Editing NFL draft (section)

==Current format==
Players who have been out of high school for at least three years are eligible for the NFL draft. The rules do not state that a player must attend college, but virtually all of the players selected in the NFL draft have played college football, usually in the United States but occasionally from [[U Sports football|Canadian universities]] as well. A few players are occasionally selected from other football leagues like the [[Arena Football League]] (AFL), the [[Canadian Football League]] (CFL), and the [[German Football League]] (GFL). A small handful of players have also been drafted from colleges who played sports other than football.

Rules state only that a player must be three years removed from high school graduation, regardless of what the prospective draftee did during that time. A year as a [[Redshirt (college sports)|redshirt player]] in college counts toward eligibility even though the player was not allowed to participate in games during that year, therefore players who have completed their redshirt sophomore year can enter the NFL draft.

===Rules for determining draft order===
The selection order is based on each team's win–loss record in the previous season and whether the team reached the playoffs. Teams that did not reach the playoffs the previous season are ranked in reverse order of their records (thus the team with the fewest wins is awarded the first selection). Ties between teams with identical records are determined by the following tiebreakers (in order):<ref name="Draft order">{{cite web|url=http://operations.nfl.com/the-players/the-nfl-draft/the-rules-of-the-draft/|title=The Rule of the Draft|work=NFL.com|access-date=January 26, 2016}}</ref><ref>{{Cite web|url=https://www.milehighreport.com/2018/12/30/18162098/2019-nfl-draft-order| title=Update: Broncos will likely pick 10th in NFL Draft after clarification on tie-breaking scenarios| last=Lynch|first=Tim|date=December 30, 2018|website=Mile High Report|access-date=January 6, 2019}}</ref>
#[[Strength of schedule]], which is the combined win–loss record for all 17 of the team's opponents in the previous season (ties count as half a win and half a loss). The team with the ''lower'' strength of schedule (i.e. their opponents compiled fewer wins) is granted the ''earlier'' pick in round one. (Each game against a division rival is counted separately, so divisional records are weighted double.)
#If any teams are in the same division, the [[NFL playoffs#Breaking ties|other playoff tiebreakers]] will be applied in the specified order.
#If any teams are in the same conference, the other playoff tiebreakers will be applied in the specified order.
#If two teams remain from opposing conferences, a series of tiebreakers starting with head-to-head (if one team lost to the other in the previous regular season), win percentage of common games, and strength of victory are applied. Prior to the [[2020 NFL draft]], interconference ties were only broken by a coin flip.<ref>{{Cite web|url=http://www.quirkyresearch.com/nfl-tiebreakers/|title=NFL tiebreakers|website=Quirky Research|date=February 12, 2017|access-date=December 12, 2019}}</ref>

Teams that reached the playoffs the previous season are then slotted in the order in which they were eliminated as indicated in the table below. Within each tier, the slotting is determined as above (i.e. worst record picks first and the same tiebreakers apply).<ref name="Draft order"/>
{| class="wikitable"
|-
! Status
! Draft picks
|-
| Non-playoff teams
| 1–18
|-
| Eliminated in wild card round
| 19–24
|-
| Eliminated in divisional round
| 25–28
|-
| Conference runners-up
| 29–30
|-
| Super Bowl runner-up
| 31
|-
| Super Bowl champion
| 32
|}

Once the order for the first round is determined as described above, the selection order remains the same for subsequent rounds with the exception of teams with identical records within their tier. These tied teams "cycle" picks in each subsequent round. For example, in the [[2014 NFL draft|2014 draft]], the [[Jacksonville Jaguars]], [[Cleveland Browns]], [[Oakland Raiders]], [[Atlanta Falcons]], and [[Tampa Bay Buccaneers]] all finished 4–12, and selected in that order in the first round (based on the tiebreakers described above). In the second round, Jacksonville cycled to the back of the line with the order becoming Cleveland, Oakland, Atlanta, Tampa Bay, and Jacksonville. That cycling continued in each round.<ref>{{Cite web| url=http://www.nfl.com/draft/history/fulldraft|title=Draft 2018 – NFL Draft History: Full Draft Year| website=NFL.com|language=en|access-date=August 22, 2018}}</ref>

An exception to this ordering strategy occurs when "[[expansion team]]s" are added to the league. Any expansion team is automatically granted the first selection; if there are two or more expansion teams added, a coin toss (for two expansion teams) or a drawing of lots (for three expansion teams or more) determines which team is awarded the first selection in the regular draft. The winner of the coin toss (or of the drawing of lots in the event there are three or more expansion teams) is awarded the first selection in the expansion draft.<ref name="1995 expansion coin flip">{{cite web| title=Carolina Panthers history| url=http://www.panthers.com/team/history/chronology.html#1994| publisher=[[Carolina Panthers|Panthers.com]]| access-date=March 17, 2015|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20150927113839/http://www.panthers.com/team/history/chronology.html#1994| archive-date=September 27, 2015|url-status=dead}}</ref> Similarly, the order of [[NFL draft#Compensatory picks|compensatory picks]] generally does not follow the standard draft order.

====Timing====
Each team has its representatives attend the draft. During the draft, one team is always "on the clock." Teams have 10 minutes to make their choice in the first round, seven minutes in the second round, five minutes in the third through sixth rounds, and four minutes in the seventh round.<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://operations.nfl.com/the-players/the-nfl-draft/the-rules-of-the-draft/|title=The rules of the NFL Draft|website=[[NFL.com]]|access-date=December 31, 2018}}</ref> Until 2007, the limits were 15 minutes in the first round, 10 minutes in the second, and 5 minutes for all subsequent rounds.<ref>{{Cite web| url=http://www.nfl.com/draft/story/09000d5d807cf87e/printable/teams-will-have-to-get-down-to-business-with-less-time-for-picks|title=Teams will have to get down to business with less time for picks|website=[[NFL.com]]|access-date=December 31, 2018}}</ref> The time for seventh-round selections was shortened from five to four minutes in 2015.<ref>{{Cite web| url=https://www.si.com/2015/04/27/philip-rivers-trade-titans-chargers-nfl-draft|title=Rivers Trade Dead? Draft Intrigue Begins at No. 2|website=SI.com|date=April 27, 2015 |language=en|access-date=December 31, 2018}}</ref> If a team does not make a decision within its allotted time, the team still can submit its selection at any time after its time is up, but the next team is then free to make a selection, thus possibly 'stealing' a player the team with the earlier pick may have been considering. This occurred in the [[2003 NFL draft|2003 draft]], when the [[Minnesota Vikings]], with the 7th overall pick, were late with their selection. The [[Jacksonville Jaguars]] drafted quarterback [[Byron Leftwich]] and the [[Carolina Panthers]] drafted offensive tackle [[Jordan Gross]] before the Vikings were able to submit their selection of defensive tackle [[Kevin Williams (defensive tackle)|Kevin Williams]].  This also happened in [[2011 NFL draft|2011]]; as the [[Baltimore Ravens]] were negotiating a trade with the [[Chicago Bears]], their time expired and allowed the [[Kansas City Chiefs]] to pick ahead of Baltimore, who were unable to finalize the trade with Chicago.

===Pick trades===
Teams may negotiate with one another both before and during the draft (including when they are not "on the clock") for the right to pick an additional player in a given round. For example, a team may include draft picks in future drafts in order to acquire a player during a trading period. Teams may also make negotiations during the draft relinquishing the right to pick in a given round for the right to have an additional pick in a later round. Thus teams may have multiple picks or no picks in a given round. Teams are only allowed to trade picks for the next three draft cycles and picks for the subsequent draft cycle become eligible for trading upon the start of the upcoming draft.<ref>{{cite web | url=https://saintswire.usatoday.com/lists/deshaun-watson-trade-saints-draft-picks-2022-nfl/ | title=Status update on future Saints draft picks, from 2022 to 2025 | date=March 18, 2022 }}</ref> For example, for the 2022 draft, only picks through the 2024 draft can be traded prior to the draft, and once the 2022 draft starts, picks from the 2025 draft are eligible to be traded.

===Compensatory picks===
<!-- This section is frequently linked -->
In addition to the 32 selections in each of the seven rounds, a total of 32 compensatory selections are awarded to teams based on the players they lost and gained in free agency. The league defines a class of unrestricted free agents as "compensatory free agents" (CFA). Teams that have lost more compensatory free agents than they signed in the previous year receive between one and four selections somewhere in the third through seventh rounds, but always at the end of each round. Teams that gain and lose equal numbers of players but lose higher-valued players can also be awarded a single seventh-round pick. Compensatory selections are awarded each year at the NFL annual meeting which is held at the end of March; typically, about three or four weeks before the draft. Compensatory selections can be traded; this began with the [[2017 NFL draft]].<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.espn.com/nfl/story/_/id/14274468/nfl-owners-ok-compensatory-pick-trading-2017|title=Owners OK trading of compensatory picks, shorten legal tampering window|work=ESPN.com|date=December 2, 2015|access-date=January 9, 2015}}</ref>

The placement of selections is determined by a proprietary formula based on the player's average annual salary, playing time, and postseason honors with his new team, with salary being the primary factor. So, for example, a team that lost a linebacker who signed for $2.5 million per year in free agency might get a sixth-round compensatory pick, while a team that lost a wide receiver who signed for $5 million per year might receive a fourth-round pick. The formula used prior to the 2020 free agency season was never revealed by the NFL, though observers from outside the NFL were able to [[reverse engineer]] it to some degree of certainty.<ref name="OTCBasics">{{cite web| url=http://overthecap.com/the-basics-and-methodology-of-projecting-the-nfls-compensatory-draft-picks/ |title=The Basics and Methodology of Projecting the NFL's Compensatory Draft Picks|work=Over the Cap|access-date=April 19, 2016}}</ref> The [[NFL Collective Bargaining Agreement|2020 CBA]] explicitly provided the details of a new formula, still based primarily on salary.<ref name="OTCBasics"/>

On two occasions, 33 compensatory selections have been awarded instead of 32:

* In [[2016 NFL draft|2016]], the additional pick was awarded (under an agreement between the NFL Management Council and the [[NFLPA]]) to the [[Buffalo Bills]] for losing [[Da'Norris Searcy]] to free agency and signing [[Charles Clay (American football)|Charles Clay]] as a transition tagged player from the [[Miami Dolphins]], who had not qualified as a CFA.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://overthecap.com/evaluating-otcs-2016-compensatory-draft-picks-projection/|title=Evaluating OTC's 2016 Compensatory Draft Picks Projection|work=Over the Cap |access-date=April 19, 2016|date=March 11, 2016}}</ref><ref>{{cite web| url=http://overthecap.com/comment-compensatory-picks-transition-tag/|title=A Comment On Compensatory Picks And The Transition Tag|work=Over the Cap|access-date=April 28, 2016|date=March 10, 2016}}</ref>
* In [[2021 NFL draft|2021]], the NFL announced compensatory selections — the first under a new formula — on March 10. On March 19, it published a revised list after "a correction by the Management Council to the calculation of average yearly compensation."<ref>{{Cite web|date=2021-03-19|title=NFL awards Patriots additional 2021 NFL Draft pick|url=https://www.masslive.com/patriots/2021/03/nfl-awards-new-england-patriots-mysterious-new-fifth-round-comp-pick.html|access-date=2021-03-20|website=masslive|language=en}}</ref> The revised calculation meant that [[Damiere Byrd]] did not qualify as a CFA, giving the [[New England Patriots]] an additional fifth-round compensatory pick for [[Jamie Collins (American football)|Jamie Collins]]. Rather than remove the last compensatory pick (a sixth-round pick for the [[Chicago Bears]]), a 33rd pick was awarded.<ref>{{Cite web|last=Overthecap.com|title=The NFL Management Council Makes Corrections To The 2021 Compensatory Picks|url=https://overthecap.com/the-nfl-management-council-makes-corrections-to-the-2021-compensatory-picks/|access-date=2021-03-20|website=Over the Cap|date=March 20, 2021 |language=en-US}}</ref>

If fewer than 32 compensatory selections are awarded, the remainder are awarded after the final Round 7 compensatory selections in the order in which teams would pick in a hypothetical eighth round of the draft; these are known as "supplemental compensatory selections".

=== Resolution JC-2A{{anchor|2020 Resolution JC-2A}} ===
Resolution JC-2A, which was enacted by the NFL in November 2020, rewards teams for developing minority candidates for head coach and/or general manager positions.<ref name=":0">{{Cite web|last=Bell|first=Jarrett|title=NFL approves plan to reward teams with draft picks for developing minority coaches, GMs|url=https://www.usatoday.com/story/sports/nfl/2020/11/10/nfl-minority-coach-general-manager-hiring-proposal-approved/6234064002/|access-date=January 16, 2021|website=USA Today|language=en-US|date=November 10, 2020}}</ref> The resolution rewards teams whose minority candidates are hired away for one of those positions by awarding draft picks:

* Two draft picks are awarded if a team has one qualified candidate hired for either a coach or a general manager position.
* Three draft picks are awarded if a team has two qualified candidates hired for both positions, whether by the same team or two different teams.
* These draft picks are at the end of the third round in consecutive years, after standard compensatory picks. For example, the first team to receive such picks, the [[Los Angeles Rams]], received picks in 2021 and 2022 after the [[Detroit Lions]] hired their director of college scouting, [[Brad Holmes]], as their general manager.<ref>{{Cite web|date=January 14, 2021|title=Rams are 1st team to earn compensatory picks thanks to NFL's new hiring initiative|url=https://theramswire.usatoday.com/2021/01/14/rams-draft-picks-brad-holmes-minority-hiring/|access-date=January 16, 2021|website=Rams Wire|language=en-US}}</ref>
* if multiple teams qualify in a given year, they are awarded in draft order from the first round. The number of picks awarded via the resolution has no impact on the 32 compensatory picks described above.<ref>{{Cite web|last=Overthecap.com|title=2020 Resolution JC-2A|url=https://overthecap.com/2020-resolution-jc-2a/|access-date=January 16, 2021|website=Over the Cap|language=en-US}}</ref>

The resolution followed moves strengthening the league's [[Rooney Rule]] to require two minority candidates be interviewed for head coach positions (previously one), and one minority candidate for open coordinator positions (previously not required). It also replaced an earlier resolution that would have rewarded teams for hiring minority candidates rather than for developing them.<ref name=":0" />

===Salaries===
The NFL allows each team a certain amount of money from its [[salary cap]] to sign its drafted rookies for their first season. That amount is based on an undisclosed formula that assigns a certain value to each pick in the draft; thus, having more picks, or earlier picks, will increase the allotment. In 2008 the highest allotment was about $8.22 million for the [[Kansas City Chiefs]], who had 12 picks, including two first-rounders, while the lowest was the $1.79 million for the [[Cleveland Browns]] who had only five picks, and none in the first three rounds.<ref>{{cite web| url=https://www.espn.com/nfl/news/story?id=3385956|title=Chiefs get largest rookie pool to pay draft picks|work=ESPN.com|date=May 7, 2008|access-date=April 19, 2016}}</ref> The exact mechanism for the rookie salary cap is set out in the NFL's [[collective bargaining agreement]] (CBA) with the [[National Football League Players Association]] (NFLPA). (Those numbers represent the cap hits that each rookie's salary may contribute, not the total amount of money paid out.)

The drafted players are paid salaries commensurate with the position in which they were drafted. High first-round picks get paid the most, and low-round picks get paid the least. There is a de facto pay scale for drafted rookies. After the draft, non-drafted rookies may sign a contract with any team in the league. These rookie free-agents are not usually paid as well as drafted players, nearly all of them signing for the predetermined rookie minimum and a small signing bonus.

Two other facets of the rookie salary cap affect the makeup of rosters. First, the base salaries of rookie free agents do ''not'' count towards the rookie salary cap, though certain bonuses do. Second, if a rookie is traded, his cap allotment remains with the team that originally drafted him, which make trades involving rookie players relatively rare. (This rule does not apply, however, to rookies that are waived by the teams that drafted them.)

Teams used to be able to agree to a contract with a draft-eligible player before the draft itself starts. They could only do this if they have the first overall pick, as by agreeing to terms with a player the team has already "selected" which player they will draft. The last example of this was quarterback [[Matthew Stafford]] and the [[Detroit Lions]] in the [[2009 NFL draft]]: the Lions picked Stafford with the first overall selection in the draft, and had agreed to a six-year, $78 million deal ($41.7 million guaranteed) with Stafford a day before the draft officially started.

Since 2011, all rookies that are drafted, even those drafted first overall, now have their compensation and duration predetermined each year before the draft occurs, and can no longer negotiate beforehand.

===Forfeiture===
The [[NFL commissioner]] has the authority to forfeit picks any team is allotted in a draft for rules violations. A total of 28 selections have been forfeited since 1980 for 23 rules violations by 15 teams, while three other selections have been moved down from their original position. The [[New England Patriots]] have been the most penalized team, losing five draft picks for four violations. The [[Denver Broncos]], [[Las Vegas Raiders]] (as the Oakland Raiders), [[New Orleans Saints]] and [[San Francisco 49ers]] have each committed two violations.<ref>{{cite web |author=Fenelon, Andy |date=May 11, 2015 |title=Draft picks that have been stripped from NFL teams since 1980 |work=NFL.com |url=https://www.nfl.com/news/draft-picks-that-have-been-stripped-from-nfl-teams-since-1980-0ap3000000492229 |access-date=September 4, 2019}}</ref> The [[Pittsburgh Steelers]], who have forfeited only one pick since 1980 (a third rounder in 2001 due to trying to circumvent the [[salary cap]] involving offensive lineman [[Will Wolford]] in 1998), have also forfeited multiple picks, with the other one coming in the form of a third-rounder in 1979 for the now-infamous 1978 [[Shouldergate]] controversy.<ref name="Punishment">{{cite news|url=https://news.google.com/newspapers?id=HUENAAAAIBAJ&dq=pads%20draft%20steelers&pg=4141%2C3968058|title=Tarnish on the Black and Gold Reputation|last=Musick|first=Phil|date=June 27, 1978|work=[[Pittsburgh Post-Gazette]]|page=9|access-date=April 2, 2010}}</ref> Teams selecting a player in a supplemental draft will forfeit the corresponding selection in the following year's NFL draft.

{| class="wikitable"
|-
! Draft !! Team !! Pick(s) !! Reason
|-
|rowspan="2"| [[1980 NFL draft|1980]] || [[1980 Philadelphia Eagles season|Philadelphia Eagles]] || 3rd || Holding an illegal tryout
|-
| [[1980 Oakland Raiders season|Oakland Raiders]] || 4th || Exceeding player limit
|-
|rowspan="2"| [[1981 NFL draft|1981]]|| [[1981 Denver Broncos season|Denver Broncos]] || 3rd || Contract violations involving DB [[Bill Thompson (American football)|Bill Thompson]]
|-
| [[1981 Oakland Raiders season|Oakland Raiders]] || 5th || Illegally sequestering players in [[1978 Oakland Raiders season|1978]]
|-
| [[1986 NFL draft|1986]] || [[1986 New England Patriots season|New England Patriots]] || 3rd || Illegal use of injured-reserve list
|-
|rowspan="2"| [[1995 NFL draft|1995]] || rowspan="2" | [[1995 Carolina Panthers season|Carolina Panthers]] || 2nd || rowspan="2" | Tampering with DC [[Dom Capers]], who was under contract with the Pittsburgh Steelers, about the Panthers' head coaching job
|-
| 6th
|-
|rowspan="2"| [[2001 NFL draft|2001]] || [[2001 Pittsburgh Steelers season|Pittsburgh Steelers]] || 3rd || Exceeding the salary cap in [[1998 Pittsburgh Steelers season|1998]]
|-
| [[2001 San Francisco 49ers season|San Francisco 49ers]] || 5th || rowspan="2" | Violations of salary cap rules
|-
|rowspan="2"| [[2002 NFL draft|2002]] || [[2002 San Francisco 49ers season|San Francisco 49ers]] || 3rd 
|-
| [[2002 Denver Broncos season|Denver Broncos]] || 3rd || rowspan="2" | Violations of the salary cap in 1996–1998
|-
| [[2005 NFL draft|2005]] || [[2005 Denver Broncos season|Denver Broncos]] || 3rd 
|-
|rowspan="2"| [[2008 NFL draft|2008]] || [[2008 New England Patriots season|New England Patriots]] || 1st || [[Spygate (NFL)|Illegally videotaping]] New York Jets coaches' signals on the sideline during a [[2007 New England Patriots season|2007 game]]
|-
| [[2008 San Francisco 49ers season|San Francisco 49ers]] || 5th{{efn|In addition to forfeiting their 5th round selection, the 49ers were required to swap 3rd-round selections with the Bears (moving the 49ers down and the Bears up six spots).}} || Tampering with LB [[Lance Briggs]], who was under contract with the [[Chicago Bears]]
|-
|rowspan="2"| [[2012 NFL draft|2012]] || [[2012 New Orleans Saints season|New Orleans Saints]] || 2nd || Paying "[[New Orleans Saints bounty scandal|bounties]]" for injuring opposing players 
|-
| [[2012 Detroit Lions season|Detroit Lions]] || 6th{{efn|In addition to forfeiting their 6th round selection, the Lions were required to swap [[2011 NFL draft|2011]] 5th-round selections with the Chiefs (moving the Lions down and the Chiefs up 14 spots).}} || Tampering with S [[Jarrad Page]], who was under contract with the [[Kansas City Chiefs]]
|-
| [[2013 NFL draft|2013]] || [[2013 New Orleans Saints season|New Orleans Saints]] || 2nd || Paying "bounties" for injuring opposing players
|-
|rowspan="3"| [[2016 NFL draft|2016]] || [[2016 New England Patriots season|New England Patriots]] || 1st || [[Deflategate|Deflating footballs]] used in the 2014 AFC Championship Game
|-
| [[2016 Kansas City Chiefs season|Kansas City Chiefs]] || 3rd || Violations of the NFL's anti-tampering policy during the [[2015 NFL season|2015]] free agency period
|-
| [[2016 Atlanta Falcons season|Atlanta Falcons]] || 5th || Pumping artificial noise into their stadium
|-
|rowspan="3"| [[2017 NFL draft|2017]] || [[2017 New England Patriots season|New England Patriots]] || 4th || Deflating footballs used in the 2014 AFC Championship Game
|-
| [[2017 Seattle Seahawks season|Seattle Seahawks]] || 5th || Violation of off-season workout policies
|-
| [[2017 Kansas City Chiefs season|Kansas City Chiefs]] || 6th || Violation of the NFL's anti-tampering policy during the 2015 free agency period
|-
|rowspan="2"| [[2021 NFL draft|2021]] || [[2021 New England Patriots season|New England Patriots]] || 3rd || Illegally filming the field and sidelines during a [[Cincinnati Bengals|Cincinnati]]–[[Cleveland Browns|Cleveland]] game in December 2019 (by the team's television crew)<ref>{{cite web |url=https://www.espn.com/nfl/story/_/id/29380577/new-england-patriots-fined-11-million-lose-draft-pick-film-crew-fallout |title=New England Patriots fined $1.1 million, lose draft pick in film crew fallout |website=ESPN |first=Mike |last=Reiss |date=June 28, 2020 |access-date=December 29, 2020}}</ref>
|-
| [[2021 Minnesota Vikings season|Minnesota Vikings]] || 7th || Violation of salary cap rules in 2019 regarding a practice squad player<ref>{{cite web|last=Craig|first=Mark|date=March 19, 2021|title=Vikings lose seventh-round draft pick for salary-cap violation|url=https://www.startribune.com/vikings-lose-seventh-round-draft-pick-for-salary-cap-violation/600036383/|access-date=March 20, 2021|work=StarTribune}}</ref>
|-
| [[2022 NFL draft|2022]] || [[2022 New Orleans Saints season|New Orleans Saints]]|| 6th || Repeated violations of COVID-19 protocols during the 2020 season<ref>{{cite web |author=Smith, Michael |date=March 20, 2021 |title=Saints forfeit 2022 draft pick for COVID-19 violations |work=NBC Sports |url=https://profootballtalk.nbcsports.com/2021/03/20/saints-forfeit-2022-draft-pick-for-covid-19-violations/ |access-date=June 11, 2021}}</ref>
|-
| rowspan=2|[[2023 NFL draft|2023]] || [[2023 Miami Dolphins season|Miami Dolphins]] || 1st || Punishment for multiple violations of the league's anti-[[Tampering (sport)|tampering]] policy in conversations with quarterback [[Tom Brady]] and [[Don Yee]], the agent for then-New Orleans Saints coach [[Sean Payton]] (as well as Brady)<ref>{{Cite web|date=August 2, 2022|title=NFL strips Miami Dolphins of 2023 first-round pick, fines Stephen Ross $1.5M for tampering with Tom Brady, Sean Payton|url=https://www.espn.com/nfl/story/_/id/34334514/nfl-strips-miami-dolphins-2023-first-round-pick-fines-stephen-ross-15m-tampering-tom-brady-sean-payton|access-date=August 2, 2022|website=ESPN.com}}</ref>
|-
| [[2023 Houston Texans season|Houston Texans]] || 5th || Salary cap reporting violation by providing then-Texan [[Deshaun Watson]] with undisclosed compensation<ref>{{Cite web|date=March 9, 2023|title=Texans forfeit 2023 fifth-round pick, fined 175K for salary cap reporting violation|url=https://www.nfl.com/news/texans-forfeit-2023-fifth-round-pick-fined-175k-for-salary-cap-reporting-violati|access-date=March 18, 2023|website=NFL }}</ref>
|-
| [[2024 NFL draft|2024]] || [[2024 Miami Dolphins season|Miami Dolphins]] || 3rd || Forfeited with their 2023 pick forfeiture.
|-
| rowspan=2|[[2025 NFL draft|2025]] || [[2025 San Francisco 49ers season|San Francisco 49ers]] || 5th || Punishment for administrative payroll accounting errors that occurred during the [[2022 San Francisco 49ers season|2022 season]]<ref>{{Cite web|date=March 18, 2024|title=Niners to forfeit 2025 fifth-round pick as result of administrative payroll accounting errors|url=https://www.nfl.com/news/niners-to-forfeit-2025-fifth-round-pick-as-result-of-administrative-payroll-accounting-errors|access-date=February 20, 2025|website=NFL }}</ref>
|-
| [[2025 Atlanta Falcons season|Atlanta Falcons]] || 5th || Violation of the league's anti-tampering policy by having "improper contact" with QB [[Kirk Cousins]], WR [[Darnell Mooney]] and TE [[Charlie Woerner]]<ref>{{Cite web|date=June 13, 2024|title=Falcons forfeit draft pick, fined for tampering; Eagles cleared|url=https://www.espn.com/nfl/story/_/id/40341876/nfl-penalizes-falcons-tampering-eagles-cleared|access-date=February 20, 2025|website=ESPN }}</ref>
|}

===Team policies===
Teams vary greatly in their selection methodologies. Owners, general managers, coaches, and others may or may not participate. For example, in the [[1983 NFL draft|1983 draft]], Pittsburgh Steelers' head coach [[Chuck Noll]] had what team executive [[Art Rooney, Jr.]] later described as "the final say" over picks, even over his father, team owner [[Art Rooney]]. This infamously led to the team drafting [[Gabriel Rivera]] over Rooney's favorite, [[Pittsburgh Panthers football|local product]] and [[Oakland (Pittsburgh)]] native [[Dan Marino]], which later came back to haunt the Steelers due to Rivera only playing six games before becoming paralyzed in a drunk-driving crash. [[Terry Bradshaw]]'s sudden retirement the following year and Marino's eventual [[Pro Football Hall of Fame|Hall of Fame]] career with the Dolphins lead to the elder Rooney reminding his sons daily until his death in 1988 that the team "should've drafted Marino".

New England Patriots head coach [[Ron Meyer]], by contrast, later stated that the team, led by owner [[Billy Sullivan (American football)|Billy Sullivan]], excluded the coaching staff from any personnel-related decisions, even prohibiting him from reading scouting reports. Meyer claimed that had he possessed the decision-making authority, he would not have chosen [[Tony Eason]] in the first round of the 1983 draft.<ref name="30for30">{{cite episode | title=Elway to Marino | series=30 for 30 | network=ESPN | airdate=April 23, 2013 | season=2}}</ref>

===Festivities and attendance===
The draft was first televised in 1980 by [[ESPN]]. It would subsequently develop into a major U.S. television event.<ref>{{cite web |last1=Schalter |first1=Ty |title=History of the NFL Draft: How Has the Process Evolved over Time? |url=https://bleacherreport.com/articles/1077925-history-of-the-nfl-draft-how-has-the-process-evolved-over-time |website=Bleacher Report |access-date=30 April 2023 |language=en |date=February 24, 2012}}</ref> Despite attaining a sizable television audience, through the 2014 edition its in-person attendance remained limited. Between 1965 and 2014, the draft was held entirely in venues within New York City.<ref name="overLA">{{cite web |last1=Farmer |first1=Sam |title=Chicago gets the nod over L.A. to host 2015 NFL draft – Chicago Tribune |agency=Los Angeles Times |url=https://www.chicagotribune.com/la-sp-nfl-draft-2015-chicago-20141002-story.html |website=Chicago Tribune |access-date=30 April 2023 |date=October 2, 2014}}</ref> However, the NFL grew frustrated with its longtime host venue, [[Radio City Music Hall]], when the 2014 draft needed to be scheduled later than planned in the year due to a scheduling conflict at the venue; this prompted the league to open bidding for a new site to host its 2015 draft. NFL Commissioner [[Roger Goodell]] selected the city of [[Chicago]] over [[Los Angeles]].<ref name="overLA"/><ref>{{cite web |title=NFL Chooses Chicago Over Los Angeles For 2015 Draft |url=https://www.cbsnews.com/losangeles/news/nfl-spurns-los-angeles-slates-2015-draft-in-chicago/ |website=CBS News |access-date=30 April 2023 |date=October 2, 2014}}</ref> To host the 2015 event, Chicago reimagined the draft into a much larger event than it previously had been, making the event accessible to large public attendance. While the first three rounds of the draft itself still took place inside an indoor venue (the [[Auditorium Theatre]]), across the street from the theater in [[Grant Park (Chicago)|Grant Park]] Chicago erected a large free-admission multi-day fan festival dubbed "Draft Town" that drew 200,000 visitors. Within the grounds of the festival, fans could watch live footage of the first three rounds draft from within the festival, and the final round of the draft was held in an area of the festival dubbed "Selection Square".<ref name="BizBash">{{cite web |last1=Berg |first1=Jenny |title=How Lollapalooza Inspired the 2015 N.F.L. Draft |url=https://www.bizbash.com/venues-destinations/united-states/chicago/media-gallery/13481005/how-lollapalooza-inspired-the-2015-nfl-draft |website=BizBash |access-date=30 April 2023 |date=May 15, 2015}}</ref> The NFL has retained the large-scale attendance and festivities pioneered when Chicago hosted.<ref name="belson1">{{cite web |last1=Belson |first1=Ken |title=For Detroit, the N.F.L. Draft Is Like a Super Bowl |url=https://www.nytimes.com/2024/04/25/business/nfl-draft-detroit.html |website=The New York Times |access-date=11 June 2024 |date=25 April 2024}}</ref> The [[2024 NFL draft|2024 draft]] in [[Detroit]] set the all-time attendance record with more than 775,000.<ref>{{Cite web |last=Altavena |first=Eric D. Lawrence, Paul Egan, Clara Hendrickson, Darcie Moran, Dana Afana, Eric Guzmán and Lily |title=Final day of NFL draft was a victory lap for fans, families and Detroit |url=https://www.freep.com/story/sports/nfl/2024/04/27/detroit-nfl-draft-weekend-breaking-attendance-record/73482236007/ |access-date=2024-06-28 |website=Detroit Free Press |language=en-US}}</ref>