The2005 NFL draft, the 70th in league history, took place on April 23 and 24,2005. The draft was held at theJacob K. Javits Convention Center in New York City[1][2] and was televised for the 26th consecutive year, with coverage onESPN andESPN2. It was the first to be held at the Javits Center, asMadison Square Garden had been utilized for drafts since 1995.[3]
The draft is perhaps best known for quarterbackAaron Rodgers' slide to the 24th selection despite his projection as one of the top picks.[4] Rodgers believed that he would be taken first overall by theSan Francisco 49ers, but after the 49ers selected quarterbackAlex Smith, teams with other positional needs drafted other players until he was selected by theGreen Bay Packers.[5][6][7] The fall has drawn retrospective scrutiny because of Smith's tumultuous time in San Francisco combined with Rodgers' comparatively much more fruitful tenure with Green Bay.[8][9][10][11]
QuarterbackAlex Smith, taken first overall, struggled for his first few years before becoming a solid starter after 2011 for theSan Francisco 49ers, a Pro Bowler with theKansas City Chiefs and a starter with theWashington Redskins. He overcame a severe leg injury in his final season.CornerbackAdam "Pacman" Jones, taken sixth overall, enjoyed a long career despite several off-field incidents.LinebackerDeMarcus Ware, taken 11th overall, was a stalwart on theDallas Cowboys defense before finishing his career with theDenver Broncos.LinebackerShawne Merriman, taken 12th overall, was a three-timeAll-Pro and led the NFL in sacks in 2006.Aaron Rodgers, taken 24th overall, is regarded as one of the most talented quarterbacks of all time and holds the record for lowest career interception percentage.ReceiverRoddy White, taken 27th overall, was a four-timePro Bowler and holds manyAtlanta Falcons receiving records.Tight endHeath Miller, taken 30th overall, won two Super Bowls with thePittsburgh Steelers and was a fan favorite.ReceiverVincent Jackson, taken 61st overall in the second round, was a three-time Pro Bowler with theSan Diego Chargers andTampa Bay Buccaneers.Running backFrank Gore, taken 65th overall in the third round, currently ranks third on theNFL's all-time career rushing list.Defensive endJustin Tuck, drafted 74th overall in the third round, won two Super Bowls with theNew York Giants and was a two-timeAll-Pro.GuardRichie Incognito, drafted 81st overall, is a four-timePro Bowler but has also drawn controversy, including a bullying scandal in 2013.Running back/kick returnerDarren Sproles, drafted in the fourth round, has the fifth-most career all-purpose yards in the NFL.Ryan Fitzpatrick, drafted in the seventh round, started for nine different teams during his long career as ajourneyman quarterback.
In the explanations below,(PD) indicates trades completed prior to the start of the draft while(D) denotes trades that took place during the draft.
Round one
^No 7: Oakland → Minnesota (PD).Oakland traded its first- (7th) and seventh-round (219th) picks toMinnesota in exchange for wide receiverRandy Moss.
^No 12: NY Giants → San Diego (PD). TheGiants traded their third-round selection (65th) in2004 and first- (12th) and fifth-round (144th) selections in 2005 toSan Diego in exchange for quarterbackEli Manning
^No 13: Houston → New Orleans. (D)New Orleans traded their first- and third-round selections (16th and 66th) toHouston in exchange for Houston's first-round selection (13th)
^No 20: Buffalo → Dallas. (PD)Buffalo traded their first-round selection (20th) together with their second- and fifth-round selections (43rd and 144th) in2004 toDallas in exchange for Dallas' first-round selection (22nd) in 2004
^No 23: Seattle → Oakland. (D)Seattle traded their first-round selection (23rd) toOakland in exchange for Oakland's first- and fifth-round selections (26th and 105th)
^No 25: Denver → Washington (PD).Denver traded their first-round selection (25th) toWashington in exchange for Washington's third-round selection (76th) and first- and fourth-round selections (22nd and 119th) in2006
^No. 26: multiple trades: No. 26: NY Jets → Oakland. (PD)the Jets traded their first- and seventh-round selections (23rd and 230th) toOakland in exchange for Oakland's second- and two sixth-round selections (47th, 182nd and 185th) and tight endDoug Jolley. No. 26: Oakland → Seattle. (D) seeNo. 23: Seattle → Oakland.
Round two
^No 35: Miami → Philadelphia (PD).Miami traded its second-round selection (35th) toPhiladelphia in exchange for quarterbackA.J. Feeley
^No 37: Tennessee → Detroit (D).Tennessee traded its second-round selection (37th) toDetroit in exchange for Detroit's second- and fourth-round selections (41st and 113rd)
^No 40: Washington → New Orleans (PD).Washington traded its fifth-round selection (139th) in2004 and second-round selection (40th) toNew Orleans in exchange for New Orleans' third- and fifth round selections (81st and 151st) in 2004
^No 45: Carolina → Seattle (D).Carolina traded its second-round selection (45th) toSeattle in exchange for Seattle's second- and two fourth-round selections (54th, 121st and 126th)
^No. 46: Kansas City → Miami (PD).Kansas City traded its second- and fifth-round selections (46th and 162nd) toMiami in exchange for cornerbackPatrick Surtain and Miami's fifth-round selection (138th)
^No. 47: multiple trades: No. 47: Houston → Oakland (PD).Houston traded their second- and third-round selections (47th and 78th) toOakland in exchange for cornerbackPhillip Buchanon. No. 47: Oakland → NY Jets (PD). seeNo. 26: Oakland → NY Jets.
^No. 51: New Orleans → Green Bay (PD)New Orleans traded its second-round selection (51st) and quarterbackJ.T. O'Sullivan toGreen Bay in exchange for cornerbackMike McKenzie and Green Bay's sixth-round selection (174th)
^No. 64: New England → Baltimore (D).New England traded its second-round selection (64th) toBaltimore in exchange for Baltimore's third- and sixth-round selections (84th and 195th) and third-round selection in2006
Round three
^No. 66: Miami → St. Louis (PD)Miami traded its third-round selection (66th) toSt. Louis in exchange for running backLamar Gordon
^No. 70: Chicago → Miami (PD).Chicago traded its third-round selection (70th) toMiami in exchange for defensive endAdewale Ogunleye
^No. 73: Dallas → Houston (PD).Dallas traded its third-round selection (73rd) toHouston in exchange for rights toDrew Henson
^No. 77: Kansas City → Philadelphia (PD).Kansas City traded its fifth-round selection (162nd) in2004 and third-round selection (77th) toPhiladelphia in exchange for offensive tackleJohn Welbourn
^No. 89: Green Bay → Carolina (D).Green Bay traded its third-round selection (89th) toCarolina in exchange for two fourth-round selections (115th and 126th)
^No. 91: San Diego → Tampa Bay (PD).San Diego traded its third- and sixth-round selections (91st and 203rd) toTampa Bay in exchange for wide receiverKeenan McCardell
^No. 94: Philadelphia → San Francisco (D).Philadelphia traded its third-round selection (94th) toSan Francisco in exchange for San Francisco's fourth- and sixth-round selections (102nd and 175th)
^No. 95: New England → Arizona (PD).New England traded its third- and fifth-round selections (95th and 168th) toArizona in exchange for cornerbackDuane Starks and Arizona's fifth-round selection (145th)
^No. 112: Washington → Minnesota (D).Washington traded its fourth-round selection (112nd) toMinnesota in exchange for Minnesota's fourth- and fifth-round selections (120th and 154th)
^No. 123: Jacksonville → N.Y. Jets (D).Jacksonville traded its fourth-round selection (123rd) toN.Y. Jets in exchange for the Jets' fourth- and sixth-round selections (127th and 185th)
^No. 126: multiple trades: No. 126: Denver → Cleveland.Denver traded their fourth-round selection (126th) toCleveland in exchange for defensive tackleGerard Warren. No. 126: Cleveland → Seattle.Cleveland traded their fourth-round selection (126th) toSeattle in exchange for quarterbackTrent Dilfer. No. 126: Seattle → Carolina. seeNo. 45: Carolina → Seattle. No. 126: Carolina → Green Bay. seeNo. 89: Green Bay → Carolina. No. 126: Green Bay → Philadelphia.Green Bay traded its fourth-round selection (126th) toPhiladelphia in exchange for Philadelphia's fifth-, sixth- and seventh-round selections (167th, 175th and 245th)
^No. 132: Philadelphia → Dallas.Philadelphia traded its fourth-round selection (132nd) and sixth-round selection (182nd) in2006 toDallas in exchange for Dallas' fifth-round selection (148th) and fourth-round selection (116th) in2006
^No. 143: Oakland → Green BayOakland traded its fifth- and sixth-round selections (143rd and 180th) toGreen Bay in exchange for safetyMarques Anderson
^No. 144: multiple trades: No. 144: N.Y. Giants → San Diego (PD). seeNo. 12: N.Y. Giants → San Diego. No. 144: San Diego → Tampa Bay (PD).San Diego traded their fifth-round selection (144th) toTampa Bay in exchange for offensive tackleRoman Oben. No. 144: Tampa Bay → St. Louis (D).Tampa Bay traded its fifth-round selection (144th) toSt. Louis in exchange for St. Louis' fifth- and seventh-round selections (155th and 231rd)
^No. 145: multiple trades: No. 145: Arizona → New England (PD). seeNo. 95: New England → Arizona. No. 145: New England → Detroit (D).New England traded their fifth- and sixth-round selections (145th and 206th) toDetroit in exchange for Detroit's fourth-round selection (106th) in2006
^No. 146: Washington → PhiladelphiaWashington traded its fifth round selection (146th) toPhiladelphia in exchange for wide receiverJames Thrash
^No. 147: Detroit → Kansas CityDetroit traded its fifth round selection (147th) and second- and fourth-round selections (36th and 105th) in2004 toKansas City in exchange for Kansas City's first-round selection (30th) in2004
^No. 148: multiple trades: No. 148: Dallas → Philadelphia. seeNo. 132: Philadelphia → Dallas. No. 148: Philadelphia → Indianapolis.Philadelphia traded their fifth round selection (148th) toIndianapolis in exchange for Indianapolis' fourth-round selection (127th) in2006
^No. 150: Kansas City → TennesseeKansas City traded its fifth round selection (150th) toTennessee in exchange for defensive endCarlos Hall
^No. 160: Denver → AtlantaDenver traded its fifth round selection (160th) toAtlanta in exchange for defensive tackleEllis Johnson
^No. 162: multiple trades: No. 162: Green Bay → Kansas City.Green Bay traded its fifth- and sixth-round selections (162nd and 199th) toKansas City in exchange for defensive endR-Kal Truluck. No. 162: Kansas City → Miami. No. 46: Kansas City → Miami
^No. 175: multiple trades: No. 175: San Francisco → Philadelphia. seeNo. 94: Philadelphia → San Francisco. No. 175: Philadelphia → Green Bay. seeNo. 126: Green Bay → Philadelphia. No. 175: Green Bay → New England.Green Bay traded its sixth-round selection (175th) toNew England in exchange for New England's sixth- and seventh-round selections (195th and 246th). No. 175: New England → Oakland.New England traded its sixth-round selection (175th) toOakland in exchange for Oakland's seventh-round selection (230th) and fifth-round selection (136th) in2006.
^No. 177: Miami → San DiegoMiami traded its sixth-round selection (177th) toSan Diego in exchange for wide receiverDavid Boston
^No. 205: Philadelphia → San FranciscoPhiladelphia traded defensive endBrandon Whiting and its sixth-round selection (205th) toSan Francisco in exchange for wide receiverTerrell Owens plus its fifth-round selection (160th) in2004 traded toBaltimore in exchange for Baltimore surrendering its rights to Owens
^No. 223: Detroit → San FranciscoSan Francisco receivedDetroit's seventh-round selection (223rd) as compensation for restricted free agent guardKyle Kosier
^No. 225: N.Y. Giants → Tampa Baythe Giants traded its seventh-round selection (225th) and guardJason Whittle toTampa Bay in exchange for Tampa Bay's sixth-round selection (194th) in2006
^No. 228: Carolina → PittsburghCarolina traded its seventh-round selection (228th) toPittsburgh in exchange for offensive tackleTodd Fordham