List of players selected under the first NFL draft number

2016 NFL draft at the Auditorium Theater in Chicago.

The list shows the players selected in the drafts of the National Football League under the common first number for the entire time of their holding. According to the current draft rules, the first choice belongs to the club that completed the previous season with the worst result. If two teams finished the championship with identical indicators, then the first queue number is given to the club with a more complex schedule of games. The complexity of the schedule is determined by the total percentage of victories of the team rivals. The draft procedure takes three days and is carried out in the spring, in the off-season. The first draft round takes place on Thursdays, each team has ten minutes at its disposal to announce its choice. Athletes who graduated from high school at least three years ago and play for university teams are allowed to participate in it. The correctness of the admission to the draft is monitored by employees of the special department of the League, annually analyzing the data of about three thousand players of student teams ^[1] .

The draft procedure was developed by the Philadelphia Eagles team owner and future NFL commissioner Bert Bell as a way to attract the best student players to the weakest League teams. The idea was approved by the owners of the remaining teams on May 19, 1935. The first draft in League history took place on February 8, 1936 at the Ritz-Carlton in Philadelphia . The first player to pick a draft was the winner of the 1935 Heisman Prize , Jay Beruonger from the University of Chicago . He was chosen by the Philadelphia Eagles club, then exchanged rights to him at Chicago Bears . In 1936, professional football was not considered a profitable business and Beruonger did not sign the contract without having played as a result of a single game in the NFL ^[2] .

From 1947 to 1958, the right of the first choice in the draft was played by the League in a special lottery. This choice was a bonus to the fact that the team received according to the results of performances. The club that won the lottery in the future could not participate in it. This system has existed for twelve years and each NFL franchise once took advantage of an additional choice. The first team to win the lottery was Chicago Bears, who chose Bob Fenimore ^{[3] [4]} .

From 1960 to 1966, NFL clubs competed for the best student championship players with the AFL . Both organizations carried out their draft and often chose the same players. In 1967, New York hosted the first Common Draft League ( English Common draft ), which began the process of merger. Linear Defense Bubba Smith of the University of Michigan was chosen under the first number. ^{[5] [6]}

The thirteen players selected in the NFL draft at number one were also then elected to the Professional Football Hall of Fame . Located in Canton , Ohio , the museum brings together the most prominent players, coaches, club owners and functionaries who have made a significant contribution to the development of football. Candidates for admission to the Hall of Fame are selected by a committee of forty-eight people. A preliminary list of applicants is formed before the Super Bowl . The ceremony of accepting elected members of the Hall of Fame takes place annually in early August and opens the next season of the National Football League ^{[7] [8] [9] [10]} .

The NFL draft is one of the most notable events in US sports. In 2017, about 250 thousand fans and 1,800 media representatives came to the event in Philadelphia. According to Forbes magazine, the positive economic effect of the event was approximately $ 95 million. The 2018 draft was the first in history when all seven rounds were broadcast live. Broadcasting was carried out by ESPN , Fox and ABC . The ceremony took place in Arlington in the home arena of the Dallas Cowboys Club. Quarterback Baker Mayfield ^{[11] [12]} was chosen under the first number.