The 1997 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 19–20, 1997, 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 and Eighth avenues from 31st to 33rd Street, above Pennsylva ...

New York City New York, often called New York City or NYC, is the List of United States cities by population, most populous city in the United States. With a 2020 population of 8,804,190 distributed over , New York City is also the L ...

, New York. No teams chose to claim any players in the

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 ...

this year. This draft was notable for its high-profile

offensive linemen In gridiron football, a lineman is a player who specializes in play at the line of scrimmage. The linemen of the team currently in possession of the ball are the offensive line, while linemen on the opposing team are the defensive line. A numb ...

. The first overall selection was

Orlando Pace Orlando Lamar Pace (born November 4, 1975) is a former American football tackle who played in the National Football League (NFL) for 13 seasons, primarily with the St. Louis Rams. Pace played college football at Ohio State, where he twice recei ...

, who appeared in seven consecutive

Pro Bowl The National Football League All-Star Game (1939–1942), Pro Bowl (1951–2022), or Pro Bowl Games (starting in 2023) is an annual event held by the National Football League (NFL) featuring the league's star players. The format has changed thro ...

s from 2000 to 2006 and was inducted to the

Hall of Fame A hall, wall, or walk of fame is a list of individuals, achievements, or other entities, usually chosen by a group of electors, to mark their excellence or Wiktionary:fame, fame in their field. In some cases, these halls of fame consist of actu ...

in 2016.

Tarik Glenn Tarik Glenn (born May 25, 1976) is a former American football offensive tackle who played 10 seasons for the Indianapolis Colts of the National Football League (NFL).. He played college football for California and was drafted by the Colts in t ...

was selected 19th overall and was also named to three Pro Bowls. Walter Jones, who made nine Pro Bowls (including eight consecutive from 2001 to 2008), was a seven time

All-Pro All-Pro is an honor bestowed upon professional American football players that designates the best player at each position during a given season. All-Pro players are typically selected by press organizations, who select an "All-Pro team," a list t ...

, and was inducted to the

in 2014, was selected sixth overall. Others include

Chris Naeole Christopher Kealoha Naeole (; born December 25, 1974) is a former American football coach and player. He played college football as an offensive guard for the University of Colorado, where he was recognized as an All-American in 1996 and was dra ...

, Dan Neil,

Ryan Tucker Ryan Tucker (born June 12, 1975) is a former American football offensive tackle who played for the St. Louis Rams and Cleveland Browns in the National Football League. He was drafted by the St. Louis Rams in the fourth round of the 1997 NFL Dr ...

Jeff Mitchell Jeffrey Clay Mitchell (born January 29, 1974) is an American former college and professional football player who was a center in the National Football League (NFL) for nine seasons during the 1990s and 2000s. Mitchell played college footbal ...

, Mike Flynn, and

Joe Andruzzi Joseph Dominick Andruzzi (born August 23, 1975) is a former American football offensive guard. College career Andruzzi played college football at Southern Connecticut State University in New Haven, Connecticut, where he majored in special educat ...

. The 1997 Draft is also known for its running backs.

Warrick Dunn Warrick De'Mon Dunn (born January 5, 1975) is an American former professional football player who was a running back in the National Football League (NFL) for twelve seasons. He was drafted by the Tampa Bay Buccaneers 12th overall in the 1997 ...

Corey Dillon Corey James Dillon (born October 24, 1974) is a former American football running back who played in the National Football League (NFL) for ten seasons with the Cincinnati Bengals and New England Patriots. Dillon played college football at Washing ...

, and

Tiki Barber Atiim Kiambu "Tiki" Barber (; born April 7, 1975) is an American former football running back who played for the New York Giants of the National Football League (NFL) for ten seasons. He played college football for the University of Virginia ...

each rushed for over 10,000 yards in their careers, and

Antowain Smith Antowain Drurell Smith (born March 14, 1972) is a former American Football running back in the National Football League who played nine NFL seasons, most notably with the New England Patriots, with whom he won two Super Bowls, and the Buffalo Bi ...

, and

Duce Staley Duce Staley (born February 27, 1975) is an American football coach and former player who is the assistant head coach and running backs coach for the Carolina Panthers of the National Football League (NFL). He previously served in the same capac ...

all enjoyed productive seasons in the NFL. This draft is also well known for its undrafted Pro Bowl players, including

Jake Delhomme Jake Christopher Delhomme (; born January 10, 1975) is a former American football quarterback who played in the National Football League (NFL). Delhomme played college football at Louisiana, then known as the University of Southwestern Louisiana ...

Priest Holmes Priest Anthony Holmes (born October 7, 1973)
''www.databasefootball.com.'' Retrieved February 13, 2016 ...

, and Pat Williams.

Player selections

Tony Gonzalez at 2005 Pro Bowl 050213-N-3019M-002

Notable undrafted players

Hall of Famers

* Walter Jones, offensive tackle from Florida State University taken 1st round 6th overall by the Seattle Seahawks. :inducted: Pro Football Hall of Fame class of 2014. *

, offensive tackle from Ohio State University taken 1st round 1st overall by the St. Louis Rams. :inducted: Pro Football Hall of Fame class of 2016. * Jason Taylor, defensive end from University of Akron taken 3rd round 73rd overall by the Miami Dolphins. :inducted: Pro Football Hall of Fame class of 2017. *

Tony Gonzalez Anthony David Gonzalez (born February 27, 1976) is an American former football tight end who played in the National Football League (NFL) for 17 seasons. Regarded as one of the greatest tight ends of all time, he is the NFL's all-time leader ...

, tight end from University of California taken 1st round 13th overall by the Kansas City Chiefs. :inducted: Pro Football Hall of Fame class of 2019.

Trades

In the explanations below, (D) denotes trades that took place during the 1994 Draft, while (PD) indicates trades completed pre-draft. Chicago bears ;Round one ;Round two ;Round three ;Round four ;Round five ;Round six ;Round seven

References

External links

NFL.com – 1997 Draft

Pro Football Hall of Fame
{{DEFAULTSORT:1997 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 ...

Madison Square Garden