The 2016 NFL draft was the 81st annual draft of National Football League (NFL) franchises to select newly eligible American football players. As in 2015, the draft took place at the Auditorium Theatre and Grant Park in Chicago. The draft began with the first round on Thursday, April 28, and ended on Saturday, April 30. The Tennessee Titans, the team with the fewest wins in the NFL for the 2015 season, traded the right to the top pick in the draft to the Los Angeles Rams, the first time the top pick was traded before the draft since 2001 when the San Diego Chargers traded their first pick to the Atlanta Falcons. Ohio State became the second school to have three players drafted in the top ten and to have five players drafted in the first round.
Early entrants
Ninety-six underclassmen announced their intention to enter the 2016 NFL draft as underclassmen, which primarily includes juniors and redshirt sophomores who are forgoing future years of college eligibility. In order to be eligible to enter the draft, players must be at least three years removed from high school. The deadline for underclassmen to declare for the draft was January 18, 2016.
Overview
The following is the breakdown of the 253 players selected by position:
- 36 linebackers
- 31 wide receivers
- 32 cornerbacks
- 22 defensive tackles
- 20 offensive tackles
- 19 running backs
- 19 safeties
- 18 defensive ends
- 15 quarterbacks
- 13 guards
- 11 tight ends
- 8 centers
- 3 fullbacks
- 3 punters
- 1 long snapper
- 1 placekicker
Trades
(PD) indicates trades completed prior to the start of the draft (i.e. Pre-Draft), while (D) denotes trades which took place during the 2016 draft.
Round 1
Round 2
Round 3
Round 4
Round 5
Round 6
Round 7
Forfeited picks
The 2016 supplemental draft was held on July 14, 2016. For each player selected in the supplemental draft, the team forfeits its pick in that round in the draft of the following season. This year, six players were eligible for selection:
- Eddie D'Antuono – LS – Virginia Tech
- Ra'Zahn Howard – DL – Purdue
- Jalen Overstreet – RB – Sam Houston State
- Tee Shepard – CB – Ole Miss
- Rashaun Simonise – WR – Calgary
- Cameron Walton – DE – Concordia
No players were selected.