The 1944 NFL draft was held on April 19, 1944, at the Warwick Hotel in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. Perhaps as a tip of the hat to wartime sensibilities, the 1944 draft was officially called the "1943 Preferred Negotiations List" by the league.George Strickler (ed.), Record and Rules Manual, 1944. Chicago: National Football League, 1944; p. 77.
With the first overall pick of the draft, the Boston Yanks selected quarterback Angelo Bertelli.
Although there were 32 rounds in the 1944 draft, each of the league's 11 teams selected 30 players, for a total of 330 players picked.Strickler (ed.), Record and Rules Manual, 1944, pp. 77–87, passim. The five worst-finishing teams picked alone in rounds 2 and 4, while the five best-finishing teams plus the expansion Yanks picked alone in rounds 31 and 32.
By agreement of league owners, the new Yanks franchise received the first pick of the first round and then dropped to 11th in the order of draft selection, making their next choice at 27.Strickler (ed.), Record and Rules Manual, 1944, p. 87. As a mechanism for reestablishing the Philadelphia Eagles and Pittsburgh Steelers as individual entities after their wartime merger-of-convenience as the so-called Phil-Pitt Steagles in 1943, these teams selected fourth and ninth alternately in the 1943 draft.Strickler (ed.), Record and Rules Manual, 1944, pp. 80, 85. This gave Pittsburgh picks 10, 15, 31, and 41 at the top of the draft and Philadelphia picks 5, 20, and 36.
Player selections = Hall of Famer †= Pro Bowler
Round 1
Pick # NFL team Player Position College1Boston YanksAngelo BertelliAngelo Bertelli, 1943 Heisman Trophy winner QuarterbackNotre Dame2Chicago CardinalsPat HarderFullbackWisconsin3Brooklyn TigersCreighton MillerHalfbackNotre Dame4Detroit LionsOtto GrahamBackNorthwestern5Philadelphia EaglesSteve Van BurenHalfbackLSU6New York GiantsBilly HillenbrandHalfbackIndiana7Green Bay PackersMerv PregulmanGuardMichigan8Washington RedskinsMike MickaBackColgate9Chicago BearsRay EvansHalfbackKansas10Pittsburgh SteelersJohnny PodestoTailbackSt. Mary's (CA)11Cleveland RamsTony ButkovichFullbackPurdue
Round 2
Pick # NFL team Player Position College12Chicago CardinalsPaul MitchellTackleMinnesota13Brooklyn TigersJim CallahanBackTexas14Detroit LionsBob CifersBackTennessee15Pittsburgh SteelersBob OdellEndPenn16New York GiantsLamar BlountBackMississippi State
Round 3
Pick # NFL team Player Position College17Chicago CardinalsSaxon JuddEndTulsa18Brooklyn TigersRalph ParkBackTexas19Detroit LionsRalph HeywoodEndUSC20Philadelphia EaglesLoren LaPradeGuardStanford21New York GiantsClyde FlowersTackleTCU22Green Bay PackersTom KuzmaBackMichigan23Washington RedskinsEarl AudetTackleUSC24Chicago BearsRudy SmejaEndMichigan25Pittsburgh SteelersBob GanttEndDuke26Cleveland RamsGil BouleyTackleBoston College27Boston YanksBabe DimancheffBackPurdue
Round 4
Pick # NFL team Player Position College28Chicago CardinalsJack TavenerCenterIndiana29Brooklyn TigersRudy SikichTackleMinnesota30Detroit LionsGeorge BetteridgeBackUtah31Pittsburgh SteelersArt McCaffrayTacklePacific32New York GiantsHerb KaneTackleEast Central (OK)
Round 5
Pick # NFL team Player Position College33Chicago CardinalsBill BlackburnCenterRice34Brooklyn TigersVerne UllomEndCincinnati35Detroit LionsJohn GreeneTackleMichigan36Philadelphia EaglesJoe ParkerEndTexas37New York GiantsVic MaitlandTackleHobart38Green Bay PackersBill McPartlandTackleSt. Mary's (CA)39Washington RedskinsEd DohertyQuarterbackBoston College40Chicago BearsAbe CroftEndSMU41Pittsburgh SteelersGeorge OwenGuardWake Forest42Cleveland RamsBob WaterfieldQuarterbackUCLA43Boston YanksLarry RiceCenterTulane
Round 6
Pick # NFL team Player Position College44Chicago CardinalsBill GarnaasBackMinnesota45Brooklyn TigersBruce McDonaldEndIllinois State46Detroit LionsEd AlliquieTackleSanta Clara47Pittsburgh SteelersDan SavageBackBrown48New York GiantsJack OklandTackleUtah State49Green Bay PackersMickey McCardleBackUSC50Washington RedskinsJackie FellowsBackFresno State51Chicago BearsC. B. StanleyTackleTulsa52Philadelphia EaglesHillary HorneTackleMississippi State53Cleveland RamsAl AkinsBackWashington54Boston YanksButch ParkerTackleLoyola (CA)
Round 7
Pick # NFL team Player Position College55Chicago CardinalsRodger SmithBackTexas Tech56Brooklyn TigersBob GraizigerGuardMinnesota57Detroit LionsPaul BriggsTackleColorado58Philadelphia EaglesVic KulbitskiBackMinnesota59New York GiantsHerm FrickeyBackMinnesota60Green Bay PackersJack TracyEndWashington61Washington RedskinsHal FischerGuardTexas62Chicago BearsDarwin SeeleyCenterStanford63Pittsburgh SteelersJesse FreitasBackSanta Clara64Cleveland RamsGeorge CheverkoBackFordham65Boston YanksMike AndrewsEndNC State
Round 8
Pick # NFL team Player Position College66Chicago CardinalsRed CochranBackWake Forest67Brooklyn TigersJack SachseCenterTexas68Detroit LionsRod GiskeGuardWashington State69Pittsburgh SteelersGeorge TitusCenterHoly Cross70New York GiantsRoy ClayBackColorado A&M71Green Bay PackersAlex AgaseGuardIllinois72Washington RedskinsCliff WhiteTackleMurray State73Chicago BearsBuck FawcettBackStanford74Philadelphia EaglesGeorge PhillipsBackUCLA75Cleveland RamsStan StasicaBackSouth Carolina76Boston YanksBob MusickBackUSC
Round 9
Pick # NFL team Player Position College77Chicago CardinalsFrank ScanlanBackLoyola (CA)78Brooklyn TigersMitchell OlenskiTackleAlabama79Detroit LionsMatthew BolgerEndNotre Dame80Philadelphia EaglesPaul SarringhausBackOhio State81New York GiantsJohn SanchezTackleSan Francisco82Green Bay PackersDon WhitmireTackleNavy83Washington RedskinsTed OgdahlBackWillamette84Chicago BearsJack MortonEndMissouri85Pittsburgh SteelersEd StofkoBackSt. Francis (PA)86Cleveland RamsFred BoenschTackleStanford87Boston YanksTex WarringtonCenterAuburn
Round 10
Pick # NFL team Player Position College88Chicago CardinalsLou SabanBackIndiana89Brooklyn TigersAldo CenciBackPenn State90Detroit LionsHerb HeinEndMinnesota91Pittsburgh SteelersVal JansanteEndDuquesne92New York GiantsErnie BeamerEndDuke93Green Bay PackersBob KochBackOregon94Washington RedskinsBob SneddonBackSt. Mary's (CA)95Chicago BearsBill StarfordCenterWake Forest96Philadelphia EaglesJohn PerkoGuardMinnesota97Cleveland RamsBob ShawEndOhio State98Boston YanksAngelo SistiTackleBoston College
Round 11
Pick # NFL team Player Position College99Chicago CardinalsFran GriffinTackleHoly Cross100Brooklyn TigersJohn BicaninchGuardMinnesota101Detroit LionsPaul WhiteBackMichigan102Philadelphia EaglesElliott OrmsbeeBackBradley103New York GiantsCarl GrateGuardGeorgia104Green Bay PackersVirgil JohnsonEndArkansas105Washington RedskinsBill AldworthTackleMinnesota106Chicago BearsLin HoustonGuardOhio State107Pittsburgh SteelersCarl BudaGuardTulsa108Cleveland RamsJoe AndrejcoBackFordham109Boston YanksGene LongGuardKansas
Round 12
Pick # NFL team Player Position College110Chicago CardinalsLeo DanielsBackTexas A&M111Brooklyn TigersJim TyreeEndOklahoma112Detroit LionsJack LescoulieGuardUCLA113Pittsburgh SteelersSam GrayEndTulsa114New York GiantsTommy MontBackMaryland115Green Bay PackersRoy GiustiBackSt. Mary's (CA)116Washington RedskinsBill JoslynBackStanford117Chicago BearsJ. P. MooreBackVanderbilt118Philadelphia EaglesEarle ParsonsBackUSC119Cleveland RamsPat FilleyGuardNotre Dame120Boston YanksEd FiorentinoEndBoston College
Round 13
Pick # NFL team Player Position College121Chicago CardinalsBobby DobbsBackTulsa122Brooklyn TigersJim WrightCenterSMU123Detroit LionsDoug RehorBackDickinson124Philadelphia EaglesBob HanzlikEndWisconsin125New York GiantsRay PooleEndOle Miss126Green Bay PackersBill BaughmanCenterAlabama127Washington RedskinsCharley WalkerCenterKentucky128Chicago BearsBill DuffeyEndGeorgetown129Pittsburgh SteelersBob LongacreBackWilliam & Mary130Cleveland RamsBob EricksonBackWashington131Boston YanksMike ZeleznakBackKansas State
Round 14
Pick # NFL team Player Position College132Chicago CardinalsVan HallBackTCU133Brooklyn TigersJohn GenisTackleIllinois134Detroit LionsBill PritulaCenterMichigan135Pittsburgh SteelersLes ZettyEndMuhlenberg136New York GiantsBert CorleyCenterMississippi State137Green Bay PackersDon GriffinBackIllinois138Washington RedskinsBoyd ClementCenterOregon State139Chicago BearsJoe HartleyTackleLSU140Philadelphia EaglesJim TalleyCenterLSU141Cleveland RamsMel MaceauCenterMarquette142Boston YanksJohn MaskasTackleVPI
Round 15
Pick # NFL team Player Position College143Chicago CardinalsJack CarpenterTackleMissouri144Brooklyn TigersSpook MurphyBackMississippi State145Detroit LionsJim MolichEndFresno State146Philadelphia EaglesDom FusciTackleSouth Carolina147New York GiantsOllie PooleEndOle Miss148Green Bay PackersBert GisslerEndNebraska149Washington RedskinsJim GaffneyBackTennessee150Chicago BearsBill MilnerGuardDuke151Pittsburgh SteelersJim MyersGuardTennessee152Cleveland RamsBud HubbellEndTennessee153Boston YanksJohn BondBackTCU
Round 16
Pick # NFL team Player Position College154Chicago CardinalsCharley CsuriTackleOhio State155Brooklyn TigersDoug EssickEndUSC156Detroit LionsJules YakapovichBackColgate157Pittsburgh SteelersJoe GottliebBackDuquesne158New York GiantsRalph EllsworthBackTexas159Green Bay PackersLou SheltonBackOregon State160Washington RedskinsTed OssowskiTackleOregon State161Chicago BearsBuckets HirschBackNorthwestern162Philadelphia EaglesJohnny GreenEndTulsa163Cleveland RamsJohn AguirreTackleUSC164Boston YanksRoger AntayaGuardDartmouth
Round 17
Pick # NFL team Player Position College165Chicago CardinalsJoe MaglioloBackTexas166Brooklyn TigersRed MaleyBackSMU167Detroit LionsJack HelmsTackleGeorgia Tech168Philadelphia EaglesJackie FreemanBackWilliam & Mary169New York GiantsEd SchneiderTackleWashburn170Green Bay PackersCharley CusickGuardColgate171Washington RedskinsTom DavisBackDuke172Chicago BearsEd RyckeleyEndGeorgia Tech173Pittsburgh SteelersHugh DavisBackMichigan State174Cleveland RamsAubrey ClaytonBackAuburn175Boston YanksMarshall ShurnasEndMissouri
Round 18
Pick # NFL team Player Position College176Chicago CardinalsWalt SzotTackleBucknell177Brooklyn TigersDon WillerTackleUSC178Detroit LionsElmer MadarikBackDetroit179Pittsburgh SteelersBill SullivanEndVillanova180New York GiantsMarcel GresTackleTexas181Green Bay PackersHugh CoxBackNorth Carolina182Washington RedskinsJohn BatorskiEndColgate183Chicago BearsHowdy PlasmanBackMiami (FL)184Philadelphia EaglesJoe KaneBackPenn185Cleveland RamsZiggy ZamlynskiBackVillanova186Boston YanksReldon BennettTackleLSU
Round 19
Pick # NFL team Player Position College187Chicago CardinalsJack AdamsEndPresbyterian188Brooklyn TigersHoward CallananBackUSC189Detroit LionsBill EubankEndMississippi State190Philadelphia EaglesTony SchiroGuardSanta Clara191New York GiantsNeil BrooksBackWashington192Green Bay PackersKermit DavisEndMississippi State193Washington RedskinsClyde EhrhardtCenterGeorgia194Chicago BearsBear FrenchTacklePurdue195Pittsburgh SteelersJimmy WoodsideCenterTemple196Cleveland RamsBob McBrideGuardNotre Dame197Boston YanksArt FairclothBackNC State
Round 20
Pick # NFL team Player Position College198Chicago CardinalsRay KuffelEndMarquette199Brooklyn TigersGeorge DohertyTackleLouisiana Tech200Detroit LionsRay AhlstromBackSt. Mary's (CA)201Pittsburgh SteelersBill MillerBackPenn202New York GiantsPete KaneBackGeneva203Green Bay PackersBob JohnsonCenterPurdue204Washington RedskinsDave BrownEndUCLA205Chicago BearsPaul TaylorBackUSC206Philadelphia EaglesNorm MichaelMichael did not learn that he had been drafted until 1999, when he saw his name in a list of every drafted Syracuse player. BackSyracuse207Cleveland RamsJoe YackanichTackleFordham208Boston YanksTony BilottiGuardSt. Mary's (CA)
Round 21