary roles of a running back are to receive American football plays#Offensive terminology, handoffs from the quarterback to Rush (American football)#Offen ...

from

USC USC most often refers to: * University of South Carolina, a public research university ** University of South Carolina System, the main university and its satellite campuses **South Carolina Gamecocks, the school athletic program * University of ...

, by the American Football League's

Buffalo Bills The Buffalo Bills are a professional American football team based in the Buffalo metropolitan area. The Bills compete in the National Football League (NFL) as a member club of the league's American Football Conference (AFC) East division. ...

. It ended with the twenty-sixth pick in round 17, number 442 overall, of Fred Zirkie,

defensive tackle A defensive tackle (DT) is a position in American football that will typically line up on the line of scrimmage, opposite one of the offensive guards, however he may also line up opposite one of the tackles. Defensive tackles are typically the la ...

from

Duke University Duke University is a private research university in Durham, North Carolina. Founded by Methodists and Quakers in the present-day city of Trinity in 1838, the school moved to Durham in 1892. In 1924, tobacco and electric power industrialist James ...

, by the AFL's

NY Jets NY most commonly refers to: * New York (state), a state in the Northeastern United States * New York City, the most populous city in the United States, located in the state of New York NY, Ny or ny may also refer to: Places * North Yorkshire, ...

Player selections

Round one

Round two

Round three

Round four

Round five

Round six

Round seven

Round eight

Round nine

Round ten

Round eleven

Round twelve

Round thirteen

Round fourteen

Round fifteen

Round sixteen

Round seventeen

Hall of Famers

* O. J. Simpson, running back from Southern California, taken 1st round 1st overall by AFL's Buffalo Bills :Inducted: Professional Football Hall of Fame class of 1985. *

Joe Greene Charles Edward Greene (born September 24, 1946), better known as "Mean" Joe Greene, is an American former professional football player who was a defensive tackle for the Pittsburgh Steelers of the National Football League (NFL) from 1969 to 1 ...

, defensive tackle from North Texas, taken 1st round 4th overall by Pittsburgh Steelers :Inducted: Professional Football Hall of Fame class of 1987. *

Ted Hendricks Theodore Paul Hendricks (born November 1, 1947), nicknamed "the Mad Stork", is a former professional football player who played as an outside linebacker for 15 seasons with the Baltimore Colts, Green Bay Packers, and the Oakland/Los Angeles ...

, linebacker from Miami, taken 2nd round 33rd overall by Baltimore Colts :Inducted: Professional Football Hall of Fame class of 1990. *

Charlie Joiner Charles B. Joiner Jr. (born October 14, 1947) is an American former professional football player who was a wide receiver in the American Football League (AFL) and National Football League (NFL) for 18 seasons. He is best known for his career w ...

, wide receiver from Grambling State, taken 4th round 93rd overall by AFL's Houston Oilers :Inducted: Professional Football Hall of Fame class of 1996. *

Roger Wehrli Roger Russell Wehrli (born November 26, 1947) is an American former football player who was a cornerback for his entire 14-year career with the St. Louis Cardinals of the National Football League (NFL) from 1969 until 1982. He was a seven-time ...

, cornerback from Missouri, taken 1st round 19th overall by St. Louis Cardinals :Inducted: Professional Football Hall of Fame class of 2007.

Notable undrafted players

References

External links

NFL.com – 1969 Draft

Pro Football Hall of Fame
{{DEFAULTSORT:1969 Nfl Draft National Football League Draft

NFL Draft The National Football League Draft, also called the NFL Draft or (officially) the Player Selection Meeting, is an annual event which serves as the league's most common source of player recruitment. Each team is given a position in the drafting o ...

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 vesse ...