The 1979 NFL Draft

192 picks. First overall: Tom Cousineau, linebacker, from Ohio State, to Buffalo Bills. Most picks: Oklahoma 9, Penn State 7, Michigan 7, UCLA 6, Nebraska 6.

The 1979 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	Tom Cousineau	LB		Ohio State	→ Buffalo Bills
2	Mike Bell	DE		Colorado State	→ Kansas City Chiefs
3	Jack Thompson	QB		Washington State	→ Cincinnati Bengals
4	Dan Hampton	DT		Arkansas	→ Chicago Bears
5	Jerry Butler	WR		Clemson	→ Buffalo Bills
6	Barry Krauss	LB		Alabama	→ Baltimore Colts
7	Phil Simms	QB		Morehead State	→ New York Giants
8	Ottis Anderson	RB		Miami	→ St. Louis Cardinals
9	Al Harris	DE		Arizona State	→ Chicago Bears
10	Keith Dorney	OT		Penn State	→ Detroit Lions
11	Russell Erxleben	P		Texas	→ New Orleans Saints
12	Charles Alexander	RB		LSU	→ Cincinnati Bengals
13	Kellen Winslow	TE		Missouri	→ San Diego Chargers
14	Marty Lyons	DE		Alabama	→ New York Jets
15	Eddie Lee Ivery	RB		Georgia Tech	→ Green Bay Packers
16	Ted Brown	RB		NC State	→ Minnesota Vikings
17	Don Smith	DT		Miami	→ Atlanta Falcons
18	Manu Tuiasosopo	DT		UCLA	→ Seattle Seahawks
19	George Andrews	LB		Nebraska	→ Los Angeles Rams
20	Willis Adams	WR		Houston	→ Cleveland Browns
21	Jerry Robinson	LB		UCLA	→ Philadelphia Eagles
22	Kelvin Clark	OT		Nebraska	→ Denver Broncos
23	Steve Fuller	QB		Clemson	→ Kansas City Chiefs
24	Jon Giesler	OT		Michigan	→ Miami Dolphins
25	Rick Sanford	DB		South Carolina	→ New England Patriots
26	Kent Hill	OT		Georgia Tech	→ Los Angeles Rams
27	Robert Shaw	C		Tennessee	→ Dallas Cowboys
28	Greg Hawthorne	RB		Baylor	→ Pittsburgh Steelers

Round 2

Pick	Player	Position		College	NFL team
29	James Owens	RB		UCLA	→ San Francisco 49ers
30	Dan Ross	TE		Northeastern	→ Cincinnati Bengals
31	Mike Stensrud	DE		Iowa State	→ Houston Oilers
32	Fred Smerlas	DT		Boston College	→ Buffalo Bills
33	Greg Roberts	OG		Oklahoma	→ Tampa Bay Buccaneers
34	Gordon Jones	WR		Pittsburgh	→ Tampa Bay Buccaneers
35	Theotis Brown	RB		UCLA	→ St. Louis Cardinals
36	Earnest Gray	WR		Memphis	→ New York Giants
37	Ken Fantetti	LB		Wyoming	→ Detroit Lions
38	Reggie Mathis	LB		Oklahoma	→ New Orleans Saints
39	Rickey Watts	WR		Tulsa	→ Chicago Bears
40	Lawrence Johnson	DB		Wisconsin	→ Cleveland Browns
41	Mark Gastineau	DE		East Central	→ New York Jets
42	Willie Jones	DE		Florida State	→ Oakland Raiders
43	Dave Huffman	C		Notre Dame	→ Minnesota Vikings
44	Steve Atkins	RB		Maryland	→ Green Bay Packers
45	Joe Norman	LB		Indiana	→ Seattle Seahawks
46	Calvin Favron	LB		SE Louisiana	→ St. Louis Cardinals
47	Sam Claphan	OT		Oklahoma	→ Cleveland Browns
48	Petey Perot	OG		Northwestern State	→ Philadelphia Eagles
49	Pat Howell	OG		USC	→ Atlanta Falcons
50	Jesse Baker	DE		Jacksonville State	→ Houston Oilers
51	Jim Haslett	LB		IU Pennsylvania	→ Buffalo Bills
52	Bob Golic	DT		Notre Dame	→ New England Patriots
53	Jeff Toews	OT		Washington	→ Miami Dolphins
54	Eddie Hill	RB		Memphis	→ Los Angeles Rams
55	Aaron Mitchell	DB		UNLV	→ Dallas Cowboys
56	Zack Valentine	LB		East Carolina	→ Pittsburgh Steelers

Round 3

Pick	Player	Position		College	NFL team
57	Michael Jackson	LB		Washington	→ Seattle Seahawks
58	Jeff Moore	WR		Tennessee	→ Los Angeles Rams
59	Barney Cotton	OG		Nebraska	→ Cincinnati Bengals
60	Jerry Eckwood	RB		Arkansas	→ Tampa Bay Buccaneers
61	Tony Nathan	RB		Alabama	→ Miami Dolphins
62	Jon Borchardt	OT		Montana State	→ Buffalo Bills
63	Mel Land	LB		Michigan State	→ Miami Dolphins
64	Joe Bostic	OT		Clemson	→ St. Louis Cardinals
65	Ronnie Lee	TE		Baylor	→ Miami Dolphins
66	Willie McClendon	RB		Georgia	→ Chicago Bears
67	Bo Robinson	RB		West Texas	→ Detroit Lions
68	Donald Dykes	DB		SE Louisiana	→ New York Jets
69	Kim Anderson	DB		Arizona State	→ Baltimore Colts
70	James Ramey	DE		Kentucky	→ Cleveland Browns
71	Charles Johnson	DT		Maryland	→ Green Bay Packers
72	Kenny King	RB		Oklahoma	→ Houston Oilers
73	Clifford Thrift	LB		East Central	→ San Diego Chargers
74	Tony Franklin	K		Texas A&M	→ Philadelphia Eagles
75	James Mayberry	RB		Colorado	→ Atlanta Falcons
76	Doug Cosbie	TE		Santa Clara	→ Dallas Cowboys
77	Bruce Radford	DE		Grambling	→ Denver Broncos
78	Reginald Lewis	DE		North Texas	→ Tampa Bay Buccaneers
79	William Andrews	RB		Auburn	→ Atlanta Falcons
80	Rick Berns	RB		Nebraska	→ Tampa Bay Buccaneers
81	Mike Wellman	C		Kansas	→ Los Angeles Rams
82	Joe Montana	QB		Notre Dame	→ San Francisco 49ers

Round 4

Pick	Player	Position		College	NFL team
83	Ken Johnson	DE		Knoxville	→ Buffalo Bills
84	James White	DT		Albany State	→ Cincinnati Bengals
85	Frank Manumaleuga	LB		San José State	→ Kansas City Chiefs
86	Russell Davis	RB		Michigan	→ Pittsburgh Steelers
87	Jeff Nixon	DB		Richmond	→ Buffalo Bills
88	Ulysses Norris	TE		Georgia	→ Detroit Lions
89	Roy Green	DB		Henderson State	→ St. Louis Cardinals
90	Phil Tabor	DE		Oklahoma	→ New York Giants
91	Vaughn Lusby	DB		Arkansas	→ Cincinnati Bengals
92	Jonathan Brooks	LB		Clemson	→ Detroit Lions
93	Jim Kovach	LB		Kentucky	→ New Orleans Saints
94	Ben Cowins	RB		Arkansas	→ Philadelphia Eagles
95	Matt Miller	OT		Colorado	→ Cleveland Browns
96	Eric Cunningham	OG		Penn State	→ New York Jets
97	Steve Dils	QB		Stanford	→ Minnesota Vikings
98	Johnny Lynn	DB		UCLA	→ New York Jets
99	Derwin Tucker	DB		Illinois	→ Los Angeles Rams
100	Lynn Cain	RB		USC	→ Atlanta Falcons
101	Charles Johnson	DB		Grambling	→ Atlanta Falcons
102	Mark E. Bell	TE		Colorado State	→ Seattle Seahawks
103	Don Warren	TE		San Diego State	→ Washington Redskins
104	John Floyd	WR		UL Monroe	→ San Diego Chargers
105	Charles Jefferson	DB		McNeese	→ Denver Broncos
106	Eddie Hare	P		Tulsa	→ New England Patriots
107	Steve Howell	RB		Baylor	→ Miami Dolphins
108	Jerry Wilkinson	DT		Oregon State	→ Los Angeles Rams
109	Ralph DeLoach	DE		California	→ Dallas Cowboys
110	Calvin Sweeney	WR		USC	→ Pittsburgh Steelers

Round 5

Pick	Player	Position		College	NFL team
111	Tom Seabron	LB		Michigan	→ San Francisco 49ers
112	Earl Gant	RB		Missouri	→ Kansas City Chiefs
113	Casey Merrill	DE		UC Davis	→ Cincinnati Bengals
114	Rod Kush	DB		Nebraska–Omaha	→ Buffalo Bills
115	Larry Braziel	DB		USC	→ Baltimore Colts
116	Dan Manucci	QB		Kansas State	→ Buffalo Bills
117	Cleveland Jackson	TE		UNLV	→ New York Giants
118	Steve Henry	DB		Emporia State	→ St. Louis Cardinals
119	Jerry Aldridge	RB		Angelo State	→ San Francisco 49ers
120	Harlan Huckleby	RB		Michigan	→ New Orleans Saints
121	Bob Hukill	OG		North Carolina	→ Dallas Cowboys
122	Victor Hicks	TE		Oklahoma	→ Los Angeles Rams
123	Kelly Kirchbaum	LB		Kentucky	→ New York Jets
124	Rich Dimler	DT		USC	→ Cleveland Browns
125	Stan Blinka	LB		Sam Houston	→ New York Jets
126	Scott Fitzkee	WR		Penn State	→ Philadelphia Eagles
127	Mike Zele	DT		Kent State	→ Atlanta Falcons
128	Curtis Anderson	DE		Central State	→ Dallas Cowboys
129	Jerry Meter	LB		Michigan	→ Minnesota Vikings
130	Mark R. Bell	WR		Colorado State	→ St. Louis Cardinals
131	Walt Brown	C		Pittsburgh	→ Detroit Lions
132	Rick Leach	QB		Michigan	→ Denver Broncos
133	Chuck Fusina	QB		Penn State	→ Tampa Bay Buccaneers
134	Don Bessillieu	DB		Georgia Tech	→ Miami Dolphins
135	John Zamberlin	LB		Pacific Lutheran	→ New England Patriots
136	Ron Springs	RB		Ohio State	→ Dallas Cowboys
137	Dwaine Board	DE		North Carolina A&T	→ Pittsburgh Steelers

Round 7

Pick	Player	Position		College	NFL team
166	Phil Francis	RB		Stanford	→ San Francisco 49ers
167	Ken Kremer	DE		Ball State	→ Kansas City Chiefs
168	Max Montoya	OT		UCLA	→ Cincinnati Bengals
169	Larry Polowski	LB		Boise State	→ Seattle Seahawks
170	Tom Mullady	TE		Rhodes	→ Buffalo Bills
171	Tim Ries	DB		Missouri State	→ Houston Oilers
172	Steve Alvers	TE		Miami	→ New York Giants
173	Kirk Gibson	WR		Michigan State	→ St. Louis Cardinals
174	Lee Kunz	LB		Nebraska	→ Chicago Bears
175	Jack Matia	OT		Drake	→ Oakland Raiders
176	Stan Sytsma	LB		Minnesota	→ New Orleans Saints
177	Judson Flint	DB		Memphis	→ New England Patriots
178	Don Swafford	OT		Florida	→ Philadelphia Eagles
179	Emmett King	RB		Houston	→ New York Jets
180	Henry Monroe	DB		Mississippi State	→ Green Bay Packers
181	Bob Winkel	DT		Kentucky	→ Minnesota Vikings
182	Rich Milot	LB		Penn State	→ Washington Redskins
183	Cody Risien	OT		Texas A&M	→ Cleveland Browns
184	Rich Wingo	LB		Alabama	→ Green Bay Packers
185	Curtis Bunche	DE		Albany State	→ Philadelphia Eagles
186	Roger Westlund	OT		Washington	→ Atlanta Falcons
187	Keith Brown	DB		Minnesota	→ New York Jets
188	Luke Prestridge	P		Baylor	→ Denver Broncos
189	Uwe von Schamann	K		Oklahoma	→ Miami Dolphins
190	Jeff Delaney	DB		Pittsburgh	→ Los Angeles Rams
191	Greg Fitzpatrick	LB		Youngstown State	→ Dallas Cowboys
192	Bruce Kimball	OG		Massachusetts	→ Pittsburgh Steelers