The 1982 NFL Draft: Defensive Dominance and Hall of Fame Value

Before the “Quarterback Class of 1983” changed the league forever, the NFL was focused on building through the trenches and finding foundational playmakers. The 1982 NFL Draft remains a pivotal moment in gridiron lore, where legendary careers began in the fourth round, and a defensive end from Texas took the top spot in the shadow of a looming strike.

The original cropped image was taken by Darin Hayes at AT&T Stadium in 2022.

Draft Storyline

April 27, 1982, The League’s annual disbursement of college players kicked off in New York for the 1982 NFL Draft. University of Texas defensive end Kenneth Sims was the first pick by the New England Patriots.

There were some good players in this draft class, according to the Pro Football Reference website; four standouts so far have been enshrined in Canton. The Houston Oilers selected Mike Munchak, the former Penn State guard, as the eighth player taken, and two spots later, the Raiders placed the name of USC running back Marcus Allen on their card, which the Commissioner read.

The Patriots chose at number 41 linebacker Andre Tippett, Iowa, as well as fellow future bronze-bust poser Michigan State product, kicker Morten Andersen, who went to the New Orleans Saints with the 86th overall pick in the fourth round.

Conclusion

The 1982 draft proves that championship-caliber talent isn’t always found at the very top of the board. While Kenneth Sims went first overall, the true legacy of this draft lies in the longevity of players like Morten Andersen and the immediate impact of Marcus Allen. It was a year that reinforced the value of a strong scouting department, finding Hall of Fame gold everywhere from the first pick to the middle rounds.

Complete List of Players in the NFL Draft

While hundreds of players were selected over 12 rounds in 1982, the early rounds defined the draft’s impact:

Pick	Tm	Player	Pos
1	NWE	Kenneth Sims	DE
2	BAL	Johnie Cooks	LB
3	CLE	Chip Banks	LB
4	BAL	Art Schlichter	QB
5	CHI	Jim McMahon	QB
6	SEA	Jeff Bryant	DE
7	MIN	Darrin Nelson	RB
8	HOU	Mike Munchak HOF	G
9	ATL	Gerald Riggs	RB
10	RAI	Marcus Allen HOF	RB
11	KAN	Anthony Hancock	WR
12	PIT	Walter Abercrombie	RB
13	NOR	Lindsay Scott	WR
14	RAM	Barry Redden	RB
15	DET	Jimmy Williams	LB
16	STL	Luis Sharpe	T
17	TAM	Sean Farrell	G
18	NYG	Butch Woolfolk	RB
19	BUF	Perry Tuttle	WR
20	PHI	Mike Quick	WR
21	DEN	Gerald Willhite	RB
22	GNB	Ron Hallstrom	G
23	NYJ	Bob Crable	LB
24	MIA	Roy Foster	G
25	DAL	Rod Hill	DB
26	CIN	Glen Collins	DE
27	NWE	Lester Williams	NT
28	BAL	Leo Wisniewski	NT
29	SFO	Bubba Paris	T
30	NOR	Brad Edelman	G
31	CLE	Keith Baldwin	DE
32	TAM	Booker Reese	DE
33	SEA	Bruce Scholtz	LB
34	BAL	Rohn Stark	P
35	RAI	Jack Squirek	LB
36	ATL	Doug Rogers	DE
37	RAI	Jim Romano	C
38	STL	David Galloway	DT
39	MIN	Terry Tausch	G
40	NWE	Robert Weathers	RB
41	NWE	Andre Tippett HOF	LB
42	DET	Bobby Watkins	DB
43	PIT	John Meyer	T
44	HOU	Oliver Luck	QB
45	NYG	Joe Morris	RB
46	KAN	Calvin Daniels	LB
47	PHI	Lawrence Sampleton	TE
48	BUF	Matt Kofler	QB
49	WAS	Vernon Dean	DB
50	DEN	Orlando McDaniel	WR
51	NYJ	Reggie McElroy	T
52	MIA	Mark Duper	WR
53	DAL	Jeff Rohrer	LB
54	CIN	Emanuel Weaver	NT
55	NWE	Darryl Haley	T
56	NWE	Cedric Jones	WR
57	BAL	Jim Burroughs	DB
58	NOR	Rodney Lewis	DB
59	BUF	Eugene Marve	LB
60	NWE	Clayton Weishuhn	LB
61	WAS	Carl Powell	WR
62	CHI	Tim Wrightman	TE
63	ATL	Stacey Bailey	WR
64	RAI	Vann McElroy	DB
65	STL	Benny Perrin	DB
66	NOR	Eugene Goodlow	WR
67	RAM	Bill Bechtold	C
68	NOR	Kenny Duckett	WR
69	DET	Steve Doig	LB
70	PIT	Mike Merriweather	LB
71	GNB	Del Rodgers	RB
72	HOU	Stan Edwards	RB
73	STL	Rusty Guilbeau	LB
74	TAM	Jerry Bell	TE
75	SEA	Pete Metzelaars	TE
76	NOR	John Krimm	DB
77	HOU	Robert Abraham	LB
78	PHI	Vyto Kab	TE
79	NYJ	Dwayne Crutchfield	RB
80	MIA	Paul Lankford	DB
81	DAL	Jim Eliopulos	LB
82	CIN	Rodney Holman	TE
83	TAM	John Cannon	DE
84	BAL	Mike Pagel	QB
85	NWE	George Crump	DE
86	NOR	Morten Andersen HOF	K
87	CLE	Dwight Walker	RB
88	RAM	Jeff Gaylord	LB
89	CHI	Dennis Gentry	WR
90	STL	Tootie Robbins	T
91	RAI	Ed Muransky	T
92	MIN	Jim Fahnhorst	LB
93	BUF	Van Williams	RB
94	HOU	Steve Bryant	WR
95	ATL	Reggie Brown	RB
96	DET	Bruce McNorton	DB
97	PIT	Rick Woods	DB
98	GNB	Robert Brown	DE
99	WAS	Todd Liebenstein	DE
100	KAN	Louis Haynes	LB
101	DAL	Brian Carpenter	DB
102	NYG	Gerry Raymond	G
103	TAM	Dave Barrett	RB
104	KAN	Stuart Anderson	LB
105	PHI	Anthony Griggs	LB
106	DEN	Dan Plater	WR
107	NYJ	George Floyd	DB
108	MIA	Charles Bowser	LB
109	DAL	Monty Hunter	DB
110	CIN	Rodney Tate	RB
111	NWE	Brian Ingram	LB
112	NWE	Fred Marion	DB
113	BAL	Terry Crouch	G
114	NOR	Tony Elliott	NT
115	CLE	Mike Baab	C
116	CHI	Perry Hartnett	G
117	RAM	Wally Kersten	T
118	RAM	Doug Barnett	DE
119	STL	Vance Bedford	DB
120	MIA	Bob Nelson	NT
121	HOU	Malcolm Taylor	DE
122	ATL	Von Mansfield	DB
123	RAI	Ed Jackson	LB
124	PIT	Ken Dallafior	G
125	STL	Earl Ferrell	RB
126	GNB	Mike Meade	RB
127	DET	William Graham	DB
128	TAM	Jeff Davis	LB
129	NYG	Rich Umphrey	C
130	KAN	Del Thompson	RB
131	DEN	Sammy Winder	RB
132	PHI	Dennis DeVaughn	DB
133	WAS	Mike Williams	TE
134	CHI	Dennis Tabron	DB
135	NYJ	Mark Jerue	LB
136	MIA	Rich Diana	RB
137	DAL	Phil Pozderac	T
138	CIN	Paul Sorensen	DB
139	SFO	Newton Williams	RB
140	BAL	Pat Beach	TE
141	NWE	Ricky Smith	DB
142	NOR	Marvin Lewis	RB
143	DAL	Ken Hammond	G
144	SEA	Jack Campbell	T
145	RAM	Kerry Locklin	TE
146	CHI	Kurt Becker	G
147	MIN	Greg Storr	LB
148	HOU	Gary Allen	RB
149	ATL	Mike Kelley	QB
150	STL	Craig Shaffer	LB
151	SFO	Vince Williams	RB
152	GNB	Chet Parlavecchio	LB
153	WAS	Lamont Jeffers	LB
154	DET	Mike Machurek	QB
155	PIT	Mike Perko	NT
156	NYG	Darrell Nicholson	LB
157	KAN	Durwood Roquemore	DB
158	TAM	Andre Tyler	WR
159	PHI	Curt Grieve	WR
160	BUF	DeWayne Chivers	TE
161	MIA	Tom Tutson	DB
162	CLE	Mike Whitwell	DB
163	NYJ	Lonell Phea	WR
164	MIA	Ron Hester	LB
165	DAL	Charles Daum	DT
166	CIN	Arthur King	DT
167	PIT	Craig Bingham	LB
168	NWE	Jeff Roberts	LB
169	BAL	Fletcher Jenkins	DE
170	MIA	Dan Johnson	TE
171	BUF	Gary Anderson	K
172	PIT	Edmund Nelson	DE
173	CHI	Henry Waechter	DE
174	SEA	Eugene Williams	LB
175	DET	Phil Bates	RB
176	ATL	David Toloumu	RB
177	RAI	Jeff Jackson	DE
178	STL	Bob Sebro	C
179	MIN	Steve Jordan	TE
180	WAS	John Schachtner	LB
181	RAM	Joe Shearin	G
182	PIT	Emil Boures	T
183	GNB	Joey Whitley	DB
184	KAN	Greg Smith	DE
185	TAM	Tom Morris	DB
186	NYG	Jeff Wiska	G
187	DET	Victor Simmons	WR
188	SDG	Hollis Hall	DB
189	DEN	Alvin Ruben	DE
190	PHI	Harvey Armstrong	NT
191	NYJ	Tom Coombs	TE
192	MIA	Larry Cowan	RB
193	DAL	Bill Purifoy	DE
194	CIN	Ben Needham	LB
195	SFO	Ron Ferrari	LB
196	BAL	Tony Loia	G
197	NWE	Ken Collins	LB
198	NOR	Chuck Slaughter	T
199	CLE	Mark Kafentzis	DB
200	CHI	Jerry Doerger	C
201	SEA	Chester Cooper	WR
202	RAM	A.J. Jones	RB
203	ATL	Ricky Eberhardt	DB
204	CLE	Van Heflin	TE
205	STL	Chris Lindstrom	DE
206	MIN	Kirk Harmon	LB
207	RAM	Mike Reilly	LB
208	DET	Martin Moss	DE
209	PIT	John Goodson	P
210	GNB	Thomas Boyd	LB
211	CLE	Bill Jackson	DB
212	TAM	Kelvin Atkins	LB
213	NYG	Robert Hubble	TE
214	KAN	Case deBruijn	P
215	SDG	Maury Buford	P
216	DAL	George Peoples	RB
217	PHI	Jim Fritzsche	T
218	BUF	Luc Tousignant	QB
219	NYJ	Lawrence Texada	RB
220	MIA	Tate Randle	DB
221	DAL	Dwight Sullivan	RB
222	CIN	Kari Yli-Renko	T
223	WAS	Ralph Warthen	DT
224	NWE	Kelvin Murdock	WR
225	BAL	Tony Berryhill	C
226	WAS	Ken Coffey	DB
227	CLE	Milton Baker	TE
228	SEA	David Jefferson	LB
229	RAM	Bob Speight	T
230	CHI	Mike Hatchett	DB
231	DET	Danny Wagoner	DB
232	STL	Darnell Dailey	LB
233	MIN	Bryan Howard	DB
234	HOU	Matt Bradley	DB
235	ATL	Mike Horan	P
236	PIT	Mike Hirn	TE
237	GNB	Charles Riggins	DE
238	WAS	Randy Trautman	DT
239	MIA	Steve Clark	G
240	NYG	John Higgins	DB
241	KAN	Lyndle Byford	T
242	TAM	Bob Lane	QB
243	DEN	Keith Uecker	T
244	PHI	Tony Woodruff	WR
245	BUF	Dennis Edwards	DE
246	SDG	Warren Lyles	DT
247	NYJ	Rocky Klever	TE
248	MIA	Mack Boatner	RB
249	DAL	Joe Gary	DT
250	CIN	James Bennett	WR
251	SFO	Bryan Clark	QB
252	BAL	Tom Deery	DB
253	NWE	Brian Clark	K
254	WAS	Harold Smith	DE
255	CLE	Ricky Floyd	RB
256	RAM	Miles McPherson	DB
257	CHI	Joe Turner	DB
258	SEA	Craig Austin	LB
259	STL	Eddie McGill	TE
260	MIN	Gerald Lucear	WR
261	HOU	Ron Reeves	QB
262	ATL	Curtis Stowers	LB
263	RAI	Rich D’Amico	LB
264	GNB	Eddie Garcia	K
265	WAS	Terry Daniels	DB
266	DET	Roosevelt Barnes	LB
267	PIT	Sal Sunseri	LB
268	KAN	Larry Brodsky	WR
269	SFO	Dana McLemore	DB
270	NYG	Rich Baldinger	G
271	MIA	Robin Fisher	LB
272	BUF	Vic James	DB
273	SDG	Andre Young	DB
274	DEN	Ken Woodard	LB
275	NYJ	Darryl Hemphill	DB
276	MIA	Wayne Jones	G
277	DAL	Todd Eckerson	T
278	CIN	Larry Hogue	DB
279	SFO	Tim Barbian	DT
280	BAL	Lamont Meacham	DB
281	WAS	Dan Miller	K
282	CLE	Steve Michuta	QB
283	CHI	Guy Boliaux	LB
284	SEA	Sam Clancy	DE
285	RAM	Ricky Coffman	WR
286	MIN	Curtis Rouse	G
287	HOU	Jim Campbell	TE
288	ATL	Jeff Keller	WR
289	RAI	Willie Turner	WR
290	STL	James Williams	DE
291	WAS	Bob Holly	QB
292	DET	Edward Lee	WR
293	PIT	Mikal Abdul-Saboor	G
294	GNB	John Macaulay	C
295	DAL	George Thompson	WR
296	NWE	Steve Sandon	QB
297	KAN	Bob Carter	WR
298	BUF	Frank Kalil	G
299	SDG	Anthony Watson	DB
300	DEN	Stuart Yatsko	G
301	PHI	Ron Ingram	WR
302	NYJ	Perry Parmelee	WR
303	MIA	Gary Crum	T
304	DAL	Mike Whiting	RB
305	CIN	Russell Davis	RB
306	SFO	Gary Gibson	LB
307	BAL	Johnnie Wright	RB
308	NWE	Greg Taylor	RB
309	WAS	Don Laster	T
310	CLE	Scott Nicolas	LB
311	SEA	Frank Naylor	C
312	RAM	Raymond Coley	DT
313	CHI	Ricky Young	LB
314	HOU	Donnie Craft	RB
315	ATL	Dave Levenick	LB
316	RAI	Randy Smith	WR
317	STL	Bob Atha	K
318	MIN	Hobson Milner	RB
319	DET	Ricky Porter	RB
320	PIT	Al Hughes	DE
321	GNB	Phil Epps	WR
322	WAS	Jeff Goff	LB
323	NYG	Mark Seale	DT
324	KAN	Mike Miller	DB
325	TAM	Michael Morton	RB
326	DET	Rob Rubick	TE
327	DEN	Brian Clark	G
328	PHI	Rob Taylor	T
329	BUF	Tony Suber	DT
330	NYJ	Tom Carlstrom	G
331	MIA	Mike Rodrigue	WR
332	DAL	Rich Burtness	G
333	CIN	Dan Feraday	QB
334	SFO	Tim Washington	DB

Big thankyou to Pro-Football-Reference.com

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The 1982 NFL Draft: Defensive Dominance and Hall of Fame Value

Draft Storyline

Conclusion

Complete List of Players in the NFL Draft

By Darin