The NFL draft, officially known as the "NFL Annual Player Selection Meeting",[1][2][3] is an annual event which serves as the league's most common source of player recruitment.[4] The draft order is determined based on the previous season's standings; the teams with the worst win–loss records receive the earliest picks. Teams that qualified for the NFL playoffs select after non-qualifiers, and their order depends on how far they advanced, using their regular season record as a tie-breaker. The final two selections in the first round are reserved for the Super Bowl runner-up and champion. Draft picks are tradable and players or other picks can be acquired with them.[5]
In 1936, the league introduced the NFL draft after team owners voted on it in 1935.[6][7] The intention of the draft is to make the NFL more competitive, as some teams had an advantage in signing players.[5][7] From 1947 through 1958 the NFL designated the first overall selection as a "bonus" or "lottery pick". The pick was awarded by a random draw and the winner who received the "bonus pick" forfeited its selection in the final round of the draft and became ineligible for future draws. The system was abolished prior to the 1959 NFL draft, as all twelve teams in the league at the time had received a bonus choice.[8][9]