Every NFL Draft is memorable, and every fan has their favorite moment from a particular year. It’s the quintessential spring/summer viewing for every football fan, and each year, the last weekend of April becomes must-watch TV.
Favorite NFL Draft Memories
The 2024 NFL Draft is no different, as many more memories will be formed in this year’s annual player selection event. Before we get to this year’s iteration, the staff at Pro Football Network walked through memory lane and discussed their favorite NFL Draft memories.
Jameis Winston Goes No. 1 to Tampa Bay
Author: Cam Mellor
As sad as it may sound, the 2015 NFL Draft happened just days before my father passed away following an incredibly tough but short battle with cancer. As lifelong Tampa Bay Buccaneers fans with two sons who attended Florida State, the thought of Jameis Winston ushering in a new era of Bucs’ football was a joyous moment in what was ultimately a dark time.
I’ll always be able to hear his cheer when it was made official and Jameis was announced as the first overall pick back in 2015.
Though he never saw him play for Tampa, Winston and the Bucs are etched into the memories as a sign of positivity even in the most trying of times.
If he could find joy from the NFL Draft during what was ultimately a losing battle, imagine the joy we were all able to find in the 25+ editions we had all watched together previously and the fond memories we share of watching the draft with him since his passing.
Ted Ginn Jr. to Miami Dolphins at No. 9
Author: David Bearman
I wasn’t working the draft for once and had no intention of revolving my day around the annual Miami Dolphins disappointment. I got a call in the morning (the draft was Saturday) from a buddy working it, telling me to get up and that the Dolphins were going to get Brady Quinn.
The Cleveland Browns had passed on him at No. 3, and no one was taking him before No. 9. I got up, threw the Dan Marino jersey on, and sped over to my buddy’s draft party. I got there as the Dolphins were on the clock and then got a call from my cousin, who was at the Dolphins draft party at the stadium, that it was Ted Ginn Jr.
I did not believe him until I heard the announcement, at which point I dropped my phone on the hardwood floor and it broke into pieces.
Virtual COVID-19 Draft
Author: Mike Gambardella
In a time of absolute uncertainty, the NFL was able to come together and put on an event that we truly needed. From Roger Goodell hosting in his basement to Bill Belichick’s dog seemingly making picks for the New England Patriots, it was an unprecedented event that holds a special place in many of our hearts.
New England Patriots Drafting Bailey Zappe
Author: Dakota Randall
I covered the 2022 NFL Draft in South Carolina while at the wedding of my wife’s best friend. My co-beat reporter was handling Day 3, but I brought my laptop to the venue in case something relevant happened. As it turned out, I snuck into a bathroom stall to write a reaction to the Patriots selecting Bailey Zappe one year after drafting Mac Jones.
Who the Hell Is Mel Kiper?
Author: Dallas Robinson
I’m too young to have watched then-Indianapolis Colts GM Bill Tobin ask, “Who the hell is Mel Kiper anyway?” after the ESPN draft analyst questioned Indy’s selection of LB Trev Alberts over QB Trent Dilfer in 1994, but I’ve seen the clip roughly 1,000 times.
Tobin’s outburst propelled external draftniks like Kiper into the spotlight, and you can draw a clear line from the Tobin-Kiper episode to the wealth of NFL Draft analysts creating content in 2024.
Laremy Tunsil Passed Because of Gas (Mask)
Author: Adam Beasley
It was a video leak that changed history. Just minutes before the start of the 2016 NFL Draft, a gutless enemy leaked an old video of Laremy Tunsil smoking weed through a gas mask bong.
The optics scared off enough teams that Tunsil fell to the Miami Dolphins at pick No. 13. Three years later, the Dolphins dealt Tunsil to the Texans for a bonanza of picks that became the nucleus of this current Miami roster.
Takkarist McKinley’s Draft Day Emotion
Author: Jay Morrison
It was equal parts touching and ridiculous. It’s become a running joke in the Cincinnati Bengals media room, with someone often yelling, “This is why I do this,” at random moments.
Last year, I printed a picture of Takkarist McKinley holding his picture, framed it, and gave it to the Bengals intern who helped make the moment so memorable for us. The Bengals actually claimed McKinley on waivers in 2020, and I was looking forward to talking to him about it.
But he failed his physical, and his Bengals tenure lasted mere hours. But the legend of his nana lives on.
Tampa Bay Buccaneers Trade Up To Select K Roberto Aguayo
Author: Derek Tate
There is nothing more embarrassing than watching your favorite NFL team become the talk of the draft for the befuddling move to aggressively trade up into the top 60 picks to select a kicker.
David Akers Announces Philadelphia Eagles’ 2018 Second-Rounder
Author: James Fragoza
Guest announcers can be hit or miss in the NFL Draft, but former All-Pro kicker David Akers nailed it when announcing the Philadelphia Eagles’ selection of TE Dallas Goedert in 2018.
With the event held in the Dallas Cowboys’ stadium, Akers poured gasoline on the NFC East rivalry: “Hey Dallas, the last time you were in the Super Bowl, these draft picks weren’t born!”
New Orleans Saints Trade Every Pick for Ricky Williams
Author: Lorenzo Reyna
I’ll never forget Mike Ditka wearing fake dreadlocks and lighting a cigar for their personal draft victory. But I also remember everything sacrificed to get Ricky Williams, ultimately leading to a regime change.
Kirk Cousins Drafted by Washington in Round 4
Author: Ian Cummings
I grew up watching Michigan State football, and their best years came with Mark Dantonio and Kirk Cousins. The former Spartans quarterback became my favorite player, and I started following him as a high schooler through the draft process, always resonating with the underdog storyline.
There was talk he might go on Day 2 and get a chance to start in the NFL, so I was disheartened when Day 2 passed and he wasn’t picked. But then Washington picked him, and the rest is history. As mundane as that moment was, it helped me get into sports writing.
Dallas Cowboys Select Dez Bryant at No. 24 Overall in 2010
Author: Jason Katz
After Terrell Owens left following the 2008 season, the Cowboys lacked a true WR1. The Roy Williams experiment didn’t quite work out in 2009, and Miles Austin profiled more as the Z.
Being a big college football fan back in the day, I loved watching Dez Bryant at Oklahoma State and desperately hoped the Cowboys would take him. Sure enough, they drafted their next great No. 88 WR with the 24th overall pick.
Although Bryant’s career wasn’t that lengthy, he is still one of the most notable Cowboys WRs of all time. And just in case anyone forgot, Dez caught it.
Raghib “Rocket” Ismail Signs With CFL Instead of Dallas Cowboys
Author: Dan Tomaro
The Cowboys traded with the Patriots for the first overall pick in the 1991 NFL Draft. New England traded the top pick because they couldn’t sign Rocket Ismail.
Dallas couldn’t reach a deal with Rocket before he signed with the CFL’s Toronto Argonauts. The Cowboys used the first pick on Russell Maryland, a key part of the Cowboys’ defense when they won three Super Bowls.
Aaron Rodgers’ Draft Day Fall
Author: Brian Blewis
This was the first NFL Draft I ever watched and one of the biggest and most surprising falls in league history in the first round. As shocking as most people found it, I remember Mike Mayock predicting that Aaron Rodgers would suffer a draft-day slide the night before.
Atlanta Falcons Fan Bites at 28-3 Joke While Announcing the 224th Pick in the 2023 NFL Draft
Author: Owain Jones
The NFL is about the fans and the emotion. Both were on display when an Atlanta Falcons superfan stepped onto the stage to announce DeMarcco Hellams as the 224th pick in the 2023 NFL Draft, only to react to a 28-3 joke while on stage, resulting in a viral moment.