| 2004 NFL draft | |
|---|---|
 | |
| General information | |
| Date(s) | April 24–25, 2004 |
| Location | Theater at MSG in New York City |
| Network(s) | ESPN, ESPN2 |
| Overview | |
| 255 total selections in 7 rounds | |
| League | NFL |
| First selection | Eli Manning, QB San Diego Chargers |
| Mr. Irrelevant | Andre Sommersell, LB Oakland Raiders |
| Most selections (13) | Tennessee Titans |
| Fewest selections (4) | Washington Redskins |
The 2004 NFL draft was the procedure by which National Football League teams selected amateur college football players. It is officially known as the NFL Annual Player Selection Meeting. The draft was held from April 24–25, 2004, at the Theater at Madison Square Garden in New York City.[1][2][3] No teams chose to claim any players in the supplemental draft that year.
The draft was shown on ESPN both days and eventually moved to ESPN2 both days. The draft began with the San Diego Chargers selecting Mississippi quarterback Eli Manning with the first overall selection. Due to his refusal to play for the Chargers, Manning was later traded to the New York Giants for the fourth overall pick Philip Rivers of NC State. There were 32 compensatory selections distributed among 16 teams, with the Eagles, Rams, and Jets each receiving 4 compensatory picks.[4] Seven wide receivers were selected in the first round, a draft record later tied in 2024.[5] Another record set by the draft was the most trades in the first round, with twenty-eight trades. The University of Miami set an NFL record for the most first rounders drafted with six, which would be tied by Alabama in 2021. Ohio State set an NFL draft record having 14 total players selected through all rounds. It was the first draft to have produced two quarterbacks who each won multiple Super Bowls, with Ben Roethlisberger winning his second in 2008 and Eli Manning his second in 2011.
The 255 players chosen in the draft were composed of:
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- ^ Facts & Figures Archived May 19, 2006, at the Wayback Machine.
- ^ "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.
- ^ NFL gives 32 compensatory draft choices. March 29, 2004. URL Accessed June 24, 2006.
- ^ Breech, John (April 26, 2024). "2024 NFL Draft sets multiple records in first round: Historic night for QBs, plus the Raiders make a rare move". CBS Sports. Retrieved May 7, 2024.