1999 NFL draft

1999 NFL draft
General information
Date(s)	April 17–18, 1999
Location	Theatre at MSG in New York City, NY
Network(s)	ESPN
Overview
253 total selections in 7 rounds
League	NFL
First selection	Tim Couch, QB Cleveland Browns
Mr. Irrelevant	Jim Finn, FB Chicago Bears
Most selections (13)	Chicago Bears
Fewest selections (1)	New Orleans Saints
Hall of Famers	2 RB Edgerrin James CB Champ Bailey
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The 1999 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 April 17–18, 1999, at the Theater at Madison Square Garden in New York City, New York.^[1][2] The league also held a supplemental draft after the regular draft and before the regular season.

Five quarterbacks were selected in the first round — Tim Couch, Donovan McNabb, Akili Smith, Daunte Culpepper, and Cade McNown — the third most (along with the 2018 and 2021 drafts) after the six selected in 1983 and 2024. The draft also marked the second time after 1971 that the first three selections were quarterbacks. Only McNabb and Culpepper would have successful careers, while Couch, Smith, and McNown are generally regarded as draft busts. McNabb, the most successful of the five, was also the only to appear in a Super Bowl.

In addition to the quarterback selections, the draft is known for the Ricky Williams trade, which saw the New Orleans Saints trade all six of their draft picks to the Washington Redskins to select running back Ricky Williams fifth overall. New Orleans finished with a 3–13 record following the trade and Williams struggled as a rookie, resulting in the firing of Saints head coach Mike Ditka and general manager Bill Kuharich.

The following is the breakdown of the 253 players selected by position: