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| 1966 AFL draft | |
|---|---|
| General information | |
| Date(s) | November 27, 1965 |
| Overview | |
| 180 (regular draft) + 99 (Red Shirt draft) total selections in 20 (regular draft) + 11 (Red Shirt draft) rounds | |
| League | AFL |
| First selection | Jim Grabowski, RB Miami Dolphins |
| Mr. Irrelevant | Ken McLean, E Buffalo Bills |
| Most selections (24) | New York Jets |
| Fewest selections (18) | Boston Patriots Oakland Raiders |
| Hall of Famers | 2 (1 of Red Shirt draft) |
The 1966 American Football League draft was held on Saturday, November 27, 1965.[1][2] The AFL added the Miami Dolphins as an expansion team in 1966 to bring its total to nine franchises for its seventh season. The Dolphins were awarded the first overall pick in the draft, who used it to select running back Jim Grabowski. The only Hall of Famer to come out of this draft was kicker Jan Stenerud, who was picked by the Kansas City Chiefs in the third round of the Red Shirt portion of the draft.
This was the last competitive draft of the American Football League before the AFL–NFL merger agreement, which was announced in June 1966.[3][4][5] The next draft of college players in 1967 was a common draft, held in mid-March.
The 1966 NFL Draft was held the same day, November 27, 1965.[1]
Player selections (AFL)
| = Pro Bowler[6] | = AFL All-Star[7] | = Hall of Famer |
Round one
| Pick # | AFL Team | Player | Position | College |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Miami Dolphins | Jim Grabowski | Running back | Illinois |
| 2 | Miami Dolphins | Rick Norton | Quarterback | Kentucky |
| 3 | Boston Patriots | Karl Singer | Tackle | Purdue |
| 4 | Denver Broncos | Jerry Shay | Defensive tackle | Purdue |
| 5 | Houston Oilers (Pick acquired from the New York Jets) | Tommy Nobis | Linebacker | Texas |
| 6 | Kansas City Chiefs | Aaron Brown | Defensive end | Minnesota |
| 7 | San Diego Chargers | Don Davis | Defensive tackle | Cal State Los Angeles |
| 8 | Buffalo Bills | Mike Dennis | Running back | Mississippi |
| 13 | New York Jets | William Yearby | Defensive end | Michigan |
| 63 | Oakland Raiders | Rodger Bird | Defensive back | Kentucky |
*As an expansion team, Miami picked first in every round and was awarded an extra pick at the beginning of the draft.
*New York deferred its first round selection, taking the 13th pick instead of the 9th.
*Oakland deferred its selections until after the first six rounds and traded its sixth round pick. Its first round pick was made after the 7th round, 63rd overall. They made their second, third, and fifth round picks in the middle of the 7th round, so the first round pick was actually the fourth pick Oakland made.
Round two
| Pick # | AFL Team | Player | Position | College |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 9 | Miami Dolphins | Frank Emanuel | Linebacker | Tennessee |
| 10 | Boston Patriots | Jim Boudreaux | Tackle | Louisiana Tech |
| 11 | Denver Broncos | Freeman White | Tight end | Nebraska |
| 12 | Houston Oilers | Stan Hindman | Defensive end | Mississippi |
| 14 | New York Jets | Sam Ball | Tackle | Kentucky |
| 15 | Kansas City Chiefs | Francis Peay | Tackle | Missouri |
| 16 | San Diego Chargers | Nick Rassas | Defensive back | Notre Dame |
| 17 | Buffalo Bills | Jim Lindsey | Running back | Arkansas |
| 57 | Oakland Raiders | Butch Allison | Tackle | Missouri |
*Oakland deferred its selections until after the first six rounds and traded its sixth round pick. Its second round pick was made during the 7th round, 57th overall. This was the first pick Oakland made in the draft.
Round three
| Pick # | AFL Team | Player | Position | College |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 18 | Miami Dolphins | Larry Gagner | Guard | Florida |
| 19 | Boston Patriots | Harold Lucas | Tackle | Michigan State |
| 20 | Denver Broncos | Bob Hadrick | End | Purdue |
| 21 | Houston Oilers | George Rice | Defensive tackle | Louisiana State |
| 22 | New York Jets | Carl McAdams | Defensive tackle | Oklahoma |
| 23 | Kansas City Chiefs | Walt Barnes | Defensive tackle | Nebraska |
| 24 | San Diego Chargers | Milt Morin | Tight end | Massachusetts |
| 25 | Buffalo Bills | Randy Jackson | Tackle | Florida |
| 58 | Oakland Raiders | Tom Mitchell | Tight end | Bucknell |
*Oakland deferred its selections until after the first six rounds and traded its sixth round pick. Its third round pick was made during the 7th round, 58th overall. This was the second pick Oakland made in the draft.
Round four
| Pick # | AFL Team | Player | Position | College |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 26 | Miami Dolphins | Dick Leftridge | Fullback | West Virginia |
| 27 | Denver Broncos (Pick acquired from the Boston Patriots) | Randy Johnson | Quarterback | Texas A&M-Kingsville |
| 28 | Houston Oilers (Pick acquired from the Denver Broncos) | George Allen | Tackle | West Texas A&M |
| 29 | New York Jets (Pick acquired from the Houston Oilers) | Jim Waskiewicz | Center | Wichita State |
| 30 | New York Jets | Phil Sheridan | End | Notre Dame |
| 31 | Kansas City Chiefs | Elijah Gibson | Halfback | Bethune–Cookman |
| 32 | San Diego Chargers | Charlie Brown | Defensive back | Syracuse |
| 33 | Buffalo Bills | Bobby Burnett | Running back | Arkansas |
| 71 | Oakland Raiders | Dick Tyson | Guard | Tulsa |
*Oakland deferred its selections until after the first six rounds and traded its sixth round pick. Its fourth round pick was made during the 8th round, 71st overall. This was the fifth pick Oakland made in the draft.
Round five
| Pick # | AFL Team | Player | Position | College |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 34 | Miami Dolphins | Grady Bolton | Tackle | Mississippi State |
| 35 | Boston Patriots | John Mangum | Defensive tackle | Southern Mississippi |
| 36 | Denver Broncos | Billy Clay | Defensive back | Mississippi |
| 37 | Houston Oilers | Hoyle Granger | Running back | Mississippi State |
| 38 | New York Jets | Ben Hawkins | Wide receiver | Arizona State |
| 39 | Kansas City Chiefs | Doug Van Horn | Guard | Ohio State |
| 40 | San Diego Chargers | Russ Smith | Running back | Miami |
| 41 | Buffalo Bills | Bob Sherlag | Wide receiver | Memphis |
| 59 | Oakland Raiders | Pete Banaszak | Running back | Miami |
*Oakland deferred its selections until after the first six rounds and traded its sixth round pick. Its fifth round pick was made during the 7th round, 59th overall. This was the third pick Oakland made in the draft.