The night a future legend fell to the twenty-fourth pick
In short: In April 2005, the NFL draft moved to a new New York venue. While the league witnessed a historic run of running backs, one quarterback's unexpected slide to the twenty-fourth pick would later become a defining moment in football history, as a future legend fell much lower than projected.
The 70th annual NFL draft took place on April 23 and 24, 2005, marking a change in scenery for the event. The league relocated the event to New York City's Jacob K. Javits Convention Center for the initial time, concluding ten years of hosting at Madison Square Garden which began in 1995. This move ended a decade of using Madison Square Garden, a venue occupied by the draft since 1995. The broadcast, aired on ESPN and ESPN2, continued a 26-year streak of televised coverage.
The 2005 class was notable for its positional trends and specific high-profile outcomes. For the first time in draft history, three of the first five players selected were running backs. The draft also featured a significant shift in talent evaluation regarding quarterback Aaron Rodgers. Despite projections suggesting he could be a top-tier selection, Rodgers fell to the 24th overall pick. He had even anticipated being the first overall pick for the San Francisco 49ers, but the team instead selected Alex Smith. Rodgers was eventually drafted by the Green Bay Packers after several teams prioritized other positions.
Beyond the primary selections, the draft involved complex mechanics of compensation and supplemental rounds. Fourteen teams received compensatory picks, with the Philadelphia Eagles and St. Louis Rams each receiving four. The league also conducted a supplemental draft after the main event but before the start of the regular season. This process required teams that selected players in the supplemental round to forfeit a corresponding pick in the following year's regular draft. Although several members of this group have now retired, the Dallas Cowboys' 11th overall pick, linebacker DeMarcus Ware, joined the Pro Football Hall of Fame in 2023.
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Sources
- Summary by Intellect · source: 2005 NFL draft
- Also: 2005 NFL Draft
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