The 1981 NFL draft was the procedure by which

National Football League The National Football League (NFL) is a professional American football league that consists of 32 teams, divided equally between the American Football Conference (AFC) and the National Football Conference (NFC). The NFL is one of the ...

teams selected amateur

college football College football (french: Football universitaire) refers to gridiron football played by teams of student athletes. It was through college football play that American football rules first gained popularity in the United States. Unlike most ...

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 vesse ...

was held April 28–29,

1981 Events January * January 1 ** Greece enters the European Economic Community, predecessor of the European Union. ** Palau becomes a self-governing territory. * January 10 – Salvadoran Civil War: The FMLN launches its first major offensiv ...

, at the New York Sheraton Hotel in New York City. The league also held a

supplemental 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 ...

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 The New Orleans Saints are a professional American football team based in New Orleans. The Saints compete in the National Football League (NFL) as a member of the league's National Football Conference (NFC) South division. Since 1975, the te ...

and linebacker

Lawrence Taylor Lawrence Julius Taylor (born February 4, 1959), nicknamed "L.T.", is an American former professional football player who spent his entire career as an outside linebacker for the New York Giants ( 1981–1993) in the National Football League (NF ...

picked by the

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

, were named Offensive and Defensive Rookies of the Year, respectively.

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

Hall 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.List of 1990s Hall of Fame Inductee's at profootballhof.com *

, 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 Ronald Mandel Lott (born May 8, 1959) is an American former professional football player who was a cornerback and safety in the National Football League (NFL) for 14 seasons during the 1980s and 1990s. Lott played college football for the Univ ...

, cornerback from Southern California, taken 1st round 8th overall by the San Francisco 49ers :Inducted: Professional Football Hall of Fame class of 2000.List of 2000s Hall of Fame Inductee's at profootballhof.com *

Howie Long Howard Matthew Moses Long (born January 6, 1960) is an American sports analyst and former professional football player. He played in the National Football League (NFL) for 13 seasons as a defensive end, spending his entire career with the Raider ...

, defensive tackle from Villanova, taken 2nd round 48th overall by the Oakland Raiders :Inducted: Professional Football Hall of Fame class of 2000. *

Rickey Jackson Rickey Anderson Jackson (born March 20, 1958) is a former American football linebacker who played in the National Football League (NFL) for the New Orleans Saints (1981–1993) and the San Francisco 49ers (1994–1995). He led the team's Dome P ...

, linebacker from Pittsburgh, taken 2nd round 51st overall by the New Orleans Saints :Inducted: Professional Football Hall of Fame class of 2010.Pro Football Hall of Fame Class of 2010 announced *

Russ Grimm Russell Scott Grimm (born May 2, 1959) is an American former professional football player who was a guard for the Washington Redskins of the National Football League (NFL). He has also served as an assistant coach for the Redskins, Pittsburgh St ...

, offensive guard from Pittsburgh, taken 3rd round 69th overall by the Washington Redskins :Inducted: Professional Football Hall of Fame class of 2010. *

Kenny Easley Kenneth Mason Easley Jr. (born January 15, 1959) is an American former professional football player who was a strong safety in the National Football League (NFL) for seven seasons during the 1980s. He played college football for the UCLA Brui ...

, safety from UCLA, taken 1st round 4th overall by the Seattle Seahawks :Inducted: Professional Football Hall of Fame class of 2017. *

Sam Mills Samuel Davis Mills Jr. (June 3, 1959 – April 18, 2005) was an American football linebacker who played twelve seasons in the National Football League (NFL) for the New Orleans Saints and Carolina Panthers. He also played for three seasons for ...

, linebacker from Montclair State, signed undrafted by the Cleveland Browns :Inducted: Professional Football Hall of Fame class of 2022 (posthumous).

Notable undrafted players

References

External links

NFL.com – 1981 Draft

Pro Football Hall of Fame
* VIDEO: 1981 NFL Draft (via

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{{DEFAULTSORT:1981 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 ...