1946 NFL draft

1946 NFL draft
General information
Date(s)January 14, 1946
LocationCommodore Hotel
in New York City, NY
Overview
300 total selections in 32 rounds
LeagueNFL
First selectionFrank Dancewicz, QB
Boston Yanks
Most selections (30)each team made 30 picks
Fewest selections (30)each team made 30 picks
Hall of Famers
5
← 1945
1947 →

The 1946 NFL draft was held on January 14, 1946, at the Commodore Hotel in New York City, New York.[1]

The selections were initially withheld from the public out of fear that the newly formed All-America Football Conference would sign away players selected high.[2] With the first overall pick of the draft, the Boston Yanks selected quarterback Frank Dancewicz. The most notable draft choice in this player selection meeting was made by the Washington Redskins and remains one of the biggest draft blunders of all time. They chose Cal Rossi with the 9th overall pick, but Rossi, a junior at UCLA, was not eligible to be drafted. They chose him again in the 1947 NFL draft, but he never played football professionally.

Player selections

= Pro Bowler[3] = Hall of Famer

Round one

Rnd. Pick No. NFL team Player Pos. College Conf. Notes
1 1 Boston Yanks Frank Dancewicz  QB Notre Dame Ind.
Bonus lottery pick
1 2 Chicago Cardinals Dub Jones † B Tulane SEC
1 3 Pittsburgh Steelers Doc Blanchard  FB Army Ind.
1 4 Chicago Bears Johnny Lujack † QB Notre Dame Ind.
1 5 New York Giants George Connor‡† T Notre Dame Ind.
1 6 Green Bay Packers Johnny Strzykalski † B Marquette Ind.
1 7 Philadelphia Eagles Leo Riggs  B USC PCC
1 8 Detroit Lions Bill Dellastatious  B Missouri Big Six
1 9 Washington Redskins Cal Rossi  B UCLA PCC
1 10 Los Angeles Rams Emil Sitko  HB Notre Dame Ind.

Round two

Rnd. Pick No. NFL team Player Pos. College Conf. Notes
2 11 Chicago Cardinals Mac Wenskunas  C Illinois Big Ten
2 12 Boston Yanks Scollard, NickNick Scollard  E St. Joseph's (IN) N/A
2 13 Pittsburgh Steelers Clark, GeorgeGeorge Clark  B Duke SoCon
2 14 Chicago Bears Jules Rykovich  B Illinois Big Ten
2 15 New York Giants Jones, ElmerElmer Jones  OG Wake Forest SoCon

Round three

Pick # NFL team Player Position College
16 Chicago Cardinals Elmer Angsman Back Notre Dame
17 Boston Yanks Buster McClure Tackle Nevada
18 Pittsburgh Steelers Harmon Rowe Back San Francisco
19 Chicago Bears Frank Broyles Quarterback Georgia Tech
20 New York Giants Hosea Rodgers Back North Carolina
21 Green Bay Packers Bob Nussbaumer Back Michigan
22 Detroit Lions Russ Thomas Tackle Ohio State
23 Philadelphia Eagles Gordon Gray End USC
24 Washington Redskins Stan Kozlowski Back Holy Cross
25 Los Angeles Rams Don Samuel Back Oregon State

Round four

Rnd. Pick No. NFL team Player Pos. College Conf. Notes
4 26 Chicago Cardinals Hamilton Nichols  OG Rice SWC
4 27 Boston Yanks Jack Breslin  B Michigan State Ind.
4 28 Pittsburgh Steelers Joe Tepsic  B Penn State Ind.
4 29 Chicago Bears Knotts, ErnestErnest Knotts  OG Duke SoCon
4 30 New York Giants Paul Duke  C Georgia Tech SEC

Round five

Rnd. Pick No. NFL team Player Pos. College Conf. Notes
5 31 Chicago Cardinals Joe Golding  B Oklahoma Big Six
5 32 Boston Yanks Bourgeois, GastonGaston Bourgeois  B Tulane SEC
5 33 Pittsburgh Steelers Seiferling, JackJack Seiferling  B Utah State MSC
5 34 Chicago Bears Don Schneider  B Penn Ind.
5 35 New York Giants Pete Stout  B TCU SWC
5 36 Green Bay Packers Ed Cody  B Purdue Big Ten
5 37 Philadelphia Eagles Walt Slater  B Tennessee SEC
5 38 Detroit Lions Harris, DaveDave Harris  E Wake Forest SoCon
5 39 Washington Redskins Adelt, GayGay Adelt  B Utah MSC
5 40 Los Angeles Rams Don Paul † C UCLA PCC

Round six

Rnd. Pick No. NFL team Player Pos. College Conf. Notes
6 41 Chicago Cardinals Dickey, LenLen Dickey  T Texas A&M SWC
6 42 Boston Yanks Tigart, ThurmanThurman Tigart  OG Oklahoma Big Six
6 43 Pittsburgh Steelers Marion Woods  OG Clemson SoCon
6 44 Chicago Bears Ted Scruggs  E Rice SWC
6 45 New York Giants Lalikos, JimJim Lalikos  T Brown Ind.
6 46 Green Bay Packers John Ferraro  T USC PCC
6 47 Detroit Lions Eddins, JoeJoe Eddins  OG Auburn SEC
6 48 Philadelphia Eagles Felto Prewitt  C Tulsa MVC
6 49 Washington Redskins Trojanowski, WaltWalt Trojanowski  B Connecticut NEC
6 50 Los Angeles Rams Oestreich, AceAce Oestreich  B California PCC

Round seven

Pick # NFL team Player Position College
51 Chicago Cardinals Pat Lenshan End Tennessee
52 Boston Yanks Ed Mieszkowski Tackle Notre Dame
53 Pittsburgh Steelers Tom Reinhardt Tackle Minnesota
54 Chicago Bears Wendell Beard Tackle California
55 New York Giants Jim Plyler Tackle Texas
56 Green Bay Packers Art Renner End Michigan
57 Philadelphia Eagles George Robotham End UCLA
58 Detroit Lions Pete Berezney Tackle Notre Dame
59 Washington Redskins Bob Hendren Tackle USC
60 Los Angeles Rams Dolly King End Georgia

Round eight

Pick # NFL team Player Position College
61 Chicago Cardinals Phil Tinsley End Alabama
62 Boston Yanks Chet Lipka End Boston College
63 Pittsburgh Steelers Joe Ponsetto Back Michigan
64 Chicago Bears John Ziegler Back Colorado
65 New York Giants Gene Roberts Back Chattanooga
66 Green Bay Packers Bert Cole Tackle Oklahoma A&M
67 Detroit Lions Keith DeCourcey Back Washington
68 Philadelphia Eagles Jim Lecture Guard Northwestern
69 Washington Redskins George Callanan Back USC
70 Los Angeles Rams Joe Whisler Back Ohio State

Round nine

Pick # NFL team Player Position College
71 Chicago Cardinals Jake Colhouer Guard Oklahoma A&M
72 Boston Yanks Al Dekdebrun Back Cornell
73 Pittsburgh Steelers Bob Evans Back Penn
74 Chicago Bears Walt Dropo End Connecticut
75 New York Giants Mike Harris Guard Mississippi State
76 Green Bay Packers Grant Darnell Guard Texas A&M
77 Philadelphia Eagles Ernie Lewis Back Colorado
78 Detroit Lions Bill Hedges Tackle West Texas State
79 Washington Redskins Bob Skoglund End Notre Dame
80 Los Angeles Rams Mike Schumchyk End Arkansas

Round ten

Pick # NFL team Player Position College
81 Chicago Cardinals Tom Barber Tackle Chattanooga
82 Boston Yanks Rex John Tackle Wisconsin
83 Pittsburgh Steelers Mel Bonwell Back Central (IA)
84 Chicago Bears Bill Harris Center Auburn
85 New York Giants Walt Clay Back Colorado
86 Green Bay Packers Joe McAfee Back Holy Cross
87 Detroit Lions Thornton Dixon Tackle Ohio State
88 Philadelphia Eagles Al Vandeweghe End William & Mary
89 Washington Redskins Jake Leicht Back Oregon
90 Los Angeles Rams Joe Signaigo Guard Notre Dame

Round eleven

Pick # NFL team Player Position College
91 Chicago Cardinals Dick Loepfe Tackle Wisconsin
92 Boston Yanks Bob West Back Colorado
93 Pittsburgh Steelers Doc Holloway Guard William & Mary
94 Chicago Bears Eddie Allen Back Penn
95 New York Giants Warren Amling Guard Ohio State
96 Green Bay Packers Steve Conroy Back Holy Cross
97 Philadelphia Eagles Bill Iancelli End Franklin & Marshall
98 Detroit Lions Bob Stevens Back Oregon State
99 Washington Redskins Chick Maggioli Back Illinois
100 Los Angeles Rams Tom Phillips Back Ohio State

Round twelve

Pick # NFL team Player Position College
101 Chicago Cardinals Venton Yablonski Back Columbia
102 Boston Yanks Max Dodge End Nevada
103 Pittsburgh Steelers Carroll Owen Back Catawba
104 Chicago Bears Frank Bauman End Illinois
105 New York Giants Al Bush Tackle Duke
106 Green Bay Packers Bill Hildebrand End Mississippi State
107 Detroit Lions Pat Farris Tackle Texas Tech
108 Philadelphia Eagles Pat McHugh Back Georgia Tech
109 Washington Redskins Monte Moncrief Tackle Texas A&M
110 Los Angeles Rams Ted Strojny Tackle Holy Cross

Round thirteen

Pick # NFL team Player Position College
111 Chicago Cardinals Lee Lewis Back Washington
112 Boston Yanks Joe Kirkland Tackle Virginia
113 Pittsburgh Steelers George Poppin Tackle New Mexico
114 Chicago Bears Reed Nostrum Tackle Utah
115 New York Giants Bob Reiman Back Oregon State
116 Green Bay Packers Tom Hand Center Iowa
117 Philadelphia Eagles John Wingender Back Washington
118 Detroit Lions Paul Copoulos Back Marquette
119 Washington Redskins Joe Tereshinski End Georgia
120 Los Angeles Rams George Strohmeyer Center Notre Dame

Round fourteen

Pick # NFL team Player Position College
121 Chicago Cardinals Bob Russell Back Miami (OH)
122 Boston Yanks Ralph Ventresco Back Penn State
123 Pittsburgh Steelers Bob McCain End Ole Miss
124 Chicago Bears Dick Chatterton Back BYU
125 New York Giants Bob Hazelhurst Back Denver
126 Green Bay Packers George Hills Guard Georgia Tech
127 Detroit Lions Ty Irby Back Auburn
128 Philadelphia Eagles Homer Paine Tackle Tulsa
129 Washington Redskins Stan Sprague End Illinois
130 Los Angeles Rams Bob Palladino Back Notre Dame

Round fifteen

Pick # NFL team Player Position College
131 Chicago Cardinals Fred Rovai Guard Notre Dame
132 Boston Yanks John Furey Tackle Boston College
133 Pittsburgh Steelers Tom Tallchief Tackle Oklahoma
134 Chicago Bears Johnny Timko Center Temple
135 New York Giants Stan Stapley Tackle Utah
136 Green Bay Packers Jim Hough Back Clemson
137 Philadelphia Eagles John Kerns Tackle Ohio
138 Detroit Lions Pat Thrash End South Carolina
139 Washington Redskins Harry Adelman End USC
140 Los Angeles Rams Dick Lorenz End Oregon State

Round sixteen

Pick # NFL team Player Position College
141 Chicago Cardinals Ray Evans Tackle Texas Western
142 Boston Yanks Bill Swiacki End Columbia
143 Pittsburgh Steelers Al Perl Back Youngstown State
144 Chicago Bears Ted Hazelwood Tackle North Carolina
145 New York Giants Nick Terlizzi Tackle Alabama
146 Green Bay Packers Dean Gaines Tackle Georgia Tech
147 Detroit Lions Kelly Mote End Duke
148 Philadelphia Eagles Buddy Hubbard Back William & Mary
149 Washington Redskins Bob Butchofsky Back Texas A&M
150 Los Angeles Rams Larry Bouley Back Georgia

Round seventeen

Pick # NFL team Player Position College
151 Chicago Cardinals Bob Loubie Back Miami (OH)
152 Boston Yanks Charley Tiedeman Back Brown
153 Pittsburgh Steelers Russ Lopez Center West Virginia
154 Chicago Bears Dick Johnson Center Baylor
155 New York Giants Ray Justak Guard Northwestern
156 Green Bay Packers J. P. Miller Guard Georgia
157 Philadelphia Eagles Allen Smith Back Tulsa
158 Detroit Lions Bill Scrugg Back Rice
159 Washington Redskins Mike Prashaw Tackle Michigan
160 Los Angeles Rams Gasper Urban Guard Notre Dame

Round eighteen

Pick # NFL team Player Position College
161 Chicago Cardinals Frank Irwin Tackle Duke
162 Boston Yanks Don Alverez Guard Dartmouth
163 Pittsburgh Steelers Buck Garrison Guard Wake Forest
164 Chicago Bears Art Boettcher Back Shurtleff
165 New York Giants Bob Morris Back USC
166 Green Bay Packers Boyd Morse End Arizona
167 Detroit Lions Ben Wall Back Central Michigan
168 Philadelphia Eagles Bernie Millham End Fordham
169 Washington Redskins Ed Robnett Back Texas Tech
170 Los Angeles Rams Bob Wise Guard Colorado

Round nineteen

Pick # NFL team Player Position College
171 Chicago Cardinals Pride Ratterree Guard Wake Forest
172 Boston Yanks Jack Burns Back Temple
173 Pittsburgh Steelers Bill Cloud Tackle Temple
174 Chicago Bears Tom Gallagher Back Illinois
175 New York Giants Tom Loflin End LSU
176 Green Bay Packers Joe Bradford Center USC
177 Philadelphia Eagles Lawrence Mauss Center Utah
178 Detroit Lions Merlin Kispert Back Minnesota
179 Washington Redskins LaMar Dykstra Back Colorado
180 Los Angeles Rams Jerry Ford End Notre Dame

Round twenty

Pick # NFL team Player Position College
181 Chicago Cardinals Bill Heywood Back Notre Dame
182 Boston Yanks Frank Ruggerio Back Notre Dame
183 Pittsburgh Steelers Mike Garbinski Back Penn State
184 Chicago Bears Johnny Adams Back Denver
185 New York Giants Dick Kelly Back Minnesota
186 Green Bay Packers Bill DeRosa Back Boston College
187 Detroit Lions Don Malmberg Tackle UCLA
188 Philadelphia Eagles Dave Butcher Back William & Mary
189 Washington Redskins Bob Ward Back San Jose State
190 Los Angeles Rams Bob Albrecht Back Marquette

Round twenty-one

Pick # NFL team Player Position College
191 Chicago Cardinals Al Traught Back Miami (OH)
192 Boston Yanks Jack Price Back Baylor
193 Pittsburgh Steelers Charley Loiacano Center Lafayette
194 Chicago Bears Dean Widseth Tackle Bemidji State
195 New York Giants Mel Patton Back Santa Clara
196 Green Bay Packers Ralph Grant Back Bucknell
197 Philadelphia Eagles Don Fabling Back Colorado
198 Detroit Lions Ned Maloney End Purdue
199 Washington Redskins John Pehar Tackle USC
200 Los Angeles Rams Cliff Lewis Back Duke

Round twenty-two

Pick # NFL team Player Position College
201 Chicago Cardinals Clem Andrulewicz Tackle Villanova
202 Boston Yanks Ike Igleheart Guard Tulane
203 Pittsburgh Steelers George Johnson Tackle Pittsburgh
204 Chicago Bears George Kochins Tackle Bucknell
205 New York Giants Bill Stiers Back UCLA
206 Green Bay Packers Howie Brown Guard Indiana
207 Detroit Lions Jack Simmons Back Detroit
208 Philadelphia Eagles George Feldman Back Tufts
209 Washington Redskins Roger Robinson Back Syracuse
210 Los Angeles Rams Bob Richardson Tackle Marquette

Round twenty-three

Pick # NFL team Player Position College
211 Chicago Cardinals Adam Rakowski End Penn
212 Boston Yanks Bill Levitt Center Miami (FL)
213 Pittsburgh Steelers Bill Leitheiser Guard Duke
214 Chicago Bears Al Hoisch Back Stanford
215 New York Giants Vernon Hare Back Santa Clara
216 Green Bay Packers Andy Kosmac Center LSU
217 Philadelphia Eagles Ed Cameron Guard Miami (FL)
218 Detroit Lions Joe Pulte End Detroit
219 Washington Redskins Charley Cadenhead Center Mississippi State
220 Los Angeles Rams Derald Lebow Back Oklahoma

Round twenty-four

Pick # NFL team Player Position College
221 Chicago Cardinals Jack McKenzie Back Northwestern
222 Boston Yanks Mike Karmazin End Duke
223 Pittsburgh Steelers Roger Adams Center Florida
224 Chicago Bears Visco Grgich End Santa Clara
225 New York Giants Neil Scully Back Dayton
226 Green Bay Packers Maurice Stacy Back Washington
227 Detroit Lions Bob Funderberg Back Northwestern
228 Philadelphia Eagles Charley Steed Back Arkansas–Monticello
229 Washington Redskins Bob Rados Guard Santa Clara
230 Los Angeles Rams Bill Lippincott Back Washington State

Round twenty-five

Pick # NFL team Player Position College
231 Chicago Cardinals Tom Worthington Tackle Tulsa
232 Boston Yanks Chet Latcham Guard Denver
233 Pittsburgh Steelers Bob Verkins Back Tulsa
234 Chicago Bears Allen Richards Back Cincinnati
235 New York Giants George Miller Tackle Denver
236 Green Bay Packers Chick Davidson Tackle Cornell
237 Philadelphia Eagles Ed Grygiel Back Dartmouth
238 Detroit Lions Ed Stacco Tackle Colgate
239 Washington Redskins Charlie Webb End LSU
240 Los Angeles Rams Kay Jamison End Florida

Round twenty-six

Pick # NFL team Player Position College
241 Chicago Cardinals Jim Vugrin Guard Tennessee
242 Boston Yanks Gordon Botsford End Boston University
243 Pittsburgh Steelers Clarence Castle Back Ole Miss
244 Chicago Bears Jess Tunstill Back Kentucky
245 New York Giants Barney White End Tulsa
246 Green Bay Packers John Norton Back Washington
247 Detroit Lions Roger Anderson Guard Oregon State
248 Philadelphia Eagles Ben Raimondi Back Indiana
249 Washington Redskins Marion Flanagan Back Texas A&M
250 Los Angeles Rams D. J. Gambrell Center Alabama

Round twenty-seven

Pick # NFL team Player Position College
251 Chicago Cardinals Jesse Herschbarger End SMU
252 Boston Yanks John Kauffman Guard Oregon
253 Pittsburgh Steelers Marchi Marino Tackle Penn State
254 Chicago Bears Ken Smock Back Purdue
255 New York Giants Butch Kalens Guard Illinois
256 Green Bay Packers Ed Holtsinger Back Georgia Tech
257 Philadelphia Eagles Sam Bailey End Georgia
258 Detroit Lions Chuck Murdock End Georgia Tech
259 Washington Redskins Roland Phillips Tackle Georgia Tech
260 Los Angeles Rams Joe Ben Dickey Back Colorado

Round twenty-eight

Pick # NFL team Player Position College
261 Chicago Cardinals Newman Ledbetter Tackle Texas Tech
262 Boston Yanks Don Gleasner End Maryland
263 Pittsburgh Steelers Bob Hansen End UCLA
264 Chicago Bears Howard Weldon Guard North Carolina
265 New York Giants Charlie Ellis Back Virginia
266 Green Bay Packers Joe Campbell End Holy Cross
267 Detroit Lions Dick Van Duesen Center Minnesota
268 Philadelphia Eagles Bob Long Back Tennessee
269 Washington Redskins Jim Hallmark Back Texas A&M
270 Los Angeles Rams Marty Grbovaz End San Francisco

Round twenty-nine

Pick # NFL team Player Position College
271 Chicago Cardinals Alton Baldwin End Arkansas
272 Boston Yanks Carl McKinnon Guard Dartmouth
273 Pittsburgh Steelers Larry Graves Tackle Newberry
274 Chicago Bears Johnny Cook Back Georgia
275 New York Giants Steve Lucas End Duke
276 Green Bay Packers Francis Saunders Tackle Clemson
277 Philadelphia Eagles Bill Fisher Tackle Harvard
278 Detroit Lions Bill Agnew Back California
279 Washington Redskins Fay Mills Tackle Alabama
280 Los Angeles Rams Jay Perrin Tackle USC

Round thirty

Rnd. Pick No. NFL team Player Pos. College Conf. Notes
30 281 Chicago Cardinals Jim LaRue  B Duke SoCon
30 282 Boston Yanks Klutka, NickNick Klutka  E Florida SEC
30 283 Pittsburgh Steelers Gail Bruce  E Washington PCC
30 284 Chicago Bears Franck, HarryHarry Franck  B Northwestern Big Ten
30 285 New York Giants Bill Voris  B North Carolina SoCon
30 286 Green Bay Packers Al Sparlis  OG UCLA PCC
30 287 Detroit Lions Panos, TomTom Panos  OG Utah MSC
30 288 Philadelphia Eagles Slusser, GeorgeGeorge Slusser  B Ohio State Big Ten
30 289 Washington Redskins Ritter, TexTex Ritter  B Georgia Tech SEC
30 290 Los Angeles Rams Plant, FrankFrank Plant  C Georgia SEC

Round thirty-one

Rnd. Pick No. NFL team Player Pos. College Conf. Notes
31 291 Green Bay Packers Clymer, RalphRalph Clymer  OG Purdue Big Ten
31 292 Philadelphia Eagles John Itzel  B Pittsburgh Ind.
31 293 Detroit Lions Palesse, OrlandoOrlando Palesse  E Marquette Ind.
31 294 Washington Redskins Takesian, SarkisSarkis Takesian  B California PCC
31 295 Los Angeles Rams Cowan, DaleDale Cowan  T Kansas State Big Six

Round thirty-two

Rnd. Pick No. NFL team Player Pos. College Conf. Notes
32 296 Green Bay Packers Henderson, JoervinJoervin Henderson  C Missouri Big Six
32 297 Detroit Lions Schellstede, OtisOtis Schellstede  OG Oklahoma A&M MVC
32 298 Philadelphia Eagles Kirkman, LarryLarry Kirkman  B Boston University —
32 299 Washington Redskins Mike Campbell  E Ole Miss SEC
32 300 Los Angeles Rams West, JohnJohn West  B Oklahoma Big Six

Hall of Famers

  • George Connor, tackle from Notre Dame taken 1st round 5th overall by the New York Giants.
Inducted: Professional Football Hall of Fame class of 1975.[6]

Notable undrafted players

† = Pro Bowler[3] ‡ = Hall of Famer[7]
Original NFL team Player Pos. College Conf. Notes
Boston Yanks John Badaczewski  OG Case Western Reserve Ind.
Cleveland Browns Frank Gatski‡ C Auburn SEC
Cleveland Browns Lou Groza‡ OT/K Ohio State Big Ten
Cleveland Browns Marion Motley‡ FB/LB Nevada Ind.
Cleveland Browns Bill Willis‡ DT Ohio State Big Ten
Los Angeles Rams Woody Strode  E UCLA PCC
Los Angeles Rams Kenny Washington  HB UCLA PCC
Philadelphia Eagles Otis Douglas  OT William & Mary SoCon
Philadelphia Eagles Cliff Patton  OG TCU SWC

References

  1. ^ Salomone, Dan (October 2, 2014). "NFL Draft headed to Chicago in 2015". Giants.com. New York Giants. Archived from the original on September 30, 2015. Retrieved June 3, 2015.
  2. ^ Tucker, William (January 15, 1946). "National Football League Holds Secret Draft: Few Selections Made Public". Eugene Register-Guard. Retrieved March 30, 2015.
  3. ^ a b Players are identified as a Pro Bowler if they were selected for the Pro Bowl at any time in their career.
  4. ^ Felix "Doc" Blanchard, 1945 Heisman Trophy winner "Heisman Trophy". Archived from the original on August 7, 2008. Retrieved August 4, 2008.
  5. ^ John Lujack, 1947 Heisman Trophy winner "Heisman Trophy". Archived from the original on April 9, 2008. Retrieved August 4, 2008.
  6. ^ List of 1970s Hall of Fame Inductee's at profootballhof.com "Pro Football Hall of Fame". Archived from the original on October 7, 2008. Retrieved October 6, 2008.
  7. ^ Players are identified as a Hall of Famer if they have been inducted into the Pro Football Hall of Fame.