| 2008 NFL draft | |
|---|---|
 | |
| General information | |
| Date(s) | April 26–27, 2008 |
| Time | 3:00 pm EDT (April 26) 10:00 am EDT (April 27) |
| Location | Radio City Music Hall in New York City |
| Network(s) | ESPN, ESPN2, NFL Network |
| Overview | |
| 252 total selections in 7 rounds | |
| League | NFL |
| First selection | Jake Long, OT Miami Dolphins |
| Mr. Irrelevant | David Vobora, LB St. Louis Rams |
| Most selections (12) | Chicago Bears Kansas City Chiefs |
| Fewest selections (5) | Cleveland Browns Jacksonville Jaguars Minnesota Vikings Oakland Raiders San Diego Chargers |
The 2008 NFL draft was the 73rd annual meeting of National Football League (NFL) franchises to select newly eligible American football players. The draft took place at Radio City Music Hall in New York City, New York, on April 26 and April 27, 2008.[1][2] For the 29th consecutive year, ESPN televised the draft; the NFL Network also broadcast the event, its third year doing so. Of the 252 selections,[3] 220 were regular selections in rounds one through seven, and 32 were compensatory selections,[4] distributed among rounds three through seven.[5] As of the end of the 2018 season, 27 players have been selected to the Pro Bowl.
For the first time since the common draft began, no wide receiver was selected in the first round. For the first time ever, the first two picks had the same last name (Jake and Chris Long; they were unrelated). Also, a then-record 34 trades were made during the draft itself.[6] The number of trades was later broken in 2017.
As of 2024, there are only 4 remaining active players in the NFL from the 2008 draft class: Duane Brown, Calais Campbell, Joe Flacco, and Josh Johnson, although Johnson was absent from 2014 to 2017, from 2019 to 2020, and again in 2023.
- ^ "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.
- ^ "Selection" is the term used in NFL documentation, although the more-commonly used term, and the term used during the broadcast of the draft itself, is "picks".
- ^ "NFL announces 32 compensatory picks for 15 teams". NFL.com. Associated Press. March 31, 2008. Archived from the original on January 20, 2009. Retrieved January 17, 2009.
- ^ As there were 32 compensatory selections, there were no supplementary compensatory selections this year.
- ^ "Teams deal way to record 34 trades on draft weekend". ESPN.com. Associated Press. April 28, 2008. Archived from the original on December 6, 2008. Retrieved November 29, 2008.