The 2006 NFL draft, the 71st in league history, took place in New York City, New York, at Radio City Music Hall on April 29 and April 30, 2006. For the 27th consecutive year, the draft was telecast on ESPN and ESPN2, with additional coverage offered by ESPNU and, for the first time, by NFL Network.
Having signed a contract with the Houston Texans on the evening before the draft, Mario Williams, a defensive end from North Carolina State, became the draft's first pick. The selection surprised many commentators, who predicted that the Texans would draft Southern California running back Reggie Bush or Texas quarterback Vince Young, who would later immediately be drafted with the second and third overall picks by the teams that went on the clock after the Texans did, the New Orleans Saints (selecting Bush) and the Tennessee Titans (selecting Young), respectively.
Ohio State produced the most first-round selections (five), while Southern California produced the most overall selections (eleven). Twenty-seven compensatory and supplemental compensatory selections were distributed amongst seventeen teams; Tampa Bay, Baltimore and Tennessee each held three compensatory picks. The league also held a supplemental draft after the regular draft and before the regular season.
As of 2026, only two players from the 2006 class remain active in the NFL through free agency: tight end Marcedes Lewis and placekicker Matt Prater.
The 255 players chosen in the draft were composed of:
Player selections
For each player selected in the Supplemental Draft, the team forfeits its selection in that round in the draft of the following season.
Hall of Famers
- Devin Hester, return specialist and wide receiver from Miami (FL), taken 2nd round, 57th overall by the Chicago Bears.
Trades
In the explanations below, (PD) indicates trades completed prior to the start of the draft (i.e. Pre-Draft), while (D) denotes trades that took place during the 2006 draft.
Round 1
Round 2
Round 3
Round 4
Round 5
Round 6
Round 7
Miscellaneous
- This would be the final draft that Paul Tagliabue would preside over as Commissioner of the National Football League, as he retired on September 1.
- Two individuals declared for the draft never having played college football: Jai Lewis, a power forward for the George Mason basketball team that reached the semifinals of the 2006 NCAA Division I men's basketball tournament; and Ed Nelson, a power forward for the Connecticut basketball team. Lewis signed after the draft as a free agent with the New York Giants to play offensive tackle but subsequently pursued a professional basketball career, while Nelson signed with the St. Louis Rams to be a tight end. Nelson later turned to professional basketball himself.
- Having been banned in 2004 from playing college football at Colorado for having accepted endorsements while a member of the United States Ski Team, wide receiver and kick returner Jeremy Bloom was drafted in the fifth round by the Philadelphia Eagles.
- Virginia Tech quarterback Marcus Vick, who was dismissed from the Hokies team in January 2006 for repeatedly violating team rules, was undrafted; Vick, the younger brother of former Atlanta Falcons quarterback Michael Vick, later accepted an invitation to attend a Miami Dolphins minicamp and ultimately signed a contract with the team as a wide receiver. He was then released the following season.
- Running back John David Washington, son of actor Denzel Washington, went undrafted out of the Division II school Morehouse College, where he rushed for 1,198 yards in his senior season, setting a school record; Washington was signed as a free agent by the St. Louis Rams.