The 2004 NFL draft was the procedure by which National Football League teams selected amateur college football players. It is officially known as the NFL Annual Player Selection Meeting. The draft was held from April 24–25, 2004, at the Theater at Madison Square Garden in New York City.Facts & Figures . No teams chose to claim any players in the supplemental draft that year.
The draft was shown on ESPN both days and eventually moved to ESPN2 both days. The draft began with the San Diego Chargers selecting Mississippi quarterback Eli Manning with the first overall selection. Due to his refusal to play for the Chargers, Manning was later traded to the New York Giants for the fourth overall pick Philip Rivers of NC State. There were 32 compensatory selections distributed among 16 teams, with the Eagles, Rams and Jets each receiving four compensatory picks. Seven wide receivers were selected in the first round, a draft record later tied in 2024. Another record set by the draft was the most trades in the first round, with 28 trades. The University of Miami set an NFL record for the most first-rounders drafted with six, which would be tied by Alabama in 2021. 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, with Ben Roethlisberger and Manning each winning two.
The 255 players chosen in the draft comprised:
32 wide receivers 29 cornerbacks 28 linebackers 26 offensive tackles 24 defensive ends 22 defensive tackles 19 safeties 17 quarterbacks 16 tight ends 14 running backs 9 centers 8 guards 4 fullbacks 3 kickers 3 punters 1 nose tackle __TOC__
Player selections * = compensatory selection ^ = supplemental compensatory selection ¤ = extra selection awarded to expansion team † = Pro BowlerPlayers are identified as Pro Bowlers if they were selected for the Pro Bowl at any time in their career. ‡= Hall of FamerPlayers are identified as a Hall of Famer if they have been inducted into the Pro Football Hall of Fame.
Notable undrafted players
†= Pro Bowler
Hall of Famers
Jared Allen, defensive end from Idaho State, taken 4th round, 126th overall by the Kansas City Chiefs. Inducted: Professional Football Hall of Fame Class of 2025. Larry Fitzgerald, wide receiver from Pittsburgh, taken 1st round, 3rd overall by the Arizona Cardinals. Inducted: Professional Football Hall of Fame Class of 2026.
Trades In the explanations below, (D) denotes trades that took place during the 2004 Draft, while (PD) indicates trades completed pre-draft.
Round 1
Round 2
Round 3
Round 4
Round 5
Round 6
Round 7
Notes
References
External links Football Outsiders – 2004 NFL Draft: Six Years Later (March 19, 2010) 2004 NFL Draft Listing at Pro Football Reference
Sources