1945 NFL draft

National Football League draft

The 1945 NFL draft was held on April 8, 1945, at the Commodore Hotel in New York City, New York. Perhaps as a tip of the hat to wartime sensibilities, the 1945 draft was officially called the "1944 Preferred Negotiations List" by the league. With the first overall pick of the draft, the Chicago Cardinals selected halfback Charley Trippi. Although there were formally 32 rounds of the draft, each of the 11 teams made a total of 30 selections, with a total of 330 players chosen. A total of 22 players were selected before they became eligible for the draft under league rules. ||
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Pick # NFL team Player Position College17Brooklyn TigersCecil GrayCenterOregon18Chicago CardinalsWalt WattBackMiami (FL)19Pittsburgh Steelers (Not yet eligible for selection, pick forfeited). Bill DellastatiousBackMissouri20Boston YanksDamon TassosGuardTexas A&M21Cleveland RamsDub WootenEndOklahoma22Chicago BearsCharley AllenBackSMU23Washington RedskinsTree AdamsTackleNotre Dame24Detroit LionsStan MohrbacherGuardIowa25Philadelphia EaglesAlvin DarkBackLSU26New York GiantsGordon ApplebyCenterOhio State27Green Bay PackersClyde GoodnightEndTulsa

Pick # NFL team Player Position College28Chicago CardinalsBob DobelsteinGuardTennessee29Pittsburgh Steelers (Not yet eligible for selection, pick forfeited). Roger AdamsCenterFlorida30Brooklyn TigersSteve EnichGuardMarquette31Boston YanksDon DeeksTackleWashington32Cleveland RamsJack ZillyEndNotre Dame

Pick # NFL team Player Position College33Pittsburgh SteelersChuck MehelichEndDuquesne34Brooklyn TigersAl KowalskiQuarterbackTulsa35Chicago CardinalsZeke ChronisterEndTCU36Boston Yanks (Not yet eligible for selection, pick forfeited). Johnny StrzykalskiBackMarquette37Cleveland RamsRoger HardingCenterCalifornia38Washington RedskinsGeorge BujanCenterOregon39Detroit LionsBob WieseBackMichigan40Chicago BearsForest MastersonCenterIowa41Philadelphia EaglesPete PihosEndIndiana42New York GiantsEd CastleberryBackWest Texas State43Green Bay PackersJoe GrahamEndFlorida

Pick # NFL team Player Position College55Chicago CardinalsZiggy CzarobskiTackleNotre Dame56Pittsburgh SteelersMike WolakBackDuquesne57Brooklyn TigersLouie FutrellBackFresno State58Boston YanksMarty SilovichCenterMarquette59Cleveland RamsFred NegusCenterWisconsin60Chicago BearsGlen BurgeisTackleTulsa61Washington RedskinsJohn SteberGuardGeorgia Tech62Detroit LionsMike JarmolukTackleTemple63Philadelphia EaglesGonzalo MoralesBackSt. Mary's (CA)64New York GiantsJack MeadEndWisconsin65Green Bay PackersCasey StephensonBackTennessee

Pick # NFL team Player Position College110Brooklyn TigersJohn MartinBackEast Tennessee State111Chicago CardinalsBob CowanBackIndiana112Pittsburgh Steelers (Not yet eligible for selection, pick forfeited). Frank BasiloneBackDuquesne113Boston YanksHerb ColemanCenterNotre Dame114Cleveland RamsJoe WinklerCenterPurdue115Detroit LionsMike KasapTackleIllinois116Chicago BearsJack BoydBackUCLA117Washington RedskinsPaul McKeeEndSyracuse118Philadelphia EaglesJim NewmeyerTackleSt. Vincent119New York GiantsBilly BevisBackTennessee120Green Bay PackersEd PodgorskiTackleLafayette

Pick # NFL team Player Position College143Brooklyn TigersTom ReillyGuardFordham144Chicago CardinalsGordon CarverBackDuke145Pittsburgh Steelers (Not yet eligible for selection, pick forfeited). George ConnorTackleNotre Dame146Boston YanksChan HighsmithCenterNorth Carolina147Cleveland Rams (Not yet eligible for selection, pick forfeited). Bill LundBackCase Western Reserve148Detroit LionsWindell WilliamsEndRice149Chicago BearsMerle GibsonEndTCU150Washington RedskinsEddie SaenzBackUSC151Philadelphia EaglesBill MontgomeryBackLSU152New York GiantsJack WinkBackWisconsin153Green Bay PackersBuster McClureTackleNevada

Pick # NFL team Player Position College154Chicago Cardinals (Not yet eligible for selection, pick forfeited). John CannadyBackIndiana155Pittsburgh SteelersJim UnglesBackKansas State156Brooklyn TigersSkimp HarrisonEndSouth Carolina157Boston YanksMike CostelloEndGeorgetown158Cleveland RamsBob BartonEndHoly Cross159Chicago BearsJohn CreeveyBackNotre Dame160Washington RedskinsDom FusciTackleSouth Carolina161Detroit LionsWayne FlaniganEndDenver162Philadelphia EaglesHoward WernerEndSyracuse163New York GiantsJim LittleTackleKentucky164Green Bay PackersHarry PieperCenterCalifornia

Pick # NFL team Player Position College165Pittsburgh SteelersJohn ItzelBackPittsburgh166Brooklyn TigersArnie WeinmeisterDefensive TackleWashington167Chicago CardinalsBen CittadinoEndDuke168Boston YanksPaul DromgooleEndManhattan169Cleveland RamsDick HoernerBackIowa170Washington RedskinsBobby Tom JenkinsBackAlabama171Detroit LionsO. J. KeyBackTulane172Chicago BearsNick SacrintyBackWake Forest173Philadelphia EaglesJim AustinBackMissouri174New York GiantsBob JabbuschGuardOhio State175Green Bay PackersBob KulaBackMinnesota

Pick # NFL team Player Position College176Brooklyn TigersVirgil EikenbergBackRice177Chicago CardinalsRalph StrayhornGuardNorth Carolina178Pittsburgh SteelersAlex WizbickiBackHoly Cross179Boston YanksDolph CzekalaTackleSyracuse180Cleveland RamsLee KennonTackleOklahoma181Detroit LionsJim McWhorterBackAlabama182Chicago BearsJim KeaneEndIowa183Washington Redskins (Not yet eligible for selection, pick forfeited). Ed StaccoTackleColgate184Philadelphia EaglesQuentin KlenkTackleUSC185New York GiantsBill ByrdCenterMaryland186Green Bay PackersFrank HazardGuardNebraska

Pick # NFL team Player Position College220Chicago CardinalsFred GrantBackAlabama221Pittsburgh SteelersDon MalmbergBackUCLA222Brooklyn Tigers (Not yet eligible for selection, pick forfeited). Don FablingBackColorado223Boston YanksWalt KretzBackCornell224Cleveland Rams (Not yet eligible for selection, pick forfeited). Ray EvansTackleTexas Western225Chicago BearsBob LivingstoneBackNotre Dame226Washington Redskins (Not yet eligible for selection, pick forfeited). Chick DavidsonTackleCornell227Detroit LionsJack VeruttiBackSt. Mary's (CA)228Philadelphia EaglesJohn MageeGuardRice229New York GiantsVern OliverCenterWashington State230Green Bay PackersFred NeilsenTackleSt. Mary's (CA)

Pick # NFL team Player Position College231Pittsburgh SteelersEverett HartwellEndAuburn232Brooklyn TigersWally CrittendenBackUSC233Chicago Cardinals (Not yet eligible for selection, pick forfeited). Johnny CookBackGeorgia234Boston Yanks (Not yet eligible for selection, pick forfeited). Marty GrbovazEndSan Francisco235Cleveland RamsLuke HigginsTackleNotre Dame236Washington RedskinsGabby MartinEndSMU237Detroit LionsRay OlsenBackTulane238Chicago BearsMike VargonEndKansas State239Philadelphia EaglesMonk MosleyBackAlabama240New York GiantsJim ChadwellTackleTennessee241Green Bay PackersBob GilmoreBackWashington

Pick # NFL team Player Position College253Chicago CardinalsHugo NorigeBackWooster254Pittsburgh SteelersAngelo CarlacciniBackPittsburgh255Brooklyn TigersJerry WhitneyBackUSC256Boston Yanks (Not yet eligible for selection, pick forfeited). Bill IancelliEndWilliam & Mary257Cleveland RamsGene KonopkaGuardVillanova258Chicago BearsJack GreenGuardAlabama259Washington RedskinsCecil SoudersEndOhio State260Detroit LionsStan GreenTackleOklahoma261Philadelphia EaglesBob HallEndStanford262New York GiantsGeorge KitaBackDrake263Green Bay PackersNolan LuhnEndTulsa

Pick # NFL team Player Position College264Pittsburgh SteelersEd BurnsBackBoston College265Brooklyn Tigers (Not yet eligible for selection, pick forfeited). Felix TrapaniGuardLSU266Chicago Cardinals (Not yet eligible for selection, pick forfeited). Red KnightBackLSU267Boston YanksAl KullTackleFordham268Cleveland RamsRay FlorekBackIllinois269Washington Redskins (Not yet eligible for selection, pick forfeited). Ben WallBackWestern Michigan270Detroit LionsBob IvoryGuardDetroit271Chicago BearsLu GambinoBackMaryland272Philadelphia EaglesDan TalcottTackleNevada273New York GiantsDoug GrahamTackleStanford274Green Bay PackersNestor BlancoGuardColorado Mines

Pick # NFL team Player Position College297Pittsburgh Steelers (Not yet eligible for selection, pick forfeited). Ralph GrantBackBucknell298Brooklyn TigersNick StudenBackDenver299Chicago CardinalsEd DusekBackTexas A&M300Boston YanksJohn FisherCenterHarvard301Cleveland RamsBill DavisBackOregon302Washington Redskins (Not yet eligible for selection, pick forfeited). Frank IrwinTackleDuke303Detroit LionsFrank LoppTackleWisconsin304Chicago BearsNick ForkovitchBackWilliam & Mary305Philadelphia EaglesLeo BenjaminCenterWest Virginia306New York GiantsRay PipkinBackArkansas307Green Bay PackersJim EvansEndIdaho

Pick # NFL team Player Position College308Brooklyn Tigers (Not yet eligible for selection, pick forfeited). LeMar DykstraBackColorado309Chicago CardinalsOtto PayneBackTexas A&M310Pittsburgh SteelersJohn KondrlaTackleSt. Vincent311Boston YanksElmer ObertoGuardGeorgetown312Cleveland RamsCharley ComptonTackleAlabama313Detroit LionsPaul LimontEndNotre Dame314Chicago BearsDon RobinsonBackMichigan315Washington RedskinsLeon DinerEndDenver316Philadelphia EaglesJim DoughertyBackMiami (OH)317New York GiantsJoe WolfCenterUSC318Green Bay Packers (Not yet eligible for selection, pick forfeited). Hamilton NicholsGuardRice

Pick # NFL team Player Position College319Chicago BearsRusty JohnstonBackMarquette320Washington RedskinsBob CummingsCenterVanderbilt321Detroit Lions (Not yet eligible for selection, pick forfeited). Ben SchadlerBackNorthwestern322Philadelphia EaglesKen ReeseBackAlabama323New York GiantsBill BroderickTackleUtah324Green Bay PackersJohn PridayBackOhio State

Charley Trippi, halfback from Georgia taken 1st round 1st overall by the Chicago Cardinals. Inducted: Professional Football Hall of Fame class of 1968. Elroy “Crazylegs” Hirsch, wide receiver from Michigan taken 1st round 5th overall by the Cleveland Rams. Inducted: Professional Football Hall of Fame class of 1968. Tom Fears, end from the University of California, Los Angeles taken 11th round 103rd overall by the Cleveland Rams. Inducted: Professional Football Hall of Fame class of 1970.