| Date | November 28, 1955 & January 17–18, 1956 |
|---|---|
| Location | The Bellevue-Stratford Hotel in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania & Ambassador Hotel in Los Angeles, California |
| League | NFL |
| Mr irrelevant | Bob Bartholomew, OT Cleveland Browns |
| First | Gary Glick, QB/S Pittsburgh Steelers |
| Fewnum | 28 |
| Fewest | Chicago Bears New York Giants Washington Redskins |
| Mostnum | 36 |
| Most | Los Angeles Rams |
| Overall | 360 |
| Rounds | 30 |
| Prev | 1955 |
| Next | 1957 |
The 1956 NFL draft had its first three rounds held on November 28, 1955, at the Bellevue-Stratford Hotel in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, and its final twenty-seven rounds on January 17–18, 1956, at the Ambassador Hotel in Los Angeles, California[1][2][3]
The previous NFL drafts in the 1950s were held in January; the first three rounds (37 selections) were moved up this year to late November to better compete with teams from Canada.[4][5]
This was the tenth year that the first overall pick was a bonus pick determined by lottery. With the previous nine winners ineligible from the draw, only the Chicago Cardinals, Green Bay Packers, and Pittsburgh Steelers had an equal chance of winning.[6] The draft lottery was won by Pittsburgh, who selected defensive back Gary Glick.
Player selections
| = Pro Bowler [7] | = Hall of Famer |
Hall of Famers
- Lenny Moore, halfback from Penn State taken 1st round 9th overall by the Baltimore Colts.
- Inducted: Professional Football Hall of Fame class of 1975.[8]
- Forrest Gregg, offensive tackle from Southern Methodist University taken 2nd round 20th overall by the Green Bay Packers.
- Inducted: Professional Football Hall of Fame class of 1977.[8]
- Bart Starr, quarterback from University of Alabama taken 17th round 200th overall by the Green Bay Packers.
- Inducted: Professional Football Hall of Fame class of 1977.[8]
- Willie Davis, defensive end from Grambling State University taken 15th round 181st overall by the Cleveland Browns.
- Inducted: Professional Football Hall of Fame class of 1981.[9]
- Sam Huff, linebacker from West Virginia taken 3rd round 30th overall by the New York Giants.
- Inducted: Professional Football Hall of Fame class of 1982.[9]
Notable undrafted players
| † | = Pro Bowler[7] |
References
- ^ "NFL Draft Locations". www.footballgeography.com. October 2, 2014. Archived from the original on 2015-09-05. Retrieved 2014-10-23.
- ^ Salomone, Dan (October 2, 2014). "NFL Draft headed to Chicago in 2015". Giants.com. New York Giants. Archived from the original on 2015-09-30. Retrieved June 3, 2015.
- ^ Peters, Craig (23 April 2020). "Draft Diaries: Vikings Consultant was Asleep When Picked by Browns in '56". Minnesota Vikings. Retrieved 23 April 2025.
- ^ "NFL will begin draft tomorrow". Pittsburgh Press. United Press. November 27, 1955. p. 3, section 4.
- ^ "Earliest NFL draft takes place today". Milwaukee Sentinel. Associated Press. November 28, 1955. p. 3, part 2.
- ^ "Draft History: 1940's". Pro Football Hall of Fame. Archived from the original on October 1, 2013. Retrieved October 16, 2013.
- ^ Players are identified as a Pro Bowler if they were selected for the Pro-Bowl at any time in their career.
- ^ List of 1970s Hall of Fame Inductee's at profootballhof.com "Pro Football Hall of Fame". Archived 2008-07-31 at the Wayback Machine. Retrieved 2008-10-07.
- ^ List of 1980s Hall of Fame Inductee's at profootballhof.com "Pro Football Hall of Fame". Archived 2008-07-31 at the Wayback Machine. Retrieved 2008-10-07.