NFL Draft 2022: So what exactly is the NFL common draft?

The NFL conducts its annual draft this Thursday through Saturday. But quite a few decades ago, pro football’s selection process was very different.

You will see and hear many historical references over the next few days regarding this year’s NFL Draft. The first took place in 1936. These days, it’s a three-day process with the first round coming on Thursday night, Rounds 2 and 3 on Friday evening, and the remaining four rounds on Saturday afternoon.

But flashback to 1960 when the new American Football League had a draft in which nine franchises participated (Minneapolis would be offered a franchise by the NFL).

The established National Football League held their annual draft as well but the dates remain unknown. The elder league was indeed aware of its new competition. There would be separate drafts by the competing leagues for seven years.

And it is trivia such as this that makes football history so fascinating. On December 28, 1965, the NFL’s Chicago Bears selected both running back Gale Sayers and linebacker Dick Butkus in the first round. Meanwhile, the St. Louis Cardinals opted for University of Alabama quarterback Joe Namath in the same round.

That same day in the AFL draft, Sayers was a first-round selection by the Kansas City Chiefs and Namath was the first overall pick by the New York Jets. Butkus was the ninth player drafted that year by the AFL’s Denver Broncos.

But in an eight-team league, he was the top choice in the second round. Obviously, there are numerous examples of this throughout the seven-year process. But it’s fascinating to see which players chose to go where.

The 1966 season for both leagues culminated with the first “AFL-NFL World Championship Game” (since renamed Super Bowl I) and the merger was on the horizon. That brings us to 1967 and the first year of the common draft. The Baltimore Colts owned the first overall pick that year courtesy of a trade with the expansion New Orleans Saints. The selection was Michigan State defensive tackle Bubba Smith. And so it goes on.