The 1978 NFL Draft

194 picks. First overall: Earl Campbell, running back, from Texas, to Houston Oilers. Most picks: Tennessee State 7, Florida 6, Notre Dame 6, Nebraska 6, San Diego State 6.

The 1978 NFL Draft ran 12 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	Earl Campbell	RB		Texas	→ Houston Oilers
2	Art Still	DE		Kentucky	→ Kansas City Chiefs
3	Wes Chandler	WR		Florida	→ New Orleans Saints
4	Chris Ward	OT		Ohio State	→ New York Jets
5	Terry Miller	RB		Oklahoma State	→ Buffalo Bills
6	James Lofton	WR		Stanford	→ Green Bay Packers
7	Ken MacAfee	TE		Notre Dame	→ San Francisco 49ers
8	Ross Browner	DE		Notre Dame	→ Cincinnati Bengals
9	Keith Simpson	DB		Memphis	→ Seattle Seahawks
10	Gordon King	OT		Stanford	→ New York Giants
11	Luther Bradley	DB		Notre Dame	→ Detroit Lions
12	Clay Matthews	LB		USC	→ Cleveland Browns
13	Mike Kenn	OT		Michigan	→ Atlanta Falcons
14	John Jefferson	WR		Arizona State	→ San Diego Chargers
15	Steve Little	P		Arkansas	→ St. Louis Cardinals
16	Blair Bush	C		Washington	→ Cincinnati Bengals
17	Doug Williams	QB		Grambling	→ Tampa Bay Buccaneers
18	Bob Cryder	OG		Alabama	→ New England Patriots
19	Ken Greene	DB		Washington State	→ St. Louis Cardinals
20	Elvis Peacock	RB		Oklahoma	→ Los Angeles Rams
21	Randy Holloway	DE		Pittsburgh	→ Minnesota Vikings
22	Ron Johnson	DB		Eastern Michigan	→ Pittsburgh Steelers
23	Ozzie Newsome	TE		Alabama	→ Cleveland Browns
24	Dan Bunz	LB		Long Beach State	→ San Francisco 49ers
25	Reese McCall	TE		Auburn	→ Baltimore Colts
26	John Anderson	LB		Michigan	→ Green Bay Packers
27	Don Latimer	DT		Miami	→ Denver Broncos
28	Larry Bethea	DT		Michigan State	→ Dallas Cowboys

Round 2

Pick	Player	Position		College	NFL team
29	Sylvester Hicks	DE		Tennessee State	→ Kansas City Chiefs
30	Johnny Davis	RB		Alabama	→ Tampa Bay Buccaneers
31	Mark Merrill	LB		Minnesota	→ New York Jets
32	Dee Hardison	DE		North Carolina	→ Buffalo Bills
33	James Taylor	OT		Missouri	→ New Orleans Saints
34	Mike Hunt	LB		Minnesota	→ Green Bay Packers
35	Ray Griffin	DB		Ohio State	→ Cincinnati Bengals
36	Keith Butler	LB		Memphis	→ Seattle Seahawks
37	Odis McKinney	DB		Colorado	→ New York Giants
38	Scott Hutchinson	DE		Florida	→ Buffalo Bills
39	Johnny Evans	P		NC State	→ Cleveland Browns
40	Al Baker	DE		Colorado State	→ Detroit Lions
41	Milton Hardaway	OT		Oklahoma State	→ San Diego Chargers
42	John Barefield	LB		Texas A&M–Kingsville	→ St. Louis Cardinals
43	Steve Stewart	LB		Minnesota	→ Atlanta Falcons
44	Brett Moritz	OG		Nebraska	→ Tampa Bay Buccaneers
45	Dave Turner	RB		San Diego State	→ Cincinnati Bengals
46	Stan Johnson	DT		Tennessee State	→ Los Angeles Rams
47	Walt Downing	OG		Michigan	→ San Francisco 49ers
48	John Turner	DB		Miami	→ Minnesota Vikings
49	Willie Fry	DE		Notre Dame	→ Pittsburgh Steelers
50	Matt Cavanaugh	QB		Pittsburgh	→ New England Patriots
51	Guy Benjamin	QB		Stanford	→ Miami Dolphins
52	Mike Woods	LB		Cincinnati	→ Baltimore Colts
53	Ronnie Smith	WR		San Diego State	→ Los Angeles Rams
54	Dave Browning	DE		Washington	→ Oakland Raiders
55	Bill Gay	TE		USC	→ Denver Broncos
56	Todd Christensen	TE		BYU	→ Dallas Cowboys

Round 3

Pick	Player	Position		College	NFL team
57	Derrick Jensen	RB		Texas–Arlington	→ Oakland Raiders
58	Gary Spani	LB		Kansas State	→ Kansas City Chiefs
59	Dennis Johnson	RB		Mississippi State	→ Buffalo Bills
60	Barry Bennett	DT		Concordia College (MN)	→ New Orleans Saints
61	Mickey Shuler	TE		Penn State	→ New York Jets
62	Estus Hood	DB		Illinois State	→ Green Bay Packers
63	Bob Jury	DB		Pittsburgh	→ Seattle Seahawks
64	Lyman Smith	DT		Duke	→ Miami Dolphins
65	Danny Fulton	WR		Nebraska–Omaha	→ Buffalo Bills
66	Reggie Wilkes	LB		Georgia Tech	→ Philadelphia Eagles
67	Larry Collins	RB		Texas A&M–Kingsville	→ Cleveland Browns
68	Mark Miller	QB		Bowling Green	→ Cleveland Browns
69	Doug Greene	DB		Texas A&M–Kingsville	→ St. Louis Cardinals
70	Stan Waldemore	OG		Nebraska	→ Atlanta Falcons
71	Rickey Anderson	RB		South Carolina State	→ San Diego Chargers
72	Ted Vincent	DT		Wichita State	→ Cincinnati Bengals
73	Gifford Nielsen	QB		BYU	→ Houston Oilers
74	Brad Shearer	DT		Texas	→ Chicago Bears
75	Whip Walton	LB		San Diego State	→ Minnesota Vikings
76	Craig Colquitt	P		Tennessee	→ Pittsburgh Steelers
77	Carlos Pennywell	WR		Grambling	→ New England Patriots
78	Frank Corral	P		UCLA	→ Los Angeles Rams
79	Ernie Hughes	OG		Notre Dame	→ San Francisco 49ers
80	Leon White	C		Colorado	→ Los Angeles Rams
81	Jimmy Cefalo	WR		Penn State	→ Miami Dolphins
82	Lindsey Mason	OT		Kansas	→ Oakland Raiders
83	Don Bass	WR		Houston	→ Cincinnati Bengals
84	Dave Hudgens	OT		Oklahoma	→ Dallas Cowboys

Round 6

Pick	Player	Position		College	NFL team
139	John Skibinski	RB		Purdue	→ Chicago Bears
140	Tom Davis	C		Nebraska	→ Oakland Raiders
141	Bobby Jackson	DB		Florida State	→ New York Jets
142	Mike Rieker	QB		Lehigh	→ New Orleans Saints
143	Gregg Robinson	DT		Dartmouth	→ New York Jets
144	Leotis Harris	OG		Arkansas	→ Green Bay Packers
145	Eric Smith	OT		Southern Miss	→ Buffalo Bills
146	Glenn Starks	WR		Texas A&M–Kingsville	→ Seattle Seahawks
147	Randy Pass	C		Georgia Tech	→ New York Giants
148	Elliott Walker	RB		Pittsburgh	→ San Francisco 49ers
149	Al Pitts	C		Michigan State	→ Cleveland Browns
150	Dwight Hicks	DB		Michigan	→ Detroit Lions
151	Jack Williams	DE		Bowling Green	→ St. Louis Cardinals
152	Rodney Parker	WR		Tennessee State	→ Atlanta Falcons
153	Tony Ardizzone	OG		Northwestern	→ Detroit Lions
154	Conrad Rucker	TE		Southern	→ Houston Oilers
155	Steve Geise	RB		Penn State	→ Cincinnati Bengals
156	Ken Coleman	LB		Ole Miss	→ New England Patriots
157	Francis Chesley	LB		Wyoming	→ New Orleans Saints
158	Mekeli Ieremia	DE		BYU	→ Chicago Bears
159	Tony Green	RB		Florida	→ Washington Redskins
160	Randy Reutershan	WR		Pittsburgh	→ Pittsburgh Steelers
161	Ben Garry	RB		Southern Miss	→ Baltimore Colts
162	Elijah Marshall	WR		NC State	→ Tampa Bay Buccaneers
163	Doug Betters	DE		Nevada	→ Miami Dolphins
164	Mike Levenseller	WR		Washington State	→ Oakland Raiders
165	Jesse Thompson	WR		California	→ Detroit Lions
166	Harold Randolph	LB		East Carolina	→ Dallas Cowboys

Round 7

Pick	Player	Position		College	NFL team
167	Alfred Jackson	WR		Texas	→ Atlanta Falcons
168	Ricky Odom	DB		USC	→ Kansas City Chiefs
169	Levi Armstrong	DB		UCLA	→ New York Jets
170	James Earley	RB		Michigan State	→ New York Jets
171	Mario Celotto	LB		USC	→ Buffalo Bills
172	George Plasketes	LB		Ole Miss	→ Green Bay Packers
173	John Harris	DB		Arizona State	→ Seattle Seahawks
174	Dan Doornink	RB		Washington State	→ New York Giants
175	Fred Quillan	C		Oregon	→ San Francisco 49ers
176	Arthur Whittington	RB		SMU	→ Oakland Raiders
177	Bruce Gibson	RB		Pacific	→ Detroit Lions
178	Karl Baldischwiler	OT		Oklahoma	→ Miami Dolphins
179	James Wright	TE		TCU	→ Atlanta Falcons
180	Cliff Featherstone	DB		Colorado State	→ San Diego Chargers
181	Dave Stief	WR		Portland State	→ St. Louis Cardinals
182	Joe Branson	DB		Livingstone	→ Cincinnati Bengals
183	Steve Powell	RB		Truman State	→ Buffalo Bills
184	Bill Kellar	WR		Stanford	→ Kansas City Chiefs
185	Herman Jones	WR		Ohio State	→ Chicago Bears
186	Greg Marshall	DT		Oregon State	→ Philadelphia Eagles
187	Mark Dufresne	TE		Nebraska	→ Pittsburgh Steelers
188	Mike Hawkins	LB		Texas A&M–Kingsville	→ New England Patriots
189	Reggie Doss	DE		Hampton	→ Los Angeles Rams
190	Lloyd Henry	WR		Truman State	→ Miami Dolphins
191	Jeff Logan	RB		Ohio State	→ Baltimore Colts
192	Earl Inmon	LB		Bethune-Cookman	→ Oakland Raiders
193	Danny Bass	OT		Elon	→ Cincinnati Bengals
194	Tom Randall	DT		Iowa State	→ Dallas Cowboys