The 2010 NFL draft was the 75th annual meeting of National Football League (NFL) franchises to select newly eligible football players. The 2010 draft took place over three days, at Radio City Music Hall in New York City, with the first round on April 22, 2010. The second and third rounds took place on April 23, while the final four rounds were held on April 24. Television coverage was provided by both NFL Network and ESPN.
Of the 255 players drafted 216 (or 84%) were among the 327 players who participated in the 2010 NFL Scouting Combine. This matches the average percentage of combine participants among draftees over the past 10 years. An additional 39 players who did not attend the combine were selected.
There was wide speculation that the 2010 NFL draft would have a very large number of early entrants because of a possible rookie pay scale to be imposed starting with the 2011 NFL draft. Eligible underclassmen projected as top NFL prospects risked losing millions of contractually-guaranteed dollars if they did not declare for the draft the year before a new CBA could be reached. The early entry deadline was January 15. After the early entry deadline had passed, it was confirmed that the 2010 NFL draft would have fifty-three non-seniors, tying a draft record for the most non-seniors ever.
The draft's first round, in which teams were allowed ten minutes to make each selection, consumed three hours and 28 minutes. The second round (with a maximum of seven minutes per selection) lasted two hours and 25 minutes. After the second round, teams were allotted five minutes per pick. The third round took one hour and 41 minutes. Rounds 4 through 7 each lasted less than two hours. For the second time in draft history, the first two players selected were named Offensive and Defensive Rookies of the Year, respectively.
The following is the breakdown of the 255 players selected by position:
At the 2009 annual owners meeting, NFL owners unanimously approved changes to the order for assigning draft picks, starting with the 2010 draft.
The new format took into account the seeding of playoff teams. The two major changes from previous years were:
Teams that make the playoffs pick after teams that do not.
Teams that advance further in the playoffs pick later. In 2008, the Chargers, who went 8–8 in the regular season, defeated the 12–4 Indianapolis Colts in an AFC wild card game. Nevertheless, the Chargers received the 16th pick while the Colts picked 27th, and the Patriots, who missed the playoffs, picked 23rd according to the rules then in effect, which prioritized regular season record for all teams except those in the Super Bowl.
The new order assigns picks for each round as indicated in the table below. Except the changes noted above, the order will generally follow that used in previous years (i.e. within a given status, teams with worse regular-season records will pick earlier in the first round, and picks will cycle from round to round among teams that are tied).
Three coin tosses were necessary to establish the final selection order: Jacksonville, Tennessee and Atlanta won their flips over Denver, Carolina and Houston, respectively.
Notable defensive tackles taken early in the draft include (from top to bottom) Ndamukong Suh (2nd overall by Detroit) and Gerald McCoy (3rd overall by Tampa Bay). Defensive ends were Brandon Graham (13th overall by Philadelphia) and Jason Pierre-Paul (15th overall by NY Giants). They have combined for 15 Pro Bowl appearances, 10 All-Pro selections and 5 Super Bowl wins.
Notable first-round defensive backs include (from top to bottom) Eric Berry (5th overall by Kansas City), Joe Haden (7th overall by Cleveland), Earl Thomas (14th overall by Seattle) and Devin McCourty (27th overall by New England).
Notable tight ends taken in the draft include Rob Gronkowski (2nd round selection by New England, top) and Jimmy Graham (3rd round selection by New Orleans, bottom)
Notable receivers taken include (from top to bottom) Demaryius Thomas (22nd overall by Denver), Dez Bryant (24th overall by Dallas), Emmanuel Sanders (3rd round selection by Pittsburgh) and Antonio Brown (6th round selection by Pittsburgh).
In the explanations below, (D) denotes trades that took place during the draft, while (PD) indicates trades completed pre-draft.
Round 1
↑No. 11: Chicago → Denver → San Francisco. Multiple trades: Chicago → Denver (PD). Chicago traded a first-round selection (11th overall), 2009 first- and third-round selections (18th and 84th overall), and QB Kyle Orton to Denver in exchange for a 2009 fifth-round selection (140th overall) and QB Jay Cutler. Denver → San Francisco (D). Denver traded a first-round selection (11th overall) to San Francisco in exchange for first- and fourth-round selections (13th and 113th overall).
↑No. 12: Miami → San Diego (D). Miami traded first- (12th overall), fourth- (110th overall) and sixth-round selections (173rd overall) to San Diego in exchange for first-, second- and fourth-round selections (28th, 40th and 126th overall), and LB Tim Dobbins.
↑No. 13: San Francisco → Denver → Philadelphia. Multiple trades: San Francisco → Denver (D). See Round 1: Denver → San Francisco. Denver → Philadelphia (D). Denver traded a first-round selection (13th overall) to Philadelphia in exchange for a first-round selection and two third-round selections (24th, 70th and 87th overall).
↑No. 14: Denver → Seattle (PD). Denver traded a first-round selection (14th overall) to Seattle in exchange for a 2009 second-round selection (37th overall).
↑No. 17: Carolina → San Francisco (PD). Carolina traded a first-round selection (17th overall) to San Francisco in exchange for 2009 second- and fourth-round selections (43rd and 111th overall).
↑No. 22: New England → Denver (D). New England traded a first-round selection (22nd overall) to Denver in exchange for first- and fourth-round selections (24th and 113th overall).
↑No. 24: Philadelphia → Denver → New England → Dallas. Multiple trades: Philadelphia → Denver (D). See Round 1: Denver → Philadelphia. Denver → New England (D). See Round 1: New England → Denver. New England → Dallas (D). New England traded first- and fourth-round selections (24th and 119th overall) to Dallas in exchange for first- and third-round selections (27th and 90th overall).
↑ #25: Baltimore → Denver (D). Baltimore traded a first-round selection (25th overall) to Denver in exchange for second-, third- and fourth-round selections (43rd, 70th and 114th overall).
↑No. 30: Minnesota → Detroit (D). Minnesota traded first- and fourth-round selections (30th and 128th overall) to Detroit in exchange for second-, fourth- and seventh-round selections (34th, 100th and 214th overall).
↑No. 37: Washington → Philadelphia (PD). Washington traded a second-round selection (37th overall) and a 2011 fourth-round selection to Philadelphia in exchange for QB Donovan McNabb.
↑No. 39: Oakland → Tampa Bay (D). Oakland traded a second-round selection (39th overall) to Tampa Bay in exchange for second- and fifth-round selections (42nd overall) (153rd overall).
↑No. 40: Seattle → San Francisco → Miami. Multiple trades: Seattle → San Diego (PD). Seattle traded a second-round selection (40th overall) and a 2011 third-round selection to San Diego in exchange for a second-round selection (60th overall) and QB Charlie Whitehurst. San Diego → Miami (D). See Round 1: Miami → San Diego.
↑No. 42: Chicago → Tampa Bay → Oakland → New England Multiple trades: Chicago → Tampa Bay (PD). Chicago traded a second-round selection (42nd overall) to Tampa Bay in exchange for DE Gaines Adams. Tampa Bay → Oakland (D). See Round 2: Oakland → Tampa Bay. Oakland → New England (D). Oakland traded a second-round selection (42nd overall) to New England in exchange for second- and sixth-round selections (44th and 190th overall).
↑No. 43: Miami → Denver → Baltimore. Multiple trades: Miami → Denver (PD). Miami traded a second-round selection (43rd overall) and a 2011 second-round selection to Denver in exchange for WR Brandon Marshall. Denver → Baltimore (D). See Round 1: Baltimore → Denver.
↑No. 44: Jacksonville → New England → Oakland. Multiple trades: Jacksonville → New England (PD). Jacksonville traded a second-round selection (44th overall) and a 2009 seventh-round selection to New England in exchange for a 2009 third-round selection (73rd overall). New England → Oakland (D). See Round 2: Oakland → New England.
↑No. 47: Tennessee → New England → Arizona. Multiple trades: Tennessee → New England (PD). Tennessee traded a second-round selection (47th overall) to New England in exchange for a 2009 third-round selection (89th overall). New England → Arizona (D). New England traded a second-round selection (47th overall) to Arizona in exchange for second- and third-round selections (58th and 89th overall).
↑No. 50: Atlanta → Kansas City (PD). Atlanta traded a second-round selection (50th overall) to Kansas City in exchange for TE Tony Gonzalez.
↑No. 51: Houston → Minnesota (D). Houston traded a second-round selection (51st overall) to Minnesota in exchange for second- and third-round selections (62nd and 93rd overall).
↑No. 55: Philadelphia → Dallas (D). Philadelphia traded a second-round selection (55th overall) to Dallas in exchange for second- and fourth-round selections (59th and 125th overall).
↑No. 58: Arizona → New England → Houston. Multiple trades: Arizona → New England (D). See Round 2: New England → Arizona. New England → Houston (D). New England traded a second-round selection (58th overall) to Houston in exchange for second- and fifth-round selections (62nd and 150th overall).
↑No. 59: Dallas → Philadelphia → Cleveland. Multiple trades: Dallas → Philadelphia (D). See Round 2: Dallas → Philadelphia. Philadelphia → Cleveland (D). Philadelphia traded a second-round selection (59th overall) to Cleveland in exchange for a third-round selection and two fifth-round selections (71st, 134th and 146th overall).
↑No. 62: Minnesota → Houston → New England. Multiple trades: Minnesota → Houston (D). See Round 2: Houston → Minnesota. Houston → New England (D). See Round 2: New England → Houston.
Round 3
↑No. 70: Seattle → Philadelphia → Denver → Baltimore. Multiple trades: Seattle → Philadelphia (PD). Seattle traded a third-round selection (70th overall) and 2009 fifth- and seventh-round selections (137th and 213th overall) to Philadelphia in exchange for a 2009 third-round selection. Philadelphia → Denver (D). See Round 1: Denver → Philadelphia. Denver → Baltimore (D). See Round 1: Baltimore → Denver.
↑No. 71: Cleveland → Philadelphia → Green Bay. Multiple trades: Cleveland → Philadelphia (D). See Round 2: Philadelphia → Cleveland. Philadelphia → Green Bay (D). Philadelphia traded a third-round selection (71st overall) to Green Bay in exchange for third- and fourth-round selections (86th and 122nd overall).
↑No. 79: San Francisco → San Diego (D). San Francisco traded a third-round selection (79th overall) to San Diego in exchange for third- and sixth-round selections (91st and 173rd overall), and a 2011 fourth-round selection.
↑No. 85: New England → Oakland → Cleveland. Multiple trades: New England → Oakland (PD). New England traded third- and fifth-round selections (85th and 158th overall) to Oakland in exchange for DE Derrick Burgess. Had the Patriots not acquired a fifth-round selection before the draft, they would have owed Oakland a fourth-round selection.: Oakland → Cleveland (PD). Oakland traded a third-round selection (85th overall) to Cleveland in exchange for DE Kamerion Wimbley.
↑No. 88: Baltimore → Arizona (PD). Baltimore traded third- and fourth-round selections (88th and 123rd overall) to Arizona in exchange for a fifth-round selection (157th overall) and WR Anquan Boldin.
↑No. 89: Arizona → New England → Carolina. Multiple trades: Arizona → New England (D). See Round 2: New England → Arizona. New England → Carolina (D). New England traded a third-round selection (89th overall) to Carolina in exchange for a 2011 second-round selection.
↑No. 92: NY Jets → Cleveland (PD). The NY Jets traded third- and fifth-round selections (92nd and 160th overall), LB Jason Trusnik and WR Chansi Stuckey to Cleveland in exchange for WR Braylon Edwards.
↑No. 93: Minnesota → Houston → Kansas City. Multiple trades: Minnesota → Houston (D). See Round 2: Houston → Minnesota. Houston → Kansas City (D). Houston traded a third-round selection (93rd overall) to Kansas City in exchange for fourth- and fifth-round selections (102nd and 144th overall).
↑No. 104: Seattle → Tennessee (D). Seattle traded fourth- and sixth-round selections (104th and 176th overall) to Tennessee in exchange for fourth- and sixth-round selections (111th and 185th overall), RB LenDale White and DT Kevin Vickerson.
↑No. 105: Cleveland → Philadelphia (PD). Cleveland traded fourth- and fifth-round selections (105th and 137th overall), and LB Alex Hall to Philadelphia in exchange for CB Sheldon Brown and LB Chris Gocong.
↑No. 108: Jacksonville → Oakland (D). Jacksonville traded a fourth-round selection (108th overall) to Oakland in exchange for a fifth-round selection (153rd overall) and LB Kirk Morrison.
↑No. 112: Carolina → NY Jets (D). Carolina traded a fourth-round selection (112th overall) to the NY Jets in exchange for fourth- and sixth-round selections (124th and 198th overall).
↑No. 113: San Francisco → Denver → New England. Multiple trades: San Francisco → Denver (D). See Round 1: Denver → San Francisco. Denver → New England (D). See Round 1: New England → Denver.
↑No. 119: New England → Dallas → Miami. Multiple trades: New England → Dallas (D). See Round 1: New England → Dallas. Dallas → Miami (D). Dallas traded a fourth-round selection (119th overall) to Miami in exchange for fourth- and sixth-round selections (126th and 179th overall).
↑No. 123: Baltimore → Arizona → New Orleans. Multiple trades: Baltimore → Arizona (PD). See Round 3: Baltimore → Arizona. Arizona → New Orleans (D). Arizona traded a fourth-round selection (123rd overall) to New Orleans in exchange for fourth- and sixth-round selections (130th and 201st overall).
↑No. 124: Arizona → NY Jets → Carolina. Multiple trades: Arizona → NY Jets (PD). Arizona traded a fourth-round selection (124th overall) and a 2011 seventh-round selection to the NY Jets in exchange for S Kerry Rhodes. NY Jets → Carolina (D). See Round 4: Carolina → NY Jets.
↑No. 126: San Diego → Miami → Dallas. Multiple trades: San Diego → Miami (D). See Round 1: Miami → San Diego. Miami → Dallas (D). See Round 4: Dallas → Miami.
↑No. 127: NY Jets → Philadelphia → Seattle. Multiple trades: NY Jets → Philadelphia (PD). The NY Jets traded a conditional fourth-round selection (127th overall) and a 2009 fifth-round selection to Philadelphia in exchange for a fifth-round selection (155th overall) and CB Lito Sheppard. The fourth-round selection could have been as high as the second round; however, Sheppard was released by the Jets on March 4, 2010, to keep the selection in the fourth-round, and saw the Eagles return a fifth-round selection to the Jets. Philadelphia → Seattle (PD). Philadelphia traded a fourth-round selection (127th overall) and DE Chris Clemons to Seattle in exchange for DE Darryl Tapp.
↑No. 133: Detroit → Seattle (PD). Detroit traded a fifth-round selection (133rd overall) and DE Robert Henderson to Seattle in exchange for a seventh-round selection (213th overall) and G Rob Sims.
↑No. 134: Tampa Bay → Cleveland → Philadelphia. Multiple trades: Tampa Bay → Cleveland (PD). Tampa Bay traded a fifth-round selection (134th overall) and a 2009 second-round selection to Cleveland in exchange for TE Kellen Winslow II. Cleveland → Philadelphia (D). See Round 2: Philadelphia → Cleveland.
↑No. 135: Washington → St. Louis → Atlanta. Multiple trades: Washington → St. Louis (PD). Washington traded fifth- and seventh-round selections (135th and 211th overall) to St. Louis in exchange for fifth- (163rd overall) and seventh-round selections (208th overall), and DL Adam Carriker. St. Louis → Atlanta (D). St. Louis traded a fifth-round selection (135th overall) to Atlanta in exchange for fifth- and sixth-round selections (149th and 189th overall).
↑No. 137: Cleveland → Philadelphia → Denver. Multiple trades: Cleveland → Philadelphia (PD). See Round 4: Cleveland → Philadelphia. Philadelphia → Denver (PD). Philadelphia traded a fifth-round selection (137th overall) to Denver in a three-way trade with Detroit; Philadelphia received LB Ernie Sims, and Detroit received a seventh-round selection (220th overall) and TE Tony Scheffler.
↑No. 139: Seattle → NY Jets (D). Seattle traded a fifth-round selection (139th overall) to the NY Jets in exchange for a seventh-round selection (236th overall) and RB Leon Washington.
↑No. 142: Miami → Kansas City (PD). Miami traded a fifth-round selection (142nd overall) to Kansas City in exchange for QB Tyler Thigpen.
↑No. 144: Carolina → Kansas City → Houston. Multiple trades: Carolina → Kansas City (PD). Carolina traded a fifth-round selection (144th overall) to Kansas City in exchange for DE Tank Tyler. Kansas City → Houston (D). See Round 3: Houston → Kansas City.
↑No. 145: San Francisco → Miami (PD). San Francisco traded a fifth-round selection (145th overall) to Miami for WR Ted Ginn Jr.
↑No. 146: Denver → Detroit → Cleveland → Philadelphia → San Diego. Multiple trades: Denver → Detroit (PD). Denver traded a fifth-round selection (146th overall) and a 2009 seventh-round selection to Detroit in exchange for a 2009 sixth-round selection. Detroit → Cleveland (PD). Detroit traded a fifth-round selection (146th overall) to Cleveland in exchange for a seventh-round selection (214th overall) and DL Corey Williams. No. 146: Cleveland → Philadelphia (D). See Round 2: Philadelphia → Cleveland. Philadelphia → San Diego (D). Philadelphia traded a fifth-round selection (146th overall) to San Diego in exchange for a fifth-round selection (159th overall) and a 2011 fifth-round selection.
↑No. 153: New England → Tampa Bay → Oakland → Jacksonville. Multiple trades: New England → Tampa Bay (PD). New England traded a fifth-round selection (153rd overall) to Tampa Bay in exchange for TE Alex Smith. Tampa Bay → Oakland (D). See Round 2: Oakland → Tampa Bay. Oakland → Jacksonville (D). See Round 4: Jacksonville → Oakland.
↑No. 155: Philadelphia → NY Jets → Pittsburgh → Arizona. Multiple trades: Philadelphia → NY Jets (PD). See Round 4: NY Jets → Philadelphia. NY Jets → Pittsburgh (PD). The NY Jets traded a fifth-round selection (155th overall) to Pittsburgh in exchange for WR Santonio Holmes. Pittsburgh → Arizona (D). Pittsburgh traded a fifth-round selection (155th overall) to Arizona in exchange for a sixth-round selection (195th overall) and CB Bryant McFadden.
↑No. 158: Dallas → Denver → New England → Oakland → Jacksonville → New Orleans. Multiple trades: Dallas → Denver (PD). Dallas traded a fifth-round selection (158th overall) to Denver in exchange for G Montrae Holland. Denver → New England (PD). Denver traded a fifth-round selection (158th overall) to New England in exchange for a seventh-round selection (231st overall) and DL Le Kevin Smith. New England → Oakland (PD). See Round 3: Oakland → New England. Oakland → Jacksonville (PD). Oakland traded a fifth-round selection (158th overall) to Jacksonville in exchange for LB Quentin Groves. Jacksonville → New Orleans (D). Jacksonville traded a fifth-round selection (158th overall) to New Orleans in exchange for a 2011 fourth-round selection.
↑No. 163: New Orleans → Philadelphia → St. Louis → Washington → Miami. Multiple trades: New Orleans → Philadelphia (PD). New Orleans traded a fifth-round selection (163rd overall) and a 2009 seventh-round selection to Philadelphia in exchange for a 2009 fifth-round selection (164th overall). Philadelphia → St. Louis (PD). Philadelphia traded a fifth-round selection (163rd overall) and WR Brandon Gibson to St. Louis in exchange for LB Will Witherspoon. St. Louis → Washington (PD). See Round 5: Washington → St. Louis. Washington → Miami (D). Washington traded a fifth-round selection (163rd overall) to Miami in exchange for sixth- and seventh-round selections (174th and 219th overall).
Round 6
↑No. 171: Detroit → Atlanta (PD). Detroit traded a sixth-round selection (171st overall) and a conditional 2011 seventh-round selection to Atlanta in exchange for CB Chris Houston.
↑No. 173: Kansas City → Miami → San Diego → San Francisco. Multiple trades: Kansas City → Miami (PD). Kansas City traded a sixth-round selection (173rd overall) to Miami in exchange for G Andy Alleman and OL Ikechuku Ndukwe. Miami → San Diego (D). See Round 1: Miami → San Diego. San Diego → San Francisco (D). See Round 3: San Francisco → San Diego.
↑No. 174: Washington → Miami → Washington. Multiple trades: Washington → Miami (PD). Washington traded a sixth-round selection (174th overall) and a 2009 second-round selection (44th overall) to Miami in exchange for DE Jason Taylor. Miami → Washington (D). See Round 5: Washington → Miami.
↑No. 175: Oakland → Carolina (PD). Oakland traded a sixth-round selection (175th overall) and a 2009 seventh-round selection (216th overall) to Carolina in exchange for a 2009 sixth-round selection.
↑No. 192: Philadelphia → Buffalo (PD). Philadelphia traded a sixth-round selection (192nd overall), and 2009 first- and fourth-round selections to Buffalo in exchange for OT Jason Peters.
↑No. 200: Indianapolis → Philadelphia (PD). Indianapolis traded a sixth-round selection (200th overall) to Philadelphia in exchange for a 2009 seventh-round selection.
↑No. 208: St. Louis → Washington → New England. Multiple trades: St. Louis → Washington (PD). See Round 5: Washington → St. Louis. Washington → New England (D). Washington traded a seventh-round selection (208th overall) to New England in exchange for two seventh-round selections (229th and 231st overall).
↑No. 209: Detroit → Buffalo (PD). Detroit traded a seventh-round selection (209th overall) to Buffalo in exchange for S Ko Simpson.
↑No. 212: Kansas City → Miami (PD). Kansas City traded a seventh-round selection (212th overall) to Miami in exchange for a 2009 seventh-round selection (237th overall).
↑No. 214: Cleveland → Detroit → Minnesota. Multiple trades: Cleveland → Detroit (PD). See Round 5: Detroit → Cleveland. Detroit → Minnesota (D). See Round 1: Minnesota → Detroit.
↑No. 217: Jacksonville → Tampa Bay (PD). Jacksonville traded a seventh-round selection (217th overall) to Tampa Bay in exchange for QB Luke McCown.
↑No. 220: Denver → Detroit → Philadelphia. Multiple trades: Denver → Detroit (PD). See Round 5: Philadelphia → Denver. Detroit → Philadelphia (D). Detroit traded a seventh-round selection (220th overall) to Philadelphia in exchange for a 2011 sixth-round selection.
↑No. 225: Pittsburgh → Tampa Bay → Denver. Multiple trades: Pittsburgh → Tampa Bay (PD). Pittsburgh traded a seventh-round selection (225th overall) to Tampa Bay in exchange for QB Byron Leftwich. Tampa Bay → Denver (D). Tampa Bay traded two seventh-round selections (225th and 232nd overall) to Denver in exchange for a 2011 fifth-round selection.
↑No. 226: Atlanta → St. Louis (PD). Atlanta traded a seventh-round selection (226th overall) to St. Louis in exchange for CB Tye Hill.
↑No. 230: Green Bay → NY Jets → Green Bay. Multiple trades: Green Bay → NY Jets (PD). Green Bay traded a seventh-round selection (230th overall) and QB Brett Favre to the NY Jets in exchange for a 2009 third-round selection. NY Jets → Green Bay (PD). The NY Jets returned a seventh-round selection (230th overall) to Green Bay in a mutual agreement.
↑No. 231: Philadelphia → New England → Denver → New England → Washington. Multiple trades: Philadelphia → New England (PD). Philadelphia traded a seventh-round selection (231st overall) and WR Greg Lewis to New England in exchange for a 2009 fifth-round selection. New England → Denver (PD). See Round 5: Denver → New England. Denver → New England (PD). Denver traded a seventh-round selection (231st overall) to New England in exchange for C Russ Hochstein. New England → Washington (D). See Round 7: Washington → New England.
↑No. 232: Baltimore → Tampa Bay → Denver. Multiple trades: Baltimore → Tampa Bay (PD). Baltimore traded a seventh-round selection (232nd overall) and a 2009 seventh-round selection to Tampa Bay in exchange for DL Marques Douglas. Tampa Bay → Denver (D). See Round 7: Tampa Bay → Denver.