Pick #1
New Orleans SaintsRB · South Carolina
Annual selection meeting
1981 NFL Draft
Every selection in order, with the drafting franchise, position, college and a direct path into each available Athlore career profile.
332selections
12rounds
28teams selecting
First off the board
Top five picks
New Orleans SaintsPick #2
New York GiantsLB · North Carolina
Pick #3
New York JetsRB · UCLA
Pick #4
Seattle SeahawksDB · UCLA
Pick #5
St. Louis RamsLB · Alabama
0Hall of Fame players
12players with All-Pro selections
101combined Pro Bowl selections
Complete draft board
Every pick
Round one is open. Expand any later round to continue through the class.
Round 128 picks +
Round 228 picks +
Round 327 picks +
Round 428 picks +
Round 527 picks +
| Overall | Player | Pos | Drafting team | College | Career |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 112 | Louis Oubre | G | New Orleans Saints | Oklahoma | 40 games |
| 113 | Tyrone Keys | DE | New York Jets | Mississippi St. | 74 games |
| 114 | Edwin Bailey | G | Seattle Seahawks | South Carolina St. | 139 games |
| 115 | Bill Neill | NT | New York Giants | Pittsburgh | 40 games |
| 116 | John Gillen | LB | St. Louis Rams | Illinois | 28 games |
| 117 | Byron Braggs | DE | Green Bay Packers | Alabama | 55 games |
| 118 | James Davis | DB | Oakland Raiders | Southern | 83 games |
| 119 | Dexter Manley | DE | Washington Redskins | Oklahoma St. | 1× All-Pro · 1× Pro Bowl |
| 120 | Benjie Pryor | TE | Cincinnati Bengals | Pittsburgh | — |
| 121 | Lynn Thomas | DB | San Francisco 49ers | Pittsburgh | 24 games |
| 122 | Arrington Jones | RB | San Francisco 49ers | Winston-Salem St. | 1 games |
| 123 | Wendell Ray | DE | Minnesota Vikings | Missouri | — |
| 124 | Todd Thomas | C | Kansas City Chiefs | North Dakota | 15 games |
| 125 | Ken Lanier | T | Denver Broncos | Florida St. | 179 games |
| 126 | Ken Poole | DE | Miami Dolphins | La-Monroe | 16 games |
| 127 | Ricky Martin | WR | Pittsburgh Steelers | New Mexico | — |
| 128 | Jerry Boyarsky | NT | New Orleans Saints | Pittsburgh | 98 games |
| 129 | Larry Lee | G | Detroit Lions | UCLA | 96 games |
| 130 | Steve Clark | DE | New England Patriots | Kansas St. | 7 games |
| 131 | Keith Ferguson | DE | San Diego Chargers | Ohio St. | 134 games |
| 132 | Gary Sayre | G | Washington Redskins | Cameron | — |
| 133 | Delbert Fowler | LB | Houston Oilers | West Virginia | — |
| 134 | Steve Cox | P | Cleveland Browns | Arkansas | 89 games |
| 135 | Calvin Clark | DE | Buffalo Bills | Purdue | — |
| 136 | Eric Sanders | T | Atlanta Falcons | Nevada | 158 games |
| 137 | Danny Spradlin | LB | Dallas Cowboys | Tennessee | 63 games |
| 138 | Tommy Vigorito | RB | Miami Dolphins | Virginia | 35 games |
Round 628 picks +
Round 727 picks +
| Overall | Player | Pos | Drafting team | College | Career |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 167 | Kevin Williams | WR | New Orleans Saints | USC | 11 games |
| 168 | Louis Jackson | RB | New York Giants | Cal Poly-San Luis Obispo | 11 games |
| 169 | Kenny Neil | DE | New York Jets | Iowa St. | 42 games |
| 170 | Ron Johnson | WR | Seattle Seahawks | Long Beach St. | 47 games |
| 171 | Kevin Donnalley | DB | St. Louis Rams | North Dakota St. | 1 games |
| 172 | Bill Whitaker | DB | Green Bay Packers | Missouri | 39 games |
| 173 | Ron Fellows | DB | Dallas Cowboys | Missouri | 112 games |
| 174 | Alan Duncan | K | Philadelphia Eagles | Tennessee | — |
| 175 | Ron Battle | TE | Los Angeles Rams | North Texas | 13 games |
| 176 | Jeff Schuh | LB | Cincinnati Bengals | Minnesota | 87 games |
| 177 | Jeff Fisher | DB | Chicago Bears | USC | 49 games |
| 178 | Obed Ariri | K | Baltimore Ravens | Clemson | 18 games |
| 179 | Mike Daum | T | Miami Dolphins | Cal Poly-San Luis Obispo | — |
| 180 | Billy Jackson | RB | Kansas City Chiefs | Alabama | 57 games |
| 181 | Steve Busick | LB | Denver Broncos | USC | 78 games |
| 182 | Lee Spivey | T | Detroit Lions | SMU | — |
| 183 | David Little | LB | Pittsburgh Steelers | Florida | 1× Pro Bowl |
| 184 | Don Shaver | RB | Minnesota Vikings | Kutztown (PA) | — |
| 185 | Ken Toler | WR | New England Patriots | Mississippi | 25 games |
| 186 | Brad Scovill | TE | Seattle Seahawks | Penn St. | — |
| 187 | Eddie Johnson | LB | Cleveland Browns | Louisville | 148 games |
| 188 | Steve Doolittle | LB | Buffalo Bills | Colorado | — |
| 189 | Pete Holohan | TE | San Diego Chargers | Notre Dame | 163 games |
| 190 | Mike Clark | DE | Los Angeles Rams | Florida | 14 games |
| 191 | Ken Miller | DB | Dallas Cowboys | Eastern Michigan | — |
| 192 | Doak Field | LB | Philadelphia Eagles | Baylor | 7 games |
| 193 | Don Washington | DB | Houston Oilers | Texas A&M-Kingsville | — |
Round 828 picks +
| Overall | Player | Pos | Drafting team | College | Career |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 194 | Ken Naber | K | New England Patriots | Stanford | — |
| 195 | Lloyd Jones | WR | New York Jets | BYU | — |
| 196 | Eric Lane | RB | Seattle Seahawks | BYU | 97 games |
| 197 | John Powers | G | New York Giants | Michigan | — |
| 198 | Mike Fisher | WR | St. Louis Rams | Baylor | 2 games |
| 199 | Denver Johnson | T | Tampa Bay Buccaneers | Tulsa | — |
| 200 | Larry Werts | LB | Green Bay Packers | Jackson St. | — |
| 201 | Charlie Brown | WR | Washington Redskins | South Carolina St. | 2× Pro Bowl |
| 202 | Bobby Kemp | DB | Cincinnati Bengals | Cal State-Fullerton | 95 games |
| 203 | Garry White | RB | San Francisco 49ers | Minnesota | — |
| 204 | Ken Sitton | DB | Baltimore Ravens | Oklahoma | — |
| 205 | Scott Zettek | DT | Chicago Bears | Notre Dame | — |
| 206 | David Dorn | WR | Kansas City Chiefs | Rutgers | — |
| 207 | Mark Reed | QB | New York Giants | Moorhead State (MN) | 1 games |
| 208 | William Judson | DB | Miami Dolphins | South Carolina St. | 115 games |
| 209 | Frank Wilson | TE | Pittsburgh Steelers | Rice | 1 games |
| 210 | Wade Wilson | QB | Minnesota Vikings | Texas A&M-Commerce | 1× Pro Bowl |
| 211 | Bob Niziolek | TE | Detroit Lions | Colorado | 4 games |
| 212 | Lin Dawson | TE | New England Patriots | North Carolina St. | 105 games |
| 213 | J.C. Watts | DB | New York Jets | Oklahoma | — |
| 214 | Gene Gladys | LB | New Orleans Saints | Penn St. | — |
| 215 | Kevin Evans | DB | New Orleans Saints | Arkansas | — |
| 216 | Art Plunkett | T | Los Angeles Rams | UNLV | 71 games |
| 217 | Willie Tullis | DB | Houston Oilers | Troy | 106 games |
| 218 | Paul Piurowski | LB | Dallas Cowboys | Florida St. | — |
| 219 | Clifford Toney | DB | Atlanta Falcons | Auburn | — |
| 220 | Hosea Taylor | DE | Baltimore Ravens | Houston | 20 games |
| 221 | Billy Ard | G | New York Giants | Wake Forest | 148 games |
Round 927 picks +
| Overall | Player | Pos | Drafting team | College | Career |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 222 | Toussaint Tyler | RB | New Orleans Saints | Washington | 18 games |
| 223 | Jim Stone | RB | Seattle Seahawks | Notre Dame | — |
| 224 | Byron Hunt | LB | New York Giants | SMU | 100 games |
| 225 | Admiral Dewey Larry | DB | New York Jets | UNLV | — |
| 226 | Stump Mitchell | RB | St. Louis Rams | The Citadel | 116 games |
| 227 | Tim Huffman | G | Green Bay Packers | Notre Dame | 47 games |
| 228 | Mike Ford | QB | Tampa Bay Buccaneers | SMU | — |
| 229 | Jim Hannula | T | Cincinnati Bengals | Northern Illinois | 15 games |
| 230 | Samoa Samoa | RB | Cincinnati Bengals | Washington St. | — |
| 231 | Darryl Grant | DT | Washington Redskins | Rice | 141 games |
| 232 | Frank Ditta | G | Chicago Bears | Baylor | — |
| 233 | Tim Gooch | DT | Baltimore Ravens | Kentucky | — |
| 234 | Rusty Olsen | DE | Denver Broncos | Washington | — |
| 235 | John Noonan | WR | Miami Dolphins | Nebraska | — |
| 236 | Jim Whatley | WR | Seattle Seahawks | Washington St. | — |
| 237 | Anthony Vereen | DB | Kansas City Chiefs | Southeastern Louisiana | — |
| 238 | Hugh Jernigan | DB | Detroit Lions | Arkansas | — |
| 239 | James Hunter | NT | Pittsburgh Steelers | USC | 9 games |
| 240 | David Martin | DB | Detroit Lions | Villanova | 7 games |
| 241 | Robb Riddick | RB | Buffalo Bills | Millersville | 78 games |
| 242 | Ron Seawell | LB | Los Angeles Rams | Portland St. | — |
| 243 | Avon Riley | LB | Houston Oilers | UCLA | 91 games |
| 244 | Randy Schleusener | G | Cleveland Browns | Nebraska | — |
| 245 | Calvin Fance | RB | Atlanta Falcons | Rice | — |
| 246 | Mike Wilson | WR | Dallas Cowboys | Washington St. | 136 games |
| 247 | Chuck Commiskey | G | Philadelphia Eagles | Mississippi | 34 games |
| 248 | Curt Mohl | T | Oakland Raiders | UCLA | — |
Round 1028 picks +
| Overall | Player | Pos | Drafting team | College | Career |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 249 | Hokie Gajan | RB | New Orleans Saints | LSU | 45 games |
| 250 | Mike Barker | DT | New York Giants | Grambling St. | — |
| 251 | Marty Wetzel | LB | New York Jets | Tulane | 5 games |
| 252 | Ken Dawson | RB | Seattle Seahawks | Savannah St. | — |
| 253 | James Mallard | WR | St. Louis Rams | Alabama | — |
| 254 | Ken McCune | DE | Tampa Bay Buccaneers | Texas | — |
| 255 | Nickie Hall | QB | Green Bay Packers | Tulane | — |
| 256 | Gregg Gerken | LB | Baltimore Ravens | Northern Arizona | — |
| 257 | Phil Kessel | QB | Washington Redskins | Northern Michigan | — |
| 258 | Hubert Simpson | RB | Cincinnati Bengals | Tennessee | — |
| 259 | Trent Bryant | DB | Baltimore Ravens | Arkansas | 32 games |
| 260 | Tim Clifford | QB | Chicago Bears | Indiana | — |
| 261 | Steve Folsom | TE | Miami Dolphins | Utah | 45 games |
| 262 | Les Studdard | C | Kansas City Chiefs | Texas | 15 games |
| 263 | Jim Joiner | WR | St. Louis Rams | Miami (FL) | — |
| 264 | Andy Cannavino | LB | Detroit Lions | Michigan | — |
| 265 | Mike Mayock | DB | Pittsburgh Steelers | Boston Col. | 9 games |
| 266 | James Murphy | WR | Minnesota Vikings | Utah St. | 10 games |
| 267 | Allan Kennedy | T | Washington Redskins | Washington St. | 34 games |
| 268 | Robert Parham | RB | San Diego Chargers | Grambling St. | — |
| 269 | Robert Alexander | RB | Los Angeles Rams | West Virginia | 24 games |
| 270 | Larry Jones | RB | Houston Oilers | Colorado St. | — |
| 271 | Dean Prater | DE | Cleveland Browns | Oklahoma St. | 77 games |
| 272 | Justin Cross | T | Buffalo Bills | Western St. (CO) | 44 games |
| 273 | Pat Graham | DT | Dallas Cowboys | California | — |
| 274 | Robert Murphy | DB | Atlanta Falcons | Ohio St. | — |
| 275 | Hubie Oliver | RB | Philadelphia Eagles | Arizona | 52 games |
| 276 | Frank Hawkins | RB | Oakland Raiders | Nevada | 88 games |
Round 1128 picks +
| Overall | Player | Pos | Drafting team | College | Career |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 277 | Lester Mickens | WR | New Orleans Saints | Kansas | — |
| 278 | Ed Gall | DT | New York Jets | Maryland | — |
| 279 | Lance Olander | RB | Seattle Seahawks | Colorado | — |
| 280 | Matt Petrzelka | T | San Diego Chargers | Iowa | — |
| 281 | Mike Sherrod | TE | St. Louis Rams | Illinois | — |
| 282 | Forrest Valora | LB | Green Bay Packers | Oklahoma | — |
| 283 | Johnny Ray Smith | DB | Tampa Bay Buccaneers | Lamar | 26 games |
| 284 | Jerry Hill | WR | Washington Redskins | North Alabama | — |
| 285 | Robert Jackson | DB | Cincinnati Bengals | Central Michigan | 90 games |
| 286 | Ronnie DeBose | TE | San Francisco 49ers | UCLA | — |
| 287 | Lonnie Johnson | RB | Chicago Bears | Indiana | — |
| 288 | Holden Smith | WR | Baltimore Ravens | California | 3 games |
| 289 | Frank Case | DE | Kansas City Chiefs | Penn St. | 7 games |
| 290 | Pat Walker | WR | Denver Broncos | Miami (FL) | — |
| 291 | Jim Jensen | WR | Miami Dolphins | Boston Univ. | 164 games |
| 292 | Rick Trocano | QB | Pittsburgh Steelers | Pittsburgh | 8 games |
| 293 | Bill Stephanos | T | Minnesota Vikings | Boston Col. | — |
| 294 | Willie Jackson | DB | Detroit Lions | Mississippi St. | — |
| 295 | Brian Buckley | QB | New England Patriots | Harvard | — |
| 296 | Marcellus Greene | DB | Los Angeles Rams | Arizona | 14 games |
| 297 | Claude Mathews | G | Houston Oilers | Auburn | — |
| 298 | Larry Friday | DB | Cleveland Browns | Mississippi St. | 1 games |
| 299 | Buster Barnett | TE | Buffalo Bills | Jackson St. | 56 games |
| 300 | Carlos Bradley | LB | San Diego Chargers | Wake Forest | 54 games |
| 301 | Keith Chappelle | WR | Atlanta Falcons | Iowa | — |
| 302 | Tim Morrison | G | Dallas Cowboys | Georgia | — |
| 303 | Gail Davis | T | Philadelphia Eagles | Virginia Union | — |
| 304 | Chester Willis | RB | Oakland Raiders | Auburn | 52 games |
Round 1228 picks +
| Overall | Player | Pos | Drafting team | College | Career |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 305 | Jim Wilks | DE | New Orleans Saints | San Diego St. | 183 games |
| 306 | Jeff Bednarek | DT | Seattle Seahawks | Pacific | — |
| 307 | Mike Maher | TE | New York Giants | Western Illinois | — |
| 308 | Mike Moeller | T | New York Jets | Drake | — |
| 309 | Joe Adams | G | St. Louis Rams | Nebraska | — |
| 310 | Brad White | NT | Tampa Bay Buccaneers | Tennessee | 73 games |
| 311 | Cliff Lewis | LB | Green Bay Packers | Southern Miss | 57 games |
| 312 | Mark O'Connell | QB | Cincinnati Bengals | Ball St. | — |
| 313 | Major Ogilvie | RB | San Francisco 49ers | Alabama | — |
| 314 | Clint Didier | TE | Washington Redskins | Portland St. | 105 games |
| 315 | Eric Scoggins | LB | Baltimore Ravens | USC | 3 games |
| 316 | Bob Shupryt | LB | Chicago Bears | New Mexico | — |
| 317 | John Hankerd | LB | Denver Broncos | Notre Dame | — |
| 318 | John Alford | DT | Miami Dolphins | South Carolina St. | — |
| 319 | Bob Gagliano | QB | Kansas City Chiefs | Utah St. | 32 games |
| 320 | Brian Williams | TE | Minnesota Vikings | Southern | 1 games |
| 321 | Mandel Robinson | RB | Denver Broncos | Wyoming | — |
| 322 | Joe Adams | QB | San Francisco 49ers | Tennessee St. | — |
| 323 | Cris Crissy | DB | New England Patriots | Princeton | 1 games |
| 324 | Bill Capece | K | Houston Oilers | Florida St. | 37 games |
| 325 | Kevin McGill | T | Cleveland Browns | Oregon | — |
| 326 | Keith Clark | LB | Buffalo Bills | Memphis | — |
| 327 | Stacy Charles | WR | San Diego Chargers | Bethune-Cookman | — |
| 328 | Jairo Penaranda | RB | Los Angeles Rams | UCLA | 20 games |
| 329 | Nate Lundy | WR | Dallas Cowboys | Indiana | — |
| 330 | Mark McCants | DB | Atlanta Falcons | Temple | — |
| 331 | Ray Ellis | DB | Philadelphia Eagles | Ohio St. | 100 games |
| 332 | Phil Nelson | TE | Oakland Raiders | Delaware | — |
Source: nflverse draft picks. Career outcomes are historical reference fields, not a Athlore ranking of the class.