2006 NFL draft
Selection of American football players
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The 2006 NFL draft, the 71st in league history, took place in New York City, New York, at Radio City Music Hall on April 29 and April 30, 2006.[1][2] For the 27th consecutive year, the draft was telecast on ESPN and ESPN2, with additional coverage offered by ESPNU and, for the first time, by NFL Network. Having signed a contract with the Houston Texans on the evening before the draft, Mario Williams, a defensive end from North Carolina State, became the draft's first pick.[3] The selection surprised many commentators, who predicted that the Texans would draft Southern California running back Reggie Bush or Texas quarterback Vince Young. Ohio State produced the most first-round selections (five), while Southern California produced the most overall selections (eleven). Twenty-seven compensatory and supplemental compensatory selections were distributed amongst seventeen teams; Tampa Bay, Baltimore and Tennessee each held three compensatory picks. The league also held a supplemental draft after the regular draft and before the regular season.
11:00 am EDT (April 30)
in New York City, New York
NFL Network
| 2006 NFL draft | |
|---|---|
![]() | |
| General information | |
| Date | April 29–30, 2006 |
| Time | Noon EDT (April 29) 11:00 am EDT (April 30) |
| Location | Radio City Music Hall in New York City, New York |
| Networks | ESPN, ESPN2, ESPNU, NFL Network |
| Overview | |
| 255 total selections in 7 rounds | |
| League | NFL |
| First selection | Mario Williams, DE Houston Texans |
| Mr. Irrelevant | Kevin McMahan, WR Oakland Raiders |
| Most selections (12) | Green Bay Packers |
| Fewest selections (5) | Atlanta Falcons |
| Hall of Famers | 1
|
As of 2025, only two players from the 2006 class remain active in the NFL: Broncos tight end Marcedes Lewis and Bills placekicker Matt Prater.
The 255 players chosen in the draft were composed of:
- 33 wide receivers
- 31 linebackers
- 26 safeties
- 23 defensive tackles
- 23 cornerbacks
- 22 defensive ends
- 22 offensive tackles
- 20 offensive guards
- 16 tight ends
- 14 running backs
- 13 quarterbacks
- 9 centers
- 3 fullbacks
- 2 kickers
- 2 punters
Player selections
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Supplemental draft selections
For each player selected in the Supplemental Draft, the team forfeits its selection in that round in the draft of the following season.
| Rnd. | Pick No. | NFL team | Player | Pos. | College | Conf. | Notes | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 3 | — | Cincinnati Bengals | Ahmad Brooks † | LB | Virginia | ACC |
Notable undrafted players
| † | = Pro Bowler[4] |
Hall of Famers
- Devin Hester, return specialist and wide receiver from Miami (FL), taken 2nd round, 57th overall by the Chicago Bears.
- Inducted: Pro Football Hall of Fame Class of 2024.
Trades
In the explanations below, (PD) indicates trades completed prior to the start of the draft (i.e. Pre-Draft), while (D) denotes trades that took place during the 2006 draft.
Round 1
- No. 11: St. Louis → Denver (D). St. Louis traded a first-round selection (11th overall) to Denver in exchange for first- and third-round selections (15th and 68th overall).
- No. 12: Cleveland → Baltimore (D). Cleveland traded a first-round selection (12th) to Baltimore in exchange for first- and sixth-round selections (13th and 181st overall).
- No. 13: Baltimore → Cleveland (D). See No. 12: Cleveland → Baltimore.
- No. 15: multiple trades:
No. 15: Atlanta → Denver (PD). Atlanta traded a first-round selection (15th overall) to Denver in exchange for first- and third-round selections (29th and 93rd overanll), and a 2007 fourth-round selection.
No. 15: Denver → St. Louis (D). See No. 11: St. Louis → Denver. - No. 22: multiple trades:
No. 22: Washington → Denver (PD). Washington traded first- and fourth-round selections (22nd and 119th), and a 2005 third-round selection to Denver in exchange for a 2005 first-round selection.
No. 22: Denver → San Francisco (PD). Denver traded a first-round selection (22nd overall) to San Francisco in exchange for second- and third-round selections (37th and 68th overall). - No. 25: NY Giants → Pittsburgh (D). The NY Giants traded a first-round selection (25th overall) to Pittsburgh in exchange for first-, third- and fourth-round selections (32nd, 96th and 129th overall).
- No. 26: Chicago → Buffalo (D). Chicago traded a first-round selection (26th overall) to Buffalo in exchange for second- and third-round selections (42nd and 73rd overall).
- No. 29: multiple trades:
No. 29: Denver → Atlanta (PD). See No. 15: Atlanta → Denver.
No. 29: Atlanta → NY Jets (PD). Atlanta traded a first-round selection (29th overall) to the NY Jets in exchange for DE John Abraham. - No. 32: Pittsburgh → NY Giants (D). See No. 25: NY Giants → Pittsburgh.
Round 2
- No. 34: New Orleans → Cleveland (D). New Orleans traded a second-round selection (34th overall) to Cleveland in exchange for a second-round selection (43rd overall) and C Jeff Faine.
- No. 35: NY Jets → Washington (D). The NY Jets traded a second-round selection (35th overall) to Washington in exchange for second- and sixth-round selections (53rd and 189th overall), and a 2007 second-round selection.
- No. 36: Green Bay → New England (D). Green Bay traded a second-round selection (36th overall) to New England in exchange for second- and third-round selections (52nd and 75th overall).
- No. 37: multiple trades:
No. 37: San Francisco → Denver (PD). See No. 22: Denver → San Francisco.
No. 37: Denver → Green Bay (D). The Broncos traded a second-round selection (37th overall) to Green Bay in exchange for WR Javon Walker.
No. 37: Green Bay → Atlanta (D). Green Bay traded second- and fifth-round selections (37th and 139th overall) to Atlanta in exchange for second-, third- and fifth-round selections (47th, 93rd and 148th overall). - No. 39: Tennessee → Philadelphia (D). Tennessee traded a second-round selection (39th overall) to Philadelphia in exchange for second- and fourth-round selections (45th and 116th overall).
- No. 42: Buffalo → Chicago (D). See No. 26: Chicago → Buffalo.
- No. 43: Cleveland → New Orleans (D). See No. 34: New Orleans → Cleveland.
- No. 44: Baltimore → NY Giants (D). Baltimore traded a second-round selection (44th overall) to the NY Giants in exchange for second- and third-round selections (56th and 87th overall).
- No. 45: Philadelphia → Tennessee (D). See No. 39: Tennessee → Philadelphia.
- No. 47: Atlanta → Green Bay (D). See No. 37: Green Bay → Atlanta.
- No. 49: Dallas → NY Jets (D). Dallas traded a second-round selection (49th overall) to the NY Jets in exchange for second-, sixth- and seventh-round selections (53rd, 189th and 211th overall).
- No. 51: Miami → Minnesota (PD). Miami traded a second-round selection (51st overall) to Minnesota in exchange for QB Daunte Culpepper.
- No. 52: New England → Green Bay (D). See No. 36: Green Bay → New England.
- No. 53: multiple trades:
No. 53: Washington → NY Jets (D). See No. 35: NY Jets → Washington.
No. 53: NY Jets → Dallas (D). See No. 49: Dallas → NY Jets. - No. 56: NY Giants → Baltimore (D). See No. 44: Baltimore → NY Giants.
- No. 64: Pittsburgh → Minnesota (D). Pittsburgh traded a second-round selection (64th overall) to Minnesota in exchange for two third-round selections (83rd and 95th overall).
Round 3
- No. 66: New Orleans → Houston (PD). New Orleans traded a third-round selection (66th overall) and a 2005 first-round selection to Houston in exchange for a 2005 first-round selection.
- No. 68: multiple trades:
No. 68: San Francisco → Denver (PD). See No. 22: Denver → San Francisco.
No. 68: Denver → St. Louis (D). See No. 11: St. Louis → Denver. - No. 71: NY Jets → Philadelphia (D). The NY Jets traded a third-round selection (71st overall) to Philadelphia in exchange for third- and seventh-round selections (76th and 220th overall).
- No. 73: Buffalo → Chicago (D). See No. 26: Chicago → Buffalo.
- No. 75: multiple trades:
No. 75: Baltimore → New England (PD). Baltimore traded a third-round selection (75th overall), and 2005 third- and sixth-round selections to New England in exchange for a 2005 second-round selection.
No. 75: New England → Green Bay (D). See No. 36: Green Bay → New England. - No. 76: Philadelphia → NY Jets (D). See No. 71: NY Jets → Philadelphia.
- No. 80: Dallas → Jacksonville (D). Dallas traded a third-round selection (80th overall) to Jacksonville in exchange for third- and fourth-round selections (92nd and 125th overall).
- No. 83: Minnesota → Pittsburgh (D). See No. 64: Pittsburgh → Minnesota.
- No. 87: NY Giants → Baltimore (D). See No. 44: Baltimore → NY Giants.
- No. 92: Jacksonville → Dallas (D). See No. 80: Dallas → Jacksonville.
- No. 93: multiple trades:
No. 93: Denver → Atlanta (PD). See No. 15: Atlanta → Denver.
No. 93: Atlanta → Green Bay (D). See No. 37: Green Bay → Atlanta. - No. 96: Pittsburgh → NY Giants (D). See No. 25: NY Giants → Pittsburgh.
Round 4
- No. 119: Washington → Denver (PD). See No. 22: Washington → Denver.
- No. 125: Jacksonville → Dallas (D). See No. 80: Dallas → Jacksonville.
- No. 129: Pittsburgh → NY Giants (D). See No. 25: NY Giants → Pittsburgh.
Round 5
- No. 134: Houston → Buffalo (PD). Houston traded a fifth-round selection (134th overall) to Buffalo in exchange for WR Eric Moulds.
- No. 139: Green Bay → Atlanta (D). See No. 37: Green Bay → Atlanta.
- No. 148: Atlanta → Green Bay (D). See No. 37: Green Bay → Atlanta.
Round 6
- No. 181: Baltimore → Cleveland (D). See No. 12: Cleveland → Baltimore.
- No. 189: multiple trades:
No. 189: Washington → NY Jets (D). See No. 35: NY Jets → Washington.
No. 189: NY Jets → Dallas (D). See No. 49: Dallas → NY Jets.
Round 7
- No. 211: NY Jets → Dallas (D). See No. 49: Dallas → NY Jets.
- No. 220: Philadelphia → NY Jets (D). See No. 71: NY Jets → Philadelphia.
Miscellaneous
- This would be the final draft that Paul Tagliabue would preside over as Commissioner of the National Football League, as he retired on September 1.
- Two individuals declared for the draft never having played college football: Jai Lewis, a power forward for the George Mason basketball team that reached the semifinals of the 2006 NCAA Division I men's basketball tournament; and Ed Nelson, a power forward for the Connecticut basketball team. Lewis signed after the draft as a free agent with the New York Giants to play offensive tackle but subsequently pursued a professional basketball career,[9] while Nelson signed with the St. Louis Rams to be a tight end.[10] Nelson later turned to professional basketball himself.
- Having been banned in 2004 from playing college football at Colorado for having accepted endorsements while a member of the United States Ski Team,[11] wide receiver and kick returner Jeremy Bloom was drafted in the fifth round by the Philadelphia Eagles.
- Virginia Tech quarterback Marcus Vick, who was dismissed from the Hokies team in January 2006 for repeatedly violating team rules, was undrafted; Vick, the younger brother of former Atlanta Falcons quarterback Michael Vick, later accepted an invitation to attend a Miami Dolphins minicamp[12] and ultimately signed a contract with the team as a wide receiver.[13] He was then released the following season.
- Running back John David Washington, son of actor Denzel Washington, went undrafted out of the Division II school Morehouse College, where he rushed for 1,198 yards in his senior season, setting a school record; Washington was signed as a free agent by the St. Louis Rams.[14]
- As of 2025, Marcedes Lewis, who was drafted 28th overall in the first round, is currently the sole active player remaining from the draft.
Notes
- Players are identified as a Hall of Famer if they have been inducted into the Pro Football Hall of Fame.
