The 1979 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 ma ...

teams selected amateur college football players. It is officially known as the NFL Annual Player Selection Meeting. The draft was held May 3–4, 1979, at the Waldorf Astoria Hotel in

New York City New York, often called New York City or NYC, is the most populous city in the United States. With a 2020 population of 8,804,190 distributed over , New York City is also the most densely populated major city in the U ...

, New York. The league also held a supplemental draft after the regular draft and before the regular season. The

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 ...

held the first overall pick in the draft, acquired from the

San Francisco 49ers The San Francisco 49ers (also written as the San Francisco Forty-Niners) are a professional American football team based in the San Francisco Bay Area. The 49ers compete in the National Football League (NFL) as a member of the league's National ...

in the trade which sent

O. J. Simpson Orenthal James Simpson (born July 9, 1947), nicknamed "Juice", is an American former football running back, actor, and broadcaster who played for the Buffalo Bills and San Francisco 49ers of the National Football League. Once a popular figure ...

to his hometown team. The Bills' selection at No. 1, Ohio State linebacker Tom Cousineau, refused to sign with the Bills and instead inked a lucrative deal with the Montreal Alouettes of the

Canadian Football League The Canadian Football League (CFL; french: Ligue canadienne de football—LCF) is a professional sports league in Canada. The CFL is the highest level of competition in Canadian football. The league consists of nine teams, each located in a ...

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

* Kellen Winslow, tight end from Missouri, taken 1st round 13th overall by San Diego Chargers :Inducted: Professional Football Hall of Fame class of 1995.List of 1990s Hall of Fame Inductee's at profootballhof.com * Joe Montana, quarterback from Notre Dame, taken 3rd round 82nd overall by San Francisco 49ers :Inducted: Professional Football Hall of Fame class of 2000.List of 2000s Hall of Fame Inductee's at profootballhof.com * Dan Hampton, defensive tackle from Arkansas, taken 1st round 4th overall by Chicago Bears :Inducted: Professional Football Hall of Fame class of 2002. * Bill Cowher, linebacker from North Carolina State, undrafted and signed by Philadelphia Eagles :Inducted: For his Coaching achievements Professional Football Hall of Fame Class of 2020.

Notable undrafted players

References

External links

NFL.com – 1979 Draft

Pro Football Hall of Fame

{{DEFAULTSORT:1979 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