2001 NFL draft
Selection of American football players
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
The 2001 NFL draft was the National Football League's (NFL) 66th annual draft of newly eligible professional football players. The draft, which is officially referred to as the "NFL Player Selection Meeting", was held at the Theater at Madison Square Garden in New York City, New York, on April 21–22, 2001.[1][2][3]
| 2001 NFL draft | |
|---|---|
![]() | |
| General information | |
| Date | April 21–22, 2001 |
| Location | Theater at MSG in New York City, New York |
| Network | ESPN |
| Overview | |
| 246 total selections in 7 rounds | |
| League | NFL |
| First selection | Michael Vick, QB Atlanta Falcons |
| Mr. Irrelevant | Tevita Ofahengaue, TE Arizona Cardinals |
| Most selections (12) | Buffalo Bills Seattle Seahawks |
| Fewest selections (5) | Washington Redskins |
| Hall of Famers | |
Each team is assigned one pick per round with the order based generally on the reverse order of finish in the previous season with the team with the worst record receiving the first draft slot. Exceptions to this are the Super Bowl participants from the previous season—the champion Baltimore Ravens were assigned the final draft slot and the runner-up New York Giants assigned the 30th slot in each round.[1] The draft was broadcast on ESPN and ESPN2.[1] Due to previous trades, the Dallas Cowboys and Tennessee Titans did not have selections in the first round. More than half of the players selected in the draft's first round (17 of 31) would eventually be elected to at least one Pro Bowl.
The first player selected in the draft was quarterback Michael Vick from Virginia Tech, who was selected by the Atlanta Falcons after they acquired the first pick in a trade with the San Diego Chargers.[4] Vick spent six seasons with the Falcons before being sentenced to 21 months in prison for his involvement in an illegal interstate dog fighting ring,[5] eventually rebounding his career with the Philadelphia Eagles after being released from prison and winning the NFL's Comeback Player of the Year Award in 2010.
Florida State quarterback Chris Weinke, the 2000 winner of the Heisman Trophy, awarded to the player deemed most outstanding in college football,[6] was selected in the fourth round by the Carolina Panthers. After being a regular starter for the Panthers in his first season, during which Carolina posted a 1–15 record, Weinke played only 12 games over his final five seasons before being released.[7] The last player selected, who traditionally receives the unofficial title Mr. Irrelevant, was Tevita Ofahengaue of Brigham Young University, who was chosen by the Arizona Cardinals. Ofahengaue never played in the NFL, and in 2011 was charged with stealing gasoline from a construction company in Salt Lake City.[8] He is currently the Player Personnel Director at BYU.
There were 31 compensatory selections distributed among 16 teams during rounds three through seven, with the Jacksonville Jaguars and Buffalo Bills receiving 4 picks each.[1] The University of Miami was the college with the most players selected in the first round, with Dan Morgan, Damione Lewis, Santana Moss and Reggie Wayne all picked at that stage. Across the whole draft, however, Florida State University had the most players selected, a total of nine compared to Miami's seven.[9]
No teams elected to claim any players in the 2001 supplemental draft.
Player selections
|
| ||||||||||||||||||






Trades
In the explanations below, (D) denotes trades that took place during the draft, while (PD) indicates trades completed pre-draft.
Round 1
- No. 1: San Diego → Atlanta (PD). San Diego traded a first-round selection (1st overall) to Atlanta in exchange for first- and third-round selections (5th and 67th overall), a 2002 second-round selection and WR/KR Tim Dwight.[source 1]
- No. 5: Atlanta → San Diego (PD). See Round 1: San Diego → Atlanta.[source 1]
- No. 7: Dallas → Seattle → San Francisco. Multiple trades:
Dallas → Seattle (PD). Dallas traded a first-round selection (7th overall) and a 2000 first-round selection to Seattle in exchange for WR Joey Galloway.[source 2]
Seattle → San Francisco (D). Seattle traded first- and sixth-round selections (7th and 191st overall) to San Francisco in exchange for first-, third- and seventh-round selections (9th, 82nd and 222nd overall).[source 3] - No. 9: San Francisco → Seattle (D). See Round 1: Seattle → San Francisco.[source 3]
- No. 10: Seattle → Green Bay (PD). Seattle traded first- and third-round selections (10th and 72nd overall) to Green Bay in exchange for a first-round selection (17th overall) and QB Matt Hasselbeck.[source 4]
- No. 12: Kansas City → St. Louis (PD). Kansas City traded first- and second-round selections (12th and 42nd overall) to St. Louis in exchange for a fifth-round selection (150th overall) and QB Trent Green.[source 5]
- No. 14: Buffalo → Tampa Bay (D). Buffalo traded a first-round selection (14th overall) to Tampa Bay in exchange for first- and second-round selections (21st and 51st overall).[source 3]
- No. 16: Pittsburgh → NY Jets (D). Pittsburgh traded a first-round selection (16th overall) to the NY Jets in exchange for first-, fourth- and sixth-round selections (19th, 111th and 181st overall).[source 3]
- No. 17: Green Bay → Seattle (PD). See Round 1: Seattle → Green Bay.[source 4]
- No. 19: NY Jets → Pittsburgh (D). See Round 1: Pittsburgh → NY Jets.[source 3]
- No. 21: Tampa Bay → Buffalo (D). See Round 1: Buffalo → Tampa Bay.[source 3]
- No. 22: Indianapolis → NY Giants (D). Indianapolis traded a first-round selection to the NY Giants in exchange for first-, third- and sixth-round selections (30th, 91st and 193rd overall).[source 3]
- No. 29: Tennessee → St. Louis (PD). Tennessee traded a first-round selection (29th overall) to St. Louis in exchange for DE Kevin Carter.[source 6]
- No. 30: NY Giants → Indianapolis (D). See Round 1: Indianapolis → NY Giants.[source 3]
Round 2
- No. 37: Dallas → Indianapolis (D). Dallas traded a second-round selection (37th overall) to Indianapolis in exchange for second- and third-round selections (52nd and 81st overall).[source 3]
- No. 39: New England → Pittsburgh (D). New England traded a second-round selection to Pittsburgh in exchange for second- and fourth-round selections (50th and 112th overall).[source 3]
- No. 41: San Francisco → Green Bay (PD). San Francisco traded second-, third- and fourth-round selections (41st, 71st and 105th overall) to Green Bay in exchange for a second-round selection, two third-round selections, a sixth-round selection and a seventh-round selection (47th, 80th, 82nd, 179th and 222nd overall).[source 7]
- No. 42: Kansas City → St. Louis (PD). See Round 1: Kansas City → St. Louis.[source 5]
- No. 47: Green Bay → San Francisco (PD). See Round 2: San Francisco → Green Bay.[source 7]
- No. 48: Detroit → New England (D). Detroit traded a second-round selection (48th overall) to New England in exchange for second- and sixth-round selections (50th and 173rd overall).[source 3]
- No. 50: Pittsburgh → New England → Detroit. Multiple trades:
Pittsburgh → New England (D). See Round 2: New England → Pittsburgh.[source 3]
New England → Detroit (D). See Round 2: Detroit → New England.[source 3] - No. 51: Tampa Bay → Buffalo → Denver. Multiple trades:
Tampa Bay → Buffalo (D). See Round 1: Buffalo → Tampa Bay.[source 3]
Buffalo → Denver (D). Buffalo traded a second-round selection (51st overall) to Denver in exchange for second-round and fourth-round selections (58th and 110th overall).[source 3] - No. 52: Indianapolis → Dallas → Miami. Multiple trades:
Indianapolis → Dallas (D). See Round 2: Dallas → Indianapolis.[source 3]
Dallas → Miami (D). Dallas traded a second-round selection (52nd overall) to Miami in exchange for second- and fourth-round selections (56th and 122nd overall).[source 3] - No. 53: New Orleans → Dallas (D). New Orleans traded a second-round selection (53rd overall) to Dallas in exchange for two third-round selections (70th and 81st overall).[source 3]
- No. 54: St. Louis → Arizona (D). St. Louis traded second- and fourth-round selections (54th and 123rd overall) to Arizona in exchange for CB Aeneas Williams.[source 8]
- No. 56: Miami → Dallas (D). See Round 2: Dallas → Miami.[source 3]
- No. 58: Denver → Buffalo (D). See Round 2: Buffalo → Denver.[source 3]
- No. 61: NY Giants → Detroit (D). The NY Giants traded a second-round selection (61st overall) to Detroit in exchange for third- and fourth-round selections (78th and 114th overall).[source 3]
Round 3
- No. 63: San Diego → Philadelphia (D). San Diego traded a third-round selection (63rd overall) to Philadelphia in exchange for a 2000 fourth-round selection.[source 9]
- No. 67: Atlanta → San Diego (PD). See Round 1: San Diego → Atlanta.[source 1]
- No. 69: New England → Minnesota (D). New England traded a third-round selection (69th overall) to Minnesota in exchange for third- and fourth-round selections (86th and 119th overall).[source 3]
- No. 70: Dallas → New Orleans (D). See Round 2: New Orleans → Dallas.[source 3]
- No. 71: San Francisco → Green Bay (PD). See Round 2: San Francisco → Green Bay.[source 7]
- No. 72: Seattle → Green Bay (PD). See Round 1: Seattle → Green Bay.[source 4]
- No. 77: Washington → Kansas City (PD). Washington sent a third-round selection (77th overall) and a 2002 third-round selection to Kansas City in exchange for the rights to head coach Marty Schottenheimer, who was still under contract with the Chiefs after resigning as their head coach after the 1998 season.[source 10]
- No. 78: Detroit → NY Giants (D). See Round 2: NY Giants → Detroit.[source 3]
- No. 80: Green Bay → San Francisco (PD). See Round 2: San Francisco → Green Bay.[source 7]
- No. 81: Indianapolis → Dallas → New Orleans. Multiple trades:
Indianapolis → Dallas (D). See Round 2: Dallas → Indianapolis.[source 3]
Dallas → New Orleans (D). See Round 2: New Orleans → Dallas.[source 3] - No. 82: New Orleans → Green Bay → San Francisco → Seattle. Multiple trades:
New Orleans → Green Bay (PD). New Orleans traded a third-round selection (82nd overall) and LB K. D. Williams to Green Bay in exchange for QB Aaron Brooks and TE Lamont Hall.[source 11]
Green Bay → San Francisco (PD). See Round 2: San Francisco → Green Bay.[source 7]
San Francisco → Seattle (D). See Round 1: Seattle → San Francisco.[source 3] - No. 86: Minnesota → New England (D). See Round 3: New England → Minnesota.[source 3]
- No. 88: Philadelphia → Miami (D). Philadelphia traded third- and sixth-round selections (88th and 187th overall) from Philadelphia in exchange for the Dolphins' second-round selection (No. 59) in the 2002 NFL draft.[source 3]
- No. 91: NY Giants → Indianapolis (D). See Round 1: Indianapolis → NY Giants.[source 3]
Round 4
- No. 96: San Diego → New England (D). San Diego traded a fourth-round selection (96th overall) to New England in exchange for fourth- and fifth-round selections (112th and 139th overall).[source 3]
- No. 101: New England → NY Jets (PD). New England sent a fourth-round selection, and 2000 first- and seventh-round selections to the NY Jets in exchange for a fifth-round selection (149th overall), a 2002 seventh-round selection and the rights to head coach Bill Belichick.[source 12]
- No. 102: Dallas → Atlanta (PD). Dallas traded a fourth-round selection (102nd overall) and a 2002 seventh-round selection to Atlanta in exchange for TE O. J. Santiago.[source 13]
- No. 105: San Francisco → Green Bay (PD). See Round 2: San Francisco → Green Bay.[source 7]
- No. 108: Jacksonville → Kansas City (PD). Jacksonville traded a conditional fourth-round selection (108th overall) to Kansas City in exchange for G Brenden Stai. The fourth-round selection was upgraded from the fifth round after Stai started all 16 games for the Jaguars in 2000.[source 14][source 15]
- No. 110: Denver → Buffalo (D). See Round 2: Buffalo → Denver.[source 3]
- No. 111: NY Jets → Pittsburgh (D). See Round 1: Pittsburgh → NY Jets.[source 3]
- No. 112: Pittsburgh → New England → San Diego. Multiple trades:
Pittsburgh → New England (D). See Round 2: New England → Pittsburgh.[source 3]
New England → San Diego (D). See Round 4: San Diego → New England.[source 3] - No. 113: Green Bay → Denver (PD). Green Bay traded a fourth-round selection (113th overall) to Denver in exchange for LB Nate Wayne.[source 7][source 16]
- No. 114: Detroit → NY Giants (D). See Round 2: NY Giants → Detroit.[source 3]
- No. 119: Minnesota → New England (D). See Round 3: New England → Minnesota.[source 3]
- No. 122: Miami → Dallas (D). See Round 2: Dallas → Miami.[source 3]
- No. 123: Oakland → St. Louis → Arizona. Multiple trades:
Oakland → St. Louis (PD). Oakland sent a fourth-round selection (123rd overall) to St. Louis as compensation for signing restricted free agent TE Roland Williams.[source 17]
St. Louis → Arizona (D). See Round 2: St. Louis → Arizona.[source 8]
Round 5
- No. 139: New England → San Diego (D). See Round 4: San Diego → New England.[source 3]
- No. 145: Washington → St. Louis (D). Washington traded a fifth-round selection (145th overall) to St. Louis in exchange for fifth- and sixth-round selections (154th and 186th overall).[source 3]
- No. 147: Green Bay → Philadelphia (D). Green Bay traded a conditional fifth-round selection (147th overall) to Philadelphia in exchange for KR/PR Allen Rossum. The pick was conditional upon the results of a previous conditional trade the Packers had made with the Broncos for LB Nate Wayne; because Wayne met the conditions for Green Bay to send a fourth-round selection to Denver, Philadelphia received a fifth-round selection instead.[source 18]
- No. 149: NY Jets → New England → Detroit. Multiple trades:
NY Jets → New England (PD). See Round 4: No. 101: New England → NY Jets.[source 12]
New England → Detroit (D). New England traded a fifth-round selection (149th overall) to Detroit in exchange for sixth- and seventh-round selections (180th and 216th overall).[source 3] - No. 150: St. Louis → Kansas City (PD). See Round 1: Kansas City → St. Louis.[source 5]
- No. 154: Denver → St. Louis → Washington. Multiple trades:
Denver → St. Louis (PD). Denver traded a fifth-round selection (154th overall) and a 2000 fifth-round selection to St. Louis in exchange for S Billy Jenkins.[source 19]
St. Louis → Washington (D). See Round 5: Washington → St. Louis.[source 3]
Round 6
- No. 164: San Diego → Miami (PD). San Diego traded a sixth-round selection (164th overall) to Miami in exchange for WR Nate Jacquet.[source 20]
- No. 169: Chicago → San Francisco (PD). Chicago traded a sixth-round selection (169th overall) to San Francisco in exchange for CB R. W. McQuarters.[source 21]
- No. 170: New England → Jacksonville (D). New England traded a sixth-round selection (170th overall) to Jacksonville in exchange for a 2002 fifth-round selection.[source 3]
- No. 173: San Francisco → New England → Detroit. Multiple trades:
San Francisco → New England (PD). San Francisco traded a sixth-round selection (173rd overall) to New England in exchange for a 2000 seventh-round selection.[source 22]
New England → Detroit (D). See Round 2: Detroit → New England.[source 3] - No. 177: Washington → Miami (PD). Washington traded a sixth-round selection (177th overall) to Miami in exchange for DT Barron Tanner.[source 23]
- No. 179: Green Bay → San Francisco (PD). See Round 2: San Francisco → Green Bay.[source 7]
- No. 180: Detroit → New England (D). See Round 5: New England → Detroit.[source 3]
- No. 181: NY Jets → Pittsburgh (D). See Round 1: Pittsburgh → NY Jets.[source 3]
- No. 184: Indianapolis → Oakland (PD). Indianapolis traded a sixth-round selection (184th overall) to Oakland in exchange for a 2000 seventh-round selection.[source 24]
- No. 186: St. Louis → Washington (D). See Round 5: Washington → St. Louis.[source 3]
- No. 187 Philadelphia → Miami (D). See Round 3: Philadelphia → Miami.[source 3]
- No. 191: Oakland → Seattle → San Francisco. Multiple trades:
Oakland → Seattle (PD). Oakland traded a sixth-round selection (191st overall) to Seattle in exchange for a 2000 seventh-round selection.[source 25]
Seattle → San Francisco (D). See Round 1: Seattle → San Francisco.[source 3] - No. 193: NY Giants → Indianapolis (D). See Round 1: Indianapolis → NY Giants.[source 3]
Round 7
- No. 205: Atlanta → Tampa Bay (PD). Atlanta traded a seventh-round selection (205th overall) to Tampa Bay in exchange for QB Eric Zeier.[source 26]
- No. 206: New England → NY Jets (PD). See Round 4: New England → NY Jets.[source 12]
- No. 208: Chicago → Miami → Chicago. Multiple trades:
Chicago → Miami (PD). Chicago traded a seventh-round selection (208th overall) and a 2000 seventh-round selection to Miami in exchange for P Brent Bartholomew.[source 20]
Miami → Chicago (PD). Miami traded a seventh-round selection (208th overall) to Chicago in exchange for TE Alonzo Mayes.[source 20] - No. 215: Washington → Denver → Atlanta. Multiple trades:
Washington → Denver (PD). Washington traded a seventh-round selection (215th overall) and a 2000 seventh-round selection to Denver in exchange for CB Tito Paul.[source 27]
Denver → Atlanta (D). Denver traded three seventh-round selections (215th, 219th and 226th overall) to Atlanta in exchange for a 2002 fourth-round selection.[source 3] - No. 216: Detroit → New England (D). See Round 5: New England → Detroit.[source 3]
- No. 219: Green Bay → Denver → Atlanta. Multiple trades:
Green Bay → Denver (PD). Green Bay traded a seventh-round selection (219th overall) to Denver in exchange for LB David Bowens.[source 28]
Denver → Atlanta (D). See Round 7: Denver → Atlanta.[source 3] - No. 222: St. Louis → Green Bay → San Francisco → Seattle. Multiple trades:
St. Louis → Green Bay (PD). St. Louis traded a seventh-round selection (222nd overall) to Green Bay in exchange for LB Mike Morton.[source 16]
Green Bay → San Francisco (PD). See Round 2: San Francisco → Green Bay.[source 7]
San Francisco → Seattle (D). See Round 1: Seattle → San Francisco.[source 3] - No. 224: Miami → San Francisco (PD). Miami traded a seventh-round selection (224th overall) to Washington in exchange for P Matt Turk.[source 20]
- No. 219: Denver → Atlanta (D). See Round 7: Denver → Atlanta.[source 3]
- No. 227: Philadelphia → Carolina (D). Philadelphia traded a seventh-round selection (227th overall) to Carolina in exchange for TE Luther Broughton.[source 9]
- No. 229: Tennessee → Oakland (PD). Tennessee traded a seventh-round selection (229th overall) to Oakland in exchange for G Gennaro DiNapoli.[source 29]
Players by position
The 246 players chosen in the draft were composed of:
| Position | Players selected |
|---|---|
| Quarterback | 11 |
| Running back | 17 |
| Fullback | 2 |
| Wide receiver | 34 |
| Tight end | 15 |
| Offensive tackle | 22 |
| Guard | 12 |
| Center | 6 |
| Long snapper | 1 |
| Defensive end | 19 |
| Defensive tackle | 27 |
| Linebacker | 30 |
| Defensive back | 45 |
| Cornerback | 21 |
| Safety | 23 |
| Kicker | 3 |
| Punter | 2 |
Notable undrafted players
| † | Pro Bowler[10] |
Hall of Famers
- LaDainian Tomlinson, running back from TCU, taken 1st round 5th overall by the San Diego Chargers.
- Inducted: Professional Football Hall of Fame Class of 2017.[18]
- Steve Hutchinson, guard from Michigan, taken 1st round 17th overall by the Seattle Seahawks.
- Inducted: Professional Football Hall of Fame Class of 2020.[19]
- Richard Seymour, defensive tackle from Georgia, taken 1st round 6th overall by the New England Patriots.
- Inducted: Professional Football Hall of Fame Class of 2022.[19]
- Drew Brees, quarterback from Purdue, taken 2nd round 32nd overall by the San Diego Chargers.
- Inducted: Professional Football Hall of Fame Class of 2026.
