Back to the NFL Newsfeed

Eighty years ago Tuesday, the NFL instituted a rookie draft

Getty Images

Imagine an NFL without this.

Or this.

Or this.

Yes, the NFL would be a little less interesting without a draft.

On this day in 1935, NFL owners changed the way rookies were selected into the league, installing a draft for 1936. The idea was that of then-Commissioner Bert Bell.

The other major American sports eventually added their own drafts, too. The NBA, with its lottery to determine the first 14 picks and its snappy two-round format, knows how to put on a good selection meeting of its own.