NFL Draft live blog

History of the NFL Draft

The NFL Draft is an old tradition dating back 31 years before the the first Super Bowl. The first-ever NFL draft was held 82 years ago at the Ritz-Carlton hotel in Philadelphia. There were only nine teams in the league at that time.

University of Chicago Athletics & Recreation

Back then, the NFL owners wanted a process to enable weaker teams to have a better chance at landing top college prospect. In the 17th year of the league, the NFL devised the method still used today where the previous year’s last-place team earns the first selection.

The Philadelphia Eagles had the first-ever draft pick, selecting Jay Berwanger from the University of Chicago. Berwanger also had the distinction of being the first to receive the “Downtown Athletic Club Trophy,” which was later renamed to the Heisman Trophy.