2001 NFL draft

---

title: "2001 NFL draft" type: doc version: 1 created: 2026-02-28 author: "Wikipedia contributors" status: active scope: public tags: ["nfl-draft", "2001-in-american-football", "2001-nfl-season", "2001-in-sports-in-new-york-city", "april-2001-sports-events-in-the-united-states", "american-football-in-new-york-city", "2000s-in-manhattan", "sporting-events-in-new-york-city"] description: "66th annual meeting of National Football League franchises to select newly eligible players" topic_path: "sports" source: "https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/2001_NFL_draft" license: "CC BY-SA 4.0" wikipedia_page_id: 0 wikipedia_revision_id: 0

::summary 66th annual meeting of National Football League franchises to select newly eligible players ::

::data[format=table title="Infobox sports draft"]

Field	Value
name	2001 NFL draft
image	File:2001nfldraft.png
alt	2001 NFL draft logo
date	April 21–22, 2001
location	Theater at MSG
in New York City, NY
network	ESPN
league	NFL
mr_irrelevant	Tevita Ofahengaue, TE
Arizona Cardinals
first	Michael Vick, QB
Atlanta Falcons
fewnum	5
fewest	Washington Redskins
mostnum	12
most	Buffalo Bills
Seattle Seahawks
overall	246
rounds	7
hofnum	{{ Collapsible list
title	3
1	RB LaDainian Tomlinson
2	DT Richard Seymour
3	G Steve Hutchinson
prev	2000
next	2002
::

| name = 2001 NFL draft | logo = | logosize = | logoalt = | image = File:2001nfldraft.png | imagesize = | alt = 2001 NFL draft logo | caption = | date = April 21–22, 2001 | time = | location = Theater at MSG in New York City, NY | network = ESPN | sponsor = | league = NFL | mr_irrelevant = Tevita Ofahengaue, TE Arizona Cardinals | first = Michael Vick, QB Atlanta Falcons | first_round = | fewnum = 5 | fewest = Washington Redskins | mostnum = 12 | most = Buffalo Bills Seattle Seahawks | overall = 246 | rounds = 7 | hofnum ={{ Collapsible list | title = 3 | 1 = RB LaDainian Tomlinson | 2 = DT Richard Seymour | 3 = G Steve Hutchinson | prev = 2000 | next = 2002 The 2001 NFL draft was the 66th draft annual of National Football League (NFL) franchises to select 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.

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. The draft was broadcast on ESPN and ESPN2. 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. 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, 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, 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. 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. 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.

No teams elected to claim any players in the 2001 supplemental draft.

Player selections

::data[format=table]

‡	Hall of Fame]]r
::

| cellspacing="2"| |} ::figure[src="https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/b/bd/Michael_Vick,November_2006(133).jpg" caption="Quarterback [[Michael Vick]] was chosen as the first draft pick overall by the [[Atlanta Falcons]]." alt="Head and shoulders view of a dark-skinned man with a beard and moustache"] ::

::figure[src="https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/c/c5/Richard_Seymour_water_bottle.jpg" caption="[[Richard Seymour]] was drafted number sixth overall and went on to win three [[Super Bowl]] championships with the [[New England Patriots]]. A three-time first-team [[All-Pro]], he was elected to the [[Pro Football Hall of Fame]] in 2022."] ::

::figure[src="https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/8/8e/Santana_Moss89.jpg" caption="[[Santana Moss]] was one of four players from the [[University of Miami]] chosen in the first round, more than any other school." alt="A dark-skinned man wearing American football attire"] ::

::figure[src="https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/4/43/TJ_Houshmandzadeh_2007.jpg" caption="Although [[T. J. Houshmandzadeh]] was not selected until the final round of the draft, he went on to play in the [[Pro Bowl]] in 2007." alt="A dark-skinned man wearing American football attire"] ::

::figure[src="https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/e/e9/Drew_Brees_Saints_2008.jpg" caption="first]] [[Super Bowl]] in franchise history, along with setting numerous NFL records. He was the last active player from this draft." alt="A light-skinned man wearing a green shirt"] ::

::figure[src="https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/c/cd/Tomlinson_warming_up.jpg" caption="[[LaDainian Tomlinson]] was the first running back picked in the draft and set multiple NFL records in rushing touchdowns and yards in his nine seasons with the [[San Diego Chargers]]." alt="A dark-skinned man holding a football"] ::

::figure[src="https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/9/97/Reggie_Wayne.JPG" caption="career total receiving yards]] ." alt="A dark-skinned man wearing a white football jersey and helmet"] ::

:#7: Dallas → Seattle (PD). The Cowboys traded this selection along with their first round pick (#19) in the 2000 NFL draft to Seattle for wide receiver Joey Galloway. :Seahawks49ersSwap**#7: Seattle → San Francisco (D).** Seattle traded this pick along with a sixth-round selection (#191) to San Francisco for first-round (#9), third-round (#82), and seventh-round (#222) selections. |group="R1 -"}} |cfb page exists=yes }}

              - Round 2 *************

--

:#50: Pittsburgh → New England (D). see #39: New England → Pittsburgh :PatriotsLionsSwap**#50: New England → Detroit (D).** see #48: Detroit → New England |group="R2 -"}} | cfb page exists=yes }}

:#51: Tampa Bay → Buffalo (D). see #14: Buffalo → Tampa Bay :BuffaloDenverSwap**#51: Buffalo → Denver (D).** Buffalo traded this pick to Denver for second-round (#58) and fourth-round (#110) selections. |group="R2 -"}} | cfb page exists=yes }}

:#52: Indianapolis → Dallas (D). see #37: Dallas → Indianapolis :DallasMiamiSwap**#52: Dallas → Miami (D).** Dallas traded this pick to Miami in exchange for second-round (#56) and fourth-round (#122) selections. |group="R2 -"}} | cfb page exists=yes }}

              - Round 3 *************

--

:#81: Indianapolis → Dallas (D). see #37: Dallas → Indianapolis :#81: Dallas → New Orleans (D). see #53: New Orleans → Dallas |group="R3 -"}} |cfb page exists=yes}}

:#82: New Orleans → Green Bay (PD). New Orleans traded this selection along with linebacker K. D. Williams to Green Bay for quarterback Aaron Brooks and tight end Lamont Hall. :#82: Green Bay → San Francisco (PD). see #41: San Francisco → Green Bay :#82: San Francisco → Seattle (D). see #7: Seattle → San Francisco|group="R3 -"}} | cfb page exists=yes}}

              - Round 4 *************

--

:#112: Pittsburgh → New England (D). see #39: New England → Pittsburgh :#112: New England → San Diego (D). see #96: San Diego → New England |group="R4 -"}} |cfb page exists=yes }}

:#123: Oakland → St. Louis (PD). Oakland traded this pick to St. Louis in exchange for restricted free-agent tight end Roland Williams. :#123: St. Louis → Arizona (D). see #54: St. Louis → Arizona |group="R4 -"}} | cfb page exists=yes }}

              - Round 5 *************

--

:#149: NY Jets → New England (PD). see #101: New England → NY Jets :Pick149Ref**#149: New England → Detroit (D).** New England traded this selection to Detroit in exchange for the Lions' sixth-round (#180) and seventh-round (#216) picks. |group="R5 -"}} | cfb page exists=yes }}

:#154: Denver → St. Louis (PD). Denver traded this pick along a fifth-round pick (#139) in the 2000 NFL draft to St. Louis in exchange for safety Billy Jenkins. :Pick149Ref**#154: St. Louis → Washington (D).** see #145: Washington → St. Louis |group="R5 -"}} | cfb page exists=yes }}

              - Round 6 *************

--

:#173: San Francisco → New England (PD). San Francisco traded this selection to New England in exchange for a seventh-round pick (#212) in the 2000 NFL draft. :#112: New England → Detroit (D). see #48: Detroit → New England |group="R6 -"}} |cfb page exists=yes }}

:#191: Oakland → Seattle (PD). Oakland traded this pick to Seattle for the Seahawks' seventh-round pick (#231) in the 2000 NFL draft. :Seahawks49ersSwap**#191: Seattle → San Francisco (D).** see #7: Seattle → San Francisco |group="R6 -"}} | cfb page exists=yes }}

              - Round 7 *************

--

:#208: Chicago → Miami (PD). In April 2000 Miami acquired this selection along with a seventh-round selection (#232) in the 2000 NFL draft from Chicago in exchange for punter Brent Bartholomew. :#208: Miami → Chicago (PD). Miami traded this selection back to Chicago in October 2000 exchange for tight end Alonzo Mayes. |group="R7 -"}} | cfb page exists=yes }}

:#215: Washington → Denver (PD). Washington traded this pick along with a seventh-round selection (#231) in the 2000 NFL draft to Denver in exchange for cornerback Tito Paul. :BroncosFalconsSwap**#215: Denver → Atlanta (D).** Denver traded this selection along with two additional seventh-rounders (#219 and #226) to Atlanta in exchange for the Falcons' fourth-round selection (#112) in the 2002 NFL draft. |group="R7 -"}} | cfb page exists=yes }}

:#219: Green Bay → Denver (PD). Green Bay traded this selection to Denver in February 2000 in exchange for linebacker David Bowens. :#219: Denver → Atlanta (D). see #215: Denver → Atlanta |group="R7 -"}} | cfb page exists=yes }}

:#222: St. Louis → Green Bay (PD). St. Louis traded this selection on July 23, 1999, to Green Bay for linebacker Mike Morton. :#222: Green Bay → San Francisco (PD). see #41: San Francisco → Green Bay :#222: San Francisco → Seattle (D). see #7: Seattle → San Francisco|group="R7 -"}} | cfb page exists=yes }}

Trades

In the explanations below, (D) denotes trades that took place during the draft, while (PD) indicates trades completed pre-draft.

;Round one

;Round two

;Round three

;Round four

;Round five

;Round six

;Round seven

Players by position

The 246 players chosen in the draft were composed of: ::data[format=table]

Position	Players selected
Quarterbacks	11
Running backs	17
Fullbacks	2
Wide receivers	34
Tight ends	15
Offensive tackles	22
Offensive Guards	12
Centers	6
Long Snapper	1
Defensive ends	19
Defensive tackles	21
Nose tackles	6
Linebackers	30
Defensive backs	45
Cornerbacks	21
Safeties	23
Placekickers	3
Punters	2
::

Notable undrafted players

::data[format=table]

†	= Pro Bowler
::

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.
• Steve Hutchinson, guard from Michigan, taken 1st round 17th overall by the Seattle Seahawks. :Inducted: Professional Football Hall of Fame Class of 2020.
• 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.

References

;General references

;Trade references

;Specific references

References

1. (April 9, 2001). "Fact & Figures on 2001 NFL Draft". [[National Football League]].
2. . (October 2, 2014). ["NFL Draft Locations"](http://www.footballgeography.com/nfl-draft-sites/).
3. (October 2, 2014). "NFL Draft headed to Chicago in 2015". [[New York Giants]].
4. "Atlanta selects QB Vick No. 1 overall". [[Sports Illustrated]].
5. (September 3, 2009). "Vick eligible to play Week 3". [[ESPN]].
6. "2000 Heisman Trophy winner". heisman.com.
7. (June 3, 2007). "Former Heisman winner released by Carolina". ESPN.
8. Morgan, Emiley. (July 14, 2011). "Ex-BYU football player Reno Mahe, 4 others face felony theft charges in gasoline case". Deseret News.
9. "2001 NFL Draft History". profootballhof.com.
10. Players are identified as a Pro Bowler if they were selected for the Pro Bowl at any time in their career.
11. Players are identified as a Hall of Famer if they have been inducted into the Pro Football Hall of Fame.
12. (March 8, 2005). "Bell will get $10 million in guarantees". [[ESPN]].
13. "2007 Pro Bowl Rosters". [[NBC Sports]].
14. (February 7, 2006). "2005 AFC Pro Bowl roster". [[ESPN]].
15. (June 2, 2008). "Broncos release Henry after one disappointing season". [[ESPN]].
16. Sando, Mike. (April 8, 2010). "Pro Bowl draft picks since 2000". [[ESPN]].
17. (December 16, 2008). "2008 Pro Bowl rosters". [[National Football League]].
18. "Years {{!}} Pro Football Hall of Fame".
19. "Years {{!}} Pro Football Hall of Fame".

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