The draft was shown onESPN both days and eventually moved toESPN2 both days. The draft began with theSan Diego Chargers selectingMississippi quarterbackEli Manning with the first overall selection. Due to his refusal to play for the Chargers, Manning was later traded to theNew York Giants for the fourth overall pickPhilip Rivers ofNC State. There were 32 compensatory selections distributed among 16 teams, with theEagles,Rams, andJets each receiving 4 compensatory picks.[4] Sevenwide receivers were selected in the first round, a draft record later tied in2024.[5] Another record set by the draft was the most trades in the first round, with twenty-eight trades. TheUniversity of Miami set an NFL record for the most first rounders drafted with six, which would be tied byAlabama in2021. 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, withBen Roethlisberger winning his second in2008 andEli Manning his second in2011.
The 255 players chosen in the draft were composed of:
Wide receiverLarry Fitzgerald is second in NFL receiving yards and receptionsMurdered during his fourth season, safetySean Taylor nonetheless established himself as a dominant and popular playerIn a 13-season career, nose tackleVince Wilfork made fivePro Bowls and won twoSuper BowlsRunning backSteven Jackson is theRams' all-time leading rusherChris Cooley has the most receptions of a tight end inWashington historyDefensive endJared Allen twice led the league in sacks
In the explanations below, (D) denotes trades that took place during the 2004 Draft, while (PD) indicates trades completed pre-draft.
Round one
^No. 1: San Diego → New York Giants. San Diego tradedManning to the New York Giants in exchange forPhilip Rivers and the Giants' third round selection in this draft (#65) and their first- and fifth-round selections in2005[6]
^No. 6: Detroit → Cleveland (D).Detroit traded its first-round selection (6th) toCleveland in exchange for Cleveland's first- and second-round selections (7th and 37th).
^No. 16: San Francisco → Philadelphia (D).San Francisco traded its first-round selection (16th) toPhiladelphia in exchange for Philadelphia's first- and second-round selections (28th and 58th).
^No. 17: Cincinnati → Denver (D).Cincinnati traded its first-round selection (17th) toDenver in exchange for Denver's first- and fourth-round selections (24th and 117th) and CBDeltha O'Neal.
^No. 19: Minnesota → Miami (D).Minnesota traded its first-round selection (19th) toMiami in exchange for Miami's first- and fourth-round selections (20th and 119th).
^No. 21: Baltimore → New England (PD).Baltimore traded its second-round selection (41st) in2003 and this first-round selection (21st) toNew England in exchange for New England's first-round selection (19th) in 2003.
^No. 22: Dallas → Buffalo (D).Dallas traded its first-round selection (22nd) toBuffalo in exchange for Buffalo's second- and fifth-round selections (43rd and 144th) and first-round selection (20th) in2005.
^No. 24: multiple trades: No. 24: Denver → Cincinnati (D). seeNo. 17: Cincinnati → Denver. No. 24: Cincinnati → St. Louis (D).Cincinnati traded this first-round selection (24th) toSt. Louis in exchange for St. Louis' first- and fourth-round selections (26th and 123rd).
^No. 27: Tennessee → Houston (D).Tennessee traded its first- and fifth-round selections (27th and 159th) toHouston in exchange for Houston's second-, third-, fourth- and fifth-round selections (40th, 71st, 103rd and 138th).
^No. 28: multiple trades: No. 28: Philadelphia → San Francisco (D). seeNo. 16: San Francisco → Philadelphia. No. 28: San Francisco → Carolina (D).San Francisco traded this first-round selection (28th) toCarolina in exchange for Carolina's first- and fourth-round selections (31st and 127th).
^No. 29: Indianapolis → Atlanta (D).Indianapolis traded its first- and third-round selections (29th and 90th) toAtlanta in exchange for Atlanta's second-, third- and fourth-round selections (38th, 69th and 125th).
^No. 30: Kansas City → Detroit (D).Kansas City traded its first-round selection (30th) toDetroit in exchange for Detroit's second- and fourth-round selections (36th and 105th) and fifth-round selection (147th) in2005.
^No. 38: multiple trades: No. 38: Atlanta → Indianapolis (D). seeNo. 29: Atlanta → Indianapolis. No. 38: Indianapolis → Pittsburgh (D).Indianapolis traded this second-round selection (38th) toPittsburgh in exchange for Pittsburgh's second- and fourth-round selections (44th and 107th).
^No. 45: Tampa Bay → Oakland (PD).Tampa Bay traded its first- and second-round selections (21st and 53rd) in2002, first-round selection (32st) in2003 and this second-round selection (45th) to Oakland as compensation for signing Raiders' head coach Jon Gruden.
^No. 48: New Orleans → Minnesota (D).New Orleans traded its second-round selection (48th) toMinnesota in exchange for Minnesota's second- and fifth-round selections (60th and 151st).
^No. 55: Green Bay → Jacksonville (D).Green Bay Packers traded its second-round selection (55th) toJacksonville in exchange for Jacksonville's third- and fourth-round selections (70th and 102nd).
^No. 56: multiple trades: No. 56: Miami → New England (PD).Miami traded its second-round selection (56th) toNew England in exchange for New England's third-round selection (78th) in2003. No. 56: New England → Cincinnati (PD).New England traded this second-round selection (56th) toCincinnati in exchange for RBCorey Dillon.
^No. 59: Indianapolis → Cleveland (D).Indianapolis traded its second- and fifth-round selections (59th and 161st) toCleveland in exchange for Cleveland's third-, fifth- and sixth-round selections (68th, 141st and 173rd).
^No. 60: St. Louis → New Orleans (PD).St. Louis traded its second-round selection (60th) toNew Orleans in exchange for OTKyle Turley.
Round three
^No. 65: N.Y. Giants → San Diego (D).The New York Giants traded QBPhilip Rivers, this third-round selection (65th) and first- and fifth-round selections (12th and 144th) in2005 in exchange for QBEli Manning.
^No. 72: multiple trades: No. 72: Washington → Jacksonville (PD).Washington traded its third-round selection (72nd) toJacksonville in exchange for QBMark Brunell. No. 72: Jacksonville → Green Bay (D).Jacksonville traded this third-round selection (72nd) toGreen Bay in exchange for Green Bay's third- and fourth-round selections (86th and 118th).
^No. 81: New Orleans → Washington (D).New Orleans traded its third- and fifth-round selections (81st and 151st) toWashington in exchange for Washington's fifth-round selection (139th) and second-round selection (40th) in2005.
^No. 82: Minnesota → Baltimore (D).Minnesota traded its third-round selection (82nd) toBaltimore in exchange for Baltimore's third- and fifth-round selections (88th and 155th).
^No. 87: Miami → Green Bay (D).Miami traded its third-round selection (87th) toGreen Bay in exchange for Green Bay's fourth- and fifth-round selections (102nd and 153rd).
^No. 104: multiple trades: No. 104: Washington → New England (PD).Washington traded its third-round selection (75th) in2003 and this fourth-round selection (104th) toNew England in exchange for New England's third- and fifth-round selections (81st and 140th) in2003. No. 104: New England → Chicago (PD).New England traded this fourth-round selection (104th) toChicago in return for DTTed Washington. No. 104: Chicago → San Francisco (D).Chicago traded this fourth-round selection (104th) toSan Francisco in exchange for San Francisco's fourth- and fifth-round selections (112nd and 147th).
^No. 113: New Orleans → New England (PD).New Orleans traded its third- and seventh-round selections (78th and 239th) in2003 and this fourth-round selection (113th) toNew England in exchange for STebucky Jones.
^No. 122: Indianapolis → Houston (PD).Indianapolis traded its fourth-round selection (122nd) toHouston in exchange for Houston's fifth-round selection (138th) in2003.
^No. 125: multiple trades: No. 125: Philadelphia → Atlanta (PD).Philadelphia traded its sixth-round selection (202nd) in2003 and its fourth-round selection (125th) toAtlanta in exchange for LBMark Simoneau. No. 125: Atlanta → Indianapolis (PD). seeNo. 29: Indianapolis → Atlanta.
^No. 153: multiple trades: No. 153: Green Bay → Miami (D). seeNo. 87: Miami → Green Bay. No. 153: Miami → Baltimore (D).Miami traded this fifth-round selection (153rd) toBaltimore in exchange for Baltimore's fifth- and seventh-round selections (160th and 222nd).
^No. 154: Miami → San Diego (PD).Miami traded its fifth-round selection (154th) toSan Diego in exchange for LBJunior Seau.
^No. 156: Dallas → New Orleans (D).Dallas traded its fifth-round selection (156th) toNew Orleans in exchange for Dallas' sixth- and seventh-round selections (182nd and 206th).
^No. 159: multiple trades: No. 159: Tennessee → Houston (D). seeNo. 27: Tennessee → Houston. No. 159: Houston → Jacksonville (D).Houston traded this fifth-round selection (159th) toJacksonville in exchange for Jacksonville's sixth- and seventh-round selections (175th and 210th).
^No. 160: multiple trades: No. 160: Philadelphia → Baltimore (PD).Philadelphia traded its fifth-round selection toBaltimore in exchange for Baltimore giving up any potential rights it may have had to WRTerrell Owens. No. 160: Baltimore → Miami (D). seeNo. 153: Miami → Baltimore.
^No. 162: Kansas City → Philadelphia (PD).Kansas City traded its fifth-round selection (162nd) and third-round selection (77th) in2005 toPhiladelphia in exchange for OTJohn Welbourn.
^No. 171: Washington → Denver (PD).Washington traded its sixth-round selection (171st) toDenver in exchange for DTLional Dalton.
^No. 174: Atlanta → Miami (D).Atlanta traded its sixth-round selection (174th) toMiami in exchange for Miami's sixth- and seventh-round selections (186th and 219th).
^No. 176: Buffalo → Cleveland (PD).Buffalo traded its sixth-round selection (176th) toCleveland in exchange for TEMark Campbell.
^No. 179: San Francisco → Green Bay (D).San Francisco traded its sixth-round selection (179th) toGreen Bay in exchange for Green Bay's sixth- and seventh-round selections (188th and 226th).
^No. 180: Chicago → Washington (PD).Chicago traded its sixth-round selection (176th) toWashington in exchange for FBBryan Johnson.
^No. 182: multiple trades: No. 182: New Orleans → Dallas (D). seeNo. 156: Dallas → New Orleans. No. 182: Dallas → Oakland (D).Dallas traded this sixth-round selection (182nd) toOakland in exchange for Oakland's two seventh-round selections (205th and 223rd).
^No. 185: Green Bay → Philadelphia (PD).Green Bay traded its sixth-round selection (185th) toPhiladelphia in exchange for Philadelphia's seventh-round selection in2003.
^No. 194: St. Louis → Pittsburgh (PD).St. Louis traded its sixth-round selection (194th) toPittsburgh in exchange for WRTroy Edwards.
^No. 197: New England → Pittsburgh (PD).Pittsburgh were awarded New England's sixth-round selection (197th) as compensation for New England signing Pittsburgh's restricted free agent DERodney Bailey.
^No. 206: multiple trades: No. 206: Washington → New Orleans (PD).Washington traded its seventh-round selection (206th) toNew Orleans in exchange for DTMartin Chase. No. 206: New Orleans → Dallas (D). seeNo. 156: Dallas → New Orleans. No. 206: Dallas → Tampa Bay (D)Dallas traded this seventh-round selection (206th) toTampa Bay in exchange for FBDarian Barnes and Tampa Bay's seventh-round selection (216th).
^No. 207: Detroit → Buffalo (PD).Detroit traded its seventh-round selection (207th) toBuffalo in exchange for RBOlandis Gary.
^No. 209: Atlanta → San Diego (PD).Atlanta traded its seventh-round selection (209th) toSan Diego in exchange for WRTrevor Gaylor.