The 1972 NFL Draft

182 picks. First overall: Walt Patulski, defensive end, from Notre Dame, to Buffalo Bills. Most picks: Notre Dame 8, Michigan 7, San Diego State 5, Tennessee 5, Nebraska 4.

The 1972 NFL Draft ran 17 rounds; this page lists the first seven. Teams appear under the name they had that year. Photos: Wikimedia Commons, free licenses; credits on each player’s page.

Round 1

Pick	Player	Position		College	NFL team
1	Walt Patulski	DE		Notre Dame	→ Buffalo Bills
2	Sherman White	DE		California	→ Cincinnati Bengals
3	Lionel Antoine	OT		Southern Illinois	→ Chicago Bears
4	Ahmad Rashad	WR		Oregon	→ St. Louis Cardinals
5	Riley Odoms	TE		Houston	→ Denver Broncos
6	Greg Sampson	DE		Stanford	→ Houston Oilers
7	Willie Buchanon	DB		San Diego State	→ Green Bay Packers
8	Royce Smith	OG		Georgia	→ New Orleans Saints
9	Jerome Barkum	TE		Jackson State	→ New York Jets
10	Jeff Siemon	LB		Stanford	→ Minnesota Vikings
11	Jerry Tagge	QB		Nebraska	→ Green Bay Packers
12	Craig Clemons	DB		Iowa	→ Chicago Bears
13	Franco Harris	RB		Penn State	→ Pittsburgh Steelers
14	John Reaves	QB		Florida	→ Philadelphia Eagles
15	Clarence Ellis	DB		Notre Dame	→ Atlanta Falcons
16	Herb Orvis	DE		Colorado	→ Detroit Lions
17	Eldridge Small	DB		Texas A&M–Kingsville	→ New York Giants
18	Thom Darden	DB		Michigan	→ Cleveland Browns
19	Terry Beasley	WR		Auburn	→ San Francisco 49ers
20	Mike Taylor	LB		Michigan	→ New York Jets
21	Mike Siani	WR		Villanova	→ Oakland Raiders
22	Tom Drougas	OT		Oregon	→ Baltimore Colts
23	Jeff Kinney	RB		Nebraska	→ Kansas City Chiefs
24	Larry Jacobson	DT		Nebraska	→ New York Giants
25	Mike Kadish	DT		Notre Dame	→ Miami Dolphins
26	Bill Thomas	RB		Boston College	→ Dallas Cowboys

Round 2

Pick	Player	Position		College	NFL team
27	Reggie McKenzie	OG		Michigan	→ Buffalo Bills
28	Ralph McGill	DB		Tulsa	→ San Francisco 49ers
29	Tommy Casanova	DB		LSU	→ Cincinnati Bengals
30	Jim Bertelsen	RB		Texas	→ Los Angeles Rams
31	Willie Hall	LB		USC	→ New Orleans Saints
32	Mark Arneson	LB		Arizona	→ St. Louis Cardinals
33	Kelvin Korver	OT		Northwestern (IA)	→ Oakland Raiders
34	Chester Marcol	K		Hillsdale	→ Green Bay Packers
35	Robert Newhouse	RB		Houston	→ Dallas Cowboys
36	Pete Lazetich	DE		Stanford	→ San Diego Chargers
37	Dan Yochum	OT		Syracuse	→ Philadelphia Eagles
38	Gordon Gravelle	OT		BYU	→ Pittsburgh Steelers
39	John Babinecz	LB		Villanova	→ Dallas Cowboys
40	Pat Sullivan	QB		Auburn	→ Atlanta Falcons
41	Steve Okoniewski	OT		Montana	→ Atlanta Falcons
42	Roosevelt Manning	DT		Northeastern State	→ Atlanta Falcons
43	John Vella	OT		USC	→ Oakland Raiders
44	Jean Barrett	OT		Tulsa	→ San Francisco 49ers
45	Clifford Brooks	DB		Tennessee State	→ Cleveland Browns
46	Jack Mildren	DB		Oklahoma	→ Baltimore Colts
47	Glenn Doughty	WR		Michigan	→ Baltimore Colts
48	Lydell Mitchell	RB		Penn State	→ Baltimore Colts
49	Tom Reynolds	WR		San Diego State	→ New England Patriots
50	Ed Marinaro	RB		Cornell	→ Minnesota Vikings
51	Lester Sims	DE		Alabama State	→ Cleveland Browns
52	Charles McKee	WR		Arizona	→ Dallas Cowboys

Round 3

Pick	Player	Position		College	NFL team
53	Fred Swendsen	DE		Notre Dame	→ Buffalo Bills
54	Jim LeClair	LB		North Dakota	→ Cincinnati Bengals
55	John Mendenhall	DT		Grambling	→ New York Giants
56	Lewis Jolley	RB		North Carolina	→ Houston Oilers
57	Tom Beckman	DE		Michigan	→ St. Louis Cardinals
58	Bill Phillips	LB		Arkansas State	→ Denver Broncos
59	Bart Buetow	OT		Minnesota	→ Minnesota Vikings
60	Robert Kuziel	C		Pittsburgh	→ New Orleans Saints
61	Bill McClard	K		Arkansas	→ San Diego Chargers
62	Johnny Musso	RB		Alabama	→ Chicago Bears
63	John McMakin	TE		Clemson	→ Pittsburgh Steelers
64	Mike Keller	LB		Michigan	→ Dallas Cowboys
65	Ken Sanders	DE		Howard Payne	→ Detroit Lions
66	Gary Hammond	WR		SMU	→ New York Jets
67	Les Goodman	RB		Birmingham-Southern	→ Atlanta Falcons
68	Tom Luken	OG		Purdue	→ Philadelphia Eagles
69	Tommy Mozisek	RB		Houston	→ New York Giants
70	Lawrence McCutcheon	RB		Colorado State	→ Los Angeles Rams
71	Allen Dunbar	WR		Southern	→ San Francisco 49ers
72	Mel Lunsford	DT		Central State	→ Oakland Raiders
73	Jim White	DE		Colorado State	→ New England Patriots
74	Tom Myers	DB		Syracuse	→ New Orleans Saints
75	Solomon Freelon	OG		Grambling	→ Houston Oilers
76	Bobby Majors	DB		Tennessee	→ Philadelphia Eagles
77	Gary Kosins	RB		Dayton	→ Miami Dolphins
78	Marv Bateman	P		Utah	→ Dallas Cowboys

Round 4

Pick	Player	Position		College	NFL team
79	Randy Jackson	RB		Wichita State	→ Buffalo Bills
80	Lorenzo Brinkley	DB		Missouri	→ Pittsburgh Steelers
81	Bernard Jackson	DB		Washington State	→ Cincinnati Bengals
82	Jeff Lyman	LB		BYU	→ St. Louis Cardinals
83	Tim Kearney	LB		Northern Michigan	→ Dallas Cowboys
84	Martin Imhof	DT		San Diego State	→ St. Louis Cardinals
85	Mike Crangle	DE		UT Martin	→ New Orleans Saints
86	Eric Patton	LB		Notre Dame	→ Green Bay Packers
87	John Saunders	DB		Toledo	→ Los Angeles Rams
88	Ed Bradley	LB		Wake Forest	→ Pittsburgh Steelers
89	Ed Galigher	DE		UCLA	→ New York Jets
90	Robert West	WR		San Diego State	→ Dallas Cowboys
91	Larry Ball	DE		Louisville	→ Miami Dolphins
92	Ron James	RB		New Mexico State	→ Philadelphia Eagles
93	Charles Zapiec	LB		Penn State	→ Dallas Cowboys
94	Andy Howard	DT		Grambling	→ Atlanta Falcons
95	Eddie Phillips	DB		Texas	→ Los Angeles Rams
96	Windlan Hall	DB		Arizona State	→ San Francisco 49ers
97	Andy Hamilton	WR		LSU	→ Kansas City Chiefs
98	Cliff Branch	WR		Colorado	→ Oakland Raiders
99	Joe Federspiel	LB		Kentucky	→ New Orleans Saints
100	Dave Dalby	C		UCLA	→ Oakland Raiders
101	Mike Coleman	DE		Knoxville	→ New Orleans Saints
102	Tom Graham	LB		Oregon	→ Denver Broncos
103	Al Benton	OT		Ohio	→ Miami Dolphins
104	Eric Allen	WR		Michigan State	→ Baltimore Colts

Round 5

Pick	Player	Position		College	NFL team
105	Leon Garror	DB		Alcorn State	→ Buffalo Bills
106	Tom DeLeone	C		Ohio State	→ Cincinnati Bengals
107	Tom Gatewood	WR		Notre Dame	→ New York Giants
108	Bob Penchion	OG		Alcorn State	→ Buffalo Bills
109	Bill Taylor	RB		Michigan	→ Atlanta Falcons
110	Conrad Dobler	OG		Wyoming	→ St. Louis Cardinals
111	Bill Butler	RB		Kansas State	→ New Orleans Saints
112	Carl Johnson	OT		Nebraska	→ New Orleans Saints
113	Steve Furness	DE		Rhode Island	→ Pittsburgh Steelers
114	Dickie Harris	DB		South Carolina	→ New York Jets
115	Don Croft	DT		UTEP	→ Baltimore Colts
116	Jim Bishop	TE		Tennessee Tech	→ San Diego Chargers
117	Bob Parsons	P		Penn State	→ Chicago Bears
118	Jim Krieg	WR		Washington	→ Denver Broncos
119	Ralph Cindrich	LB		Pittsburgh	→ Atlanta Falcons
120	Bob Childs	OG		Kansas	→ Los Angeles Rams
121	Larry Edwards	LB		Texas A&M–Kingsville	→ New York Giants
122	George Hunt	K		Tennessee	→ Cleveland Browns
123	Mike Greene	LB		Georgia	→ San Francisco 49ers
124	Ron Bolton	DB		Norfolk State	→ New England Patriots
125	Bob Christiansen	TE		UCLA	→ Los Angeles Rams
126	Bo Davies	DB		South Carolina	→ New Orleans Saints
127	Milt Davis	LB		Texas–Arlington	→ Kansas City Chiefs
128	Greg Kucera	RB		Northern Colorado	→ Cleveland Browns
129	Charles Babb	DB		Memphis	→ Miami Dolphins
130	Harry Gooden	DE		Alcorn State	→ San Diego Chargers

Round 7

Pick	Player	Position		College	NFL team
157	Ralph Stepaniak	DB		Notre Dame	→ Buffalo Bills
158	Steve Conley	LB		Kansas	→ Cincinnati Bengals
159	Joe Colquitt	DE		Kansas State	→ Pittsburgh Steelers
160	Council Rudolph	DE		Kentucky State	→ St. Louis Cardinals
161	Bill Adams	OG		Holy Cross	→ Miami Dolphins
162	Eric Hutchinson	DB		Northwestern	→ Houston Oilers
163	Bill Bushong	DT		Kentucky	→ Green Bay Packers
164	Ernie Jackson	DB		Duke	→ New Orleans Saints
165	Clark Hoss	TE		Oregon State	→ New England Patriots
166	John Tarver	RB		Colorado	→ New England Patriots
167	Jim Fassel	QB		Long Beach State	→ Chicago Bears
168	Robert Kelly	DB		Jackson State	→ Pittsburgh Steelers
169	John Sykes	RB		Morgan State	→ Baltimore Colts
170	Will Foster	LB		Eastern Michigan	→ Philadelphia Eagles
171	Lance Moon	RB		Wisconsin	→ Atlanta Falcons
172	Charles Stoudamire	WR		Portland State	→ Detroit Lions
173	Ray Jamieson	RB		Memphis	→ Oakland Raiders
174	Don Wesley	OT		Maryland-Eastern Shore	→ Cleveland Browns
175	Edgar Hardy	OG		Jackson State	→ San Francisco 49ers
176	Alonzo Thomas	DB		USC	→ Oakland Raiders
177	Mike Zikas	DT		Notre Dame	→ New York Giants
178	Dennis Pete	DB		San Francisco State	→ Oakland Raiders
179	Dean Carlson	QB		Iowa State	→ Kansas City Chiefs
180	Calvin Harrell	RB		Arkansas State	→ Miami Dolphins
181	Bill Slater	DE		Western Michigan	→ Minnesota Vikings
182	James Osborne	DT		Southern	→ Chicago Bears