1972 NFL player selection
The 1972 NFL draft was the thirty-seventh annual meeting of National Football League (NFL) franchises to select newly eligible football players. The draft was held on February 1 and 2 at the Essex House in New York City , New York .[ 1] [ 2]
With the first overall pick of the draft, the Buffalo Bills selected defensive end Walt Patulski . Patulski would become viewed as a draft bust ,[ 3] [ 4] for the Bills would release him in 1976 — ironically replacing Patuski with second choice Sherman White of California . Twenty-first century NFL historians have frequently described 1972 as one of the league’s worst draft classes ever,[ 5] [ 6] [ 7] especially regarding the failure of the majority of first-round draftees, which has become viewed worse than other notably weak drafts like 2002 and 2009 .[ 8] [ 6] Only seven of thirty first rounders made even one Pro Bowl, and the whole 1972 draft produced just two Hall of Fame members, one of whom, wide receiver Cliff Branch , was inducted posthumously. This is the fewest of any draft class since 1959 had only Dick LeBeau reach Canton.
^ a b May sometimes be referred to as an edge rusher (EDGE)
^ Also known as offensive guard (OG)
^ Also known as placekicker (PK)
^ Also known as inside linebacker (ILB)
Pick #
NFL team
Player
Position
College
209
Buffalo Bills
Steve Vogel
Linebacker
Boise State
210
Cincinnati Bengals
Stan Walters
Tackle
Syracuse
211
New York Giants
Ed Richardson
Running back
Southern
212
Houston Oilers
Willie Postler
Tackle
Montana
213
St. Louis Cardinals
Gene Macken
Center
South Dakota
214
Denver Broncos
Floyd Priester
Defensive back
Boston University
215
Baltimore Colts
Gary Hambell
Defensive tackle
Dayton
216
New Orleans Saints
Kent Branstetter
Defensive tackle
Houston
217
Pittsburgh Steelers
Don Kelley
Defensive back
Clemson
218
New York Jets
Jeff Ford
Defensive back
Georgia Tech
219
Chicago Bears
Larry Horton
Defensive end
Iowa
220
New England Patriots
Mike Kelson
Tackle
Arkansas
221
San Diego Chargers
Fran Schmitz
Defensive tackle
St. Norbert
222
Philadelphia Eagles
Pat Gibbs
Defensive back
Lamar University
223
Atlanta Falcons
Bill "Ray" Easterling
Defensive back
Richmond
224
Detroit Lions
Bill McClintock
Defensive back
Drake
225
Los Angeles Rams
Harry Howard
Defensive back
Ohio State
226
Cleveland Browns
Larry McKee
Guard
Arizona
227
San Francisco 49ers
Jerry Brown
Defensive back
Northwestern
228
Oakland Raiders
Dave Bigler
Running back
Morningside
229
Washington Redskins
Steve Boekholder
Defensive end
Drake
230
Cleveland Browns
Billy LeFear
Wide receiver
Henderson State
231
Kansas City Chiefs
Dave Taylor
Defensive tackle
Weber State
232
Minnesota Vikings
Charlie Goodrum
Guard
Florida A&M
233
Miami Dolphins
Greg Johnson
Defensive back
Wisconsin
234
Dallas Cowboys
Roy Bell
Running back
Oklahoma
Pick #
NFL team
Player
Position
College
235
Buffalo Bills
Maurice Tyler
Defensive back
Morgan State
236
New York Giants
John Odom
Defensive back
Texas Tech
237
Cincinnati Bengals
Brian Foster
Defensive back
Colorado
238
St. Louis Cardinals
Eric Washington
Defensive back
Texas-El Paso
239
Denver Broncos
Richard Wilkins
Defensive end
Maryland State
240
Houston Oilers
Rhett Dawson
Wide receiver
Florida State
241
New Orleans Saints
Andy Kupp
Guard
Idaho
242
Green Bay Packers
Keith Wortman
Guard
Nebraska
243
Pittsburgh Steelers
Bob Brown
Defensive tackle
Tampa
244
New York Jets
Harley Turner
Defensive back
Tennessee-Chattanooga
245
New England Patriots
Mel Caraway
Defensive back
N.E. Oklahoma
246
San Diego Chargers
Lon Kolstad
Linebacker
Whitewater (Wis)
247
Chicago Bears
Jack Turnbull
Center
Oregon State
248
Philadelphia Eagles
John Bunting
Linebacker
North Carolina
249
Detroit Lions
Jim Teal
Linebacker
Purdue
250
St. Louis Cardinals
Mike Franks
Quarterback
Eastern New Mexico
251
Los Angeles Rams
Jim Massey
Defensive back
Linfield
252
San Francisco 49ers
Steve Williams
Defensive tackle
Western Carolina
253
Cleveland Browns
Hershal Mosier
Defensive tackle
N.W. Oklahoma
254
Oakland Raiders
Phillip Price
Defensive back
Idaho State
255
Washington Redskins
Mike Oldham
Wide receiver
Michigan
256
Baltimore Colts
Dave Shilling
Running back
Oregon State
257
Kansas City Chiefs
Rich Ruppert
Tackle
Hawaii
258
Minnesota Vikings
Willie Aldridge
Running back
South Carolina State
259
Houston Oilers
Jimmy Butler
Tight end
Tulsa
260
Dallas Cowboys
Richard Amman
Defensive tackle
Florida State
Pick #
NFL team
Player
Position
College
261
Cincinnati Bengals
Kent Pederson
Tight end
California-Santa Barbara
262
New York Giants
John Robertson
Defensive back
Kansas State
263
Denver Broncos
Larry Brunson
Wide receiver
Colorado
264
Houston Oilers
Ron Evans
Tackle
Baylor
265
St. Louis Cardinals
Ron Jones
Linebacker
Arkansas
266
Green Bay Packers
David Bailey
Wide receiver
Alabama
267
New Orleans Saints
Paul Dongieux
Linebacker
Mississippi
268
New York Jets
Robert Stevenson
Linebacker
Tennessee State
269
New England Patriots
Rodney Cason
Tackle
Angelo State
270
San Diego Chargers
John Turner
Tight end
Long Beach State
271
Buffalo Bills
Bill Light
Linebacker
Minnesota
272
Chicago Bears
Ed Wimberly
Defensive back
Jackson State
273
Pittsburgh Steelers
Joe Gilliam
Quarterback
Tennessee State
274
Philadelphia Eagles
Dennis Sweeney
Defensive end
Western Michigan
275
Atlanta Falcons
Jack Phillips
Wide receiver
Grambling
276
Detroit Lions
Bob Waldron
Defensive tackle
Tulane
277
Oakland Raiders
Joe Carroll
Linebacker
Pittsburgh
278
Cleveland Browns
Mel Long
Linebacker
Toledo
279
San Francisco 49ers
Tom Laputka
Defensive end
Southern Illinois
280
Los Angeles Rams
Albert Schmidt
Running back
Pittsburg State (KS)
281
Washington Redskins
Jeff Welch
Defensive back
Arkansas Tech
282
Baltimore Colts
Fred DeBernardi
Defensive end
Texas-El Paso
283
Kansas City Chiefs
Elbert Walker
Tackle
Wisconsin
284
Minnesota Vikings
Willie McKelton
Defensive back
Southern
285
Miami Dolphins
Ed Jenkins
Wide receiver
Holy Cross
286
Dallas Cowboys
Lonnie Leonard
Defensive end
North Carolina A&T
Pick #
NFL team
Player
Position
College
287
Buffalo Bills
Jeff Baker
Wide receiver
U.S. International
288
New York Giants
Jay Anderson
Defensive tackle
Mayville
289
Cincinnati Bengals
Frederick Wegis
Defensive back
Cal Poly-San Luis Obispo
290
Houston Oilers
Willie Rodgers
Running back
Kentucky State
291
St. Louis Cardinals
Tommy Gay
Defensive tackle
Arkansas AM&N
292
Denver Broncos
Randy McDougall
Defensive back
Weber State
293
New Orleans Saints
Steve Lockhart
Tight end
Arkansas State
294
Green Bay Packers
Mike Rich
Running back
Florida
295
San Diego Chargers
Sam Key
Linebacker
Elon
296
New England Patriots
Steve Booras
Defensive end
Mesa Jr. College
297
Chicago Bears
Doug Neill
Running back
Texas A&M
298
Pittsburgh Steelers
Ron Curl
Tackle
Michigan State
299
New York Jets
John Bjorklund
Running back
Princeton
300
Philadelphia Eagles
Don Zimmerman
Wide receiver
N.E. Louisiana
301
Detroit Lions
Paul Bradley
Wide receiver
Southern Methodist
302
Atlanta Falcons
Larry Mialik
Tight end
Wisconsin
303
Los Angeles Rams
David Hoot
Defensive back
Texas A&M
304
San Francisco 49ers
Steve Setzler
Defensive end
St. John's
305
Cleveland Browns
Bernard Chapman
Defensive back
Texas-El Paso
306
Oakland Raiders
Kent Gaydos
Tight end
Florida State
307
Washington Redskins
Don Bunce
Quarterback
Stanford
308
Baltimore Colts
Gary Theiler
Tight end
Tennessee
309
Kansas City Chiefs
Mike Williams
Defensive tackle
Oregon
310
Minnesota Vikings
Bob Banaugh
Defensive back
Montana State
311
Miami Dolphins
Ashley Bell
Tight end
Purdue
312
Dallas Cowboys
Jimmy Harris
Wide receiver
Ohio State
Pick #
NFL team
Player
Position
College
313
Buffalo Bills
Ed Moss
Running back
Southeast Missouri State
314
Cincinnati Bengals
James Hamilton
Quarterback
Arkansas State
315
New York Giants
Chuck Heard
Defensive end
Georgia
316
St. Louis Cardinals
Tom Campana
Defensive back
Ohio State
317
Denver Broncos
Bob Warner
Running back
Bloomsburg (PA)
318
Houston Oilers
Willie Roberts
Defensive back
Houston
319
Green Bay Packers
Jesse Lakes
Running back
Central Michigan
320
New Orleans Saints
Cephus Weatherspoon
Wide receiver
Fort Lewis
321
San Diego Chargers
Andy Selfridge
Linebacker
Virginia
322
Chicago Bears
Jay Rood
Tackle
Southern (S.D.)
323
Pittsburgh Steelers
Ernie Mesmer
Tackle
Villanova
324
New York Jets
Steve Sullivan
Tackle
North Texas State
325
New England Patriots
Sam Elmore
Defensive back
Eastern Michigan
326
Philadelphia Eagles
Preston Carpenter
Defensive end
Mississippi
327
Atlanta Falcons
Henry Sovio
Tight end
Hawaii
328
Detroit Lions
John Kirschner
Tight end
Memphis State
329
Los Angeles Rams
Jaime Nunez
Kicker
Weber State
330
Cleveland Browns
Brian Sipe
Quarterback
San Diego State
331
San Francisco 49ers
Leon Pettigrew
Tackle
San Fernando Valley
332
Washington Redskins
Frank Grant
Wide receiver
Southern Colorado
333
Oakland Raiders
Ted Covington
Wide receiver
San Fernando Valley
334
Baltimore Colts
Herb Washington
Wide receiver
Michigan State
335
Kansas City Chiefs
Tyler Hellams
Defensive back
South Carolina
336
Minnesota Vikings
Franklin Roberts
Running back
Alcorn A&M
337
Miami Dolphins
Archie Robinson
Defensive back
Hillsdale
338
Dallas Cowboys
Jean Fugett
Tight end
Amherst
Pick #
NFL team
Player
Position
College
339
New York Giants
James Evans
Linebacker
South Carolina State
340
Buffalo Bills
Karl Salb
Defensive tackle
Kansas
341
Cincinnati Bengals
Steve Porter
Wide receiver
Indiana
342
Denver Broncos
Jerome Kundich
Guard
Texas-El Paso
343
Houston Oilers
Gary Crockett
Center
Lamar
344
St. Louis Cardinals
Pat McTeer
Kicker
New Mexico State
345
New Orleans Saints
Steve Barrios
Wide receiver
Tulane
346
Green Bay Packers
Larry Hefner
Linebacker
Clemson
347
Chicago Bears
Bob Brown
Wide receiver
Rice
348
Pittsburgh Steelers
Tom Durrance
Running back
Florida
349
New York Jets
Louis Age
Guard
Southwestern Louisiana
350
New England Patriots
Ed Rideout
Wide receiver
Boston College
351
San Diego Chargers
John Van Reenen
Defensive end
Washington State
352
Philadelphia Eagles
Bill Overmyer
Linebacker
Ashland
353
Detroit Lions
Eric Kelley
Tackle
Whitworth
354
Atlanta Falcons
Tom Chandler
Linebacker
Minnesota
355
Los Angeles Rams
Larry Brooks
Defensive end
Virginia State
356
San Francisco 49ers
Eric Guthrie
Quarterback
Boise State
357
Cleveland Browns
Ed Stewart
Guard
East Central Oklahoma
358
Oakland Raiders
Dennis Cambal
Running back
William & Mary
359
Baltimore Colts
John Morris
Center
Missouri Valley
360
Kansas City Chiefs
David Chaney
Linebacker
San Jose State
361
Minnesota Vikings
Marv Owens
Running back
San Diego State
362
Miami Dolphins
Willie Jones
Linebacker
Tampa
363
Dallas Cowboys
Alan Thompson
Running back
Wisconsin
364
Washington Redskins
Mike O'Quinn
Guard
McNeese State
Pick #
NFL team
Player
Position
College
365
Oakland Raiders
Charles Hester
Running back
Central State (OH)
366
Cincinnati Bengals
Hosea Minnieweather
Defensive tackle
Jackson State
367
New York Giants
Ken Kavanaugh Jr.
Tight end
LSU
368
Pittsburgh Steelers
John Hulecki
Guard
Massachusetts
369
St. Louis Cardinals
Mark Herman
Tight end
Yankton
370
Denver Broncos
Harold Parmenter
Defensive tackle
Massachusetts
371
Green Bay Packers
Rick Thone
Wide receiver
Arkansas Tech
372
New Orleans Saints
Rusty Lachaussee
Quarterback
Tulane
373
Pittsburgh Steelers
Charles Harrington
Guard
Wichita State
374
New York Jets
Phil Sullivan
Defensive back
Georgia
375
New England Patriots
Joel Klime
Tight end
Pittsburgh
376
San Diego Chargers
Charles Neugent
Defensive back
Tuskegee
377
Chicago Bears
Roger Lawson
Running back
Western Michigan
378
Philadelphia Eagles
Tom Sullivan
Running back
Miami (FL)
379
Atlanta Falcons
Oscar Jenkins
Defensive back
Virginia Union
380
Detroit Lions
Steve Roach
Linebacker
Kansas
381
Los Angeles Rams
Kenny Page
Linebacker
Kansas
382
Cleveland Browns
Jewel McCullar
Linebacker
Chico State
383
San Francisco 49ers
Bob Maddox
Defensive end
Frostburg State (MD)
384
Oakland Raiders
Dave Snesrud
Linebacker
Hamline
385
Washington Redskins
Carl Taibi
Defensive end
Colorado
386
Baltimore Colts
Robin Parkhouse
Linebacker
Alabama
387
Kansas City Chiefs
Larry Marshall
Running back
Maryland
388
Minnesota Vikings
Mike Sivert
Guard
East Tennessee State
389
Miami Dolphins
Bill Davis
Defensive tackle
William & Mary
390
Dallas Cowboys
Carlos Alvarez
Wide receiver
Florida
Pick #
NFL team
Player
Position
College
391
Buffalo Bills
Brian Linstrom
Quarterback
Arizona
392
New York Giants
Neovia Greyer
Defensive back
Wisconsin
393
Cincinnati Bengals
John Wiegman
Wide receiver
Cal Poly-Pomona
394
St. Louis Cardinals
Henry Alford
Defensive end
Pittsburgh
395
Denver Broncos
Tom Bougus
Running back
Boston College
396
Houston Oilers
Guy Murdock
Center
Michigan
397
New Orleans Saints
Joe Balthrop
Guard
Tennessee
398
Green Bay Packers
Charles Burrell
Defensive tackle
Arkansas AM&N
399
New York Jets
Gary Kipfmiller
Center
Nebraska-Omaha
400
New England Patriots
Eric Dahl
Defensive back
San Jose State
401
San Diego Chargers
James Shaw
Defensive back
Tulsa
402
Chicago Bears
Bill McKinney
Linebacker
West Texas State
403
Pittsburgh Steelers
Nate Hawkins
Wide receiver
Nevada-Las Vegas
404
Philadelphia Eagles
Steve Bielenberg
Linebacker
Oregon State
405
Detroit Lions
Leon Jenkins
Defensive back
West Virginia
406
Atlanta Falcons
Larry Butler
Linebacker
Stanford
407
Los Angeles Rams
Jim Kirby
Wide receiver
Long Beach State
408
San Francisco 49ers
Ron Davis
Guard
Virginia State
409
Cleveland Browns
Richard Wakefield
Wide receiver
Ohio State
410
Oakland Raiders
Willie Wright
Tight end
North Carolina A&T
411
Washington Redskins
Steve Higginbottom
Defensive back
Alabama
412
Baltimore Colts
Gary Wichard
Quarterback
C.W. Post
413
Kansas City Chiefs
Bob Johnson
Defensive end
Hanover (Ind)
414
Minnesota Vikings
Neil Graff
Quarterback
Wisconsin
415
Miami Dolphins
Al Hannah
Wide receiver
Wisconsin
416
Dallas Cowboys
Gordon Longmire
Quarterback
Utah
Pick #
NFL team
Player
Position
College
417
Buffalo Bills
John Shelly
Defensive back
Oklahoma
418
Cincinnati Bengals
David Green
Punter
Ohio
419
New York Giants
John Seyferth
Running back
Michigan
420
Denver Broncos
Lou Harris
Running back
USC
421
Houston Oilers
Kelly Cochrane
Quarterback
Miami (FL)
422
St. Louis Cardinals
Kent Carter
Linebacker
USC
423
San Diego Chargers
Oscar Dragon
Running back
Arizona State
424
New England Patriots
Dick Graham
Wide receiver
Oklahoma State
425
New England Patriots
Junior Ah You
Linebacker
Arizona State
426
San Diego Chargers
Bob Tackett
Tackle
Texas-El Paso
427
Chicago Bears
LaVerne Dickinson
Defensive back
Southern
428
Pittsburgh Steelers
Ron Linehan
Linebacker
Idaho
429
New York Jets
Ken Gamble
Kicker
Fayetteville
430
Philadelphia Eagles
Tom Nash
Tackle
Georgia
431
Atlanta Falcons
Bill Holland
Running back
USC
432
Detroit Lions
Mike Tyler
Defensive back
Rice
433
Los Angeles Rams
Luther Palmer
Tight end
Virginia Union
434
Cleveland Browns
William Portz
Running back
Sterling (KS)
435
San Francisco 49ers
Ted Alexander
Running back
Langston
436
Los Angeles Rams
John McKean
Center
Oregon
437
Washington Redskins
Kevin Clemente
Linebacker
Boston College
438
Baltimore Colts
Stan White
Linebacker
Ohio State
439
Kansas City Chiefs
Ted Washington
Linebacker
Mississippi Valley
440
Minnesota Vikings
Dick Schmalz
Wide receiver
Auburn
441
Miami Dolphins
Vern Brown
Defensive back
Western Michigan
442[ note 3]
Dallas Cowboys
Alphonso Cain
Defensive tackle
Bethune-Cookman
Franco Harris , running back from Penn State, taken 1st round 13th overall by Pittsburgh Steelers
Inducted: Professional Football Hall of Fame class of 1990.[ 10]
Cliff Branch , wide receiver from Colorado, taken 4th round 98th overall by Oakland Raiders
Inducted: Professional Football Hall of Fame class of 2022 (posthumous).
Notable undrafted players [ edit ]
^ a b c d Players are identified as a Pro Bowler if they were selected for the Pro Bowl at any time in their career.
^ Players are identified as a Hall of Famer if they have been inducted into the Pro Football Hall of Fame.
^ This last selection is commonly referred to as Mr. Irrelevant .
^ "NFL Draft Locations" . FootballGeography.com . October 2, 2014. Archived from the original on September 5, 2015. Retrieved October 23, 2014 .
^ Salomone, Dan (October 2, 2014). "NFL Draft headed to Chicago in 2015" . Giants.com . New York Giants . Archived from the original on September 30, 2015. Retrieved June 3, 2015 .
^ "Phillips couldn't outrun off-the-field troubles" . ESPN.com . April 2, 2008.
^ Graham, Tim (November 19, 2016). "After 40 Years in the NFL Darkness, Walt Patulski Explains How It All Went Wrong" . The Buffalo News .
^ Holder, Larry (April 23, 2022). "NFL Draft's all-time best and worst classes: No. 1 is clear, but recent classes are climbing" . The Athletic .
^ a b Stuart, Chase (May 17, 2014). "Best and Worst Drafts since 1970" . Football Perspective .
^ Rosa, Elwood (September 28, 2023). "Ranking the 10 Worst NFL Draft Classes of All-Time — The Biggest Busts" . Sporting Free.
^ Kacsmar, Scott (June 3, 2012). "What Was the Worst NFL Draft of the New Millennium?" . Bleacher Report .
^ "Heisman Trophy winner 1971: Pat Sullivan" . Archived from the original on December 15, 2009. Retrieved August 14, 2013 .
^ "Pro Football Hall of Fame: List of 1990s Hall of Fame Inductees" . Archived from the original on July 31, 2008. Retrieved October 11, 2008 .
Well, that’s interesting to know that Psilotum nudum are known as whisk ferns. Psilotum nudum is the commoner species of the two. While the P. flaccidum is a rare species and is found in the tropical islands. Both the species are usually epiphytic in habit and grow upon tree ferns. These species may also be terrestrial and grow in humus or in the crevices of the rocks.
View the detailed Guide of Psilotum nudum: Detailed Study Of Psilotum Nudum (Whisk Fern), Classification, Anatomy, Reproduction