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1971 NFL draft

The 1971 NFL draft was held January 28–29, 1971, at the Belmont Plaza Hotel in New York City, New York. The Boston Patriots, who did not officially change their name to New England Patriots until after the draft, used the first overall pick of the draft to select quarterback Jim Plunkett. It was the first draft where the first three selections were quarterbacks (Plunkett, Archie Manning, and Dan Pastorini).

During round 17, after Falcons coach Norm Van Brocklin had yelled to his staff "Do we want the roughest, toughest s.o.b. in the draft?!", the team drafted the then-64-year-old actor John Wayne, though saying he was from "Fort Apache State" (Wayne actually played football at USC); NFL Commissioner Pete Rozelle rejected the selection.[1]

Player selections

Round one-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

Inducted: Professional Football Hall of Fame class of 1988.[6]
Inducted: Professional Football Hall of Fame class of 1992.[7]
Inducted: Professional Football Hall of Fame class of 1996.[7]
Inducted: Professional Football Hall of Fame class of 2001.[8]
Inducted: Professional Football Hall of Fame class of 2020

References

  1. ^ Prewitt, Alex (April 29, 2022). "Inside the 1971 NFL Draft, Where Atlanta Selected...John Wayne?". Sports Illustrated. Retrieved July 23, 2022.
  2. ^ a b c d Players are identified as a Pro Bowler if they were selected for the Pro Bowl at any time in their career.
  3. ^ Players are identified as a Hall of Famer if they have been inducted into the Pro Football Hall of Fame.
  4. ^ "Heisman Trophy". Archived from the original on February 10, 2010. Retrieved August 14, 2013.
  5. ^ This last selection is commonly referred to as Mr. Irrelevant.
  6. ^ List of 1980s Hall of Fame Inductee's at profootballhof.com "Pro Football Hall of Fame". Archived from the original on July 31, 2008. Retrieved October 7, 2008.
  7. ^ a b List of 1990s Hall of Fame Inductee's at profootballhof.com "Pro Football Hall of Fame". Archived from the original on July 31, 2008. Retrieved October 7, 2008.
  8. ^ List of 2000s Hall of Fame Inductee's at profootballhof.com "Pro Football Hall of Fame". Archived from the original on July 31, 2008. Retrieved October 7, 2008.

External links