The 1974 NFL draft took place at the

Americana Hotel The Sheraton New York Times Square Hotel is a , 51-story hotel located near Times Square in Midtown Manhattan, New York City. It faces 7th Avenue, 52nd Street, and 53rd Street. It is one of the world's 100 tallest hotels, and one of the talles ...

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New York New York most commonly refers to: * New York City, the most populous city in the United States, located in the state of New York * New York (state), a state in the northeastern United States New York may also refer to: Film and television * '' ...

, on January 29–30, 1974. Each of the 26 NFL teams were granted 17 selections for a total of 442 picks. Many experts consider the 1974

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 club of the American Football Conference (AFC) North division. Founded in , the Steel ...

to have had the best draft class in NFL history as they selected four players later inducted into the

Pro Football Hall of Fame The Pro Football Hall of Fame is the hall of fame for professional American football, located in Canton, Ohio. Opened on September 7, , the Hall of Fame enshrines exceptional figures in the sport of professional football, including players, coa ...

(

Lynn Swann Lynn Curtis Swann (born March 7, 1952) is an American former American football, football player, broadcaster, politician, and athletic director, best known for his association with the University of Southern California and the Pittsburgh Steelers ...

, Jack Lambert, John Stallworth, and

Mike Webster Michael Lewis Webster (March 18, 1952September 24, 2002) was an American professional football player who was a center in the National Football League (NFL) from 1974 to 1990 with the Pittsburgh Steelers and Kansas City Chiefs. He is a mem ...

). A fifth player, Donnie Shell, was signed by Pittsburgh after going unselected in the 1974 NFL Draft; he too was later enshrined in the Hall of Fame. The closest any other team has come to this success in a draft is the Dallas Cowboys’ 1964 draft, when three Hall of Famers were taken. The Green Bay Packers' also selected three Hall of Famers in 1958 draft (Jim Taylor, Ray Nitschke and Jerry Kramer). The

Houston Oilers The Houston Oilers were a professional American football team that played in Houston from its founding in 1960 to 1996 before relocating to Memphis, and later Nashville, Tennessee becoming the Tennessee Titans. The Oilers began play in 1960 a ...

had the first pick in the 1974 draft based on their one-win record in 1973, but they traded the first overall pick—as well as the first pick of the third round, #53 overall—to the

Dallas Cowboys The Dallas Cowboys are a professional American football team based in the Dallas–Fort Worth metroplex. The Cowboys compete in the National Football League (NFL) as a member club of the league's National Football Conference (NFC) East divis ...

in exchange for

defensive end Defensive end (DE) is a defensive position in the sport of gridiron football. This position has designated the players at each end of the defensive line, but changes in formations over the years have substantially changed how the position is p ...

Tody Smith Lawrence Edward Smith (December 24, 1948 – July 18, 1999) was an American football defensive end in the National Football League (NFL) for the Dallas Cowboys, Houston Oilers and Buffalo Bills. He played college football at the University o ...

and wide receiver

Billy Parks William James Parks (January 1, 1948 – July 22, 2009) was an American football wide receiver in the National Football League for the San Diego Chargers, Dallas Cowboys, and Houston Oilers. He played college football at Long Beach State Un ...

. Dallas used the two picks to select two future Pro Bowlers, defensive end Ed "Too Tall" Jones and quarterback

Danny White Wilford Daniel White (born February 9, 1952) is a former quarterback and punter for the Dallas Cowboys and an American football coach in the Arena Football League. He has been the color commentator for Cowboys games on Compass Media Networks' ...

. This was the first NFL draft since 1938 to not have any quarterbacks taken in the first round, and one of only five. Along with 1988, it is the only draft where no quarterback was taken in the first two rounds, and 1974 is generally regarded as one of the worst quarterback draft classes of all time, with only Danny White (the first quarterback taken, with the first pick in the third round) and fourth round pick

Mike Boryla Michael Jay Boryla (born March 6, 1951) is a former American football quarterback in the National Football League for the Philadelphia Eagles and Tampa Bay Buccaneers in the 1970s. He played college football at Stanford University, where he was ...

reaching the Pro Bowl, and even Boryla was out of the NFL by 1978.NFL Draft History: Quarterback Draft Class Facts and Figures
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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

Notable undrafted players

Hall of Famers

* Jack Lambert, linebacker from Kent State, taken 2nd round 46th overall by Pittsburgh Steelers :Inducted: Professional Football Hall of Fame class of 1990.List of 1990s Hall of Fame Inductee's at profootballhof.com *

, center from Wisconsin, taken 5th round 125th overall by Pittsburgh Steelers :Inducted: Professional Football Hall of Fame class of 1997. *

, wide receiver from Southern California, taken 1st round 21st overall by Pittsburgh Steelers :Inducted: Professional Football Hall of Fame class of 2001.List of 2000s Hall of Fame Inductee's at profootballhof.com * Dave Casper, tight end from Notre Dame, taken 2nd round 45th overall by Oakland Raiders :Inducted: Professional Football Hall of Fame class of 2002. * John Stallworth, wide receiver from Alabama A&M, taken 4th round 82nd overall by Pittsburgh Steelers :Inducted: Professional Football Hall of Fame class of 2002. * Donnie Shell, safety from South Carolina State, undrafted and signed by Pittsburgh Steelers :Inducted: Professional Football Hall of Fame class of 2020.

References

External links

NFL.com – 1974 Draft

Pro Football Hall of Fame
{{DEFAULTSORT:1974 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