2008 NFL draft
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The 2008 NFL draft was the 73rd annual meeting of National Football League (NFL) franchises to select newly eligible American football players. The draft took place at Radio City Music Hall in New York City, New York, on April 26 and April 27, 2008. For the 29th consecutive year, ESPN televised the draft; the NFL Network also broadcast the event, its third year doing so. Of the 252 selections, 220 were regular selections in rounds one through seven, and 32 were compensatory selections, distributed among rounds three through seven. As of the end of the 2018 season, 27 players have been selected to the Pro Bowl.
For the first time since the common draft began, no wide receiver was selected in the first round. For the first time ever, the first two picks had the same last name (Jake and Chris Long; they were unrelated). Additionally, a then-record 34 trades were made during the draft itself. This number of trades was later broken in 2017.
As of 2025, there are only five remaining active players in the NFL from the 2008 draft class: Ravens defensive end Calais Campbell, Bengals quarterback Joe Flacco, Panthers long snapper J. J. Jansen, 49ers long snapper Jon Weeks, and Bengals quarterback Josh Johnson, although Johnson was absent from 2014 to 2017, from 2019 to 2020, and again in 2023.
Changes for 2008
The schedule for the draft was changed: day one began at 3:00p.m. EDT, instead of noon, and consisted of just two rounds. Day two began with round three at 10:00a.m. EDT, instead of 11:00a.m. Moreover, the time limits for day one selections were reduced, from 15 minutes to 10 for first-round picks and from 10 minutes to 7 in the second. The limit remained 5 minutes for all picks in rounds three through seven.
The draft also marked the official debut of a new NFL shield logo, replacing the old shield logo which had been used since 1970, featuring eight white stars to represent each of the league's eight divisions, and a football rotated to the same angle as the one on the top of the Vince Lombardi Trophy given to the Super Bowl champion.
Player breakdown
The following is the breakdown of the 252 players by position:
| 35 wide receivers 30 cornerbacks 28 linebackers 26 defensive ends 26 offensive tackles | 23 running backs 18 defensive tackles 16 tight ends 15 safeties 13 quarterbacks | 7 guards 7 centers 4 fullbacks 2 kickers 1 punter |
Player selections
| Offense | Defense | Special teams |
|---|---|---|
| Jump to round 2 3 4 5 6 7 * = compensatory selection † = Pro Bowler | Positions key OffenseDefenseSpecial teams QB — Quarterback RB — Running back FB — Fullback WR — Wide receiver TE — Tight end OL — Offensive lineman T — Tackle G — Guard C — Center DL — Defensive lineman DT — Defensive tackle DE — Defensive end EDGE — Edge rusher LB — Linebacker DB — Defensive back CB — Cornerback S — Safety K — Kicker P — Punter LS — Long snapper RS — Return specialist | |
| * | = compensatory selection | |
| † | = Pro Bowler | |
| QB — Quarterback RB — Running back FB — Fullback WR — Wide receiver TE — Tight end OL — Offensive lineman T — Tackle G — Guard C — Center | DL — Defensive lineman DT — Defensive tackle DE — Defensive end EDGE — Edge rusher LB — Linebacker DB — Defensive back CB — Cornerback S — Safety | K — Kicker P — Punter LS — Long snapper RS — Return specialist |
Trades
In the explanations below, (PD) indicates trades completed prior to the start of the draft (i.e. Pre-Draft), while (D) denotes trades that took place during the 2008 draft.
Round 1
Round 2
Round 3
Round 4
Round 5
Round 6
Round 7
Notable undrafted players
| † | = Pro Bowler |
Draft breakdown
By conference
Selection totals by college conference:
| # | Conference | Players selected | Division |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Southeastern Conference | 35 | I FBS |
| 2 | Pac-10 Conference | 34 | I FBS |
| 3 | Atlantic Coast Conference | 33 | I FBS |
| 4 | Big 12 Conference | 29 | I FBS |
| 5 | Big Ten Conference | 28 | I FBS |
| 6 | Big East Conference | 19 | I FBS |
| 7 | Conference USA | 11 | I FBS |
| 8 | Mid-American Conference | 9 | I FBS |
| 9 | Western Athletic Conference | 8 | I FBS |
| 10 | Mountain West Conference | 7 | I FBS |
| 11 | Independent | 5 | I FBS |
| 12 | Colonial Athletic Association | 4 | I FCS |
| 13 | Big Sky Conference | 3 | I FCS |
| 13 | Southern Conference | 3 | I FCS |
| 13 | Southland Conference | 3 | I FCS |
| 13 | Sun Belt Conference | 3 | I FBS |
| 17 | Big South Conference | 2 | I FCS |
| 17 | Gateway Football Conference | 2 | I FCS |
| 17 | Mid-Eastern Athletic Conference | 2 | I FCS |
| 17 | Mid-America Intercollegiate Athletics Association | 2 | II |
| 17 | Ohio Valley Conference | 2 | I FCS |
| 22 | Central Intercollegiate Athletic Association | 1 | II |
| 22 | College Conference of Illinois and Wisconsin | 1 | III |
| 22 | Great Lakes Intercollegiate Athletic Conference | 1 | II |
| 22 | Great West Conference | 1 | I FCS |
| 22 | Northeast-10 Conference | 1 | II |
| 22 | Ohio Athletic Conference | 1 | III |
| 22 | Pioneer Football League | 1 | I FCS |
| 22 | Southwestern Athletic Conference | 1 | I FCS |
By position
| Round | QB | RB | FB | WR | TE | C | G | OT | DE | DT | LB | CB | S | K | P | LS |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1st | 2 | 5 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 8* | 4 | 3 | 2 | 5 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| 2nd | 2 | 2 | 0 | 10* | 3 | 1 | 1 | 0 | 3 | 2 | 2 | 5 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| 3rd | 1 | 3 | 1 | 5 | 3 | 1 | 0 | 3 | 4 | 3 | 5 | 4 | 3 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| 4th | 0 | 1 | 0 | 5 | 3 | 2 | 2 | 4 | 3 | 2 | 4 | 8* | 2 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| 5th | 4 | 3 | 2 | 2 | 2 | 0 | 1 | 2 | 2 | 5* | 4 | 4 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| 6th | 2 | 5 | 0 | 6* | 2 | 2 | 1 | 2 | 5 | 2 | 5 | 1 | 5 | 1 | 1 | 1 |
| 7th | 2 | 4 | 1 | 7* | 2 | 1 | 2 | 7* | 5 | 1 | 6 | 3 | 3 | 1 | 0 | 0 |
| TOTAL | 13 | 23 | 4 | 35* | 16 | 7 | 7 | 26 | 26 | 18 | 28 | 30 | 15 | 2 | 1 | 1 |
Specific references
Trade references
External links
- April 6, 2008, at theWayback Machine
- at Pro Football Reference