1956 NFL draft
National Football League draft
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
The 1956 NFL draft had its first three rounds held on November 28, 1955, at the Bellevue-Stratford Hotel in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, and its final twenty-seven rounds on January 17–18, 1956, at the Ambassador Hotel in Los Angeles, California[1][2][3]
January 17–18, 1956
in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania &
Ambassador Hotel
in Los Angeles, California
Pittsburgh Steelers
| 1956 NFL draft | |
|---|---|
The Ambassador Hotel (venue of the final 25 rounds), photographed in 1959 | |
| General information | |
| Dates | November 28, 1955 & January 17–18, 1956 |
| Location | The Bellevue-Stratford Hotel in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania & Ambassador Hotel in Los Angeles, California |
| Overview | |
| 360 total selections in 30 rounds | |
| League | NFL |
| First selection | Gary Glick, QB/S Pittsburgh Steelers |
| Mr. Irrelevant | Bob Bartholomew, OT Cleveland Browns |
| Most selections (36) | Los Angeles Rams |
| Fewest selections (28) | Chicago Bears New York Giants Washington Redskins |
| Hall of Famers | 5
|

The previous NFL drafts in the 1950s were held in January; the first three rounds (37 selections) were moved up this year to late November to better compete with teams from Canada.[4][5]
This was the tenth year that the first overall pick was a bonus pick determined by lottery. With the previous nine winners ineligible from the draw, only the Chicago Cardinals, Green Bay Packers, and Pittsburgh Steelers had an equal chance of winning.[6] The draft lottery was won by Pittsburgh, who selected defensive back Gary Glick.
Player selections
| = Pro Bowler [7] | = Hall of Famer |
Hall of Famers
- Lenny Moore, halfback from Penn State taken 1st round 9th overall by the Baltimore Colts.
- Inducted: Professional Football Hall of Fame class of 1975.[9]
- Forrest Gregg, offensive tackle from Southern Methodist University taken 2nd round 20th overall by the Green Bay Packers.
- Inducted: Professional Football Hall of Fame class of 1977.[9]
- Bart Starr, quarterback from University of Alabama taken 17th round 200th overall by the Green Bay Packers.
- Inducted: Professional Football Hall of Fame class of 1977.[9]
- Willie Davis, defensive end from Grambling State University taken 15th round 181st overall by the Cleveland Browns.
- Inducted: Professional Football Hall of Fame class of 1981.[10]
- Sam Huff, linebacker from West Virginia taken 3rd round 30th overall by the New York Giants.
- Inducted: Professional Football Hall of Fame class of 1982.[10]
Notable undrafted players
| † | = Pro Bowler[7] |
| Original NFL team | Player | Pos. | College | Conf. | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Chicago Cardinals | Carl Brettschneider | LB | Iowa State | Big Seven | |
| Los Angeles Rams | Tommy Wilson † | RB | |||
| San Francisco 49ers | Clyde Conner | WR | Pacific | Ind. (Univ.) | |
| San Francisco 49ers | John Gonzaga | OT |